Ceridian

I attended the Ceridian analyst day last week, and it reinforced why I really like Ceridian. Looking at them from the Nucleus Research approach of analyzing return on investment, Ceridian consistently delivers value for their customers, and that’s enough to put them at the top of any short list. But I like them for another reason as well — I like the people. Today, technology doesn’t sell without a cold-hearted ROI assessment, but the intangible value of trust is the other side of the buying decision. In 20 years as an analyst I’ve met with a lot of vendors and these meetings tend to follow the same pattern: where are they now, where are they going, and competitive positioning. Assuming that holds together (and that’s a big assumption) the next thing I look for is trust. Does the vendor understand their customers, care about them, and have a willingness to do the right thing? If you look past the smiling faces and good suits in a vendor briefing, there are subtle clues that illuminate the truth. In listening to the presentations at Ceridian I sensed a genuine pride in what they’ve done, but without the undertone of arrogance I often hear. I heard recognition that, as a SaaS provider, they face a continuous challenge to provide ever increasing value and a genuine satisfaction that their customers come on-line and realize benefits within a few short months. There are a lot of vendors that deliver good products, but there’s a much smaller set that I truly trust. Ceridian is in that smaller group.