Last Reviewed: November 29th, 2024

Best Onboarding Software Of 2024

What is Onboarding Software?

Onboarding Software is a digital platform specifically designed to simplify and streamline the process of welcoming and integrating new hires into an organization. It offers a solution to common onboarding challenges, such as disorganized paperwork, poor information flow, and inadequate employee engagement. Its importance lies in accelerating productivity, fostering motivation, and reducing new hire turnover. The software typically offers functionalities like automated task assignment, paperwork management, progress tracking, and performance evaluation. Emerging trends include personalization and mobile-friendly interfaces. All companies, regardless of size or sector, can benefit from Onboarding Software. However, it is particularly valuable for larger organizations or those with high turnover rates. Notable limitations could include the impersonal feel of digital onboarding and potential technical issues. To conclude, despite minor drawbacks, Onboarding Software is a key tool in modern HR management, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of employee onboarding and, ultimately, contributing to a positive organizational culture.

What Are The Key Benefits of Onboarding Software?

  • Accelerates new hire productivity
  • Streamlines administrative processes
  • Enhances employee engagement
  • Reduces paperwork burden
  • Improves information flow
  • Tracks onboarding progress
  • Fosters consistent messaging
  • Supports performance evaluations
  • Facilitates task assignments
  • Allows real-time updates
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Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 181 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Onboarding Software overall:

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Why We Picked Workday HCM

Workday HCM is suitable for businesses of all sizes. It is a simple and easy-to-use product with multiple functions that contain all HR data in one place. Payroll and benefits are easy to view and verify. Some improvements are required in the mobile app and system speed. Otherwise, its payroll, timesheet tool, ease of use and unified structure can bring a lot of benefits.

Pros & Cons

  • Intuitive: 95% of users who mentioned ease of use observed that the software has an intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and find information, even for novice users.
  • Multiple Functionality: 90% of users who mentioned functionality state that Workday HCM acts as a one-stop shop for many HR tasks.
  • Payroll and Benefits: All reviewers who mentioned payroll had a positive experience, with the ability to track hours, collect tax forms, log pay stubs and more.
  • Slow: Of reviewers who mention user interface, 5% noted some processes are slow, causing the system to show errors.
  • Requires Training: For first-time users, there’s a bit of a learning curve to get started, requiring training.
  • Clunky Mobile App: 85% of reviewers who mentioned the app noted that it has issues quite often and doesn’t include schedules, forcing users to use a separate app.

Key Features

  • Payroll: Workday HCM offers payroll capabilities for the U.S., U.K., France and Canada. All transactions compile in the payroll module. It includes a calculation engine, which enables running reports and calculations for groups and individuals at any time. A compliance dashboard shows information about upcoming changes as well as the areas of greatest impact within your organization. 
  • Benefits Administration: The software supports a variety of plans, such as health, flex, wellness and retirement. Tools such as the ACA dashboard ensure proper coverage as well as aid managing forms and regulatory changes. The system supports integration with hundreds of providers. 
  • Talent Management: This feature includes onboarding and career and development planning components. New hires can access messages, videos and more from a single dashboard, and there’s also support for international and internal transfers. Pulse surveys and a skills cloud provide insight into your workforce. Additionally, you can set goals, perform reviews, manage succession plans, aid employee career development and pinpoint retention risks. 
  • Learning Management System: Equipped with LMS capabilities, this module helps your organization deliver and track a variety of training materials. Elements include scoring, quizzes, learning campaigns, video, learning paths and more. You can also offer courses to external groups. For extended training, the Workday Content Cloud grants access to third-party content directly from Workday HCM. 
  • Compensation Management: With this feature, you can build customized compensation packages for global use by choosing from over a dozen compensation plan types. It supports international currencies and allowance plans based on local limits. The toolset includes a grid worksheet, events coordination for things like new hires and promotions, pay-range segments, tracking of pay equity, configurable statements, and unified data from other Workday HCM modules such as payroll and benefits. 
  • Workforce Planning: The Workday Adaptive Insights Business Planning Cloud provides tools to create models, compare what-if scenarios and build hiring strategies. It also facilitates collaboration along with evaluation of metrics like costs and workforce breakdown. The platform provides review and approval workflows and integrates data from other organizational systems. 
  • Global Compliance: The solution’s flexibility enables you to configure the pre-built frameworks based on your company’s needs. It contains support for 240 countries, 1,500+ reports, 170 absence plans, geographic controls such as privacy preferences and date formats, and over 3,000 localized data fields. You can automatically translate into over 30 languages, receive free legal support across 58 jurisdictions and control all aspects of the setup. 
  • Workday Marketplace: You can extend the capabilities of Workday HCM by connecting it with third-party integrations for case management, hiring, training and other processes. Partner solutions include LinkedIn Learning, Salesforce Worker and Salesforce Chatter, Saba, HireRight Background Check, and Humanity Employee Shift Scheduling. 

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Based on key metrics such as total company revenue and employee size, not just per user
  • Support, maintenance and automatic upgrades are included as part of the annual subscription cost
Maintenance Cost
  • Based on the service hours of support purchased
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • Implementation costs are typically 1.25 times the annual cloud subscription cost and involve project consulting costs, such as those for a Project Implementation Advisor, a Functional Implementation Advisor, a Technical Implementation Advisor, etc.
  • Other important factors are the service provider chosen for initial implementation, production support, modules selected and complexity of the implementation
Customization Cost
  • Will vary depending on the type of optional functionalities added-on
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Includes the cost to switch from the existing product to Workday. The enterprise will need to invest in change management
Training Cost
  • It varies depending on the training option selected and whether it’s classroom training, virtual training, onsite training or on-demand training
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Typical Costs:
    • Renewal Cost (Year 1): Base cost (1 + X% + CPI)
    • Renewal Cost (Year 2): Renewal Year 1 Subscription Fee (1 + X% + CPI)
  • These are the average renewal costs, but sometimes they also include recurring costs for integration tools or other add-on technologies not included in the base package
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Why We Picked UKG Pro

UKG Pro is a cloud-based platform that’s designed to streamline global human capital management across all industries. It brings together key functions like payroll, benefits, recruiting, onboarding and learning management in one place.

Some standout features include an advanced scheduling tool that helps balance staffing levels and control labor costs. AI is a big player here, enhancing HR tasks with things like schedule optimization, retention forecasting, sentiment analysis and candidate matching.

From what I've seen through the demo, the mobile app lays everything out in a simple, direct way with menu options like time off, pay, HR help, benefits, goals, notes and learning. Under learning, there's a variety of helpful courses, including security awareness, conflict management and mindfulness training.

Completing requests seems quick and straightforward. Click HR Help and find requests to ask for a shift change, PTO or travel expense.

Manage assignments by viewing "To-Dos," including what's waiting for completion and what's crossed off your list already. Plan effectively with a headcount under metrics, showing who is on leave or on the clock in real time.

On the subject of planning ahead, UKG Pro scores a perfect 100 under succession management, with talent matrix, talent pool and talent insight functionalities.

Document management is also a top feature, earning 100 for its capabilities. It includes access controls, document search, automatic tax document generation and the creation of employee handbooks and policies.

Managing performance can be challenging, especially with a large team. It's important to ensure that everyone feels valued, but time constraints can make this difficult. UKG Pro’s talent dashboard helps by highlighting top performers and potential flight risks, making it easier for you to address issues and make necessary adjustments.

One thing I really liked was that there's a page for work-life balance with improvement ideas, including resisting multitasking, expanding team goals and introducing flexible work schedules. This helps employees feel valued, which ultimately fosters more productivity and job retention.

Additionally, I thought it was admirable there’s a "Giving" option on the platform for creating employee giving programs and tracking donations. This is a great source for team building, increasing engagement and building a more positive work environment.

Using the live chat, I selected customer support and then UKG Pro, which led me to FAQs. After hitting thumbs down to request a representative, I asked for an in-depth demo. The chatbot offered alternative solutions or the option to end the chat. When starting a new chat, the previous conversation was visible, but there was no option to start a new chat from scratch.

Pricing starts at $100 per user per month with a per-user model, and you can request a free trial.

Pros & Cons

  • Employee Data Management: Users commend UKG Pro for its robust employee data management capabilities.
  • Payroll Processing: Reviewers consistently highlight UKG Pro's payroll processing feature for its efficiency, accuracy and intuitive interface.
  • User Interface: Some users found the UI slightly outdated based on confusing design elements, unclear wording choices and inefficient grouping that collectively hinder intuitive navigation within the system.
  • Reporting: Some users describe UKG Pro’s reporting feature as ineffective and lacking user-friendliness.

Key Features

  • Payroll: Incorporate a scalable, configurable engine for accurate, streamlined pay processing. This feature also includes:
    • Role-based access to ensure data security.
    • Prebuilt tax compliance, automatic tax updates every quarter and GIS-powered search to ensure accurate taxes based on employee location.
    • End-of-year reporting tools, including a task checklist.
    • Pay modeling calculator, enabling employees to calculate information on their own.
    • Integration support for global payroll providers and TurboTax.
    • Dashboards showing alerts and metrics.
  • Benefits: Provide help videos and documentation to assist employees. Key components include plan recommendations and side-by-side comparisons, process automation, search filters, compliance reporting, transaction records, admin tools and connectors to hundreds of carriers.
  • Workforce Scheduling: Ensure effective shift planning and workforce management with advanced scheduling capabilities previously found in UKG Dimensions.
  • Workforce Planning and Optimization: Make strategic planning and resource allocation a breeze. UKG Pro now packs the workforce planning and optimization tools from UKG Dimensions.
  • Time and Attendance: Optimize timekeeping and absence management with UKG Pro's enhanced time tracking and attendance features, which are now integrated from UKG Dimensions.
  • Learning: Aid employee learning and development by providing:
    • On-demand, mobile access to training materials in multiple languages.
    • Gamification, rewards and social tools foster engagement.
    • Blended learning, a drag-and-drop interface for content creation and a course marketplace with more than 3,000 courses.
    • Channels for employees to capture and share knowledge with coworkers.
  • Recruiting: Make talent sourcing and acquisition for recruiting teams and candidates easier and more efficient.
    • Recruiters: Dashboards show candidate and opportunity status and AI scoring reveals applicants that are the best match. Multi-language, multiple job board postings and screening questions also included.
    • Candidates: Applicants can submit their LinkedIn profile, receive open position suggestions based on basic information and provide an in-depth picture of themselves by sharing details like motivators and behaviors.
  • Onboarding: Access a dashboard that has a timeline for tasks they need to complete, job-related videos and training material, and required forms, which they can fill out electronically. They can also create goals and connect with teammates.
  • InTouch DX: Give managers and employees flexible, real-time access for time and attendance processes. This timeclock device is designed for an hourly, mobile workforce.
    • Features include configuration options, real-time data, a touchscreen, native intelligence capabilities and multiple integrated readers.
    • Managers can track employee information, confirm transactions and ensure schedules are followed.
    • Employees can request PTO, view time cards and schedules, punch in and out, receive push notifications, and receive suggested actions based on upcoming tasks.
  • BI Reporting: Display real-time data in a clear, user-friendly format, empowering managers and executives to monitor and analyze KPIs. They offer both prebuilt and customizable reports. It provides insights for:
    • Human resource metrics like headcount based on local and global demographics.
    • Benefit plan costs and employee participation.
    • Financial information like overtime cost, pay equity and payroll totals.
    • ACA filing data, including risks, deadlines and eligibility.
    • Recruiting costs and sourcing data.
    • Employee performance, retention estimators and 9-box assessment.
    • Pay factors ranging from expenses and revenue to total compensation at the global level.
    • Survey data, including participation, engagement details, historical trends and metric performance based on industry benchmarks.
  • Compensation Management: Reward employees based on achievements through salary planning, customizable compensation plans, merit rules and analytics. It supports targets based on units, flat amounts or a percentage of base pay.
  • Performance Management: Drive employee engagement and growth while giving managers insight into individual and team performance. Features include tracking dashboards, automated reviews, goals, achievement ratings and real-time feedback.
  • Surveys: Gather employee sentiment using AI, natural language processing and machine learning. They offer a question library, templates, mobile-friendly design, custom dashboards and curated improvement suggestions.
  • File Management: Organize and manage employee documents with a central repository along with role and type-based permissions. Templates automatically fill in employee details, and a compliance assist feature ensures global adherence.
  • Succession Management: Develop a talent pipeline, ensuring your employees are prepared to take on new roles. There are plans for any level in the company, alongside talent evaluation, predictive analytics, reporting and personal development tools.
  • Integration Hub: Support developers in enhancing the system through integrations by offering:
    • A collaborative community, a developer portal and APIs.
    • Sample code and instructional articles to speed up deployment.
    • A marketplace of product and service partners.
  • UKG Talk: Facilitate engagement and inclusivity within your organization by supporting various communication methods like:
    • Company-wide announcements.
    • Direct messaging.
    • Team group chats.
    • Employee feedback and participation through celebrations, idea collection and achievement recognition.
    • Provide actionable insights by measuring communication impact and engagement metrics.
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Why We Picked ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now is a popular PEO and HR solution for businesses that need a comprehensive HCM for payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, reporting, and compliance assistance. It’s ideal for small teams, mid-sized organizations and larger businesses looking to improve their time tracking, ensure payroll accuracy and go paperless with document management.

Standout features include automated time tracking, collaborative scheduling, talent acquisition, configurable work rules, employee self service and data syncing.

Time and attendance features support productivity by ensuring proper staffing, tracking time via desktop or app, and providing time clocks or ADP® Kiosk access. Additionally, it supports online schedule management, time-off requests and approvals.

It also facilitates benefits administration, SmartCompliance, financial wellness support, and performance and compensation management, fostering a positive employee experience.

Additionally, ADP Workforce Now has AI capabilities that can automate repetitive tasks, analyze workforce data for insights, find tax forms, access company policies, and submit PTO requests through mobile devices or myADP. AI-driven analytics aid decision-making across key HR functions like recruiting, compliance and time management.

Users commend ADP's time tracking for its efficiency and user-friendly interface. However, some users report drawbacks, including customer service issues and a learning curve during implementation.

As a PEO, ADP offers assistance with workers' compensation, claims management and tax support in all 50 states.

Overall, ADP Workforce Now is an inclusive HR solution that provides essential features for payroll, time tracking, and HR management while also offering custom reports, automation and AI capabilities to all business sizes.

Pros & Cons

  • Users generally have positive feedback about ADP's time tracking, highlighting its ease of use for clocking in and out, viewing time cards, and requesting time off.
  • Users highlight quick access to paystubs from current and past jobs. They appreciate having all paystub information in one place and find it easy to download. There are also detailed breakdowns of earnings and deductions.
  • 60% of users appreciate reporting capabilities, particularly the custom reports feature, finding it helpful for generating tailored insights.
  • 64% of users find the system intuitive and user-friendly, praising easy navigation and accessibility of features.
  • While some users appreciate backend support, such as assistance with 401k information, 73% of users express frustration with customer service, citing long wait times.
  • 47% of users experienced a learning curve with features during implementation. Some users mention poor implementation support, leading to a confusing onboarding experience for employees.
  • 40% of users express reports have room for improvement, noting the reporting functionality can be complex and not intuitive enough, with limitations in filter prompts.
  • 36% of users note difficulties with integration between features and occasional slowness and feel that certain aspects are scattered.

Key Features

  • Payroll: Access employee pay data on a dashboard. Automate deductions for benefits and other compensation.
    • Manage tax filings and access historical pay summaries.
    • Prorate pay during a cycle or apply it to previous runs.
    • Identify payroll errors via warning notifications.
  • Time & Attendance: Offers tracking and scheduling capabilities with digital time clocking, visual schedules and clocks with finger scan functionality.
    • Facilitate absence management with absence analysis, leave tracking and more.
    • Secured Time Tracking: Reduce time theft (like buddy punching) with finger scanning, facial recognition and geofencing.
    • Time Tracking Options: Employees can clock in and out using their mobile device, kiosk app, web timesheet, tablet or smart time clock. The time kiosk application enables pin codes or facial recognition for an added layer of security.
    • Scheduling: Assign shifts and let employees swap as needed, reducing productivity bottlenecks. Configure scheduling work rules like max hours/days.
    • Scheduling by Skill: Ensure efficiency by matching specific employees to jobs based on their skills, licenses and certifications. Use skills-based scheduling to assign employees with the required language and training provisions.
    • Dashboards: View absences, schedules, hours worked and overtime. See timecard statuses to help wrap up time details without delaying payroll.
    • Time and Attendance Compliance: ADP’s compliance on-demand option gives clients access to a team of consultants for guidance on key practices. Access a content library with info on federal, state and local laws, and regulations.
  • Talent Management:
    • Recruiting and Hiring: Automatically create job descriptions and job postings. Offers screening, compliance mandates by location, hiring-practice guidance, credential verification and background check tools.
    • Management and Growth: View employee performance, deliver learning programs and offer leadership skill improvement tools. Reduce talent gaps and plan ahead with succession management.
  • Benefits Administration:
    • With ADP AE Snapshot™, managers can access employee metrics on enrollment preferences and decisions.
    • Access ranks of different plans, compare options, calculate and evaluate various scenarios, and configure plan selections with PlanFit.
    • Enroll and manage benefits through the mobile app.
    • Use eligibility, enrollment activity and plan summary reports.
  • ADP® DataCloud: Reference reliable industry data and compare company trends and data to information from similar organizations. Predict turnover and discover contributing factors using big data through Turnover Probability Explorer.
  • ADP® StandOut: Personalize digital coaching content and use 15-minute strength assessments. Offers:
    • Real-time team engagement, custom and performance pulse surveys.
    • Light-touch check-ins with employees.
    • Coaching intelligence and insights.
  • Learning Management: Allow employees to self-enroll for courses. Custom build or upload training content. Provides:
    • 41 pre-packaged compliance and development courses.
    • Course tracking dashboards.
    • Publishing and tracking of instructor-led training.
    • Online demos
  • HR Assist: Features include:
    • Federal and state compliance reporting, along with regulatory expertise and guidance.
    • Job description templates and wizards.
    • Employee handbook assistance.
    • HR doc library and toolkits with guides, forms, documents and policies.
    • ADP TotalSource®: Offers support for benefits, payroll, hiring and compliance across all 50 states. Has features like full-time recruiters, applicant tracking, ZipRecruiter integration, mobile-friendly career sites, background checks and onboarding.
  • Workforce Management: Effectively plan projects and assign tasks, even on the go. Managers can remotely view time off, hours worked and timecards. There’s also overtime and absence analytics and reporting for helpful insights.
  • Digital Record Keeping: Store confidential company data securely in the cloud. Upload data in batches to save time. Search and audit information.
  • Onboarding: Facilitate a fully integrated onboarding experience for new hires. Capabilities include:
    • Digital onboarding
    • Digital I-9 processing.
    • Identification of employee payment preferences.
    • Onboarding completion reminders.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Based on recurring subscription fee model (monthly or annual)
  • Costs may vary depending on usage of the application, number of users and frequency of transactions
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
  • Provides ongoing customer support through a dedicated customer support team to resolve issues quickly
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • Included in the upfront and subscription cost
Customization Cost
  • Will vary depending on the functional requirements such as configurable dashboards, type of data elements required for tracking, complexity of workflows and UI changes.
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Dependent on your current software, amount of data to be migrated, availability of migration tools, complexity of data and gaps between the existing system and the new system
Training Cost
  • Provides ongoing training and support for users, available with a service fee
  • Offers a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) option, where ADP handles responsibilities like payroll, benefits, regulatory compliance, workers’ compensation, claims management and tax support.
  • Provides HR services, including a helpdesk, HR checkups and strategic guidance
  • Organizations can take advantage of ADP’s outsourcing solutions for talent, pay and tax admin, compliance, strategic HR, and benefits admin
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • A recurring monthly fee is charged at the beginning of each month, which typically includes maintenance, monitoring, upgrades, training and support
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Why We Picked Oracle HCM Cloud

According to our data, Oracle HCM Cloud leads in succession management, reporting, applicant tracking, and recruiting and payroll management.

Oracle HCM Cloud is tailored to meet diverse human capital management needs across various industries for businesses of all sizes. Users commonly appreciate its seamless integration capabilities and user-friendly mobile access. The platform's robust management features ensure reliable maintenance and security for data privacy.

However, initial setup can be challenging, requiring a learning curve for new users. Feedback from users highlights areas such as referral tracking, interview feedback workflows and job offer processes that lack customization options.

Additionally, some users have noted limitations in the reporting functionality, suggesting room for improvement in data analysis capabilities.

Oracle HCM Cloud operates on a pricing model starting from $4 per employee per month, making it accessible for varying business sizes. It offers a free trial for prospective users to explore before committing.

Training resources include live online sessions, videos and webinars. It also has comprehensive support options such as email, phone, chat, FAQs, forums, a help desk, knowledge base and a ticketing system. 24/7 live support ensures assistance is available whenever needed.

Industries commonly leveraging Oracle HCM Cloud include technology, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail sectors, benefiting from its scalable solutions and tailored industry-specific functionalities.

Oracle HCM is well-regarded for its user-friendly interface, effective integration of HR functions, and strong customer support. It provides significant benefits in streamlining HR processes and enhancing data reliability.

In contrast, it struggles with customization, mobile application robustness and user communication. The quarterly release cycle can also be a hurdle for some organizations, though it typically becomes more manageable over time.

Organizations with robust in-house IT capabilities are particularly well-positioned to deploy and manage Oracle HCM Cloud effectively, maximizing its potential benefits for their HR management needs.

Pros & Cons

  • Usability: Oracle HCM is praised for its intuitive and visually appealing user interface, which makes it easy for beginners to learn and navigate. The system’s workflows streamline processes, enhancing productivity and minimizing non-value-added work.
  • Functionality and Integration: The tool excels in integrating various HR functions into a single platform, offering good connectivity and the ability to define and execute global templates. This integration supports enhanced analytics, real-time reporting and a unified HR experience across different countries.
  • Customer Support: The sales and technical teams are noted for their people-oriented approach and strong support. Oracle HCM has improved its customer engagement model and actively works to understand and respond to customer feedback.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability: The product's extensible configuration allows it to adapt to an organization’s specific needs, making it easier to tailor the application.
  • Customization Limits: While the system is generally flexible, it has limitations in areas such as user rights management and the ability to introduce new ideas to Oracle Development. There’s room for improvement in how user rights and areas of responsibility are managed.
  • Communication Inconsistency: There is a noted inconsistency in user communication within the app. For example, email notifications and other communication features vary in sophistication, affecting the overall customer experience.
  • Quarterly Releases: The frequency of updates (four times a year) is viewed as too frequent by some users, creating challenges in managing and implementing these updates effectively. While initially challenging, users generally adapt over time.

Key Features

  • Global Human Resources: The software streamlines global, local, and industry-specific needs, driving efficiency across cultures and countries. It offers work-life solutions, an HR help desk, a workforce directory, strategic planning, modeling, predictions, and payroll and benefits management.
  • Employee Information: Employees can manage their personal information, benefit enrollments, absences and leaves, as well as view reimbursement slips and total compensation.
  • Worker Lifecycle: This feature supports end-to-end employee management — hiring, management and termination — keeping applicable legislation and global practices in view.
  • Rule-Driven Processing: The suite helps manage unions, collective labor, worker agreements and policies while staying compliant.
  • Talent Management: The talent management cloud empowers talent lifecycle stages so employers can hire the right people, nurture growth and employee development, manage succession, and more.
  • AI Apps: Artificial intelligence and data-driven functionalities improve the candidate pool quality, increase employee engagement, decrease time to hire and optimize organizational processes.
  • Advanced HCM Controls: This function helps control exception workflows, automate analysis to comply with privacy regulations like GDPR and prevent payroll errors.
  • Workforce Management: Workforce management solutions help talent managers build an agile workforce through effortless time and labor tracking, time calculation, cost control, and managed compliance risks.
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Why We Picked Zoho People

Zoho People is a good solution for growing companies as it supports businesses of all sizes and is easy to use. The ability to create and add custom modules, using tabs and forms, is a noteworthy functionality. The biggest drawback at this time is the absence of payroll and recruiting modules. It also suffers from bugs and has an under-featured mobile app. However, it’s time and performance management capabilities have a lot to offer. All in all, it’s a good value for the price with some great features and benefits, best for companies that don’t mind using third-party payroll and recruitment solutions.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy to Use: 64% of users who refer to the UI indicated that it’s user-friendly, which makes it easier for new users to adapt to the platform.
  • Customization: Great levels of customization, especially with forms, are available, according to 75% of reviews mentioning customization.
  • PTO and Timesheet: All reviewers who reference this element found that Zoho People is a good tool for managing PTO and timesheets for employees.
  • Performance Management: All reviewers who mention this feature stated that the tool allows managers to handle the performance of several employees individually, with specific reports for all critical metrics.
  • Inability to Edit: According to 100% of reviews referencing this feature, all editing is controlled by the administrator, preventing individuals from doing even basic edits such as for personal details.
  • System Bugs: 85% of users mentioning this aspect observed the presence of bugs, some of which affect essential features and cause the mobile app to crash.
  • Ineffective Mobile App: The mobile app doesn’t have all features of the web version, and it’s difficult to find details such as certificates and documents or upload new documents, according to 100% of reviews referring to the app.
  • Lacks Recruitment and Payroll: According to 80% of reviewers that mention this shortcoming, the lack of payroll and recruitment tools requires users to find another solution in addition to Zoho People, which can be cumbersome and unfeasible.

Key Features

  • Employee Database Management: Zoho People provides a central database for managing employee information. You can split people into groups, bulk add employees, and centralize records from different countries. It also includes an org tree and communication tools for group or department collaboration. Automatic syncing between the platform and other integrated systems ensures data accuracy and eliminates manual entry. 
  • Leave Management: The software allows you to customize leave management rules for simplified calculation of PTO, rollovers and more. It also supports a global workforce with configuration options for different regional holidays. Different views let employees quickly see their leave data and automatic scheduling tools allow you to convert absences into leaves for administrative purposes. 
  • Analytics: Reports and dashboards provide insights into every aspect of HR management. You can track metrics like turnover, hiring vs. attrition, growth rates, tasks, employee counts, time logs and more. 
  • Performance Management: The system supports feedback from multiple sources for more accurate assessments. It also facilitates review cycles where employees and managers can engage in 360-degree feedback. Tagging allows employees to show what skills they have, which you can then match with job requirements. Key Resulting Areas (KRAs), goal setting and tracking, and skills work together to reveal performance, and you can use competency ratings to evaluate employees. Finally, analysis and reporting tools reveal performance insights. 
  • Mobile App: Native apps for iOS and Android devices support all HR functions, giving users full capability anywhere. Many actions only require a single click to complete. 
  • Case Management: With this feature, your organization can handle all cases and requests created by employees. You can build categories and include documents such as FAQs and policies for easy access. Comment functionality within individual cases removes the need for email exchanges, and you can manage other case details directly from each case’s tab. 
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Why We Picked SuccessFactors

SuccessFactors provides full integration with all HR modules and can connect to other SAP solutions, such as finance to materials. With extensive customization, integration and analytics, it can be of great use for planning, developing and implementing HR strategies.

According to our analysts, SAP SuccessFactors scores a 79, leading in applicant tracking and recruiting, document management, and succession management.

It includes AI-assisted screening, LinkedIn applicant prospecting, automated tax documents, succession planning, offline course access and employee lifecycle tracking, helping HR cover core tasks today and plan for the future.

It’s gotten praise for its strong support team, which is responsive and customer-focused, although users sometimes experience delays in resolving issues. The platform excels as a comprehensive HR solution, integrating various functions into a single system that streamlines processes and reduces costs.

While there's a learning curve for most, the majority found it worth the work to centralize all things HR, especially with its AI capabilities. Recent updates have improved the UI design, though some users indicate growing pains with release-related glitches and complex integrations.

SAP SuccessFactors pricing starts at $10 per user per month with a free trial.

SuccessFactors makes recruitment easier with tools for job postings, tracking candidates, evaluating resumes and managing interviews. Its AI-assisted screening matches candidates to job requirements more efficiently.

The onboarding module speeds up the process for new hires by automating paperwork, setting up training and ensuring a smoother transition into the company. Overall, SuccessFactors helps identify and nurture internal talent for future leadership roles, creating a smooth succession plan and minimizing the impact of turnover.

Pros & Cons

  • Support Quality: The support team is highly regarded for its responsiveness and customer service. It’s praised for being helpful and treating customers well, although there can be occasional wait times for resolution.
  • One-Stop-Shop for HR: Most users appreciate the system's ability to integrate various HR functions into a single platform, which can streamline processes and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO).
  • Goal Setting Flexibility: The learning module is seen as robust and flexible, making it easy to set and manage goals. Users can select from a library of goals or add their own, which facilitates effective goal setting and tracking.
  • Recruitment Management: According to most users, the recruitment module eases the entire process, including job postings, candidate selection, resume evaluation, interview scheduling and offer management. The applicant tracking and AI-assisted screening features were noted for improving time to hire.
  • Getting Started: Many find SAP SuccessFactors complex, especially for new users. The system is described as intricate and sophisticated, leading to a steep initial learning curve.
  • Reporting Woes: Users find the reporting options pretty restricted, with not much room to customize dashboards and reports. This lack of flexibility makes it tough to tailor reports to fit specific needs.
  • User Experience and Interface: The user interface (UI) has received mixed feedback. Some users feel it's outdated and clunky, with hiccups like confusing time-off calculations and cumbersome goal-setting processes.
  • Updates: While the support team is effective at troubleshooting integration issues, some users have experienced release-related breakdowns. On the flip side, other users noted recent updates have improved the UI, making it easier to navigate with new icons and better drill-downs.

Key Features

  • Joule: Use a virtual assistant to guide employees through the feedback process with easy-to-follow steps and prompts. Joule lets employees update their info right away (like location and working hours) without bouncing around multiple screens. It also streamlines promotion requests by guiding managers through the process and setting effective dates.
  • Automatic Tax Document Generation: Generate essential tax documents automatically, reducing administrative workload and ensuring compliance with tax regulations.
  • Payroll: Simplify payroll with automated pay calculations while ensuring compliance with both local and international rules to function globally. Plus, the self-service option lets employees easily access their information.
  • Time and Attendance Management: Automate time-consuming tasks like calculating hours worked and managing absences to make scheduling more efficient.
  • Recruiting and Onboarding: Create profiles, apply for jobs and track applications through a career portal. Employees can share openings and earn rewards for referrals. Recruiters can manage interviews based on candidate availability and location and provide a personalized onboarding experience.
  • Learning and Development: Use the earning management system (LMS) for all your learning needs, from succession planning to career development. It handles assessments, offline courses, training schedules, and tracking employee progress and course completion.
  • Performance and Compensation: Track employee performance to find top talent while providing feedback to help your team set and achieve goals. Reward employees with compensation programs and keep your numbers in line with budget modeling.
  • Workforce Planning: Modeling and analysis features provide insight into financials and scenario-based outcomes. Allocate resources effectively with budget planning, anticipate staffing requirements with workforce forecasting and reduce schedule conflicts with alerts.
  • Personalized Recommendations: The benefits plan recommendation tool offers a personalized ranking of benefits plans, providing employees with tailored recommendations to better meet their specific needs.
  • HR Analytics: Understand your company's data with insights on performance, turnover, diversity and more. Benchmark against peers and analyze HR data in detail. Use dashboards and reports to identify issues and spot trends.
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Why We Picked Dayforce

Dayforce, a popular AI-powered HCM solution, caters to businesses across various industries on a global scale. It’s perfect for large teams and companies needing a scalable and adaptable platform. Most of its features are user-friendly, making it relatively easy to learn and navigate.

Dayforce stands out with its mobile time-off requests, smart benefit enrollment recommendations, TeamRelate, Dayforce Wallet and automated payroll calculations. It also offers robust support for day-to-day operations, including reports and dashboards, org charts, shift trades, and compliance.

The mobile app and self-service platform give employees the freedom to handle tasks like accessing pay stubs, viewing schedules, and submitting time-off requests independently, which reduces the need for admin intervention.

Dayforce tackles common HR challenges like managing varied payroll and compliance needs, dealing with tricky reporting, and making employee self-service easier. While users appreciate its mobile features and schedule management, they’ve mentioned that reporting can be a bit complex and time-consuming, sometimes leading to long waits for customer support.

The demo reveals a comprehensive hub serving as a centralized dashboard, providing news updates, team objectives, pending tasks, and recommended applications like performance management and recruiting.

Personally, I thought the scheduling module looked a little cluttered/complicated for beginners, but you can use filters to narrow down results and make it look less busy/cleaner.

Payroll processing demands a hawk's eye when it comes to details. I thought Dayforce had a reasonably straightforward payroll design.

Engagement surveys offer compact insights into employee sentiment and effectiveness, while customizable dashboards and scorecards display key metrics on workforce dynamics, such as availability, recruitment metrics, and turnover rates.

Automated alerts and integration with job boards enhance recruiting, and self-service features support career development, HR and benefits enrollment.

The chatbot provided a brief welcome and directed me to the Help Center after I chose support. The chat ended there, and I encountered the issue of the conversation not clearing when the page was reopened.

Pricing is competitive, based on user numbers and selected modules (charged per month).

Overall, Dayforce is a comprehensive HCM software that effectively supports managing people, pay and compliance.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy PTO Tracking: Dayforce simplifies requesting and viewing PTO and tracking employee hours.
  • User-Friendly Interface and Features: Dayforce receives praise for being easy to set up and navigate.
  • Comprehensive: Dayforce is effective for managing payroll, benefits, and workforce management (WFM), providing real-time data and streamlined record-keeping. Custom reporting, time management and compensation planning are highlighted as strong features.
  • Consistency: The system integrates well across various functions such as HR, payroll, and time management, helping to consolidate processes and improve efficiency.
  • Reporting: Report creation can be cumbersome and not very user-friendly. The ability to convert fixed reports into customizable formats and access more diverse formats is limited.
  • Outdated Employee Self-Service: Some users found this feature outdated without improved auditing and traceability features for payroll elections.
  • Frequent Updates: Some updates lead to slow down and create a learning curve for some users.
  • Implementation Process: Users reported implementation can have high up-front costs, take longer than expected and cause frustration.
  • Customer Support: Users experienced long response times and additional fees.

Key Features

  • Core HR: Centralize employee info, manage performance, carry out recruiting, oversee payroll and get reports for data-driven decision-making.
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS): Let users enroll in benefits, view pay details, update personal information, access learning resources and stay current on announcements.
  • Payroll: Roll out a variety of payroll tasks, including tax management, employee verification and data entry for unique situations like retroactive payments. Dashboards provide insights and reporting tools support payroll reconciliation.
  • Benefits: Fast track enrollment by letting employees independently enroll for coverage. Admins can access enrollment totals, a library of qualification rules, on-demand calculations and streamlined COBRA management. It also integrates with hundreds of carriers and incorporates features to ensure ACA compliance.
  • Talent Management: Manage every phase of an employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding to succession planning. Track performance in a holistic view, plan budgets effectively and reskill current employees with AI talent tools.
  • Workforce Management: Process payroll, manage sick days or vacation time, and view reports on key trends like spending for proactive planning.
  • Compliance Support: Safeguard sensitive information with role-based access and ease multi-jurisdictional tax filings with tax services for federal, state and local jurisdictions.
  • Customer Support: Get help with questions and concerns through live chat or phone. Access additional resources on the website like the help center and webinars.
  • Dayforce Wallet: Provide employees access to their earned wages before payday. This flexibility improves financial wellness and reduces employee stress associated with waiting for a paycheck. It also provides functionalities such as budgeting tools and financial planning resources. Note: The amount available depends on completed shifts and standard transfer time is between 1-3 business days. Faster transfers require additional fees.
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Why We Picked Gusto

Gusto is a well-reviewed payroll solution which many users enjoy for its good design and easy-to-use features. It’s UI and payroll processing abilities in particular make it a popular choice for automating payroll. Many also feel it handles benefits and PTO well. Some say it's an affordable choice given what it does while others note that it’s on the pricey side. The time tracking features aren’t universally loved. Users are split on the integration abilities with around 10% satisfied and around 10% dissatisfied. All in all, it appears to be a good solution for small and medium-sized businesses looking to streamline their payroll. Keep an eye on the price and, as always, demo extensively before buying.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy to Use: Just under 70% of all reviewers found this product easy to use with 10% specifically praising the design.
  • Great Conflict Resolution: The customer service was noted for being helpful, knowledgeable and excellent at resolving errors.
  • Helpful Features: Around 40% of reviewers said they appreciated the functionality, particularly praising the tax system, deductions, payroll processing and multiple payment options.
  • Appropriate Pricing: Over 30% of users felt that the price was well worth the system.
  • Good for Small Business: This was called a good choice for small businesses in over 10% of reviews.
  • Issues with Certain Functionality: While around 40% felt the solution worked well, another 40% reported issues, especially with the time tracking and integration features.
  • Slow/Pushy Customer Support: Around 10% of users reported negative experiences with customer service. Of them around 50% felt the staff was pushy and trying to upsell them and 50% felt they had to wait too long for answers or couldn't get in touch with them online.

Key Features

  • Payroll Processing: Automatically calculate employee checks and file taxes while using online faxing, filing and signing technologies.
    • Payroll Reports: Send money out weekly, bi-weekly, twice a month or monthly. Calculate an employee’s gross pay before taxes by simply entering the amount they should receive. Figure out overtime pay for hourly workers whether they have one or multiple pay rates. Leverage other payroll capabilities such as calculating unlimited and off-cycle payrolls, employee reimbursements, bonuses and more.
    • Automated Taxes: Calculate, file and pay all payroll taxes per local and federal legislation through direct deposit. Generate and send 940, 941, 1099, 8974 and W-2 forms for full-time employees and independent contractors. Manage deductions, garnishments and send child support in all states except for South Carolina. Make adjustments, get support and enter claims for the Federal R&D Tax Credit, FLSA minimum wage requirements and the FICA Tip Credit tax.
    • E-Signatures: Sign and file important documents and forms such as W-2’s, 1099s, 940s, 941s and 8974s. Make it easier to get everyone’s ducks in a row, even when separated by thousands of miles.
    • Leave Tracking: Set up and monitor vacation time, time off and sick time. Choose federal holidays or create other holidays for organizations that accommodate different faiths, locations or cultures.
  • Benefits: Make the necessary deductions automatically for medical insurance, 401(K) contributions and more. Give employees dental, medical and vision insurance and help them find the appropriate plan. Provide other benefits such as 529 (college) savings, commuter perks, disability insurance, FSAs, HSAs, life insurance and workers’ compensation.
  • Wallet: Manage banking accounts, emergency funds, paychecks and savings. Create as many as five saving goals, which deduct funds automatically from the correlating spending accounts — transfer funds from savings to spending easily. Put paychecks in different accounts and let workers see checks and the specifics of deductions, hours and taxes. Give access to paystubs, the Wallet app and W-2s.
  • Worker Management: Give workers digital paystubs accessible by the payday email, account or Wallet app. Let employees send money to charities, organize workers into departments and set policies for PTO and sick leave. Customize and assign various permissions to ensure users can access the appropriate content but not sensitive data.
  • Self-Service: Let employees complete tasks like adding dependents, picking out plans and scheduling changes to plans based on personal details. Let them retain access to specific account information after termination to cut down on unnecessary content. Organize reports based on teams or departments and let workers sign essential documents like I-9s and W-4s.
  • New Employees: Report new hires to the government automatically. Send out onboarding papers before new staff members start so they can fill out bank details, contact information and W-4s. Use an onboarding to-do list for tasks like adding employees to the payroll, background checks, filling out an employee’s I-9, setting up benefits and signing forms.
  • Directory: Create an address book of employees with profile pictures and contact information. Give new workers org charts to see where they fit in the organization. Organize fun facts, t-shirt or merch orders, birthdays and communal coffee dates.
  • Calendar Sync: Track deadlines, birthdays and employee anniversaries and sync with other calendars in iCalendar, Google, and Outlook.
  • Integrations: Uses closed APIs. Integrate with platforms like Accelo, Asana, Box, Clover, Dropbox, Expensify, FreshBooks, Github, G Suite, Homebase, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks Online, Receipt Bank, Slack, SpotOn, TSheets, Veryfi, When I Work, Xero, Ximble, Zoom and more. Contact the vendor for custom connections.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Generate and download reports for benefits, payment history, bank transactions, PTO, contract work, tax payments and more

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Gusto offers the following pricing plans:
    • Basic
      • $6/month per person
      • $19/month base price Core
    • Core
      • $6/month per person
      • $39/month base price Core
    • Complete
      • $12/month per person
      • $39/month base price
    • Concierge
      • $12/month per person
      • $149/month base price
    • For independent contractors
      • $6/month per person with no base price
Maintenance Cost
  • There’s no maintenance fee mentioned on the pricing page.
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • There’s no implementation fee mentioned on the pricing page.
Customization Cost
  • Get customizable employee onboarding tools as part of the Complete and Concierge plans.
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Migration costs listed on the website.
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • The cost appears equivalent to the monthly subscription fee.
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Key Features

  • Single System of Record: PeopleStrategy is built as a unified platform. All data is stored in one central location, so it’s easily accessible and any changes made automatically reflect across the system. This reduces errors caused by needing to enter the same set of data more than once. It also provides a searchable directory of employees. 
  • Performance Evaluation: The performance module lets you trade paper reviews for digital tools. Employees can go through a self-review and rate their performance. Then managers can include their own rating and compare the two side by side. It also supports e-signature for completed reviews, configuration of performance criteria and automatic notifications for tasks. 
  • Communication Portal: You can share important company news and announcements with this feature. For example, posting educational materials and links to benefits plan information to help employees select the right coverage. 
  • Career Site: PeopleStrategy allows organizations to create configurable, branded career sites for external and internal use. You can view applicant documents, sort candidates, schedule interviews and more. The career sites come with single sign?on capability. 
  • Job Posts: With this feature, you can create job requisitions and descriptions, which can then be posted to hundreds of job sites in a single click using Job Target. 
  • Background Checks: Through a partnership with InquireHire, PeopleStrategy offers integrated background screening as part of the talent acquisition module. You can check criminal history, conduct drug tests, verify education and certifications, and screen candidates for tax credits among other things. 
  • Managed Services: PeopleStrategy offers access to experts who can help minimize risk of non-compliance. Their range of support covers benefits administration support and compliance services, including COBRA administration, EEO reporting and more. 
  • Security: PeopleStrategy exercises security in several ways. As a hosted application, it’s delivered from two different data centers that have strong security measures in place. It’s also SSAE-16 certified. 
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Why We Picked Paycom

Paycom users in the past year have expressed both enthusiasm and concerns about the software. Many praise its user-friendly interface, mobile app convenience, and comprehensive feature set, which includes payroll, HR, benefits administration, and talent management. Compared to competitors, users find Paycom to be more intuitive and integrated, streamlining HR processes and saving time. Additionally, customer service is often lauded as responsive and helpful. However, some drawbacks are also mentioned. Implementation can be complex and require significant initial effort. Pricing concerns surface, with Paycom perceived as costlier than some competitors. While offering a wider range of features, this may not be necessary for all businesses, leading to potential overpaying for unused functionalities. Overall, Paycom seems to be a powerful and user-friendly option for companies seeking a one-stop HR and payroll solution. However, its complexity and cost warrant careful consideration, especially for smaller businesses or those with simpler needs. Comparing features and pricing with competitors is crucial to ensure Paycom aligns with your specific requirements and budget.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly: 85% of reviews mentioning the interface noted the platform has an intuitive layout, with all features organized and easy to locate.
  • Customer Service: Customer support is highly responsive, as asserted by 100% of reviews referencing it.
  • Employee Self-Services: All users referring to self-service observed that employees can easily upload documents, view information and track performance.
  • Performance Reviews: An open dialogue tool makes employee performance reviews more effective, as indicated by 70% of reviews mentioning this feature.
  • Use Anywhere: The mobile app is easy to use and has all desktop features available, as asserted by 100% reviews on this feature.
  • Customization: Customization for most features helps cater to a company’s unique requirements, as noted by all reviews on product customization.
  • Login Process: All reviews on the login process observed that employees need to log in every time they open the software, as there’s no password save feature.
  • Challenging Transition: Transitioning between the client and employee side is challenging and cumbersome, as users need to log in to both systems, according to all reviews on this aspect.
  • Learning Curve: All users reviewing learning noted that the platform has a steep learning curve, making adaptation difficult for new users.
  • Integration Capabilities: The system doesn't provide integration with major third-party platforms without using SFTP or API, as indicated by 100% of reviews on this feature.

Key Features

  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Build customizable databases to view relevant applicant information and track candidates as they move through the application process. Managers can search and sort applicants by information such as degree, specific skill sets, work history and more. 
  • Compensation Management: Define budgets, award bonuses and integrate with payroll to ensure that all employees receive fair compensation without overspending. 
  • Job Posting: Allows managers to post open positions to thousands of job boards. Managers can also rely on recruitment data to build reports to determine if their recruiting efforts are working. 
  • Payroll: Calculate taxes, process payroll, account for employee expenses and more, directly through the platform. Automate payroll processing, ensuring that employees are always paid the accurate amount at the correct time. 
  • Performance Management: Schedule and facilitate employee performance appraisals directly through the platform. 
  • Reporting: Leverage Paycom’s built-in analytics to generate reports on a variety of processes, including payroll, time and attendance, compensation and more. 
  • Scheduling: Create and edit employee schedules and approve requests for time off through the system’s calendar. Automate time tracking and integrate with payroll to streamline pay processing. 

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All Onboarding Software (181 found)

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SumTotal

by SumTotal Systems
SumTotal
SumTotal is a cloud-based HR Management software catering to mid-sized to large organizations. It packs a comprehensive suite of features covering talent acquisition, learning development, workforce management, and performance management. Users praise its robust reporting analytics, rich learning library, and mobile-friendly accessibility. However, the extensive customization options and powerful tools come with a steeper learning curve for administrators. Additionally, SumTotal's potential for high integration costs and higher price point compared to basic solutions make it less suitable for smaller companies. While some users struggle with complex content creation tools and limited instructor-led options, SumTotal shines in its ability to scale and adapt to dynamic needs, making it a strong contender for organizations seeking a feature-rich, customizable HR management platform, especially those with substantial training requirements and a dispersed workforce. Pros Comprehensive learning library Robust reporting analytics Scalable for large organizations Mobile-friendly learning Customizable user experience Cons Steep learning curve for admins Limited instructor-led options Complex content creation tools Potentially high integration costs Pricey for smaller companies
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: fair
Cost Breakdown
$10 or less
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
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Paycor

by Paycor, Inc.
Paycor
Best for: Employee engagement and document managementRanked at number two on our best HR software list, Paycor is a comprehensive, cloud-based HR system designed for businesses of all sizes that serve industries like healthcare, manufacturing, retail and technology.It supports key HR functions, including talent management, benefits administration, payroll processing and compliance, catering to teams ranging from a single employee to over 1,000.Paycor is a SelectHub award winner in employee onboarding and administration, self-service and performance management. It’s also in our top ten for applicant tracking and recruiting, benefits management, compensation management, and succession management.The platform’s mission is to empower leaders with easy-to-access resources and personalized experiences featuring customizable homepages and learning paths. Managers can gain valuable insights to evaluate performance, track wins and identify areas for improvement.Struggling with employee retention? Paycor helps by providing data on recognition frequency, promotion rates, pay adjustments and completed one-on-ones.For recruiters, Paycor offers tools to enhance job postings and streamline the hiring process, utilizing AI for smart candidate sourcing. Key features include performance management, applicant tracking, recruiting, benefits management, compensation management, employee engagement, onboarding and employee self-service.84% of users give it two thumbs up, noting its straightforward performance, payroll and scheduling management. In contrast, some have encountered complex reporting issues and occasional bugs following updates.Pricing starts at $99 per user per month, with a free trial available.To view other popular Paycor solutions, visit our Paycor company page.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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ADP RUN

by ADP
ADP RUN
Like a classic rom-com montage, running a small business means trying on a lot of hats. Processing payroll alone is a complex, time-consuming task. That's where ADP RUN comes in—it's a cloud-based payroll service specifically for small businesses, keeping your payroll processing and HR management out of the horror genre.When you need to complete multiple tasks without the manpower of larger corporations, ADP RUN (also known as RUN POWERED by ADP) helps you do the job(s).Here's how: Automating the entire payroll process (including recurring payroll with RUN DONE). Calculating deductions and withholdings. Self-onboarding employees. Detecting payroll errors. Working on the go with the mobile app.ADP RUN at a Glance Price Starting from $79 monthly (additional $4 per employee). Deployment Method Cloud-based. Business Size Most suitable for small businesses. Popular Integrations QuickBooks, Xero, Tsheets, When I Work, ZipRecruiter. Customer Service Availability Live chat agents are available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET. A.V.A. (virtual assistant) is available 24/7. User Experience Nearly 90% of users recommend it. Training Documentation, videos, live online, webinars and demos. Mobile App Yes, 4.9 review score according to Google Play. Let’s be honest: not everyone is a fast learner. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth, ADP RUN has step-by-step screens and quick tips for completing tasks.There’s direct deposit for paying your employees and additional options like Wisely Direct (an ADP-exclusive debit card) and ADPCheck.Manage everything from your personalized dashboard, including upcoming payrolls, to-dos, payroll history and quick access to all RUN features.Run powered by ADP is under the ADP umbrella, which earns recognition on our top ten list of the best HR software. Additionally, ADP Workforce Now is in the top five for applicant tracking and recruiting, compensation management, employee self service, and learning management.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: excellent
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Buyer's Guide

Onboarding Software Is All About Streamlining the Onboarding Process for New Hires and HR Employees

Onboarding Software BG Intro Header

Onboarding software enables employers and managers to streamline the onboarding requirements for new recruits and guide them through the recruitment and training phases. Paperwork requirements, crucial communications referrals and basic office policies can all be organized and managed with these applications.

In this article, we will also discuss everything you need to know about getting suitable onboarding software for your organization. By the end of this article, hopefully, you will be able to select the best onboarding software based on your unique needs.

Executive Summary

  • Onboarding software provides ample benefits like increasing employee engagement and facilitating compliance.
  • Provide employers with an engaging and interactive experience.
  • Investing in onboarding software helps to organize basic office policies and reduce paperwork.
  • Improves overall onboarding experience.
  • Excite new hires by deploying software that allows a smoother onboarding experience.

What This Guide Covers:

What is Onboarding Software?

Onboarding software, often known as employee onboarding solutions, is an HR software designed to provide recruits with an engaging and interactive experience from the time they start, allowing them to interact with their new company and coworkers. Several of the most time-consuming HR administrative processes associated with introducing new staff into a company are also automated and managed by onboarding solutions.

No company can underestimate the value of creating a solid onboarding strategy to accommodate new employees. It is a staff's first impression of the environment and procedures of your organization. Providing an impressive onboarding process says a lot about your company. Your new hires will be excited to get started, and impactful onboarding will provide them with a strategic vision.

Increased recruitment is one of the main reasons your company should build a sustained onboarding process that prioritizes streamlining new-hire processes. By automating your onboarding, you can provide your workers an integrated and ordered experience, allowing them to perform all of their obligations from a suitable location. Also, this speeds up and simplifies the onboarding process, demonstrating to new hires that you appreciate them and their effort.

Employee onboarding software assists critical employees and managers in ensuring that each new hire has a smooth onboarding experience. It helps recruiters and managers standardize all onboarding operations and quickly integrate new employees into the firm, department and team, resulting in higher retention rates.

Primary Benefits

Primary Benefits Of Onboarding Software

The bulk of organizations' onboarding software focuses on executing new-hire paperwork and outlining operations. It is administrative, addressing the employer's needs and assuring compliance. They digitally complete all the onboarding responsibilities such as documentation needs, employee introductions and training arrangements.

Employee onboarding software enables your new HR staff members to learn all of the corporate regulations they'll need to pass on to their colleagues, such as new dress standard essentials, so they may assist coworkers in updating their professional workplace outfits. According to your onboarding curriculum, you can easily edit and deliver content on a worldwide scale. Alternatively, you could pay to have your policy guidelines updated and reissued, as well as hire an on-site teacher to ensure that the material is retained (if you're lucky).

Implementation Goals

Goal 1

Better Employee Experience

An efficient onboarding process sets the foundation for a comprehensive employee experience. Organizational culture, coaching and mentoring, and frequent check-ins demonstrate to new workers that you value them. Maintaining these emphasized areas past your onboarding time ensures that your employees have a positive experience from start to finish.

Goal 2

Higher Employee Engagement

When you onboard employees correctly, they will feel more committed to your company's goals, purpose and values. Make a companion out of your recruits and assist them in thoroughly understanding the firm.

Around 68% of U.S. employees report feeling engaged at work, which still leaves a lot of room for improvement.

Give early praise for a job effectively done, and collect and use feedback from staff. Include these exercises in your employee onboarding system to boost employee engagement right away.

Goal 3

Superior Employee Retention

When you consider items like the expense of backfilling a role and vacancy costs, staff turnover is a serious issue. While some staff turnover is unavoidable, management still wants to maximize the lifetime value of your employees.

Replacing a fresh worker is much more unproductive than replacing a long-term employee who has contributed to your company's production for years.

Offer a warm reception to capitalize on the excitement surrounding your hiring process and contract and make the transition from applicant to the hiring process as seamless as possible.

Goal 4

Talent Attraction

After their recruit and onboarding experience, some new recruits are unwilling to refer an employer to a friend or family member. This unwillingness is troublesome because disgruntled employees can air their grievances publicly on review websites like Glassdoor or InHerSight, tarnishing your company brand.

Talent acquisition teams or suits are in charge of a quicker, complex function that includes everything from screening to interviewing to training and retention.

Goal 5

Build Company Culture

Attracting and retaining talent isn't enough; you also need to recruit and retain the right talent. Creating a robust and purposeful company culture and communicating it through the whole recruitment and onboarding system can help you recruit and retain employees.

Goal 6

Easy Authorization

Although most businesses have begun to digitize their functions, the onboarding process is still primarily paper-based. It's also tough to switch from a paper-based approach to an internet system after an employee has been familiar with it. Instead, new workers start with a digital strategy, authorize forms with electronic verification and obtain their confidential info seamlessly.

Basic Features & Functionality

Welcome Portals

Workers' welcome portals are a typical element of onboarding software. They allow employers to communicate with new hires from the time they are employed. The onboarding site, which serves as an information point, allows for accessible communication with new employees and provides a framework with all the information they need to get started (initiation date, company location, directions, essential contact details, etc.).

Because visual content is an effective way to engage people, uploading pictures and embedding video content to a portal are vital. Whether it's instant welcome messages from the managers, videos showcasing your company's core values (staff conversations, workplace days out, etc.) or outlining your brand's objectives and ideals, it serves as a significant point in drawing the right people.

Task Management

It's tough for managers to keep track of who's done what and when and monitor what has to be followed up on without an onboarding software that offers task management attributes, mainly when recruiting employees remotely. By employing real-time notifications, onboarding packages with a task manager and assessments, you can motivate actions from management and your new hires, ensuring employees don’t neglect critical tasks. You also get a handy breakdown of what you still need to accomplish, so you can make sure everybody knows everything they need to do.

Integration

If you opt for a separate onboarding service, be sure it integrates with your existing HRIS. Because your new hire will soon become a full-fledged employee, whatever data you acquire via the new joiner interface should be fed directly into the company's HR system.

New hires should instantly see their team profiles in your HR functions. The onboarding platform should utilize the reporting linkages in your primary HR system to assign projects and deliver notifications. It's a great time saver to have an onboarding solution that can incorporate your current HR records.

Course Management

Design and post employee training programs and deploy them to new recruits.

Training Management

Assign onboarding responsibilities to teams and individuals and appoint mentors to guide newcomers through the various stages of induction training.

List all onboarding duties in one area and keep track of new hires' progress.

Document Management

Using cloud-based storage, you can keep sensitive data and information secure and accessible.

Digital Verification

Allow staff to submit credentials and verify their signature and documents digitally and instantly.

Employee Portal

Make a protected dashboard for new hires to access and take corporate resources and materials (e.g., work descriptions, staff handbooks, orientation materials, benefits, etc.).

Team Communication

It controls and oversees the responsibilities that await new workers, such as team orientations. Many digital employee onboarding packages also include a "mentor option," which allows managers to appoint experienced staff to take over certain portions of the onboarding program. They also simplify regular meetings and lower the likelihood of a new hire missing critical announcements. Connecting new employees with other team members fosters a sense of belonging in the workplace, which will make them feel welcomed throughout the induction process and beyond.

Advanced Features & Functionality

Reporting

This functionality gives you data and insights into advanced analytics and operational data, allowing you to monitor critical KPIs and make more informed decisions to aid in talent acquisition, measuring labor productivity, efficient staffing and making data-driven actions.

Self Service

Staff members can use self-service techniques that allow 24/7 access to customized content based on their roles. Workers, for example, may access their schedules and pay stubs. Meanwhile, managers can address requests, check the organizational chart and handle performance reviews.

Compliant Assistance

You can keep track of deadlines, organize tasks and use a centralized resource center.

Workforce Planning

Organizations can address skill shortages by planning for the future strategically. Analyze costings and scenario-based outcomes using modeling and analysis tools. HR can also obtain the necessary information to steer hiring strategies.

Current & Upcoming Trends

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way businesses approached employee onboarding, possibly for the better.

Upcoming Trends in Onboarding Software

HR departments scrambled to revise the recruitment rulebook to prepare onboarding for a wholly remote initiation. As different sectors of the corporate environment returned to work, we saw the emergence of reboarding. We also saw preboarding and offboarding becoming essential terms in the onboarding lexicon.

With that in consideration, these are the top staff onboarding software attributes to watch in 2022.

Preboarding

Preboarding allows firms to obtain any data required beforehand so that recruits don't have to wait too long for their credentials to be examined and evaluated in their first months on the job.

Internal Talent Mobility Programs

Internal skill marketplaces and mobility programs are one method to relieve some of the stress of a slow hiring environment by focusing on your current in-house resources.

Gamification

Gamification is a recent addition to current onboarding features. Gamification is a tactic that boosts employee engagement by including game-based elements such as competition, praises and scores. Gamification is now becoming a current trend in eLearning. It is also a strong contender in workplaces as advanced equipment, including learning management systems (LMS), becomes more readily available.

Mobile Onboarding

According to Statista, there are approximately 6.2 billion smartphone users globally as of 2021, which is expected to grow to 7.6 billion by 2027. In 2021, 46% of U.S. adults reported spending between five and six hours a day on average using their smartphones.

Mobile Onboarding Stat

With these figures in mind, it's safe to assume that the average person in today's culture invests a considerable amount of time on their smartphones. Using cellphones for everything from delivering emails and messages to developing virtual hubs for employee engagement makes complete sense, particularly in the workplace.

 

Software Comparison Strategy

Software comparison is an essential step in the software acquisition process. It's crucial to find the right software that meets your requirements without breaking the bank. User information on the vendor's page is a great place to start when developing a comparative strategy. However, you should also check user reviews elsewhere, as vendors will paint themselves in the best possible light. Because the evaluations are unfiltered and straight from customers, you will gain helpful insight into the software's benefits and drawbacks.

It's becoming increasingly challenging to compare software and services as they continue to flood the industry. A well-thought-out strategy, on the other hand, can help reduce the problem. Shortlist the options that match the clinic's requirements and limit the population. Budgetary concerns and your business structure will also aid in selecting appropriate options.

The priority should be to identify the fundamental flaws and holes in your present procedures and systems. After that, move on to identifying the elements of a solution that will alleviate the issues. Not only that, but the system also needs to automate and speed up procedures. Once you've figured out what characteristics you'll need in a solution, it's time to pick one. You can always contact our team of experts for assistance in your software selection journey too.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

The onboarding software market is constantly approaching the tipping point, thanks to an inflow of new providers with intriguing workable solutions. Today's buyers are spoiled for choice. It's difficult to find the right software in this situation. There are, however, certain strategies to make your software purchase go more smoothly.

The following elements are vital to pricing considerations:

Features

Product functionality mostly dictates pricing. The higher the guarantee, the higher the cost. You can make a reasoned financial decision based on the characteristics you require in an onboarding solution.

On-premises vs. Cloud

Another consideration you must make is whether to include cloud or on-premise software. While on-premise gives additional protection and data centralization options, cloud deployment allows instant access and subscription-based billing.

Budget

Budget is another crucial part of software selection. You require software that is both efficient and cost-effective. Choosing low-cost software, on the other end, may bring issues in the future. As a result, it's critical to do your homework and prepare a budget to get you the product you want.

The Most Popular Onboarding Software

Onboarding is a complicated process that includes several steps tailored to each organization's strategy. Onboarding functionality is pretty standard among most HR systems. The products mentioned below are some of the most popular onboarding solutions.

Workday HCM

Workday is the dominant player in SaaS-based business systems for human resource departments, payroll and finance management, allowing businesses to achieve new dimensions of business efficiency at a small fraction of the expense of procuring, implementing and maintaining outdated on-premise solutions.

Workday HCM

Manage employee benefits using Workday HCM’s benefit dashboard.

UKG Pro

UKG Pro is a cloud-based, unified suite that lets businesses track human capital on a worldwide basis. Onboarding, payroll management, benefits, hiring and learning are just a few of its essential elements. Companies can use it to handle personnel data and files, remuneration, performance, time and attendance, and succession planning, among other things.

It includes modern technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence, predictive and data analytics, in addition to HR-specific functionality. Also, it improves performance, streamlines tasks, enhances workforce comprehension and encourages employee retention.

UKG Pro

Set up employees, schedule payments, generate compensation reports and more using UKG Pro’s payroll gateway.

ADP Workforce Now

Attendance management, talent acquisition, payroll management, and other HR operations are all handled by ADP Workforce Now, a cloud-based application. It enables businesses to handle the intricacies of employee life cycle management effectively. It reduces human input and data errors by synchronizing data across departments using a single, flexible database.

It has tiers of security and privacy protection, including physical security, intelligence detection, fraud defense and other techniques.

ADP Workforce Now

Create employee profiles including employee position, status and regular pay using ADP Workforce Now’s employment profile dashboard.

Oracle HCM Cloud

Oracle HCM Cloud is a collection of software that helps businesses develop and implement contemporary human capital and talent management strategies.

Managers have access to a working directory, staff profiles and skills information, time tracking, onboarding, policy execution, and employee skill and knowledge alignment through these modules, which better integrate human resources operations backed by local compliance. It also allows managers to build a talented applicant pool, train and retain good hires, and implement employee engagement strategies.

OracleHCM Onboarding

Track employee skills using Oracle HCM Cloud’s skills and qualifications module.

Zoho People

Zoho People is a labor management tool that makes performance appraisal, time and attendance monitoring, and expenditure reporting easier. It can smoothly combine with the remainder of Zoho’s recruiting and expense services as part of a wider product line. It also integrates with the software's payroll service, available in India and California and Texas in the United States.

Zoho Recruit

View employee schedules in a calendar view using Zoho People.

 

 

Questions to Ask Yourself

Onboarding BG Key Questions to Ask

When choosing software, it's crucial to address internal questions to gain a complete image of your needs and the holes in your current infrastructure. Examine your existing systems and processes to determine your specific requirements. Doing this will assist you while selecting the best software. We've compiled a list of questions to help you start an internal dialogue about your needs.

  • Is there enough money in my budget to get all of the capabilities I need?
  • Is it true that my criteria are industry-specific?
  • Is it better to store new-hire data in the cloud or on-premise?
  • Who needs training on and access to the system?
  • Do we need a solution to integrate into our existing infrastructure or overhaul it?

Questions to Ask Vendors

Use these questions as a starting point for conversations with vendors:

About the Software

  • Is it possible to scale the system?
  • Is it compatible with integrations?
  • Is there any training or help available?
  • Is it compatible with mobile devices?

About the Vendor

  • What industries do you work with?
  • Is there anything more I should know about the costs?
  • Is there a demo or a free trial available from the vendor?
  • Is there any assistance with implementation?
  • Is customer service available from the vendor?

In Conclusion

Buying new software is often a challenge. Before making investments, there are various elements and considerations to keep in mind. Onboarding software not only improves the process of onboarding staff but also boosts business profits. It simplifies the entire orientation procedure and assists employees in their seamless onboarding experience. We've decided to put up this buyer's guide to empower you to choose the most suitable software. We're aware of the implications along the route to software purchase. The buyer's guide is the result of extensive market analysis into the HR software industry. We believe that the comprehensive information provided will make your software purchase more efficient.

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Technical Content Writer
As a SelectHub Technical Writer, Olivia Edens loves helping readers navigate through the world of HR, payroll, field service, PSA, and time and attendance software. Olivia earned a B.A. in English from the University of Phoenix. When she's not researching or editing, she loves rewatching The Office, scootering around the city and taking her cat for a walk. Fun fact: In high school, she won an award for most ideas per minute.
Technical Research By Nithin Shetty
Senior Analyst
With experience in research and consulting going back to 2015, Nithin Shetty is an asset to SelectHub's research team. In his Senior Research Analyst role, he works on projects in categories like HR, CRM, EHR and ERP. He's also a big movie buff and sports fan. When he isn't watching his favorite film or game, he's usually volunteering his free time to causes like blood drives and environmental cleanup.
Technical Review By Jaisri Narasimman
Principal Analyst
A graduate of NTU Singapore, Jaisri Narasimman honed her data mining and curation skills during her post-graduate education, focusing on developing strategies to help businesses make the most of their data. In her role at SelectHub, her research spans categories like HR, CRM and EHR.
Edited By Joe Evans
Content Editor
Joe Evans is an Editor and Senior Market Analyst at SelectHub. A seasoned professional wordsmith, he has a bachelor's degree in journalism and electronic media and a decade of professional expertise in crafting top-tier digital content for niche online brands. He leads his small yet formidable team in producing helpful, compelling content in vital categories like HR, payroll, talent management, performance management, marketing automation home health, MES. When not editing and writing, he enjoys sports, quality time with family and dogs, and remains constantly in pursuit of something new and interesting to read or listen to.