File this under technology FAIL.
Adecco Staffing US, one of the largest recruiting firms in the world, just launched a free iPad app called Workolutions.
It’s supposed to “allow employers and human resources professionals access to a wide range of valuable information,” according to a press release issued July 12.
Apparently the information is so valuable you can’t even access it, and God help you if you’re not an Adecco employee seeking technical assistance for it.
I always like to try out new technology before criticizing, excuse me, writing about it. But with this app, the best way I can sum up this product is with a childish quote from the cinematic masterpiece “Napoleon Dynamite”: “It’s a piece of crap, it doesn’t work!”
We grabbed an iPad and downloaded Workolutions from iTunes. It was a quick install, so we figured it would be smooth swiping from there on out.
That was the easy part.
When we hit the app, the home page came up, with a list of links: Library, Videos, Workplace Economy and Webinars (all places that Adecco allegedly has information on articles, video content, worldwide economic analyses, HR topics and a Twitter feed link).
All that happened when we clicked on these links was a replica of those cheesy white postcards that say, “Duluth, Minnesota in winter.”
In other words, we got a totally blank screen.
Not to be so easily daunted, I waited awhile before trying again.
A couple hours later, when I went back to click on the link, absolutely nothing happened. I didn’t even get as far as the home page. It was pure white.
I went through this for the second half of the work day before I decided to admit defeat and enlist the help of tech support.
I searched in vain throughout Adecco’s website for a contact number.
All I found was an email contact for technical support. I wanted to speak to a human being, so I randomly selected our local office’s number, in Eagan, Minn.
The nice man there told me apologetically that he didn’t know how I would go about seeking assistance, so he referred me to an 800 number he had for an IT help desk.
I called what turned out to be the North America IT Service Desk, where it gave me three options. I chose the best one – for Adecco employers and customers – and got a live one.
I told him my problem, but before going any further, he frostily asked for my name and if I was with Adecco. I stupidly said I was not, and he informed me the support was only for Adecco-related personnel. Further, he had no idea where I needed to go from there.
Thanks for nothing.
My last resort was to email ijb_technicalsupport@adeccona.com, the link on the Workolutions website.
By the following day, I’d still received no response. Not even the requisite, “Thank you for contacting us. Someone will get back to you shortly.”
Nothing. Which is pretty much exactly what I got out of Workolutions.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
First, I hate, hate, hate sticking up for Adecco. I spent 30+ years with Manpower, so seeing them fail and do things poorly usually makes make day. However, I tried the app and didn’t experience the same problems you did. There is content, buttons work and it has several attractive features.
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It must be said that Workolutions is about the dumbest name I’ve heard in a long time..
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Hi Mike,
We were really hoping to see something different. We were hoping to give it a glowing review.
Unfortunately we were greeted with nothing but blank white screens.
But that’s not the worst part. When we tried to receive support, we were turned away. We had no choice but to write our review from our own experience.
Hearing from you that it works well encourages me to try again with a different iPad.
If we actually get to the content we were anticipating, we will let everyone know.
And yes, we all seem to agree Workolutions is a terrible name.
Thanks for your input!
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I apologize for the belated comment on your review, but we (Adecco USA) just discovered it. We have definitely had some issues with technical support and communication with the local branch offices on how to assist with technical issues, which we are working on improving, including a new app support page and contact form that we will be rolling out soon.
We have not been able to duplicate or pinpoint the blank screen problem you described, which is frustrating, since we truly did put a lot of time and effort into building a useful app for HR professionals. I appreciate the time you put into giving it a try the first time, and I hope you’ll consider giving it another shot. I can be reached at digital@adeccona.com to answer any questions about the Workolutions iPad application.
Thanks!
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Well played, John. Thanks for offering your help!
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