When it comes to employee engagement software, there are a lot of great options on the market. As you have probably gathered from our deep dive into the best employee experience software, each solution is unique in how it structures its interfaces and what tools it offers its customers. By examining the most popular employee engagement features on the market, we hope to better help you narrow the field as you select the option that best suits your needs.
With all that in mind, here are some of the key features of employee engagement software:
Top Notch UI
Before we even get into the details of what different software solutions can do, let’s first look at how the software is laid out. Ease of use and employee buy-in are huge components of any technology’s success rate—after all, if no one wants to use it, you are just wasting your money. So when you are exploring various options, pay attention to how the functionality is presented. Several platforms like Workvivo have taken a cue from social media and designed their interface to feel like a community network.
Think about your own internal teams. Is this an approach they will like? Is there another option that makes sense for your business needs? Perhaps this is overkill for what you are hoping to gain. Or perhaps it’s the perfect way to get your team members engaged. Asking the right questions of your internal stakeholders will help you decide what will work best for your organization.
Daily Engagement From Employees
Since the ultimate goal is to get employees to willingly engage with whichever solution you choose, you will want to think about the daily interaction you are hoping for. Many technology solutions in this space have built activity feeds and dashboards where users can see up-to-date information like accolades received from superiors and team members, deadlines for approaching one-on-one meetings, and so on.
If you have specific goals in mind for daily involvement with the software, ask the vendors how they address those needs, and if there is any customization available in what each user sees.
Related: How to Measure Employee Engagement
Goal-Setting and Tracking
Many companies are looking to motivate employees through the engagement software. One great way to do this is to be able to define clear goals and expectations, and then reward employees for meeting or exceeding those goals. Different platforms will have specific ways in which they account for goal tracking, but as this is a key piece of the puzzle, any good solution will have a strong component in place to account for this.
Performance Management
Beyond goal setting, performance management encompasses key features like check-ins, talent assessments, coaching and employee feedback, reporting, and more. Depending on the platform, goal setting may be part of this suite of services.
Regardless, as you are selecting the ideal vendor partner, ensure you are looking at all of these attributes from the perspective of both business needs and employee engagement. Continuous feedback from all sides is proving to be beneficial, to the tune of a 22% increase in profitability according to Gallup.
Peer Recognition
Another great feature common to most employee engagement software options is peer recognition (also see employee recognition software). This is usually a fast way for team members to acknowledge when others on the team go above and beyond. Recognition is important to morale and culture in even the best of times; it is exponentially more important in this post-coronavirus era of more team members working remotely.
Perhaps the best way to decide if a platform’s recognition options are successful is to look at how they handle employee recognition within their own teams. For example, read how 7Geese keeps its team motivated. Then think about what has worked for you in the past, and what you would like to do differently as you select a great vendor partner.
Employee Surveys
Another common feature among the big employee engagement software options is the ability to create surveys. In an era where more employers want to get feedback from their teams—and not just on an annual or quarterly basis—employee survey vendors come in handy. Some examples of surveys include opinions on specific initiatives, culture assessments to see if employee perceptions match with senior managements’ expectations, and even simple questionnaires about company benefits packages.
Collaborative Spaces
Beyond the basic features, some employee engagement software platforms include spaces that foster team-building. This may fall in line with a social media feel to the overall platform, or there can be a separate feature with virtual meeting spaces. And it doesn’t have to be all work related. To the contrary, collaborative spaces are great for fostering common interests among team members. No matter how it’s set up, the name of the game is communication. Having the tools your employees need to foster better, more open communication will play an important role in building culture.
Making Your Decision
By breaking down the most popular employee engagement software features, we hope to help you discover exactly what you are looking for. If you have a better understanding of the common features, you can start to think in terms of your organization’s needs. This will hopefully help you narrow your options and find that great fit that will engage your team members and foster the company culture you are working toward.
