July was an incredibly productive month for the team at 3Sixty Insights, and before we highlight some of our recent research publications, I wanted to share a few company updates.
Welcoming Robert Mattson to the Research Team
In July, we welcomed Robert Mattson to 3Sixty Insights. Robert brings more than 30 years of experience across enterprise software, marketing, and executive leadership. His focus at 3Sixty Insights is helping organizations strengthen their go-to-market strategies by developing more effective messaging and transforming customer success into compelling business stories that resonate with buyers.
Robert recently shared his background, experience, and perspective in our latest podcast: Robert Mattson on Storytelling, AI, and Making HR Technology Matter.
If you would like to learn more about Robert, explore how he may be able to support your organization, or introduce him to the initiatives taking place at your company as part of his upcoming research, we would be happy to coordinate an introduction.
Our New Website is Live
We recently launched a completely redesigned 3Sixty Insights website. Our primary goals were to simplify the user experience, improve access to our research, better showcase our clients, and optimize the site for both traditional search engines and emerging AI indexing platforms.
Take a look and let us know what you think: https://3sixtyinsights.com/
Recent Research
Benchmark Report: Why Half of Businesses Want to Invest in Service-Enabled HR That Actually Works
Based on a survey of 524 U.S. business leaders, this benchmark report explores why many small and mid-sized businesses struggle to realize the full value of their HR technology investments. The research reveals that only 13% of organizations fully utilize their HCM platform, while nearly half (49%) would pay more for better human-led support, and 86% have experienced an HR, payroll, or benefits-related incident in the past two years. The findings demonstrate that the biggest barriers to HR success are not the technology itself, but gaps in implementation, adoption, enablement, and ongoing support. The report examines how service-enabled HR solutions help organizations reduce operational risk, improve compliance, maximize platform utilization, and transform HR into a more strategic business function.
This Research Note explores how voice screening agents are reshaping talent acquisition by helping organizations address growing challenges around hiring speed, recruiter capacity, candidate engagement, compliance, and trust in an increasingly AI-driven recruiting landscape. Based on conversations with practitioners from U.S. Venture and SASR Workforce Solutions, along with insights from Phenom subject matter experts, the research examines how conversational AI is moving beyond basic automation to support more responsive, accessible, and consistent hiring workflows. The findings highlight how organizations are leveraging voice agents to improve candidate experience, reduce administrative burden, strengthen documentation and governance, and identify emerging risks such as synthetic candidates and recruiting fraud. The research also reinforces that AI-enabled recruiting technologies are not intended to replace human decision-making, but rather to enhance recruiter effectiveness by automating repetitive interactions and allowing talent acquisition teams to focus on the relationship-driven aspects of hiring.
Analyst Insight: The HRO Graduation Opportunity
This Analyst Insight explores how HR outsourcing providers, including PEOs, ASOs, and payroll service bureaus, can turn one of their biggest business challenges into a growth opportunity by helping clients “graduate” from full-service outsourcing to self-service HCM rather than losing them entirely. As SMBs mature and seek greater control over HR and payroll, providers that offer a flexible transition on a familiar technology platform can retain long-term customer relationships, create new revenue opportunities, and minimize disruption for clients. The report argues that combining enterprise-grade HR technology with high-touch service enables providers to compete more effectively, strengthen customer loyalty, and position themselves as strategic partners throughout every stage of a client’s growth journey.
This Analyst Insight examines how partner ecosystems create lasting value by enabling trusted advisors to deliver flexible, client-centered workforce solutions rather than simply expanding the number of services they offer. Drawing on research into the Vensure Partner Network (VPN), the report explores why activation, education, collaboration, and service responsiveness are increasingly critical differentiators in supporting SMB clients through evolving HR needs. It highlights how lifecycle flexibility across PEO, ASO, EOR, payroll, and HCM models, combined with a collaborative partner approach, helps advisors strengthen client relationships, improve long-term retention, and deliver better business outcomes. Ultimately, the report argues that the strongest partner ecosystems are built not on product breadth alone, but on trust, adaptability, and a shared commitment to customer success.
Infographic: The Case for Service-Enabled HCM
This infographic highlights key findings from 3Sixty Insights’ benchmark research, completed in partnership with Insperity, on the growing importance of service-enabled HCM. The research reveals that while organizations continue to invest in HR technology, only 13% fully utilize their HCM platform, and nearly half are willing to pay more for better support. It also shows that poor customer service, underutilization, and compliance challenges are major contributors to vendor dissatisfaction and switching, reinforcing that long-term success depends as much on the quality of service and partnership as the technology itself.
Infographic: PrismHR – Turning Client Graduation into Long-Term Growth
This infographic highlights “The Activation Gap,” explaining that product capability alone does not guarantee customer value or business outcomes. Because partners managing massive portfolios default to familiar solutions rather than the best fit, superior capabilities often remain invisible and go unrecommended. To bridge this gap, companies must shift from one-time training events to an ongoing system of partner activation and orchestration. As illustrated in the “Vensure Partner Network” context, strong partner ecosystems succeed not simply by adding more services, but when organizations build the necessary structure, support, and collaboration to activate those capabilities. By proactively helping partners diagnose needs, confidently recommend solutions, and reinforce adoption at critical moments, organizations unlock faster adoption, stronger customer relationships, and higher long-term product utilization.
Research Note: The Highs & Lows of AI Deployments
The Highs & Lows of AI Deployments explores why so many enterprise AI initiatives are falling short and argues that the primary challenge is not the technology itself, but the organizational readiness required to unlock its value. Drawing on industry research alongside 3Sixty Insights’ own benchmark findings, this Research Note examines how leadership intent, employee trust, implementation practices, training, customer support, and change management influence AI adoption outcomes. While AI has the potential to transform how organizations operate, success depends on positioning it as a tool for workforce augmentation rather than simple automation. The organizations that invest in people, processes, and partnerships will be best positioned to turn AI investments into measurable business impact, while those focused solely on short-term efficiency gains risk undermining the very innovation and productivity they seek to achieve.
Recent Articles:
3Sixty Insights Welcomes Robert Mattson, Expanding Strategic Go-to-Market and Storytelling Expertise
3Sixty Insights is pleased to welcome Robert Mattson to its analyst team, expanding the firm’s expertise in go-to-market strategy, product marketing, and executive communications. With more than 30 years of experience spanning software engineering, marketing leadership, and storytelling, Robert will help software providers strengthen their market positioning, communicate differentiated value, and better connect with enterprise buyers through independent research and strategic insight. As part of his role, Robert will also engage with vendors across the HR technology and enterprise software markets to ensure his research reflects the evolving needs of both technology providers and their customers.
Where Can AI be Effective in Global Payroll and Compliance?
This article explores where AI can deliver meaningful value in global payroll and compliance, moving beyond the hype of AI as a differentiator and focusing on practical applications that solve real business challenges. It examines how AI can help organizations manage complex global regulations, monitor compliance changes, improve payroll accuracy, and reduce risk through behind-the-scenes automation. Using examples such as Papaya Global’s approach to AI-driven compliance intelligence, the article highlights the potential of “Invisible AI” to handle large-scale data analysis and regulatory monitoring while allowing payroll professionals to focus on higher-value activities. It also addresses the importance of accuracy, governance, and human oversight when applying AI to mission-critical processes where the ultimate measure of success is not the technology itself, but whether organizations remain compliant and employees are paid correctly.
Closing the Frontline Technology Gap: How UKG Is Rethinking the Employee Experience
Frontline employees have long relied on disconnected tools and manual processes, creating unnecessary friction in their daily work. This analysis examines how UKG’s Front door strategy is rethinking the frontline employee experience through streamlined self-service, voice interactions, and AI-driven support, while exploring whether these technologies can meaningfully reduce administrative burdens and improve workforce engagement.
Unleash Article: Ask The Analyst – Attrition Models Can Flag Dozens of Flight Risks at Once
As organizations increasingly leverage AI to predict employee attrition, the challenge is no longer identifying potential flight risks but knowing how to act on them. In this UNLEASH article, Nicole Roberts, HR Industry Analyst at 3Sixty Insights, joins fellow industry experts to discuss what separates organizations that successfully translate predictive insights into meaningful retention strategies. Her perspective highlights the importance of combining AI-driven analytics with clear processes, thoughtful leadership, and actionable workforce planning to drive better business outcomes.
Recent Podcast and Videos:
#HRTechChat: Robert Mattson on Storytelling, AI, and Making HR Technology Matter
In this episode of #HRTechChat, Nicole Roberts (Senior Analyst & Advisor, 3Sixty Insights) is joined by Robert Mattson technologist, marketing leader, communications coach, author, and the newest member of the 3Sixty Insights analyst team for a wide-ranging conversation about the experiences shaping his approach to HR technology and industry research.
Guest Podcast: Build Apps Faster with AI – Measure Twice, Cut Once
In this guest podcast episode with Shaalin Parekh, 3Sixty Insights’ Kyle James shares the methodology behind his rapid AI application development process, arguing that the key to building software faster isn’t writing code, but creating a well-structured plan before development begins. Drawing on his experience as an early HubSpot employee, entrepreneur, and AI builder, Kyle explains how he pairs Claude Code and Codex to challenge each other’s thinking, producing higher-quality code with fewer revisions. Throughout the conversation, he showcases real-world projects, including AI-powered knowledge bases and market intelligence tools, before demonstrating his framework live by building a competitive intelligence application from scratch. The episode offers practical guidance for business leaders, developers, and AI practitioners looking to accelerate innovation while improving the quality and reliability of AI-assisted software development.