The big keynote topic was expanding on this week’s announcement of a batch of new Illuminate Agents, Workday’s term for its agentic AI solutions, and the theme it wishes to push for its next 20 years as a business. These new tools include agents designed for Contingent Sourcing, Contract Intelligence & Negotiation, Document-Driven Accounting, Self-Service and Supplier Contracts. The contract agents in particular got a little extra ‘bump’ on stage from the presence of Jerry Ting, Founder/CEO of Evisort and VP at Workday.

This is because Evisort is a leading AI-native document intelligence platform which Workday acquired last fall as a potential SAP Ariba slayer on the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) front. As of March, Evisort’s tools became available through Workday Contract Intelligence and Workday CLM, and as of this month, Ting is now the Workday VP in charge of all things agentic AI across the Workday organization.

“Agents is the next generation of workers,” Ting declared on stage at the O2 InterContinental London venue, very much convinced that by 2045 Workday will be the ERP tool you use to manage both human and artificial employees. This was a view echoed by Daniel Pell, VP and UKI Country Leader on stage as part of his keynote, and later in a private panel at Workday Elevate London.

Talking to ERP Today, Pell stressed the difference between generative AI and agentic AI, saying that while both have a place in organizations, the agent edge comes from the “immediate reactions” possible with agents.

“[An agent] starts to understand what’s important,” he explained. “Say you’re creating a job description for a very senior executive […] it’s going to keep it confidential and it knows that because of the parameter.”

But with some potential businesses still unsure what agents exactly are as they continue to get their heads around the very notion of AI from a beginner POV, it begs the question of where agents fit into the concept of AI copilots, standalone products that remain available on the GenAI market from some vendors.

Workday Elevate and AI

Last fall, president & chief product officer of Workday rival SAP SuccessFactors, Dan Beck, told ERP Today that you won’t see SAP or its flagship HCM product “marketing a host of different AI agents”, pointing out that AI agents are by nature simply a day-to-day element of what defines an AI copilot.

At the same panel, Prasun Shah, Global CTO & AI Lead, Workforce Consulting for PwC, admitted that some clients using copilots are confused, asking “I’ve got [Microsoft] Copilot – isn’t that agentic?”

“There’s a good and a bad about what Copilot has done. It’s created the buzz around generative AI […] But the big difference between generative AI and agentic is that [the latter] is actually doing work for you inside the enterprise model.”

With one client, Shah cleared the confusion by discussing the ‘pyramid’ of human workers in their company, with those at the bottom level having a lower level of skills but developing their way ‘higher’ through the pyramid.

“The model in future will be interacting with a pyramid of agents […] As you move up the value chain of agents, you have agents with specialisms […] and some higher-order agents I loosely call the ‘headless Hydras’ who are managing a network of agents [which] they’ll orchestrate to run a particular job.”

‘Headless Hydras’ will be managing a network of agents in the pyramid

This goes back to Jerry Ting’s prediction for both the future of Workday and the workforce, especially as IT and HR functions merge ever closer on the business front. It also underlines that in the Workday view, GenAI and copilots are human-led, offering portals for ad hoc creation and app journeys using AI technology. Agentic AI meanwhile is not centered around the spontaneous or the start-up of a system, as it is instead more task-led. The difference in comparison to SAP is that companies like Workday and Salesforce are announcing each new agent on its own terms, rather than as facets of a batch update. Each one gets its moment in the spotlight  – and, handily, helps to highlight a new feature of the expanding Workday family as with the Evisort example from earlier.

At the same panel ERP Today was a Salesforce SVP, in a good reminder of the partnership between WDAY and SFDC. With Salesforce on its side, Workforce has the power to integrate its HCM/financial nature with the huge swathes of CRM data that comes with Salesforce’s formidable market strength.

It’s a canny move that will help Workday and its AI evolve ever further over the next few decades. In addition, the vendor would be wise to consider two other considerations for a fruitful and continued existence. Firstly, concentrating further on the SME sector with its recently announced Workday Go offering. Details have been limited regarding the offering, and at Workday Elevate London it was represented by a quick slide and little else.

Secondly, the HCM side of things was positioned stronger than the financial one in this year’s Elevate keynote. And yet, the most intriguing part of a presentation from AI VP Kathy Pham was a display of Workday’s AI-driven prowess in keeping up with all the latest tariff turbulence, a bread-and-butter-meets-AI financial tool that is vital to businesses now and likely to be for the next 20 years should the world become more turbulent.

This is how Workday should elevate next.

What this means for ERP Insiders

Agentic AI and Strategic Vision: At Workday Elevate London 2025, Workday emphasized its 20th anniversary by outlining its forward-looking strategy centered on agentic AI. The unveiling of new Illuminate Agents — including solutions for contingent sourcing, contract negotiation, and document-driven accounting — signals Workday’s ambition to redefine enterprise automation.

Differentiating Agentic AI from Generative AI: At Elevate, executives from Workday, PwC, and Salesforce drew a clear line between generative AI and agentic AI. The latter focuses on autonomous, context-aware task execution within enterprise systems, positioned by Workday as core functional assets. The vendor highlighted a future where human and artificial, agentic employees are managed within the same ERP framework.

Growth Levers and Market Positioning: Workday continues to invest in its SME footprint with the so-far under-publicized Workday Go and is enhancing its financial tools, such as tariff management capabilities, to match the strength of its HCM offerings. The company’s strategic alliance with Salesforce also boosts its ability to connect HCM and finance functions with CRM data, strengthening its appeal across broader business ecosystems as it looks to scale over the next two decades.

The post Workday turns 20. What now for the HCM giant? appeared first on ERP Today.

In 2019, Lifetime made a pivotal move: replacing its outdated ERP with Microsoft Dynamics 365. This wasn’t merely a software upgrade. It marked a strategic shift designed to enhance customer experience, empower employees, and strengthen competitiveness in a demanding market. 

Breaking Down Legacy Barriers 

Prior to the transformation, Lifetime struggled with an aging ERP system that limited data access and operational agility. “The initial driver was getting accurate business intelligence,” said John Bowden, CIO at Lifetime Products. Siloed data and limited visibility into operations hindered informed decision-making and restricted the company’s ability to act with speed and precision. 

Bowden also emphasized that professional development for employees was a key metric for success: “One of our major deployment ROI initiatives was to ensure professional growth for our employees.” Legacy systems, with their clunky interfaces and disconnected workflows, had been holding staff back. The move to Dynamics 365 represented a chance to remove those obstacles. 

A Collaborative Transformation 

Lifetime’s implementation of Dynamics 365 wasn’t a solo act. Partnering with Microsoft’s FastTrack for Dynamics 365 team, the company focused on a business-first approach that put people and process at the center of the deployment. The goal was to create a unified platform that could support not only current operations but future innovations in automation and AI. 

“Dynamics 365 was working so well, we felt that we could rebalance to optimize employee opportunity,” said Sinahi Lopez, Global IT Functional Manager at Lifetime. “Using AI and autonomous agents is just the next level for us.” 

Autonomous Agents in Action 

With a stable ERP foundation in place, Lifetime quickly moved to introduce autonomous agents within Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management. These agents tackled tedious, repetitive tasks—such as account reconciliation and e-commerce order processing—freeing employees for more strategic work. 

The results were dramatic. In one division, automating order processes led to a 95 percent efficiency improvement within two months. Manual tasks were eliminated, order fulfillment accelerated, and customers reaped the benefits. 

“With autonomous agents in Dynamics 365, we’re giving our people the tools they need to make an impact,” said Ted Esplin, COO. “I’m proud of that.” 

A New Workforce Strategy: Rebalancing 

Instead of framing automation as a job-reducing force, Lifetime adopted a more holistic approach they call “rebalancing.” The concept focuses on maximizing existing labor—redistributing time saved through automation to higher-value activities across the business. 

This collaborative, incremental approach helped ease fears around job displacement. Lifetime estimates it can ultimately rebalance 20 percent of its knowledge workforce—freeing employees to take on more creative and strategic roles. For example, in its Mexico division, automating accounts receivable tasks enabled the sales team to focus more on marketing and strategic initiatives. 

Leading Cultural Change Through Learning 

Implementing automation isn’t always smooth sailing. “Sometimes they’re pretty tough conversations,” Bowden admitted. But a longstanding culture of operational efficiency made it easier to introduce new technologies with employee buy-in. 

A commitment to continuous learning also played a key role. Lifetime actively encourages Microsoft certifications and technical upskilling. “Exploring the technology deeply and deploying autonomous agents has elevated my team,” said Lopez. “It’s rewarding to see how much people appreciate the time we save them.” 

What’s Next: A Roadmap of Intelligent Automation 

Lifetime is continuing its automation journey with the planned rollout of a Supplier Communications Agent to proactively reduce delays in its supply chain. And the potential doesn’t stop there. “The agents and automations get better over time,” Bowden explained. “You can revisit an area and get a second wave of rebalancing.” 

That iterative model—introducing one automation wave, learning, and then optimizing further—has become central to Lifetime’s transformation strategy. 

Advice for CIOs: Think Business First 

For peers embarking on similar journeys, Bowden is clear: “These aren’t IT projects. They’re business-driven initiatives.” He emphasized that he and his team spend more time working alongside business leaders than in the IT department. Understanding the needs of business units is critical to identifying and implementing the right solutions. 

Maintaining a strong relationship with HR is just as essential. “When you get to the rebalancing area, you need a lot of support from HR,” he noted. That partnership is key to managing transitions, addressing employee concerns, and aligning workforce planning with automation gains. 

Bowden also encourages leaders to take advantage of available resources, pointing to Microsoft case studies as valuable blueprints for successful transformation. 

A Blueprint for Modern ERP Success 

Lifetime Products’ journey with Dynamics 365 and autonomous agents is a compelling example of how ERP modernization can drive meaningful organizational change. By aligning technology with workforce strategy, prioritizing employee development, and maintaining close collaboration between IT, business, and HR, the company has created a model for intelligent transformation—one that’s as focused on people as it is on process. 

What This Means for ERP Insiders 

Rebalancing the workforce through automation drives efficiency and resilience. Lifetime Products used Dynamics 365 to strategically rebalance 20% of its knowledge workforce, not by cutting jobs, but by automating routine tasks and reallocating employees to higher-value roles. This approach reflects a broader trend: McKinsey reports that organizations using automation and reskilling to redeploy labor can reduce workforce costs by 20% to 30% while improving productivity. With Dynamics 365’s AI-first architecture and agent-based automation capabilities, companies can unlock similar efficiencies—provided they align technology deployment with clear workforce strategies and robust change management. 

Cross-functional collaboration and governance are essential for sustainable transformation. Lifetime’s success with automation was rooted in tight coordination between IT, business leadership, and HR. This ensured that automation served business priorities and employee development alike. Deloitte research shows that companies with strong cross-functional collaboration are three times more likely to achieve their transformation goals. However, the technical architecture of Dynamics 365—while highly extensible through Power Platform and Azure—also introduces complexity. To avoid overcustomization and technical debt, organizations must establish clear governance, adopt a composable architecture, and maintain disciplined change management across teams. 

Upskilling and AI readiness will define tomorrow’s competitive edge. Lifetime’s culture of “aggressive learning,” backed by Microsoft certification programs, prepared its workforce to actively embrace automation and AI. This aligns with PwC’s Global Workforce Survey, where 77% of employees expressed willingness to retrain to stay competitive. As cloud ERP adoption grows at a projected 14% CAGR through 2030, and AI becomes central to enterprise software value, Dynamics 365’s native AI integration and predictive analytics will drive operational intelligence. But realizing this potential requires more than deployment—it demands that companies invest in data quality, modular processes, and employee readiness to sustain digital momentum and capitalize on autonomous orchestration. 

The post Leveling Up with Automation: How Lifetime Products Empowered its Workforce with Microsoft Dynamics 365 appeared first on ERP Today.

What Is Oracle Redwood? 

Oracle Redwood is a new design system and UX philosophy that Oracle is rolling out across its cloud applications. It aims to make enterprise software as user-friendly as consumer apps, with: 

• A sleek, modern design featuring updated colors, layouts, and typography. 

• AI-driven automation to streamline workflows and reduce manual tasks. 

• Embedded analytics that provide real-time insights within the user interface. 

• Personalized experiences that adapt to individual roles and preferences. 

For business technology end users, this means a faster, smarter, and more enjoyable experience when using Oracle applications. 

How Does Redwood Benefit ERP Users? 

If you rely on Oracle Cloud ERP for financials, procurement, or supply chain management, Redwood will bring several enhancements to your daily tasks: 

• Intuitive Navigation: With a cleaner layout and improved menu structure, Redwood reduces clicks and makes it easier to find what you need. 

• Smart Automation: AI and machine learning will automate routine tasks like invoice matching and approvals, helping you focus on strategic work. 

• Better Collaboration: Embedded chat and teamwork features allow seamless communication within the application. 

• Consistent User Experience: Whether you use Oracle ERP, HCM, or CX, the look and feel will be uniform, reducing training time and improving adoption. 

When Is Redwood Coming? 

Oracle is rolling out Redwood gradually across its cloud applications, with some features already available and more coming in future updates. While the transition will take time, Oracle is ensuring a smooth and user-friendly adoption process for businesses. 

Preparing for the Change 

To get ready for Redwood: 

• Stay informed: Keep up with Oracle’s announcements and updates. 

• Leverage training resources: Oracle and its partners, like Fudgelearn, offer guidance to help users navigate the transition. 

• Encourage user adoption: Start exploring Redwood’s features early to maximize efficiency. 

How Fudgelearn and ClickLearn Can Help 

Adapting to Oracle Redwood’s new interface and features may require structured learning and ongoing support. That’s where Fudgelearn’s partnership with ClickLearn comes in. ClickLearn specializes in digital adoption and automated training solutions, ensuring that businesses can onboard employees faster and minimize disruption during software transitions. 

To help organizations prepare for Redwood, Fudgelearn hosted a webinar in collaboration with ClickLearn. This session provided a full insight into the capabilities of using ClickLearn and Fudgelearn for your user-adoption and Oracle training needs. By leveraging ClickLearn’s automation, businesses can ensure their teams quickly adapt to Redwood’s new UX without losing productivity. You can learn more about the webinar here: 

Watch The Future of User-Adoption and Training Webinar. 

Oracle Redwood is more than just a design update—it’s a transformative step toward a smarter, more user-friendly ERP experience. With the right training and digital adoption strategy, businesses can ensure a seamless transition and unlock the full potential of Oracle’s latest innovations. 

What this means for ERP Insiders  

Get ready for Oracle Redwood. By watching the Fudgelearn and ClickLearn webinar, ERP end users will gain practical insights and hands-on strategies to navigate Oracle Redwood’s new UX, learn how to automate user training, reduce onboarding time, and access interactive guides and e-learning materials that streamline adoption, ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption, while also discovering how ClickLearn’s powerful digital adoption tools can enhance productivity, efficiency, and user confidence in leveraging Redwood’s AI-driven automation and intuitive interface. 

Optimize your transition with training. Updating to Oracle Redwood will require comprehensive training like Fudgelearn’s to ensure ERP users can seamlessly adapt to its modernized UX, AI-driven automation, and embedded analytics, reducing confusion and downtime while maximizing efficiency, as the shift introduces new navigation, workflows, and productivity tools that demand structured learning to fully leverage, making expert-led training essential for smooth onboarding, minimizing disruptions, and empowering teams to effectively use Redwood’s intuitive, role-based experience for enhanced business performance. 

See the benefits of Oracle Redwood. Oracle Redwood offers ERP end users a modern, intuitive interface with AI-driven automation, embedded analytics, and personalized workflows, making daily tasks more efficient and user-friendly, ensuring businesses can fully leverage Oracle Cloud ERP’s capabilities with a smarter, more engaging experience. 

The post Oracle Redwood: The Future of User Experience in ERP appeared first on ERP Today.

The collaboration is set to enhance Workday’s skills data, enabling employees to better manage their profiles and advance their careers.

Ashley Goldsmith, Workday’s chief people officer, emphasized the importance of accurate and timely data for developing effective skills strategies:

“The skills revolution is empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the ever-evolving world of work. To implement a successful skills strategy, you need precise, real-time data,” she added. “Our partnership with TechWolf will turbocharge Workday’s existing skills offering and put employees in the driver’s seat when it comes to their career growth – providing tools and insights that help them proactively upskill and reskill for success.”

Workday Skills Cloud, powered by Workday Illuminate, helps organizations align workforce skills with business goals, promote internal mobility and close skills gaps through upskilling initiatives. TechWolf’s AI technology will complement these features by identifying employee skills through systems such as Salesforce and Jira. This integration will allow employees to view and update suggested skills directly within their workflow, making it easier to refine their profiles and access training and job opportunities.

The enhanced capabilities will assist Workday employees to match their skills with career development opportunities, helping the company better align workforce capabilities with strategic objectives. It also introduces advanced employee-to-skill mapping, automated profile updates and improved planning tools.

Andreas De Neve, CEO of TechWolf, highlighted the potential of this collaboration: “Our partnership with Workday is a testament to the power of combining AI-driven innovation with practical applications.

“We’re excited to expand our collaboration to deliver impactful solutions for Workday employees while setting a new benchmark for skills-based transformation.”

In recognition of its contributions, TechWolf has been named a Workday Innovation Partner, reflecting its role in advancing skills-focused solutions. Additionally, TechWolf’s Skill Engine API is now available on Workday Marketplace, offering Workday customers seamless access to partner-developed tools.

Workday plans to make TechWolf’s AI-powered skills intelligence available to employees through its HCM system later this year.

What it means for ERP insiders

Empowering HR managers, learning specialists and IT administrators with AI: For HR managers, learning and development specialists and IT administrators, Workday’s integration of TechWolf AI represents a game-changing enhancement in workforce skills management. By embedding AI-driven skills intelligence into Workday’s Human Capital Management system, this innovation simplifies skills tracking and alignment with career growth pathways. HR managers can now rely on more accurate, automated skills mapping to optimize talent strategies, while learning specialists can identify skill gaps more precisely to design targeted upskilling programs. IT administrators, in turn, benefit from seamless integrations with tools like Salesforce and Jira, ensuring that workforce data remains current and actionable within employees’ everyday workflows. This transformative capability puts employees in control of their professional development, fostering a culture of proactive career management and internal mobility.

Growing market for skills intelligence solutions: Workday’s collaboration with TechWolf taps into a rapidly expanding market for skills intelligence tools, driven by the global shift toward skills-based workforce management. According to research, the market for AI in HR technology is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 35% through 2030, fueled by demands for improved talent retention and agility in an era of digital transformation. Competing vendors like SAP, Oracle and Cornerstone OnDemand are also introducing AI-driven solutions to address similar needs, underscoring the competitive and innovation-rich landscape. This integration positions Workday to stay ahead by enhancing its Skills Cloud capabilities with TechWolf’s advanced AI, further strengthening its market leadership in workforce management technology.

Key considerations when evaluating skills management solutions: End-users evaluating providers in the skills management space should prioritize several criteria to ensure they derive maximum value from their investment. First, focus on integration capabilities – solutions must seamlessly connect with existing enterprise tools like CRMs and project management platforms. Second, assess the sophistication of AI and machine learning capabilities, ensuring the system provides actionable insights and automated updates without requiring extensive manual input. Lastly, prioritize user experience and accessibility – tools should empower employees to engage with their career data intuitively and in real-time, fostering adoption across the organization. Providers like Workday and TechWolf exemplify these priorities, offering solutions that are not only innovative but also practical and impactful for day-to-day operations.

The post Workday integrates TechWolf AI for employee skills management appeared first on ERP Today.

Set to be fully available in early 2025, the new integration offers businesses using SAP SuccessFactors solutions and Skillsoft deeper insights into their workforce’s skills and the ability to deliver personalized learning paths aligned with employees’ role requirements and career aspirations, as well as the needs of the business.

By matching skills between customers’ taxonomies from the talent intelligence hub and Skillsoft’s skill dictionary, the companies are linking employees’ skills and roles with learning experiences throughout SAP SuccessFactors. As a result, organizations can better assess, index, and map the current skills of their employees against those required for their jobs, enabling more strategic workforce planning.

Key benefits of the partnership include:

Centralized skills management: Organizations can incorporate existing frameworks and deliver learning that drives targeted workforce development, with the talent intelligence hub serving as a dedicated source of truth for skills.

Enhanced workforce agility: Organizations can quickly adapt to changing market demands by identifying and addressing skill gaps, ensuring the workforce remains competitive and agile.

Increased employee engagement: Personalized learning experiences aligned with career goals boost employee engagement and satisfaction, fostering a more motivated and engaged workforce.

Improved talent mobility: The integration supports internal talent movement by identifying candidates for new roles, strategic projects, or cohorts based on current skills and learning achievements, helping to optimize talent utilization and improve retention.

Optimized tracking & actionable insights: Comprehensive tracking of employee skilling activity, captured in both the talent intelligence hub and Skillsoft’s dashboards, enables organizations to measure impact, identify trends, and tailor learning experiences accordingly.

The Skillsoft announcement follows updates made last fall to the SuccessFactors talent intelligence hub, allowing users to aggregate and harmonize data from third-party solutions in the hub to ensure a single view of skills for both employees and the organization. Partners integrated with the talent intelligence hub prior to Skillsoft include Beamery, iMocha, Korn Ferry, Lightcast, Phenom, TalenTeam, TechWolf, and edtech platform Degreed. Degreed’s inclusion was influenced in part by BT Group, as revealed by SAP SuccessFactors Chief Revenue Officer Maryann Abbajay to ERP Today last year.

Commenting on the announcement, Apratim Purakayastha, GM, Talent Development Solutions at Skillsoft, stated: “Talent is the fundamental building block of any organization, and achieving priority business objectives hinges on that talent having the right skills. Skills-based strategies are essential for developing an agile, productive, and innovative workforce and business.

“Integrating Skillsoft with the talent intelligence hub from SAP SuccessFactors creates a simpler, more effective, and more engaging approach to talent development.”

What This Means for ERP Insiders:

Centralized Skills Management for Workforce Development: The integration between SAP SuccessFactors and Skillsoft links employees’ skills and roles with targeted learning experiences, enabling centralized skills management and aligning workforce development with business priorities.

Latest Partnership in Talent Intelligence Expansion: Building on updates announced last fall, which enabled third-party data aggregation in the SAP SuccessFactors talent intelligence hub, the Skillsoft collaboration adds personalized skilling experiences to the platform, joining prior integrations with partners like Degreed and Lightcast.

Enhanced Tracking and Talent Mobility: Advanced tracking capabilities across Skillsoft and SAP SuccessFactors provide actionable insights to identify skill trends, address gaps, and support internal talent mobility for strategic workforce planning.

The post Skillsoft expands SAP SuccessFactors partnership appeared first on ERP Today.

Headquartered in Birmingham, England, Mitchells & Butlers operates over 1,600 restaurant and pub sites across the UK, running household names including All Bar One, Toby Carvery and Miller & Carter. In order to better provide more intuitive, mobile-first access to information and HR resources for employees – while also reducing the time managers spend on administrative tasks – Mitchells & Butlers selected Oracle Cloud HCM.

“We believe engaged employees are at the heart of delivering a great guest experience. Everything we do is built on the passion and professionalism of our people, and we need an HR system to support that,” said Susan Martindale, Group Human Resources Director, Mitchells & Butlers. “Oracle Cloud HCM will help us improve how we manage our people and processes, while enabling managers to focus more on delivering a great experience for our guests.”

Oracle Cloud HCM will help Mitchells & Butlers increase employee engagement and reduce attrition. With built-in AI capabilities, Mitchells & Butlers’ managers will be better able to automate HR processes to help reduce the time spent on administrative tasks. Oracle Cloud HCM will also allow Mitchells & Butlers employees to quickly access self-service HR processes and support from anywhere. In addition, Oracle Payroll, part of Oracle Cloud HCM, can provide the organization with a highly configurable, fully unified solution for efficient, compliant payroll processing.

“Mitchells & Butlers is on a journey to reimagine and strengthen the way it engages with its workforce,” said Debbie Green, Chief Operating Officer, Applications, Oracle UK and Ireland. “With Oracle Cloud HCM, Mitchells & Butlers will be able to increase workforce efficiency, embrace continuous innovation and leverage embedded AI to improve the experience for its employees and customers.”

The implementation will be delivered by Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) member Inoapps, whose Vice President for Customer Success, Debra Lilley, is a regular ERP Today contributor.

What this means for ERP Insiders

In the ever-evolving cloud age, people-centric organizations are redefining their approach to workforce management. Accordingly, Mitchells & Butlers has taken a decisive step by selecting Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management with implementation support from Inoapps. This transformation signals a commitment to enhancing employee engagement and operational efficiency. For ERP professionals, this case underscores the importance of aligning technology with human-centric values in a competitive, fast-paced market.

Modernizing HR Systems for Employee Engagement
The Mitchells & Butlers news highlights the growing role of advanced HR systems in fostering employee engagement. With Oracle Cloud HCM, the company aims to provide its almost 48,000 employees with intuitive, mobile-first access to HR resources. This aligns with a broader trend in cloud technology adoption, where seamless self-service solutions enable employees to manage tasks with greater autonomy, improving morale and reducing attrition.

Streamlining Administrative Processes with AI
By leveraging Oracle Cloud HCM’s built-in AI capabilities, Mitchells & Butlers aims to automate time-consuming administrative processes. This allows managers to shift focus from HR paperwork to strategic objectives, such as enhancing customer experiences. For ERP professionals, this case exemplifies how AI-powered solutions can optimize operations, enabling businesses to achieve efficiency while maintaining a people-first approach.

Partnering for a Seamless Implementation
The role of Oracle PartnerNetwork member Inoapps in this project underscores the importance of experienced partners in implementing complex HCM solutions. For ERP specialists, this highlights the value of collaboration between organizations and technology providers to ensure smooth transitions, maximize ROI, and maintain alignment with organizational goals during digital transformations.

Mitchells & Butlers’ move to Oracle Cloud HCM serves as a blueprint for people-centric organizations seeking to secure their HCM systems in the cloud age. By prioritizing employee engagement, automating processes, and leveraging expert partnerships, the company is reimagining its workforce strategy to stay competitive. For ERP professionals, this case is a reminder that successful transformations hinge on integrating cutting-edge technology with a deep commitment to enhancing the human experience.

The post Oracle and Inoapps serve gastro giant with Fusion HCM appeared first on ERP Today.

Opting for Workday Human Capital Management (HCM), Workday Financial Management, Workday Supply Chain Management (SCM) for Healthcare, and Workday Grants Management, Johns Hopkins is expected to benefit from finance, workforce and operations data in a unified system.

The nonprofit organization which comprises of the Johns Hopkins Health System and Johns Hopkins University is expected to go live with the Workday migration in 2027.

Explaining how Workday can bring value to the renowned organization, Michael Hofherr, Workday senior vice president and group general manager for the industry, said: “Workday understands the unique challenges higher education and healthcare organizations face and our solutions are designed to help institutions like Johns Hopkins be flexible, run efficiently and grow in the future.

“We are honored to support Johns Hopkins in its transformation journey and look forward to helping it create better experiences for faculty, staff and students.”

The leaders of Sightline, a multiyear operational and digital transformation program at John Hopkins, that the migration is a part of, said that technology has rapidly evolved since SAP was adopted in 2007 and their aim now is to simplify data management and governance, and to foster a better user experience. 

“At Johns Hopkins, our people work hard every day to support and advance our mission,” said Matt Nesbitt, executive of the Sightline program. “Sightline aims to improve the employee experience with modern technology and smart business practices.”

Over the next few years through Sightline, key operational functions such as human resources, finance, sponsored research, procurement and supply chain will be streamlined.

Starting in the second half of 2025, Johns Hopkins’ employees will engage in the process by participating in design and feedback sessions to ensure that their perspectives are incorporated and their needs are met as new working processes are developed.

The post Johns Hopkins opens doors to Workday for modernization program appeared first on ERP Today.

As announced by Kishan Chetan, EVP and GM for Salesforce Service Cloud, the new Employee Service offering unifies employee data, case details, and a company’s corporate knowledge base all in one workspace to give HR teams a 360-degree view of each employee and the ability to manage employee support cases with Agentforce, the AI agent offering which Salesforce is currently going all in on.

Using Agentforce, HR teams can efficiently resolve employee issues to quickly search, respond, summarize, and close cases, extending teams to get work done faster.

In addition, the new Employee Service solution from Salesforce Service Cloud includes:

Employee Portal: A self-service portal that allows employees to manage their HR cases and data, and quickly find Agentforce generated, personalized answers to questions such as “Am I eligible for a corporate card?” This allows employees to save time on HR tasks, giving them more time to focus on their day job.

HR Service Console: A single workspace giving HR teams a 360-degree view of each employee and the ability to manage employee support cases with Agentforce and productivity tools such as AI-generated replies and workflows.

Agentforce for Employee Service: A suite of customizable agents and tools to create and deploy employee and HR-facing AI agents that help execute tasks and speed up support.

Employee Service Integrations: A prebuilt Mulesoft integration with Workday and configurable integrations to other HCM systems surface personalized and relevant employee data in both the Employee Portal and HR Service Console.

Why the Salesforce Service Cloud update matters to ERP Insiders

Salesforce is enhancing its position in Human Capital Management (HCM) with the introduction of its Employee Service solution in the Salesforce Service Cloud, unveiled at the end of 2024. This update integrates Salesforce’s powerful AI capabilities, notably through Agentforce, to offer HR teams a unified platform for managing employee data, cases, and knowledge. The solution also includes a prebuilt integration with Workday, making it easier for organizations to leverage existing HCM systems while streamlining employee support.

Key features of Salesforce’s new Employee Service solution:

• AI-powered Support: Integration of Agentforce to automate case management and improve response times for HR teams.
• Centralized Workspace: A unified platform for HR teams to manage employee data, cases, and knowledge.
• Self-service Capabilities: Employee portal for streamlined access to HR services and information.
• Seamless Integrations: Prebuilt integrations with Workday and other HCM systems for better data access and personalization.

This update underscores Salesforce’s commitment to enhancing HR functions with AI and integrated tools for a more efficient and user-friendly experience.

The post Human Capital meets AI as Salesforce updates HCM & Workday capabilities appeared first on ERP Today.

Understanding what employees want and supporting them effectively is critical as organizations compete to retain their highest performing employees and attract top talent. Managers are pivotal here because they play a central role in building strong employee engagement and loyalty. However, as Workday data reveals, many managers are themselves at high risk of burnout. The latest innovations in Workday Peakon Employee Voice reduce the time it takes for managers to surface insights from across the entire workforce. When coupled with personalized recommended actions, the employee listening solution makes it easier for stretched managers to elevate their people and drive organizational success.

The new innovations in Workday Peakon Employee Voice include:

• Generative AI-Powered Content Summaries: New AI generated content summaries surface and pinpoint key themes and emerging issues from a vast volume of employee feedback across 60+ languages. This enables rapid, informed decision-making so organizations can address global employee concerns, such as workload or burnout – before they fully manifest – fostering a more engaged and productive workforce.

• On-Demand Comment Summaries: On-demand functionality provides targeted analysis of employee feedback by specific department, location or engagement score. For example, it can be used to quickly uncover how employees across marketing, or located in the Madrid office, are feeling. This helps organizations make specific improvements and boost engagement where it is needed most.

• Rules-Based Questions in Moments That Matter: Rules-Based Questions enable leaders to deliver tailored survey questions to employees at any chosen, pivotal moment in the employee lifecycle, such as onboarding and exiting. This generates valuable data-driven information to help managers improve the end-to-end employee experience.

“In the current business landscape, attracting, retaining and engaging top talent is more critical than ever,” said Anne-Sofie Nielsen, Vice President, Product and Engineering, Workday. “Workday Peakon Employee Voice with these new Illuminate capabilities give organizations – and specifically people managers – the insights and tools they need to foster exceptional employee experiences, build a thriving workforce and achieve greater organizational success.”

These new Illuminate capabilities in Workday Peakon Employee Voice are powered by more than one billion aggregated employee responses and an additional 200 million pieces of written employee feedback from across 160 countries. This dataset also gives Workday access to the industry’s deepest insights into global workforce trends, allowing it to uncover critical findings to help shape the future of work. For example, Workday revealed earlier this year that on average, 27% of employees within an organization are at high risk of burnout. It also found that workers who believe they are doing meaningful work feel 37% more accomplished than those who don’t – even when facing challenging workloads.

Workday Peakon Employee Voice gives employees a platform to confidentially share their experiences, expectations and feelings about work. With accurate comparisons, consistent benchmarking powered by True Benchmark, and robust, real-time analytics, it has helped customers like EQ turn insights into action and drive higher engagement.

“Workday Peakon Employee Voice is a key part of our people strategy, enabling us to directly address the continuous challenges we face in the evolving world of work,” said Andrew Stephenson, chief people officer, EQ. “By understanding the views of our people and being able to take ideas and suggestions from them frequently, we are able to take timely actions to create a truly empowered, engaged workforce around the globe.”

With employees as its number one core value, Workday uses Workday Peakon Employee Voice to garner insights from its more than 20,000 workmates. This feedback has helped inform and shape Workday’s own strategy – leading, for example, to the introduction of a Work From Almost Anywhere benefit and a subsequent rise in flexibility scores. Additionally, employee feedback on the topic of growth led to a renewed focus among leaders and individualized action plans, which helped Workday achieve a 35% increase in the number of employees who said they were satisfied with their growth and career path.

Generative AI-Powered Comment Summaries, On-Demand Comment Summaries and Rules Based Questions in Moments That Matter will be available to Workday Peakon Employee Voice customers in the first half of 2025.

What this means for ERP Insiders

Integrate employee sentiment data with ERP systems to reveal correlations with operational performance. Use integration to align employee feedback with key metrics such as project performance, sales outcomes, or production efficiency. For example, link engagement data with team performance in SAP SuccessFactors or project delivery in Oracle ERP. Enable automated workflows in your ERP that trigger alerts or actions based on Peakon data. For example, if engagement scores dip in a critical department, automatically assign resources to address issues or initiate manager training programs. And use integration to enhance onboarding processes or improve succession planning by identifying key drivers of engagement and performance. For instance, leverage Peakon insights to adjust compensation or training plans directly in your ERP. Tie Peakon data to key business drivers like customer churn or profitability. For example, if low engagement is linked to declining customer satisfaction in a retail ERP system, focus on targeted interventions to improve employee morale and service quality.

Workday’s extensive dataset is a unique advantage. Workday’s vast dataset fuels the development and refinement of its AI and machine learning models and enables it to benchmark performance, identify industry trends, and provide actionable insights that add unique value to its customers. This proprietary dataset and algorithms allow Workday to provide more accurate predictions, insights, and recommendations tailored to its customers’ needs. The scale and diversity of its dataset are difficult for competitors to replicate without a similarly large customer base and years of accumulated data. Competitors face a “cold start” problem, as most lack the scale and breadth of data necessary to compete on the same level. And as more organizations adopt Workday, the dataset grows richer, enabling Workday to deliver even better results through more advanced AI-powered tools. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle of value. Workday serves the financial management and human resources needs of more than 10,500 customers and 70 million users globally, including over 50% of the Fortune 500 and more than 25% of the Global 2000, with a customer satisfaction rating exceeding 95%.

Ensure success when integrating Workday with your ERP. Several ERP systems have established strong track records of integrating with Workday due to their compatibility, technical flexibility, and complementary features. The best options depend on your organization’s use case, but the top ERP systems with proven integration success are SAP (including SAP S/4HANA), Oracle ERP Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Netsuite (Oracle), Infor ERP, and Salesforce (CRM). In these cases, the ERP provider already has prebuilt connectors with Workday to reduce integration complexity. Also, integration platforms (e.g., MuleSoft, Boomi, Informatica) can be used if native integration is insufficient or not available. These common ERP systems have also proven they can scale alongside Workday to support future growth. And they can complement Workday’s capabilities in specific industries (e.g., healthcare, retail, manufacturing).

The post Workday Unveils New Illuminate Capabilities for Peakon Employee Voice to Unlock Deeper and Faster Employee Insights with AI appeared first on ERP Today.

Virginia, US business advisory firm CrossCountry Consulting last month announced the acquisition of SCS Cloud. In addition to being a certified NetSuite solution provider, SCS Cloud provides consulting and implementation services for Salesforce. Over in the UK – at almost the exact same time – accountancy firm Cooper Parry completed the acquisition of fast-growing NetSuite consultancy, MacroFin, to complement its May acquisition of Salesforce consultancy Cloud Orca.

A twist on the above comes from a recent investment in Canadian advisory firm Lane Four Consulting, which appears on the surface to be an SDFC-centric story. Lane Four, which specializes in Salesforce, is reported by The Deal to have received a possible $20-50m investment from New York’s VSS Capital Partners. A significant number of Lane Four’s clients use NetSuite, upon which VSS managing director Trent Hickman commented to The Deal: “Historically, it has been a pain point for companies to properly integrate their Salesforce and their NetSuite instances, because by and large you have Salesforce consultants and you have NetSuite consultants, but they don’t really get to know each other. Having this expertise on both sides, and the connective tissue between the two, is the real opportunity.”

What this means for ERP Insiders

Add in the summer acquisition by Dallas-based business advisory firm Riveron of Californian NetSuite, Salesforce and Oracle specialists Yantra, and it’s clear to see a strong response to an equally strong market need by the SMB users of Oracle’s ERP offering for Salesforce integration.

NetSuite itself has noticed, announcing a new integration tool for Salesforce in September: The NetSuite Connector for Salesforce, which enables customers to synchronize data between NetSuite ERP and Salesforce’s Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud offerings. Powered by Oracle Integration Cloud (OIC), the service enables customers to setup, manage, and monitor data flows via a self-serve interface in NetSuite, enhancing:

• Financial management: The NetSuite Connector for Salesforce helps expand financial insights and accelerate decision-making by delivering real-time access to NetSuite financial data, such as invoices, payments, credit limits, and due amounts, directly within Salesforce.
• Customer management: Also aids enhance customer insights and improve profile accuracy by automating updates between Salesforce and NetSuite customer records.
• Item management: Assists to prevent customer issues and improve the quality and consistency of product information by syncing inventory, non-inventory, and service items, as well as item pricing, between NetSuite and Salesforce.
• Order management: Helps improve the accuracy of order records and expand visibility into sales opportunities by automatically syncing sales orders in both NetSuite and Salesforce.

But with Oracle and SDFC obvious rivals in the same space, it seems the solution is just one small step rather than the bigger leap being demanded by end users of both platforms. Also worth noting is the Connector is only available in North America with a vague deployment happening sometime across the next year. SCS Cloud, Cooper Parry, Riveron, Lane Four will likely already be ahead of the curve come Q4 2025.

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