Meet Dovetail’s New Chief Strategy Officer, Kane Frisby
We would like to introduce the newest member of the Dovetail team, Chief Strategy Officer Kane Frisby! Our CEO met Kane about two years ago – Kane was implementing our HR Case Management solution in the HR organization at his engineering defense firm – and had his eye on Kane for a position at Dovetail since then. He always jokes it was the longest interview process he’s ever done. Kane, originally from the UK, has lived all over the world and spent his career identifying the right technology systems for HR organizations. I sat down with Kane to learn about his previous HR experience, how we were finally able to snag him and what his plan is for 2013.
Prior to joining Dovetail, tell us about your experience in the HR technology space?
I was working for an engineering defense firm in the UK looking after HR technology. We were re-implementing our HR systems to increase the value of the systems. The company was split into five different parts; each had their own separate HR system. It worked like five different companies essentially, each had their preferred procedure and technology vendor. The challenge was to create one common HR system that could stretch across five separate companies. The company also decided to undergo a business transformation at the time. Part of this transformation was to do an HR Shared Services implementation, so I began to identify solution providers that would be the best fit for the organization. Dovetail Software was one of the vendors we looked at for their HR case management system. There was a resounding consensus that Dovetail was the proper choice, they had the right look and feel, the right culture fit and the right price. After that implementation, I moved to an investment bank headquartered in Moscow, Russia and took the position as Vice President of HR IT.
You previously worked for a major bank?
Yes, my role there was to evaluate and monitor the current HR technology, they were looking to improve the value of the technology. I spent six months researching and interviewing various HR vendors; especially those that were SaaS-based models. We saw it as a good direction to take the company in. Out of the dozens of companies interviewed, three were selected. Out of those, Dovetail was again selected for their HR case management and help desk capabilities.
What was appealing to you about joining a technology company like Dovetail?
The main appeal in joining Dovetail is that they have a great product with really smart people behind it and there is so much untapped opportunity – especially in the United States – for this type of solution. In addition, I have come into a role where I have the ability to use my experience in HR IT to help build a product roadmap, which will provide HR organizations with exactly what they need to make HR service delivery efficient and cost effective. I know I can make a difference and I know this solution can make a difference for HR organizations.
What is the #1 benefit you see Dovetail providing organizations?
The #1 benefit Dovetail provides is improving the efficiency of an HR organization. Dovetail enables organizations to transfer administrative tasks off of HR specialists and leaders, which allows them to focus on more strategic initiatives. Instead of struggling to do too many things at once, Dovetail works to centralize your tactical and strategic work and can take your tactical transactions and automate them.
You have a lot of experience with HR Shared Services Centers? How do you measure their success?
You need KPI’s and a continuous improvement measuring system. Keep reiterating and re-evaluating how well you are performing. Success is an on-going process and measurements should constantly be updated. You can use things like company-wide surveys or measurements like first-call resolution rates: how fast can we answer a call? Or recruitment rates: How quickly are we onboarding somebody? If your processes take less time, your organization saves money.
As the Chief Strategy Officer at Dovetail, what are some things customers and prospects can expect to see/look forward to in 2013?
In 2012, Dovetail added additional HR expertise. 2013 is the year to make sure that the HR shared services component is further enhanced. Dovetail Software now only provides a SaaS solution, which is the future of HR technology and allows us to innovate faster and provide new releases and feature enhancements for our customers more often. We’ll be releasing the highly anticipated Dovetail Support Suite Version 5 in the first quarter of 2013 and our product will keep evolving at a very fast pace. We’re also looking to expand our strategic alliances, which allows for more fluid processes and better automation among the HR technologies in place.
In 2013, Kane also looks forward to enjoying the parks and local community spirit in Austin, Texas where he currently resides with his family.
Connect with Kane on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.
