| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NASDAQ: TLEO |
| Industry | Talent Management software and services |
| Founded |
1996 Quebec City, Canada (as Viasite) |
| Headquarters |
, U.S. Dublin, California |
| Key people |
|
| Website | www.taleo.com |
Taleo Corporation is a publicly traded provider of cloud-based Talent Management solutions headquartered in Dublin, Calif.[1] Taleo’s solutions are primarily centered around talent acquisition (recruitment), performance management, learning and development, and compensation management. These capabilities combine to provide what Taleo calls “Talent Intelligence,” or an enhanced level of insight into candidates and employees.[2] Taleo sells its products entirely via a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, in which all software and information resides in data centers operated and secured by Taleo.[3]
As of August 2011, Taleo reported it had more than 5,000 customers ranging from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large global enterprises, including nearly half of the Fortune 100.[4]
Contents |
Taleo has its roots in Canada, where in 1996 Martin Ouellet established Viasite, a French-language job board for candidates and employers. Ouelett and Louis Tetu soon began working with Fortune 500 companies interested in developing online approaches to recruiting that incorporate the efficiencies of supply chain management.
Viasite was later renamed Recruitsoft, Inc. In 1999, Recruitsoft registered as a Delaware corporation with headquarters in San Francisco, and launched Recruiter WebTop, an online hiring management system.[5] Global expansion followed and by 2001 the company had secured customer relationships with large enterprises including Hewlett Packard, Dow Chemical, Agilent, Hasbro, American Airlines, United Airlines, Deloitte & Touche, Bombardier Aerospace and Transportation, MetLife, Cabletron Systems, and Sutter Health.[6]
Recruitsoft, Inc. changed its name to Taleo Corporation in March 2004.[7] As the Talent Management market matured, Taleo added products and capabilities, unifying recruiting with performance management in 2008,[8] adding compensation in 2009,[9] and integrating learning and talent development in 2010.[10] Today, Taleo solutions are available in 187 countries and in 31 languages.[11]
In July 2010, Taleo introduced a unified approach to talent data called Talent Intelligence,[12] which gives managers up-to-date insights into candidates and internal staff, best practices and industry-level benchmarks. According to Taleo, these insights better equip organizations to recruit and mobilize the best talent, while helping managers identify, develop and compensate top performers.[13] Taleo argues that achieving Talent Intelligence requires:
Since its introduction, Talent Intelligence has become a central element of the Taleo brand promise, figuring prominently in product positioning, sales and marketing materials, press communications, blogs and speeches. In March 2011, Taleo launched http://www.TalentIntelligence.tv, an interactive online resource for customers that uses television-inspired tools such as program guides and a remote control-style navigation interface.[15]
Taleo operates R&D facilities in Quebec City, Canada, and Jacksonville, Fla., with additional development staff in its Dublin, Calif., headquarters and other locations.[16] Taleo’s Fiscal 2010 R&D investment was approximately $41 million.
In addition to its own R&D efforts, Taleo has expanded its product offerings through the acquisition of third-party solutions, talent and intellectual property.
Taleo markets Talent Management platforms for SMBs (as Taleo Business Edition) and enterprises (as Taleo Enterprise). Both Taleo Business Edition and Taleo Enterprise are modular offerings that allow customers to add capabilities as they require them.
Marketed to SMBs with 5,000 or fewer employees, Taleo Business Edition features a base Talent Management platform that transparently receives upgrades and can be extended to provide additional capabilities. These include:
Taleo also provides solutions targeted at staffing firms; retail, hospitality and food service companies; healthcare; and federal, state and local governments.[26]
The Taleo Enterprise Suite is marketed to enterprises with 5,000 to 13,000 employees. For larger organizations, Taleo offers the same capabilities in Taleo Large Enterprise Suite, a platform that scales beyond 13,000 employees. The core Talent Management platform in both suites is extended by adding various modular solutions in six areas[27]:
Recruiting and Onboarding
Performance and Goals
Compensation
Learning and Development
Succession
Workforce Analytics
Other Modules
Taleo bills the Talent Grid as “the world’s largest Talent Management community.” [28] The Talent Grid is a set of three online communities that are positioned as an extension of Taleo’s cloud-based Talent Management offerings. The communities utilize Web 2.0 principles and social networking technology to serve as cloud-based exchanges for best practices, third-party solutions and candidate information.
Professional Services
Taleo operates a professional services organization that performs integration, implementation and performance optimization services worldwide.[32]
Training and Education Taleo packages its training, education and certification courses under the Taleo University brand. Courses are available through instructor-led classes or self-paced e-learning.[33]
Technical Support Taleo Business Edition provides all customers with online technical support, user guides, tutorials, and unlimited email support. Telephone support is available to subscribers of Plus or Premium Support. Included with Taleo Enterprise Suite and Large Enterprise Suite subscriptions is 24-hour phone, online and email support, change management notifications and support escalation. Optional services include remote system administration, access to a dedicated support specialist, and three levels of additional support for events that create elevated demand for the Taleo solution.[34]
Taleo Research is the talent management research division of Taleo. Founded in 1997 as iLogos Internet Intelligence, Taleo Research analyzes the best practices and economics of Talent Management, with a particular focus on the business analytics that tie Talent Management technology and process improvements to financial results. Taleo Research publishes reports, studies and articles, and team members frequently present at industry conferences. The team has been cited, along with its research, in such publications as Investors Business Daily, Harvard Business Review, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and Human Resource Executive.[35]
The 2011 Gartner Magic Quadrants for Enterprise Performance Management[36] and Corporate Learning Systems [37] cited Taleo as the only vendor with leading and visionary solutions in every category of Talent Management.
The Forrester Wave™: Talent Management, Q2 2011 positioned Taleo as a Leader in the Talent Management marketplace with a strong offering and full vendor participation. The report cited: “Taleo is a heritage recruiting vendor that has moved aggressively toward its cutting-edge vision of a platform that meets performance management needs. The vendor has a strong employee profile that administrators and users can update and use as the basis for personnel data across applications. Taleo’s global footprint is growing, spurred on by resellers, global implementation partners, and strategically placed Taleo staff.” [38]
The Taleo corporate website provides an updated list of statistics intended to characterize the reach and impact of Taleo products and services.[39] As of August 2011, they included: