What is the best employee onboarding software solution for your business? If you're looking for more engaged, productive hires who stay longer then this question should be at the very top of your list!
Good (or 'best-in-class') onboarding delivers confident, empowered team members and ambassadors. Yet only 9% of managers, 19% of HR administrators, and 25% of employees think their current organization did onboarding “extremely well”.
The right employee onboarding software solution will help take your onboarding program from so-so to spectacular - in no time at all. It will free up time for HR, ensure your new hires' key contacts are kept “in the loop”, and will let you deploy your journey across multiple locations and departments at the push of a button.
But choosing the right employee onboarding software solution can be difficult if you’re not sure what to look for, so to help you navigate the pitfalls, we’ve put together this handy guide.
Read on to uncover what good employee onboarding software looks like, identify avoidable mistakes, explore 10 must-have features, and take a behind-the-scenes look at how Talmundo’s employee onboarding software stacks up.
Not all employee onboarding software solutions are created equal. They run the gambit from simple digital dashboards that new hires can use to keep track of tasks, to fully-fledged integrated ecosystems that connect all onboarding stakeholders throughout the entire new hire lifecycle.
Best-in-class organizations choose future-friendly tech that supports experience-based (‘proactive’) onboarding, placing the focus on the candidate’s journey from the moment they sign their contract (preboarding) until they are fully integrated into the company - whether that’s a week, a month or a year.
Traditional onboarding tech has more limited capabilities, leaning towards a passive form of onboarding where priority is centred around ticking administrative boxes. Don’t get us wrong, compliance is important, but the best results come when compliance and experience are connected as one.
These days, there are many options when it comes to employee onboarding software, each with its own set of pros and cons. What works best for your organization will be subjective and based on your unique needs. But no matter your organisation, there are a few things you want to avoid in ANY employee onboarding solution:
Features over function Be wary of employee onboarding software that’s stacked to the rafters with extra features but doesn’t deliver on the basics. Those bells & whistles might look good now, but in the long run, they will be more of a hindrance than a help. |
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GDPR dodgers Steer clear of employee onboarding software that’s vague on GDPR compliance! Ask prospective suppliers to show how your employee's data is being stored and managed, so you don’t end up with a privacy issue in the future. |
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Perplexing pricing Avoid employee onboarding software that is less-than-transparent with pricing. Make sure you have clear insights into set-up costs, unique onboardee logins, feature add-ons and customer support. |
When you’re searching for the right employee onboarding software solution, you need to consider all of your users. We often forget that whilst new hires are the end user of the system, many stakeholders including HR team members, managers, new hire buddies, and more will utilize the software every day.
These 10 must-have features impact all of your onboarding stakeholders, so ensure that any solution you’re considering ticks every box.
1. The onboarding software can seamlessly integrate with your existing tools |
We live in a digital age where most, if not all of our HR processes are managed electronically. So it’s no surprise that one of the most important indicators of good onboarding software is its ability to play nice with others.
If you've built an HR framework around a particular set of systems, throwing something into the mix that can't communicate with any of them will have serious long-term implications. You need a solution that can easily connect and data-share with your existing systems without creating additional admin for HR.
Talmundo’s employee onboarding software offers the possibility to interface with modern HR systems like Workday, SAP Success-Factors, Cornerstone, Taleo, and many more.
→ Move candidate data from recruitment to onboarding with zero administration.
→ Automate onboardee data deletion for safety and security.
→ Set up integrations in-house or let our team of experts organize them for you.
2. The onboarding software offers solution-based reporting |
Insightful data is a must-have when you’re building a future-proof onboarding journey. You need to be able to capture learnings and key measurements, but more importantly, you need to be able to apply your findings if you want to elevate your onboarding process long-term.
Look for software that offers a range of customizable reports and dashboards where you can drill down into specific areas of your onboarding journey and compare your findings across different departments and even locations.
Our intuitive reporting dashboards help you keep track of your onboarding data with ease.
→ Visualize onboarding activation, progress & completion rates on a global and local scale.
→ Compare & contrast performance across different locations and departments.
→ Build custom reports tailored to your individual needs.
3. The onboarding software is customizable to your brand |
Employer branding is becoming increasingly important in today's modern workforce, and onboarding is the perfect time to showcase yours.
One way to do this is to ensure that your onboarding journey truly feels like a part of your organization - and not as though you’ve outsourced the experience.
Look for software that allows for a good dose of personalization - at a minimum you want to be able to customize colors and add your logo. If you want to go the extra distance, think about a solution that allows you to utilize your organization’s own custom terminology.
Our customizable onboardee app can be a showcase for your organization’s brand.
→ Make Talmundo look and feel like your organization with full color and logo customization.
→ Bring your organization’s unique terminology to the app, so your users feel at home.
→ Benefit from a tailored app URL for easy access: your-company.apps.talmundo.com.
4. The onboarding software is self-service for new employees |
Thanks to the development of platforms like Facebook and Google, we’re living in a time where people are used to digital self-service. This is great news for HR who, with the right piece of technology, can let employees explore, upload documents, and learn all on their own.
The more self-service elements you can implement into your employee onboarding process, the fewer administrative hours HR will need to divert to hum-drum activities like answering basic questions and collecting & processing new hire documentation.
Talmundo’s new hire interface is entirely self-service. New hires are encouraged to explore and answer their own questions through time-released content, interactive modules, and more.
→ Leverage time-released content to bring your new hire back to the app again and again.
→ Let onboardees complete and upload new hire documentation directly in-app.
→ Utilize our AI chatbot to automate new hire FAQs.
5. The onboarding software offers flexible content creation |
Good onboarding content provides a more in-depth look at your organization in fun & interactive ways that inspire new hires. The right content will positively impact retention, time-to-productivity, and engagement. So when it comes to onboarding software and content, you need more than just a place to upload PDF learning modules.
Look for a system that lets you create a wide range of visually appealing content - but make sure building that content is user-friendly & intuitive so your entire HR team and your managers feel confident getting in on the fun.
Talmundo’s custom learning pages allow you to easily create onboarding content that suits every occasion. From FAQ to pre-start training, team orientation, and much more.
→ Choose from pre-styled templates or make your own.
→ Leverage in-depth pages to create long-form learning materials in-app.
→ Use platform-hosted imagery and embedded video to make your content stand out.
6. The onboarding software has built-in task and email automation |
New hire administration is a necessary evil, one that takes up an extraordinary amount of time for HR. Automated task management systems alleviate much of that pressure - HR can simply set tasks up once, assign them as required, and have confidence that email reminders, prompts and notifications will do the rest.
Not all onboarding software incorporates task management and those that do often offer little more than glorified to-do lists.
Look for an onboarding software solution that can handle complex automation so you can eaily keep all relevant people in the loop and ensure new hires receive key info without being overwhelmed.
Our Tasks add-on puts HR in the driver’s seat of an integrated task management system spanning the entire onboarding lifecycle. Tasks can be set for onboardees, managers, buddies you name it. It’s a simple 3-step process:
→ Set up your framework. Create and assign tasks across the entire onboarding lifecycle.
→ Build stakeholder engagement. Facilitate company-wide task completion in one central hub.
→ Manage with confidence. Maintain a powerful task library that ensures no one is left in the dark.
7. The onboarding software is cloud-based and mobile-friendly with an easy-to-use interface |
If your employee onboarding software is not cloud-based and mobile-friendly, it will soon be obsolete, especially in a post-pandemic future of work where remote onboarding (onboarding into a new role out-of-office) is becoming commonplace.
Additionally, if that software is not easy to use, then no one will use it. Not your team and certainly not your onboardees.
You want something HR can update at the press of a button and that your onboardees can access in the office, on the couch, or even on the bus. Something with a back and front end that has an intuitive design that users can easily navigate, regardless of the tech prowess.
Talmundo’s software is supported by the full power of the global Talentech development team, so you can rely on a seamless user experience from beginning to end.
→ Clean, intuitive UI that balances admin and end-user experience.
→ Built on Microsoft Azure infrastructure that is fast, reliable, and future-proof.
→ Accessible on all major devices and operating systems, from anywhere in the world.
8. The onboarding software is feedback-focused |
A well-designed onboarding process is all good and well, but if you’re not collecting feedback from your new hires as they complete their journey, you’re missing out on some great opportunities.
Employee onboarding software that utilizes interactive tools such as pulse checks and surveys gives HR the opportunity to course correct during onboarding, ensuring new hires get the support they need when they need it and not after the fact. It also provides excellent insights to make your journey even better for your next batch of hires.
Our employee onboarding software includes several different mechanisms for gathering feedback during the onboarding process.
→ Deliver short-form pulse checks throughout your journey where users can rate their experiences using a star or emoji system.
→ Capture in-depth feedback at milestone moments with longer-form feedback questionnaires.
→ Utilize on-the-spot feedback checks through our AI chatbot that trigger after a new hire interaction.
9. The onboarding software can deliver different onboarding journeys to different types of hires |
If you’re a business with more than one onboarding story to tell, then this is key.
You want to balance the consistency of messaging with the ability to personalize your journey based on location, department, role and more.
Look for onboarding software with the ability to ‘filter’ content so that onboardees only see what is relevant to them. This way, their onboarding experience will feel more streamlined and targeted directly to them without unnecessary distractions.
A powerful segmentation system sits at the heart of our software, allowing HR to create all-encompassing journeys in one central portal, and then deliver those journeys en-masse to specific employee groups based on job title, department, global location, and more.
→ Assign multiple filters per employee to craft unique journeys that pull from different content libraries.
→ Use employee filters to ensure onboardees see only content that is relevant to their role.
→ Set tasks and send reminder notifications based on filter segments to both onboardees and onboarding stakeholders for a truly connected journey.
10. The onboarding software goes beyond just employee onboarding |
Today’s HR leaders know that onboarding is just ONE of several critical employee transition moments. Software developers know this too and are upgrading their platforms to be able to handle more than just onboarding.
If you want a truly future-proof system, look for a piece of software that can support other transition moments such as preboarding, reboarding, crossboarding and of course, offboarding.
At its core, Talmundo is an all-in-one employee transition platform that can handle every transition moment in the employee lifecycle, from preboarding to offboarding.
→ Onboarding: Get new hires excited about their new role and up and running in no time.
→ Offboarding: Ensure smooth handovers and create life-long brand ambassadors.
→ Preboarding, Reboarding, and Crossboarding: Easily guide people through their days and weeks leading into a new role, a change in role, a return to work after time away from your company, and more.
Remember, the most effective onboarding software allows you to build a unique story, with engaging, interactive content, true to your brand that is easily accessible to all of your users.
Choosing the RIGHT piece of onboarding technology for your organization can be instrumental in taking your new hire journey to the next level.
So take your time, do your research and be sure to think beyond today's challenges to future-proof your journey for tomorrow.