3Sixty Insights is at the Hilton Diplomat in Hollywood, Fla., this week to attend isolved Connect, the vendor's annual customer conference. So, naturally, we recorded an episode of the #HRTechChat video podcast onsite with Amy Mosher, isolved's chief people officer, and Lina Tonk, vice president of marketing for isolved.

For our chat, we dove deeply into isolved's recent rebrand, the positive impact this has had on its employees and customers alike, and, as well, isolved's successful internal use of its own platform to grow its own workforce by 40 percent this year. Earlier, this summer, 3Sixty Insights published a case study delving into the particulars. Download it for free, and, if you're feeling enterprising, go here to learn all about our case study on Key Training Center's successful use of the isolved platform.

By the way, you read that right: #isolvedconnect is an in-person event this year. Related activities and festivities remain in full swing through the conclusion of Tuesday's Final Night Party, and it was my pleasure to deliver a presentation here on Monday: Melding the Two Hemispheres of HCM: Concrete and Abstract. After close to two years now meeting with colleagues only virtually, you tend to forget how great it is to see familiar faces and meet new people in real life.

In my opinion, isolved has conducted itself in an exceptionally savvy way as of late -- Amy, Lina, and I even dipped briefly into analyzing the effect of isolved's new colors, pink and black.

#HRTechChat from Hollywood, Florida at #isolvedconnect 2021

Who should own the employee experience (EX)? "There's room for everyone," said isolved Senior Vice President of Marketing Lina Tonk during her guest appearance on the #HRTechChat video podcast. And she's right. The EX occurs everywhere any employee is involved in work. "I do believe the final responsibility should reside with HR. And I think HR leaders will probably agree with that." They probably would, yes. HR's job is not to micromanage the EX, however; it is to shepherd, lead and help shape it. From this, responsibility naturally flows.

Speaking of marketing, have you ever wondered whether, why or how marketing and HR could join forces to bolster and improve EX? I know that I have. And it turns out that it's an idea gaining steam....

In January of this year, isolved conducted a survey of 500 HR leaders based in the United States and from a broad cross-section of industries. The resulting whitepaper, "Transforming Employee Experience: 500 HR Leaders Talk Talent, Tech, Tactics & Threats," is an interesting read that spans several areas of interest as they relate to isolved's goal with the research: ascertaining HR's top challenges of today and top opportunities for tomorrow. And the exercise unearthed some intriguing findings vis-à-vis an emerging role for marketing in the EX and HR's sentiments regarding this.

According to isolved's survey, 65 percent of HR leaders say they want their marketing team involved with EX. Specifically, 52 percent are seeking marketing’s involvement because the department plays an important role in how the company is perceived in the market, and another 40 percent want to leverage marketing’s creative ability.

HR and marketing work together in these ways at isolved. During our chat, Lina described her on-the-job relationship with her colleague Amy Mosher, chief people officer at isolved. "I'm super transparent with Amy," with whom she speaks daily to align goals. During our conversation, Lina got granular in explaining what aligning marketing's goals with HR's looks like at isolved — where HR has its own goals for the employee experience, and marketing has some related to the employee experience, too, "and I believe that cross-functional teams can only work in that manner if goals are attached to them."

Lina delved even deeper, providing a glimpse into what this kind of collaboration, between HR and marketing, looks like from an executional standpoint — something else I've always wondered about. For example, advocacy is incredibly important to isolved, especially for HR leaders because of its impact on retention, which is "key to everything that we're doing," said Lina. Related to this, isolved has an internal advocacy tool that it provides to all its employees. "We needed not only the creativity on the content for marketing, but also the insights and the drive from HR."

Usually, several tangents will surface during the #HRTechChat video podcast, and this episode is no different. Lina and I got to talking about where EX possibly matters most. There's probably no definitive answer to this question, but we both agreed: it's hard to argue that onboarding isn't critical to EX in terms of setting the tone for the long term. Incidentally, speaking to this is a soon-to-be-published report by isolved compiling results from a survey of 1,000 employees. Among the findings is this: 49 percent of employees say they’ve been tempted to leave a new job after a poor onboarding experience that includes limited transitioning, an unprepared first day and excessive paperwork.

3Sixty Insights #HRTechChat with Lina Tonk, Senior Vice President of Marketing at isolved

This past summer, isolved acquired AAP, an administrative services organization (ASO) and significant member of isolved's large network of similar companies using isolved's software-as-a-service solution for human capital management to carry out part or all of HR for their clients. Demonstrating why AAP is an especially good match for the vendor, this in-network acquisition underscores several of isolved's strengths. Joining me on the video podcast to explain were Andy Osborne, who was CEO of AAP for 20 years, and Lina Tonk, who has been with isolved for many years herself, becoming the organization's chief marketing officer shortly after her previous appearance on #HRTechChat.

This acquisition of AAP reflects an important element of isolved's growth strategy. Bringing members of this network fully under the isolved brand is typically smooth and straightforward for these ASOs, professional employer organizations (PEOs), payroll service bureaus, and similar providers. Already using isolved's solution, they see business tending to continue as usual, and easily, for their clients. In the process, isolved grows in a highly sustainable way.

In recent years isolved has built a wraparound ecosystem designed to cultivate this network. Firsthand, I've witnessed extra-exemplary ASOs and PEOs et al. from this network receive public recognition at isolved's annual user conference. As for AAP, infusing its culture into isolved's proved intuitive, a natural step benefiting from the strength of relationships between leaders at both organization.

"Andy and I go way back," Lina said. "From the moment they deployed the isolved platform, I remember thinking, 'They will be such a good fit for us. And, when he made the decision to move into an acquisition with us, we knew that he had checked every single box to ask, 'Are my customers going to be okay? Is my team going to be okay?' They built such a strong culture for their customers that, as we transfer them through, you can see it; you can live and breathe it."

Lina's words make lots of sense as you hear Andy speak of looking past just the paycheck. "We see through the paycheck. We look past the electronic file. We try to take into consideration every day, what we did that impacted the person behind what was printed on the check or what was in an electronic file. We want to understand the impact if we didn't get our job right. If we missed the child support or the direct deposit, you know that those things are key. That is the culture that we built."

The story of AAP's relationship with isolved is a powerful anecdote speaking not only to the cultural fit between the two, but also the usability and capability of the vendor's cloud software for HCM.

"We started reviewing the software options that were out there in 2014," Andy said. "The platform that we were on at the time was not meeting client demand. It was not evolving and developing at the speed that the market required." In 2016, AAP made the selection to move to the isolved platform, "which checked all the boxes for all of the things that we needed." So superior was isolved for AAP's needs that, just to be sure, Andy asked his team to re-analyze all the isolved competitors that AAP had considered. "After two reviews of everybody else, isolved still came out as the clear front runner."

Incidentally, one of those needs stemmed from Andy's decision early in his tenure as CEO at AAP to target quick-service restaurants (QSRs), a vertical market that eventually accounted for approximately 65 percent of AAP's client base. This aligns with goals at isolved, which targets QSRs, too, with a solution especially well-tailored for their challenges in HCM.

As usual, the blog entry captures only a sliver of the depth of thought and conversation on display on the #HRTechChat video podcast. Do yourselves a favor and watch this episode, a very deep dive into what it takes to make an acquisition of this kind successful.

#HRTechChat Explores isolved's Acquisition of AAP

#HRTechChat: Geoff Webb, Vice President of Solutions, Product, and Marketing Strategy at isolved

Pragya Gupta, Chief Product Officer at isolved, talks about the significance of HR data and people analytics. Gupta highlights the growing recognition among business leaders on the power of people data in understanding workforce readiness, engagement, DEI&B efforts and much more.  Teeing up an isolved people hero (customer) story, we are encouraged to be mindful of “the next best step” in HR solutions and to look for the ROI to the larger people organization. All in all, Gupta reminds us to look for the people data story to make informed decisions and drive business strategy.

Nine To Thrive HR

Harnessing the Potential of HR Data

With the Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action, there are reports that corporations are following suit and slowing down diversity programs. Coupled with economic uncertainty and companies trying to do more with less, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) programs are under attack. Amy Mosher can explain why that is a bad idea both in the short and long term and how companies can still invest in DEI&B even amid budget cuts.

Don't Ditch Diversity

Geoff Webb joins Nine To Thrive to discuss AI as a tool to work in collaboration with human capabilities rather than replacing them. The discussion ranges from leveraging AI to personalizing employee experiences, and correlating efficacy with data input. Despite initial job displacement fears, a survey reveals growing openness among employees toward AI's beneficial impact. 

Looking forward, the conversation predicts future HR themes around AI, urging discussions on policies and ethics. The discussion advocates for a proactive, gradual adoption approach, encouraging readiness for AI's transformative potential in HR while prioritizing ethical implementation.

Supplement Human Capabilities: AI's Role in HR Transformation

This guest podcast, originally aired on People Tech, features Mark Feffer in conversation with Opal Wagnac, Senior Vice President of Market and Product Strategy at isolved. Together, they unpack the state of AI in HR, exploring how leaders can distinguish between AI solutions that deliver real value and those that are mere hype.

In this episode, Opal discusses the challenges of AI adoption in the workplace, the evolution of tools like retention predictors and recruiting automation, and the growing alignment between human intuition and machine learning. She highlights practical AI applications in recruiting, payroll, and employee learning, while shedding light on how AI is transforming HR tasks to focus on connection, empathy, and strategic innovation.

Opal also delves into the art of the possible, offering a vision of how AI can empower HR professionals to reimagine their roles and elevate the employee experience.

People Tech with Mark Feffer and Opal Wagnac on Navigating AI’s Impact on HR

As the role of brokers continues to evolve, they are no longer just insurance providers but strategic advisors helping businesses navigate workforce complexities.

3Sixty Insights' Geoff Webb sits down with Andrea Dumont, Vice President Channel Marketing at isolved, to discuss how brokers are adapting to meet the changing needs of HR and HCM. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Andrea shares insights into how brokers are expanding their service offerings, leveraging technology, and strengthening client relationships to provide greater value.

She explores the increasing reliance on brokers for strategic business advice, the impact of compliance challenges, and how HR technology plays a central role in delivering long-term success.

How are brokers differentiating themselves in a crowded market? What role does trust and technology play in building lasting client partnerships?

Tune in as Andrea breaks down the latest trends shaping the broker landscape and how HCM platforms like isolved are helping them stay ahead.

#HRTechChat: The Evolving Role of Brokers in HCM with Andrea Dumont of isolved

Heidi Barnett, President, Talent Acquisition Solutions at isolved, joins Nine to Thrive HR for a deep dive into the future of hiring and employee experience. Heidi shares how ApplicantPro’s full integration into isolved is helping organizations streamline recruiting, enhance employer branding and create more engaging candidate journeys. She also unpacks the critical balance between AI-powered efficiency and the human elements that make a workplace thrive. Tune in for actionable insights on how HR leaders can attract top talent, improve retention and build people-first cultures in today’s competitive landscape.

Redefining Talent Acquisition & Employee Experience in the Age of AI

Looking for fresh content to solve your human capital issues but don't have a full hour? Subscribe to the HCI podcast series to gain access to leading HR practitioners from Fortune 1000 companies, as well thought-leaders, authors, and academics. These experts cover everything from talent acquisition and analytics to engagement, retention, and development.

The buying cycle for enterprise software and technology shouldn't be a power struggle between departments. 3Sixty Insights is a research, advisory, and consulting firm providing deep understanding of how to bridge the gap in perception and priorities between stakeholders. Through our research, we unearth strategic approaches for streamlining the decision-making process, successfully managing solutions, and maximizing value from business software and technology investments.

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