Taleo Corporation began its talent management software solutions in Canada in the late 1990s, but then moved to the US near the turn of the millennium. Its initial focus was on the recruitment process, but during the past decade it expanded into performance management, compensation management, and learning/development as well. In 2012 the company was acquired by Oracle, which now markets Taleo SaaS solutions as the Oracle Taleo Cloud Service.

There are two distinct web-based offerings geared towards businesses of different sizes. The Oracle Taleo Enterprise Cloud Service is for larger companies, while the Oracle Taleo Business Edition Cloud Service is for small to midsize companies. The enterprise version consists of the following 9 modules: Development Planning (for boosting engagement, retention and productivity), Goals Management (to focus employees on high value-added activities and initiatives), Learn (for managing all formal and informal learning activities), Onboarding (for streamlining the process and empowering new employees), Performance Management (for improved performance review processes), Recruiting (for sourcing, assessing and hiring talent), Succession Planning (to retain high potential leaders, build talent pools for business growth, and decrease turnover disruption), Fusion Workforce Compensation (compensation based on workforce analytics), and Social Sourcing (for social recruiting processes). The business edition contains only five modules (recruiting, onboarding, performance management, compensation, and learn).

Having been swallowed up into the Oracle abyss, it’s much harder to find the success stories that relate specifically to Taleo, but they’re available if you’re willing to dig a little. In Mexico, ICA Fluor used the Taleo solution to optimize recruitment, performance management, and employee training, thereby saving 20% in IT maintenance costs, increasing staff participation in employee evaluations from 85% to 99%, and reducing the time that process took from three months down to just four weeks. Agrochemical and biotechnology giant Monsanto claims it approves new hires 70% faster and saves million in talent-search agency costs. Hitachi Consulting saved $1 million in referral costs in its first year of using the Taleo solution. Those are impressive results.

To give you a feel for the difference between Halogen TalentSpace and Oracle Taleo, you’ll recall that in the Halogen article, the G2 Crowd website had 40 reviews with 20 at the 5-star level, 16 at the 4-star level, and 4 at the 3-star level. On the same website, Oracle Taleo has 38 reviews, with only 6 at the 5-star level, 17 with 4 stars, 5 with 3 stars, 2 with 2 stars, and 8 with a 1-star rating. So what is it that people like and don’t like about Oracle Taleo Cloud Service?

As with Halogen, several note that the user interface is easy, intuitive, and offers high functionality, especially for larger companies with high recruiting volumes. In that environment, Taleo’s ability to give you quick snapshots of candidates is probably unmatched. However, nearly an equal number describe the interface as clumsy and dated.

Interestingly enough, there’s a fairly even match between people who think the Taleo search function is so good that it sets it apart from the competition, while others find it clunky and limited. I can only imagine it depends on what you’re looking for – if you find it easily, you’ll like it. If not, then you won’t.

Drawbacks include a clunky and difficult upgrading process, the need for significant IT knowledge in configuring it, and also the need for a very robust ATS Admin in order to take full advantage of Taleo’s capabilities. Several reviews noted that candidates have to go through way too many steps and screens to get into the pipeline. There were also several criticisms aimed at the reporting system, which some found was too limited. Those who were using it as administrators found the admin interface cumbersome, again with too many steps and screens to work through to get things done.

Curiously lacking in any of the reviews that had two or more stars was any mention of customer service or technical support. A surprising number of Halogen reviewers went out of their way to mention the great customer service and technical support. For Taleo, the related comments are found in the 1-star reviews, where people complain that since being acquired by Oracle, customer service has declined significantly. That in and of itself could be a deciding factor for many.

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