Cornerstone OnDemand vs. Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cornerstone OnDemand
Score 6.4 out of 10
N/A
Cornerstone OnDemand is a cloud-based application for talent management. Cornerstone offers suites for recruiting, training, performance monitoring and planning, learning, and HR data management. It is scaled for enterprises.N/A
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
N/AN/A
Pricing
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Considered Both Products
Cornerstone OnDemand
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
UKG HR Service Delivery and Workday Professional Services Automation
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
It's been years since I've worked with another product. I don't really have a great answer for how it stacks up anymore, and Cornerstone OnDemand has acquired some of the bigger players in the same LMS sphere in Saba and SumTotal. However, they have positioned themselves as …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
We have been with Cornerstone OnDemand for about 7 years now. I do not recall the other products we evaluated at the time, but more recently there was some interest in using Workday as an LMS since that is our HR platform. Their learning platform, however, simply couldn't …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
I have previously used SumTotal and Moodle and find Cornerstone OnDemand to be much more deep in terms of the amount of features available and custom configurations possible. From an admin perspective, Cornerstone OnDemand also has a much richer admin community and educational …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Mainly the annual costs of the suite: we are present in 7 countries and develp an implementation of SAP SSFF costs triple than Cornerstone OnDemand. Talentia was "in price" similar than Cornerstone OnDemand, but is more oriented to Europe customers than American or Latam. The …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
The user experience is a lot better than using SumTotal as an admin CSOD makes working easy. Without having workarounds. Reporting is a lot better than both platforms. Reporting in CSOD is complex however easy to manage and create when you understand the data points collected.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
My background is that I have been a teacher for more than thirty years. I have worked with a few different Learning Management Systems and when it came time for my company to implement its own LMS I evaluated more than twenty other Learning Management Systems. I went through …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
We previously used Oracle Learn. Cornerstone OnDemand as a whole is a superior product built on a modern architecture.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand is a system that can fit a lot of different needs. It is a complex system that is maybe not too contemporary looking at the moment but it looks good enough. But the most important is that it's safe and it is compliant. And that is it's point of difference. …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
We selected Cornerstone which offers to the possibility to create regional administration user, for the reports and the app.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
great customer service, great functionalities and spain office based which is key for us
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Since the platform can be accessed not only through the website but also through users' cell phones, Cornerstone's virtual training tool offers great accessibility for employees receiving training. It works with Android and iOS devices and collaborates with other apps to ensure …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
CSOD is by far the best talent management software I have used.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
In comparison to other platforms, Cornerstone checks all the boxes. They are always looking for ways to improve the platform with the suggestions from their users. It always evolving which is great because the platform is always staying current with trends as well as the …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand provides an overall fit for our organization's training needs. Our HR Directors are able to provide and monitor activities and stay abreast of annual mandatory trainings.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Each have their pros and cons. CSOD makes sense for our current business needs.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone is a more holistic system, we have all necessary modules in one place, don't need to switch between different systems. On the other hand, the admin panel in CSOD, especially in the learning module, is out of date, and preparing learning activities is very …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
We have used Cornerstone [onDemand] for the past six years. We have not used or reviewed any other learning management systems during my tenure at Jack Henry.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone is more complex, offering more features while allowing learners to see a more modern learning platform
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone has many features and configurations. Articular is only good to create [content], and every admin needs a license.
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
All of the products are essentially the same. The difference between each company and product [is] minimal at best. Some offer additional tools such as integration, reporting, customization, and the like. Others are standard out of the box. Overall each product delivers what …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand was ranking quite high up in the Gartner's Learning quadrant and the Forrester Report and was also highly recommended in Bersin's findings. Cornerstone's team of consultants is fun to work with and they love and enjoy their work. Their treatment of their …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
The Sales Pitch for Cornerstone while being great, left us a bit disappointed when the tool got implemented. Although it is a game-changer and radically improved the learning experience the after-sales service has left us a bit disappointed. Since the overall package makes up …
Chose Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone perfectly fits into a mid-size company, also in prizing (annual fee and implementation), where flexibility is key.
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Frontline seems to be the industry standard for this software in the education industry. I am not familiar with any competitors or what was evaluated prior to implementing Frontline. For it to be the industry standard, I would assume that its cost is fair in relation to …
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
I have used ReadySub in a previous district, but at a different level than I use Aesop Online. Aesop definitely has familiarity in Illinois school district versus other vendors. Additionally, because we utilize Frontline Recruiting & Hiring, there is minor integration there …
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Frontline is great for a sub management system but I would say that Paycom is a great overall HR system. Paycom has more options.
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Frontline is really the only service I've encountered in my last 15 years in public education. Because it is understandable, easy to use, and clear to managers, I would not say it has much room for improvement. It integrates well with other systems we have, which is a plus. We …
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Frontline Absence Management (formerly Aesop) was clearly above eSchoolPlus and all other substitute fulfillment systems. Our previous software, Subfinder, was purchased by Frontline several years after we migrated to Frontline Absence Management (formerly Aesop). Frontline …
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Red Rover was recently purchased by the Van Buren / Belleville school district. It offers a more complete picture of my activity. It gives me a drop down of all available assignments with a 3 month view that I can use to make educated decisions about any assignments I would …
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Google Classroom is great for what it offers teachers in the classroom, but it isn’t an Absence Management software so it’s not comparable to Frontline Absence Management (formerly Aesop).
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
I have only used Frontline.
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
I have only used Frontline and it has been easy to use. I have worked in two different school districts and both used it and it was great.
Chose Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
I believe this is a top-rated product and a company used by many school districts. The cost is difficult to swallow, as are a lot of their products, but Frontline is in a niche market and has made a name for themselvs in education. This isn't anything overly flashy, but gets …
Features
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.7
Ratings
5% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
8.0
Ratings
1% above category average
New hire portal7.90 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.80 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Compliance tracking and reporting7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.9
Ratings
10% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Subordinate goal setting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.4
Ratings
12% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
7.0
Ratings
11% below category average
Performance plans7.60 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Plan weighting7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager note taking7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Rater nomination workflow7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow restrictions7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.8
Ratings
12% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
10.0
Ratings
25% above category average
Create succession plans/pools7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search7.80 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Candidate development8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.2
Ratings
0% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Customized Application Form7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Resume Management6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention6.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate Search6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Email Templates7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
User Permissions7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning Management
Comparison of Learning Management features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
7.3
Ratings
3% above category average
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
-
Ratings
Course authoring4.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Course catalog or library8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Player/Portal8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning content8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile friendly8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Progress tracking & certifications7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Assignments8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance management7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning administration6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Learning reporting & analytics6.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Social learning7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
-
Ratings
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
7.0
Ratings
11% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
-
Ratings
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
9.6
Ratings
18% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
-
Ratings
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
6.8
Ratings
17% below category average
Update personal information00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Cornerstone OnDemand
-
Ratings
Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
8.1
Ratings
8% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Small Businesses
Paycor
Paycor
Score 7.0 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Engagedly
Engagedly
Score 8.4 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.6
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.6
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.1
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.5
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.5
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cornerstone OnDemandFrontline HCM (Aesop Online)
Likelihood to Recommend
The dashboards and reporting needs more additional features to clean up the old reports, manage dashboards more effectively is my main concern. I recently launched one of three phases for dashboards and I noticed I cannot work efficiently seeing which dashboard is important to me, which has been shared with me. More organization is requested
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Frontline is well suited for an organization such as a school district where teachers sometimes need to put in for a substitute at the last minute or especially early in the morning. The system also helps with substitutes in picking up the jobs when a teacher puts in an absence.
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Pros
  • The user group community is unlike any other. It is easy to connect with other clients and the CSOD team is actively engaged, always interested in what clients want and need.
  • Vast content catalog from a wide variety of providers. Content delivery service makes my job easier. I don't have to deal with course files and metadata!
  • Ease of use for non-admin admins! I was not a LMS administrator prior to implementation so I learned as I went which was fully supported by the robust training available to system admins.
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  • Easily submission process. Select the day you need to schedule on the listed calendar, mark the type of request, and submit.
  • Works on different digital devices including phones, tablets, and computers.
  • Easily track your balances by looking at your account history.
  • Delete requests you have already submitted.
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Cons
  • User-submitted external training is editable by users even after it has been approved and completed on their transcript, UNLESS a transcript lock is put into place--which also renders all submitted certificates un-openable once approved. Thus they can never be referenced after approval.
  • The system is designed for annual compliance training to be re-versioned annually. I [believe it] is a very un-user friendly for training that we don't want to re-version because users take it on a rolling, as-needed basis.
  • Some very key components are not configurable and cause our users a great deal of confusion. For example, there is no way to turn off the search bar on a user transcript or even to edit the prompt text within it. Our users are constantly searching for training here, and end up re-opening/re-launching completed courses rather than registering for a new occurrence of a course.
  • In general, we find Cornerstone [onDemand] clunky and that it does not really meet our needs.
Read full review
  • Teachers cannot cancel their own absence. We have to ask the office staff to do so. This is irritating when an absence must be canceled (Due to a canceled professional development, for example).
  • Sometimes absences go unfilled. It would be great if AESOP could have a roster of qualified substitutes to cover absences.
  • You cannot assign your absence to a particular substitute if you know he or she is available and a good fit for your absence.
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Likelihood to Renew
As long as pricing stays reasonable, we will likely stay with Cornerstone for at least one more contract renewal. It would be a large task to migrate all of our content to a new system. However, the LMS landscape is diversifying with new startups that are showing some real innovation.
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Long time customer with Frontline Absence Management. Product support has been excellent, integrations easy to work with, & suite of products mesh together well.
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Usability
For End-users it is exceptionally easy to use. There is admittedly a steep curve for admins, but simply because there is so much that is truly possible with the system. Cornerstone has been updating many features in recent years, though, which have been moving overall usability in a favorable direction.
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While we have had minor issues logging in as our organization has its own login page, the site and its application are very easy to use. So long as members of a group log in through the appropriate page, navigating and using this site is quite easy. With the transition from Aesop to Frontline, the page also seems to have worked through any glitches found with the previous page and its app.
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Reliability and Availability
I haven't really had any major availability problems. The service is practically impeccable but it is true that at times, due to server and latency problems, the application has been slower. But these have been specific issues that have resolved themselves.
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There have been several times the system was unavailable. When there has been an issue, Frontline HAS NOT notified us....which has been disappointing.
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Performance
Pages do not load quickly. Often times any action or selection of a box, drop down, check, pretty much ANY Javascript interaction causes the whole entire page to load/reload/start doing something in the background. This makes a nightmare for having to mass edit courses or upload ILT sessions. It's the one of the archaic web designs they use that really bugs me as an admin and makes working in the portal at times intolerable and insufferable
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No issues reported by end users of slow or not loading pages.
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Support Rating
Its always important to have support when you are facing problems and when you are the main admin of the organization. Cornerstone Support is very supporting when you have not found the answer in the help guide. its very useful to have a team support to guide you.
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Due to our organization having its own page, the support needed from Aesop or Frontline has been limited. However, individuals who need support from this site have found their interactions with tech support to be quick and easy. Frontline employee responses are timely and very helpful, providing quick and knowledgeable support.
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In-Person Training
we use also to admin all our training in person events and sessions. Its easy to admin this kind of trainings and automatize some processes we have. Also de user experience and the integration with other systems helps to the employees to use more. All modules integrated oriented to develop people is the principal reason to have CSOD. The training administration is very complete and allows to automate many processes.
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Our Implementer/Trainer was a product line expert. He (Connor) walked us through every step with confidence and explained everything in detail. Frontline provided written documentation, cut-n-paste emails to staff, and a test environment for us to play in. We were able to test unique scenarios without actually sending emails, notifications, alerts to staff. This was very useful.
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Online Training
Overall our rep changed a handful of times during our LMS switchover, which made the training inconsistent. They offer a large amount of online training not specific for what we were looking for at the time, but we were able to make it work
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
The implementation was pretty difficult. We felt they (Cornerstone) didn’t properly allocate the resources to complete our implementation in the timetable we wanted.

For example, we worked on Workday and SSO integrations - work that we had specifically contracted for in advance. When we were ready to work on that project, they didn’t have the people ready to help us, so it took a lot longer than necessary. That was my biggest pain point.

The implementation approach we went with was a self-led implementation. We would speak to the implementation manager once per week, and self-trained. We met with implementation manager to discuss issues, review things that we’d learned for 1 hour. We found that wasn’t enough. Other things would come up outside that one hour window that we couldn’t get answers to. We didn’t have anyone to ask about those things and we had to wait to ask during our weekly meeting.

The advantage of the self-led implementation approach was that it was really inexpensive – significantly less than the implementation cost for the other systems that we looked at. I also liked that we could pace ourselves. There were however big roadblocks. We would have to make sure the right resources were available. We had an implementation/project manager with a lot of experience and felt that the person was knowledgeable but missed on a few things.

In hindsight, I would still go with the self-led implementation, but knowing what I know now, I would ask for the integration person to be available more. I would work that into the contract. With single sign-on, we needed deep linking to build direct links through a Single Sign-On tool, e.g. when someone gets an email, it directs them to training. But it has to go through SSO to get them to the correct link. Deep linking wasn’t turned on in our system and they had to activate it. We encountered little things like that – sequencing pre-requisites which were problematic. We tried to troubleshoot ourselves.

I recommend you consider contracting for some extra implementation hours and determine when they are going to be available. Work it into the contract that you have the ability to call tech support during implementation. In addition to weekly implementation meetings, they have technical webexes – 4 every week, but 2 didn’t apply to us – one as we were using SSO. The challenge is they were not always relevant – we had specific questions that didn’t fall into those categories
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Our Frontline implementer was an expert in the field & knew the product in & out. We had very little issues going live.
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Alternatives Considered
We have been with Cornerstone OnDemand for about 7 years now. I do not recall the other products we evaluated at the time, but more recently there was some interest in using Workday as an LMS since that is our HR platform. Their learning platform, however, simply couldn't compete with what Cornerstone OnDemand can give us, especially with our critical need of robust reporting.
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Frontline seems to be the industry standard for this software in the education industry. I am not familiar with any competitors or what was evaluated prior to implementing Frontline. For it to be the industry standard, I would assume that its cost is fair in relation to competitors and that the onboarding process is simple.
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Scalability
It's a great product with some pieces that are set but many things that can be customized as needed for individual needs
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Our district has approximately 300 substitutes & 1,800 employees. Size has never been an issue with Absence Management. There are other districts much larger using Absence Management with no problems
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Return on Investment
  • Our goal is to standardize training across our company and its 5 permanent locations allowing us to build a common culture across the company.
  • Our goal is to be able to push out specific training to our teams which are spread across an enormous geographical area of the United States.
  • We are currently meeting our objectives - in less than three months' time our team members have completed more than 1500 individual courses through Cornerstone OnDemand.
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  • Old technology that needs to be updated
  • It is a web based system, unless you want to pay for the app which is a waste of money
  • Does not offer a global view of all activity such as new assignments, cancelled assignments and modified assignments.
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ScreenShots

Cornerstone OnDemand Screenshots

Screenshot of A personalized, modern user experience and self-service capabilities to engage employees, ensure productivity, and centralize employee dataScreenshot of With Cornerstone Learning, go beyond compliance and training - truly develop an engaged and collaborative workforce.Screenshot of Cornerstone Recruiting takes care of all talent acquisition needs and provides candidates with an amazing experience.Screenshot of With Cornerstone Performance, benchmark your people's performance, align them with your strategy, and provide feedback that matters.Screenshot of Cornerstone HR offers a personalized, modern user experience and self-service capabilities to engage employees, ensure productivity, and centralize employee data.Screenshot of With Content Anytime, quickly deliver hundreds of eLearning courses covering key soft-skills such as communication, time management, leadership, teamwork, and emotional intelligence.