10+ Best Employee Engagement Software Tools (Updated Q4-2024)
We’ve just finished our Q4/2024 tech tests for employee engagement software categories. Here are the platforms at the top of the list.
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Employee Engagement Tools
Employee engagement software allows you to continuously gauge the health of your company’s culture via employee surveys that gather feedback on various topics and issues. The ultimate goal behind these platforms is to boost employee morale, satisfaction, and retention.
We’ve just finished our Q4/2024 tech tests for employee engagement software categories. Read on to explore why these above 16 brands were at the top of the list. Additionally, you can also enjoy a free consultation with an HR tech expert who'll help you narrow down the best solutions for your particular use case.
To select the best employee engagement software, we combine insights from product demos with user feedback, the knowledge of industry experts, and the experience of our in-house team. We think the features distinguishing great engagement software from good ones are ease and anonymity of use, reporting and analytics, and automation.
- Ease and anonymity of use: The best employee engagement platforms make it easy for employees to take surveys and share their feedback regularly from different devices. Tools that integrate with Slack, MS Teams, and email scored particularly high in our selection process. We’ve also spent extra time looking for tools with anonymity settings, which ensure you’re getting the most honest and actionable feedback from your employees.
- Reporting and analytics: The most effective employee engagement software allows you to track engagement metrics, identify trends, and gain insights into employee sentiment. Reports can be generated to measure progress, spot areas of concern, and inform decision-making.
- Automation: We only select employee engagement tools that support a scheduled cadence for collecting employee feedback and seamless automation processes that disseminate that information to HR teams and execs through email and/or dashboards.
Our selection criteria prioritize what we believe is best for our readers. For an in-depth look at how we do that, read this article about our editorial guidelines.
Leapsome
Deel
Connecteam
Workleap
Matter
Profit.co
Quantum Workplace
Bonusly
Reward Gateway
Culture Amp
Kudos
Empuls
Assembly
Motivosity
WorkTango
Mo
SurveySparrow
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Leapsome
Leapsome is highly flexible; you can choose to build on its best-practice surveys and questionnaires developed by psychologists or customize everything — from questions to timelines and anonymity settings.
PROS
- Leapsome is feature-rich and easy to use.
- Through anonymous surveys, managers can collect honest feedback to understand employee sentiment.
- Users appreciate how Leapsome centralizes feedback and reviews in one place.
- The notifications and reminders ensure tasks aren’t neglected.
- The visual charts, graphs, and analytics in Leapsome help you understand feedback and performance data.
- Leapsome is quite feature-rich; the platform packs modules for employee onboarding, learning management, engagement, performance management, goals tracking and much more.
- The majority of users find Leapsome’s UI to be friendly and easy to navigate.
- There are lots of third party integrations options to choose from, including Slack, which many users appreciate.
- The platform has transparent pricing, and you only pay for the modules you need.
CONS
- Users can’t include images or files in feedback.
- Leapsome’s wide range of features does mean a learning curve and lengthy implementation.
- There isn’t a mobile app for quick access on the go.
- Free trials require a sales demo to access.
- There is currently no way to post or upload an image or file into your feedback.
- Since Leapsome can do so many things, you may need some time to get used to it. The implementation process can also take some time.
- There currently isn’t a mobile app that users can download and access Leapsome quickly on-the-go.
- Free 14-day trials are available but you need to book a demo with the sales team first to sign up for one; you can’t do so on your own.
Leapsome offers a host of features dedicated to measuring and improving employee engagement. Through easy-to-create surveys featuring pre-made templates based on scientific research, you can regularly collect anonymous or identified feedback from your employees and gain valuable insights.
Among the Leapsome features, what stood out for us is its advanced sentiment analysis. Using AI and machine learning, the software can analyze open-ended survey responses to uncover hidden insights and common themes. It automatically scores the sentiment of qualitative feedback to reveal how employees truly feel. This level of analysis provides the actionable data you need to tackle the biggest engagement challenges.
Leapsome also enables the segmentation of survey results by factors like tenure, team, and manager. By spotlighting correlations between engagement drivers and performance or turnover, you can develop targeted strategies for improving the culture at your organization. Selective sharing options allow managers to view trends and feedback relevant to their teams without compromising anonymity.
With its focus on survey customization, automated deployment, advanced analytics, and anonymous follow-up dialogues, Leapsome combines comprehensive feedback collection with the tools to turn insights into positive action. If you’re seeking to measure employee experience and make positive changes to workplace culture, we think Leapsome is worth checking out.
Over 1,500 companies use Leapsome, including Mercedes Benz, Spotify, Trivago, Eventim, and Babbel.
Leapsome’s pricing depends on the number of your employees, the modules you want to use, and the length of your contract. Its modular pricing starts from $7 per user per month when billed annually. To get a detailed quote, contact Leapsome’s sales team. You can also test out Leapsome free of charge for a full 14 days - no credit card required.
Best For
Leapsome can be used by companies of all sizes across different verticals.
The tool has allowed them to create a cohesive performance management system, foster engagement, and support continuous learning and development, which are critical for building a high-performing organization. The client uses it for performance management, 360-degree feedback, employee engagement, pulse surveys, and onboarding of new employees.
The OKR functionality has increased collaboration and transparency, especially for remote teams. They leverage the data analytics and reporting modules for performance tracking, identifying training needs, and monitoring employee engagement and satisfaction. The client also uses Leapsome for employee recognition and rewards to increase retention.
The client appreciated the simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for both employees and managers to navigate. The platform’s design minimizes the learning curve, making it quick to adopt for teams of all sizes, which is a plus for a growing company.
The ability to integrate goal-setting (OKRs), continuous feedback, and performance reviews was highly valued. Another advantage was the ability to create custom review cycles, run 360-degree feedback, and effectively track performance.
Leapsome was purchased to streamline performance management, OKR tracking, and employee engagement. It allowed my client to align team and individual goals with the organization’s objectives through goal-setting frameworks like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). It increased visibility and tracking to ensure that everyone was working toward measurable outcomes.
Leapsome provided customizable performance review cycles, including 360-degree feedback, continuous reviews, and self-assessments, which helped tailor reviews to organizational needs and culture. The ability to engage employees through surveys and gather real-time feedback was also a key selling point. The learning and development tools were valuable, although the client was using an existing tool at the time and had not yet begun leveraging this aspect of the platform.
There are limitations in customization for features like performance review templates and feedback processes, which could benefit from more flexibility. Companies with unique organizational structures or processes may find it challenging to tailor every aspect to their needs.
The learning curve for advanced features, such as custom analytics or deep performance tracking, can be difficult to fully grasp and utilize. The per-user pricing model and modular nature of the platform can become cost-prohibitive as the organization scales, which is interesting since scalability is also a pro, but the cost structure could be more considerate of hyper-growth companies.
Leapsome offers a modular approach, allowing companies to choose and pay only for the features they need, offering flexibility that many competitors lack. While some competitors provide all-in-one solutions that can be less customizable, Leapsome allows companies to avoid paying for unnecessary features.
Unlike many performance management platforms that emphasize periodic reviews, Leapsome strongly encourages a culture of continuous feedback and recognition, making it ideal for companies that prioritize ongoing development.
Competitors like Lattice and 15Five offer feedback options, but Leapsome’s seamless integration of real-time feedback and performance tracking helps embed feedback as a constant part of the employee experience.
Companies should clearly define the must-have versus nice-to-have features and consider how their future growth could impact their needs. Customization options for performance cycles, feedback, and surveys are essential.
Organizations should evaluate their data requirements, such as the need for deep data analysis versus standard performance, goal, and engagement tracking. Ease of use for both users and administrators, including integration with existing tools and the level of skill required for customization, should also be key considerations.
Leapsome initially focused on performance management and employee engagement. Over time, it expanded to include a full suite of tools covering goal setting (OKRs), continuous feedback, learning and development, and detailed reporting and analytics.
Recognizing that different companies have unique processes, Leapsome introduced greater customization options. Users can now tailor performance review cycles, feedback forms, and learning paths to meet their specific organizational needs.
Leapsome is ideal for tech companies and startups that are scaling, especially those with a feedback-rich culture. It’s also well-suited for medium-sized companies looking for scalability, as well as companies focused on learning and development and personal learning tracks for employees.
Leapsome may not be a good fit for budget-constrained small businesses. It is also not ideal for companies that are not interested in creating a culture of continuous feedback, or for highly hierarchical, traditional companies like those in banking. Industries with minimal need for data-driven HR decisions may not benefit from the platform’s extensive capabilities.
Deel
While Deel is best known for global payroll, they have expanded into a comprehensive system enabling HR teams to manage and engage international employees and contractors.
PROS
- You can offer employee benefits through Deel, as well as other perks such as discounts at known service providers.
- The Slack integration allows the creation and deployment of pulse surveys to increase engagement.
- Getting paid through Deel is fast and easy. Payments arrive on time without delays.
- Deel's interface has a modern design and is fairly easy to navigate.
- Users praised Deel's customer support for being responsive and quick to resolve issues.
- It’s completely free to get started with Deel’s HR offering.
- One of the best features of Deel is its customer service. They offer 24/7 in-app support and the fastest-in-class onboarding speed of 2-3 days. Users get access to local payroll experts in each jurisdiction, and support is available for contractors facing challenges setting themselves up as an LLC.
- Integrates seamlessly with common platforms like Quickbooks, Bamboo, Greenhouse, and more. They also offer custom integrations to automate and sync processes.
- Self-service approach; tech-enabled features so customers can jump in quickly and easily. Our user researchers found it quite easy to set up: the identity verification process consistently took less than 24 hours, and in some cases, it took mere minutes.
- Automated invoices, which are a breeze to do as long as they’re in English, both on the company and the contractor or employee’s side.
CONS
- Pulse surveys are offered through the Slack plug-in, and aren’t built into Deel.
- The HR offering isn’t as developed as specialized HRIS/HCM solutions.
- Deel's fees and exchange rates are high compared to other platforms.
- The 30-day withdrawal deadline is inconvenient; many users would prefer for Deel to function as a wallet.
- There currently isn’t a mobile app for Deel; users can only access it through the web version.
- Despite being a global platform, Deel’s debit card feature is only available in a few countries.
- You can’t edit some of Deel’s contract clauses.
- Some of Deel’s best and most powerful services, like onboarding automation, appear to be add-ons, which might be too costly for some companies
- There is little to no flexibility when it comes to altering their contracts or service agreements, so many changes would require an addendum.
- There is a $5 fee per payout
- As far as we’ve seen, it’s not possible to generate invoices in another language.
Deel was designed with distributed teams in mind, which is evident in its flagship global payroll offering, but also in their continuous rollout of features that foster connections and engagement among remote employees. The "Connections'' tool enables 1:1 and group interactions to build relationships like those formed organically in an office.
Integrations like Slack make employee engagement initiatives accessible right within familiar workflows. Pulse surveys delivered via Slack see higher response rates. Surveys can also create interest-based Slack groups to connect employees around shared hobbies/topics beyond work projects.
It's impressive to see the employee experience capabilities Deel has built out, considering the company started by solving a different need - global payroll. The focus on relationships, networking, and engagement really caters to the needs of distributed, remote-first teams.
Over 15k businesses use Deel including Nike, Shopify, Redbull, and Zapier.
Deel’s pricing varies according to the tools you need. It is structured as follows:
- Contractors: Starts at $49/contractor/month covering payroll and compliance in 150+ countries.
- EOR: Starts at $599/month for hiring employees without local entities in new countries
- Global Payroll: Multi-country payroll for existing entities in 100+ countries. Contact sales.
- Deel HR: The plan packs features for you to automate HR admin and reporting for any worker with a global HR system. Pricing starts from $0. That’s right, it’s completely free to start using this plan.
- Immigration: Visa sponsorship in 25+ countries. Contact Sales for a customized quote.
Best For
Companies of all sizes can use Deel’s solutions to pay employees on time, offer benefits and engage them, wherever they may be.
We use Deel on a weekly basis to hire, manage, and pay international employees for clients. Once a candidate has accepted our verbal offer, we use Deel to send the offer letter, new hire documentation, and collect information for payroll. Deel stores all of our new hire information such as employee benefits selections, tax information, and signed offer letters. We also use Deel to coordinate with our outside payroll vendor to ensure everyone is paid correctly and the proper withholdings are implemented.
The first thing that we love is Deel HR is free! Not only is it free, it still offers all the bells and whistles of your typical paid platforms. I like that you can use Deel as the employer of record for international employees. Deel ensures we are compliant with local labor laws. Deel HR has replaced our need to purchase an HRIS system to serve as our employee management system.
We purchased Deel because we were seeking an affordable HR tool for our startup company. We were experiencing pain in the areas of documentation management, managing employee files on multiple databases, and wanted to streamline our operations. We were also seeking an onboarding solution that could integrate with our recruitment process. Deel has helped us centralize our HR functions and improve our efficiency in managing employee data and onboarding new hires.
The cost for the employer of record is very high for a startup company. This is an amazing solution to offer for a growing company, but I wish the price was lower or split into two payments across the month. Although it is easy to navigate, the UI could be nicer.
Deel is a one-stop shop for domestic and international hires. They have a built-in background check and visa and EOR in one platform. Other platforms require the use of multiple tools to accomplish these tasks.
First, they need to consider their hiring needs. Determine how many international hires annually to be able to do a cost-benefit analysis. They also need to have a defined hiring workflow to determine if Deel has everything they need to enhance their existing workflow.
Deel has done a great job with API and adding new integrations as the market evolves.
Global and domestic organizations of all sizes.
Deel is great for all companies and industries, especially if they want an all-around tool to take care of all HR needs including global payroll and EOR.
Connecteam
Connecteam’s platform is mobile-first, user-friendly, and packed with tools to drive engagement, including surveys, polls, rewards, recognition, chat, news feed, skills development courses, and much more.
PROS
- Connecteam’s platform is user-friendly and mobile-first, designed with deskless workers in mind.
- The platform covers a wide range of features for team management, communication, training, and engagement.
- The pricing of all modules is transparent, with free plans for small businesses.
- There’s a 14-day free trial you can sign up for, no credit card is needed.
- One of the only fully-mobile HR tech tools for deskless workers
- Very adequately-priced for all it entails, SMB-friendly
- Quite open to feedback, having implemented user suggestions as features in the past.
CONS
- It can take some time to fully get the hang of the platform because of how many features there are.
- Although the platform’s scalability is a good thing, many essential features are locked behind the higher pricing tiers.
- The surveys module is offered as part of the communication hub, while the rewards, recognition, and training modules are under the HR & skills hub, which means to use all modules together fully, you may need to purchase subscriptions to both hubs.
- In the communication hub, the app offers no confirmation that messages were sent and/or seen.
- Certain features that some teams consider essential, such as GPS-tracking, are only available in the higher-tier pricing plans.
Connecteam offers a series of employee-centric tools for communication, training, and Ops management. We’ve trialed their employee engagement features for this review and are happy to report that there’s a lot to like. First up is the surveys and live polls functionality, which you can access from the Communication hub in the left side panel. Through it, you can gather insights and opinions from team members on various topics. The platform also excels at keeping teams informed in real-time. Through the Updates module (also accessed through the Communication hub), employees can easily get relevant company updates, share insights, and discuss best practices from the field.
Another thing we like about Connecteam is its focus on employee recognition, which isn’t something we usually find on deskless employee management platforms. There’s a dedicated space within Connecteam where managers can showcase the achievements of exceptional team members, celebrate special occasions, and acknowledge personal milestones through rewards, awards, and shout-outs.
Connecteam also prioritizes professional growth, offering features that support employees from onboarding to ongoing skill development. New employees can be efficiently trained and connected through the platform's digital onboarding process, while mobile-first learning enables personal improvement at every stage of an employee's journey. Additionally, Connecteam's customized information hub keeps teams engaged and informed, ensuring they have access to the resources they need to succeed.
Finally, Connecteam streamlines business operations, making it easy to assign shifts according to employee availability, manage tasks remotely, and submit requests from the field. The platform even allows for the promotion of activities and events, further raising morale and fostering a sense of community within the organization.
Connecteam is used by 36,000+ businesses, including Subway, Hilton, and Volvo.
Connecteam’s offering is split into three hubs: Operations, Communications, and HR & Skills. Each hub has different plans, ranging from $29 to $99 per month for 30 user seats. That said, each hub also includes a free plan that small companies or teams with under 10 users can get started with. The survey module is part of the Communications hub. Visit Connecteam’s Pricing page for a full breakdown of all plans.
Best For
Though Connecteam can be used by businesses of all sizes, midsize businesses with deskless teams are likely to derive the most value.
Connecteam is a user-friendly software for managing employees, facilitating communication, and enhancing collaboration. It is especially valuable for businesses with many non-desk employees. Connecteam helped us streamline communication, improve daily operations, and develop professional skills. It allowed us to schedule shifts, monitor employee work hours, and send automated reminders. The software was accessible on both desktop and mobile platforms, allowing us to use it anytime, anywhere.
- One standout feature of Connecteam is its user-friendly design, offering various options to customize team collaboration.
- Users can easily upload their own documents and files from any device, making resource sharing simple.
- The intuitive interface allows you to manage your team from a single dashboard, where you can view the status of tasks at a glance, reducing miscommunication and boosting productivity.
- Tasks can be assigned directly from the dashboard, eliminating the need for additional communication methods.
I used Connecteam for three months while on contract with my previous employer. As of late 2024, I believe they are still using the platform. We chose Connecteam because it is a comprehensive employee app designed to streamline communication, optimize daily operations, and boost professional skills. It allowed us to schedule shifts, monitor employee work hours, and send automated reminders, all within a single platform.
- While Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure, some users find frequent upgrade prompts frustrating.
- For smaller teams with fewer than 30 members, the pricing can be relatively high, which might discourage some users.
- The costs can add up depending on the desired features and team size, so businesses should carefully assess their needs and budget before committing to the platform.
Connecteam stands out for its ease of use, featuring an intuitive and user-friendly interface. The layout is clean, with clearly labeled tabs for each function, making navigation straightforward.
For example, team members can easily create individual profiles with personal information, promoting better collaboration and engagement within the organization. The app’s simplicity ensures that even users with limited technical skills can navigate it effectively, fostering team integration and productivity.
Connecteam offers a flexible pricing structure compared to other employee scheduling tools. The software includes three distinct hubs, each offering five unique plans: Free, Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Enterprise.
Pricing is fixed for the first 30 users, making it affordable for small teams, but as your team grows, additional charges apply. This tiered structure allows businesses to choose a plan that fits their needs while accommodating future growth.
Connecteam has evolved by empowering managers to automate business processes, allowing them to focus on growth strategies while helping employees enhance productivity, professionalism, and job satisfaction. By streamlining tasks and reducing administrative burdens, the platform creates a more engaged and efficient work environment, ultimately driving better results for the organization.
Connecteam is ideal for teams of 30-50 employees, especially those with non-desk workers who need streamlined communication and scheduling tools.
Connecteam may not be suitable for teams that frequently change personnel or those that constantly restructure their workflow, as it might be challenging to manage frequent adjustments.
Workleap
Our rigorous testing of Workleap (formerly Officevibe) yielded primarily positive results, particularly in terms of ease of use, engagement features, and support for anonymous feedback. Plus, the platform has a scalable model and a generous free plan with all core features, making it a go-to option for both SMBs and large businesses.
PROS
- Easy-to-use free plan with essential employee engagement features for teams, no member count limit.
- Ensures truly anonymous feedback by requiring a minimum of 5 responses before survey results are accessible.
- Offers peer-to-peer recognition for employees to acknowledge each other's work.
- Covers a wide range of topics with built-in surveys.
- 14-day free trial available without credit card requirements.
- Slack integration enhances convenience and improves survey completion rates.
- Workleap is easy to use and has a free plan that a team of up to 10 users can use.
- To ensure that feedback is truely anonymous, without the manager, or anyone with higher access being able guess who submitted what response, a minimum of 5 responses need to be sent in before the survey manager is able to access the anonymous feedback.
- The platform has a feature for peer-to-peer recognition, giving your employees the ability to praise one another for outstanding work.
CONS
- Free plan limits data history (engagement scores and feedback responses) to 30 days.
- Personalized onboarding and dedicated success manager only available for teams with 100+ users.
- OKR resetting and adjustment can be cumbersome.
- Only supports private peer recognition for now, no public praise option available.
- Some users find 1-on-1 templates and scheduling not very intuitive.
- Some users have reported that Slack integration sometimes malfunctions.
- Workleap does not include a complete performance management solution among their offerings. They have an OKR tool that lets you set goals but there isn’t a mechanism in place to track thos
- e goals or conduct performance reviews.
- There currently isn’t a mobile app that managers and employees can use on the go.
Workleap is a cloud-based platform that focuses on employee engagement and manager growth, which allows managers to measure employee satisfaction through automated pulse surveys and anonymous feedback, then provides guidance on improving the work environment and culture.
One of the standout features of the platform is how easy it is to use and set up. We appreciate that there’s a free plan that comes equipped with a solid array of employee engagement tools. There are automated pulse surveys and custom surveys for gathering insights. Plus, the ability to manage feedback, conduct 1-on-1s, set goals and OKRs, and recognize team efforts, all for free. It no longer puts a limit on the member count - you now can have as many users as needed.
As we explored the platform further, we noted how seriously Workleap takes feedback anonymity. In our testing, it was clear that the system ensures true anonymity by requiring a minimum of five responses before the survey manager can access any feedback.
Recently, we also tried out the new Good Vibes recognition feature, which allows for even more employee acknowledgment through e-cards. It was satisfying to see how this feature not only enabled colleagues to recognize one another but also provided managers with valuable insights into what kinds of recognition were most impactful.
However, there were a few cons we encountered. The most critical perhaps was that while creating OKRs in Workleap was easy, adjusting them was not.
While the Good Vibes feature is a nice touch, we can’t help but feel the absence of an option for public praise is a missed opportunity to foster a more open culture of recognition.
Lastly, the 1-on-1 templates and scheduling features looked promising in our testing, yet we found them a bit clunky and not as intuitive as we hoped, which caused some frustration during our planning.
20,000+ companies, including WeTransfer, Dyson, Bose, PayScale, and Trivago.
Workleap has a free plan that limits to 1 team but does not limit team member count. It also has 2 paid plans: Essential ($3.5 per person per month billed annually) and Pro ($5 per user per month billed annually). There’s also a 14-day free trial that allows you to try all the features the employee engagement software offers.
Best For
Workleap is a good option for medium—and large-sized businesses, though small teams can still benefit from its free plan.
I use Workleap several days a week. I am the admin of the tool for our organization, so I am the one who manages teams and adds new employees to the program. We use the tool to report on each manager's team, as well as on department ratings, and all-company ratings. We also use the tool to send out any company-wide surveys, including our yearly Employee Engagement survey. Team members engage regularly with Good Vibes recognition.
- It allows you to build as many teams as you would like.
- It is clear on its anonymity policy so that team members feel comfortable sharing honest feedback.
- It allows you to conduct custom surveys on any topic.
We bought this tool for our organization because we take employee feedback very seriously. We have been using the tool for 3 years. I have been using it as a regular employee for 2 years and as an HR professional (admin of the tool) for 1 year. It allows you to get regular feedback (at whatever frequency you prefer) and allows you to put team members into teams so that managers can get team-specific feedback. It also allows you to give "Good Vibes" so that any team member can provide recognition to their peers.
- It does not have a Performance Management feature, which other similar tools do. For the price point, I would expect more features.
- It does not have industry benchmark data for specific questions, which is something our ELT was hoping to see.
- It currently does not integrate with our HRIS, which I mostly fault to the HRIS but it means I have to manually add all of our members and put them on teams.
I have not personally used comparable tools but I have done demos with others. I think this tool is very clear (more so than competitors) on its anonymity policy which is very important to our employees. I also think Good Vibes is a fairly unique feature that our team heavily uses and appreciates.
People should consider what features they need the tool to have. This tool does not have performance management, which is something that many similar tools do. They should also consider pricepoint. Workleap is a high price point for the limited number of features. Overall, I think it is a great tool, just hard to justify the price considering it is lacking a crucial feature (performance management) that we will need soon.
Workleap has launched new features throughout our time using it and I know it is currently working on others. Good Vibes was a feature that was added due to requests, and it has been a great addition to the tool. It also has an amazing Customer Support system, where you can answer your own questions or if you can't, they are very prompt at responding.
It is very good for large organizations that want specific team feedback. It is also good for teams that have a large budget for employee engagement metrics.
It is probably not a good fit for a small company or a start-up due to its price point. However, I do think any company could benefit from the tool.
Matter
Matter is unique in that its engagement tool works right inside Slack and Teams. For a plugin-type tool, it’s notable that it enables companies to automatically reward survey completions with coins, which employees can later redeem for gift cards, donations, and numerous other rewards.
PROS
- Option to reward survey completions with redeemable Matter coins.
- Pulse Survey delivered and responded to right in Slack or MS Teams.
- Pulse Surveys use real-time data from a library of 100 questions to provide insights on cultural categories.
- Survey recipients won't see the same question twice within 90 days.
- Real-time anonymous feedback with custom notifications.
- Affordable and transparent plans with discounts for non-profits and schools.
- Option to reward survey completions with redeemable Matter coins.
- Pulse Survey delivered and responded to right in Slack or MS Teams.
- Pulse Surveys use real-time data from a library of 100 questions to provide insights on cultural categories.
- Survey recipients won't see the same question twice within 90 days.
- Real-time anonymous feedback with custom notifications.
- Affordable and transparent plans with discounts for non-profits and schools.
CONS
- To use Matter, you must have either Slack or Teams installed.
- At this time, the vendor doesn't allow the Pulse Survey questions to be editable.
- Pulse surveys are only available on the highest-priced plan.
- To use Matter, you must have either Slack or Teams installed.
- At this time, the vendor doesn't allow the Pulse Survey questions to be editable.
- Pulse surveys are only available on the highest-priced plan.
If you’re eyeing a solution that effectively engages employees within Teams or Slack, you wouldn’t want to miss out on Matter. With this tool, you can deliver your Pulse Surveys right within Slack or Teams so your employees can finish them within either of these communications platforms—no need to log in to or learn a separate app.
But that’s only part of the reasons we love this tool. Another reason is its unique approach to encouraging survey participation. Matter is the first solution we've found that rewards completed surveys with "Matter coins," which can be redeemed for gift cards, donations, or custom company rewards. We can imagine a notable difference in how team members engage with surveys with this feature contribution.
Another big plus we found was how it handled feedback and updates. We could choose who to give anonymous feedback right away, and there's a weekly digest of company stats shared privately through Slack or Teams, which is a great way to stay connected and informed.
Matter’s Pulse Surveys provides a library of 100 questions across multiple engagement categories; however, we're hoping for a bit more flexibility here. As of now, there’s no way to edit the questions. You’ll have to stick with what the system has built out instead.
Also, a word of caution for those considering the free plan of this engagement tool: the plan barely touches the survey element and focuses mostly on recognition. It also limits historical analytics data to only 30 days. To access Matter’s pulse surveys, you'll need to upgrade to the highest-priced plan.
4,700+ organizations, including SIEMENS, Microsoft, and Sephora.
Matter pricing ranges from $0 to $5 monthly, with a 30-day free trial (no credit card required).
Best For
SMBs seeking a solution to engage employees within Teams or Slack.
Profit.co
With Profit.co, you can quickly conduct anonymous pulse surveys using the built-in survey builder, review the results, and see how your team members feel about their workplace. To boost engagement further, the platform also facilitates 1:1 meetings, rewards, and recognition.
PROS
- The surveys on Profit.co are customizable, anonymous, and can be deployed in multiple languages.
- Their engagement model is enhanced with features for 1:1 meetings and employee recognition.
- The support team is available 24/7 via phone and chat.
- There’s a free 30-day trial anyone can sign up for.
- The platform has tutorials available that walk you through how to use the system and guide your team onto the platform. There are also examples of different types of goals, objectives and KPIs, so it's easy to see how they work in practice.
- Profit.co offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy for teams to set goals, collaborate and track progress. The tool allows users to set up OKRs for each team member, which can be done fairly fast with the help of step-by-step instructions.
- Users can choose from several pre-defined KPIs that range from sales to customer satisfaction, which helps them visualize their progress over time with just one glance at their dashboard.
CONS
- The employee engagement module is only offered as an add-on. To use it, you need to purchase either the OKR or performance management module.
- The pricing isn’t publicly available, which means you need to book a demo to get an estimate.
- There’s a bit of a learning curve simply because of how many features there are. Mastering them all does take some time.
- While Profit.co offers a free plan for up to five users, it has limited features. The only way to unlock more features is by upgrading to another plan.
- One complaint about Profit.co is that there are too many features in one platform. While this might sound like a good thing at first glance, it can actually be frustrating for users who want something simple and straightforward – especially if they’re new to OKRs and performance management.
- As an administrator, you can create and edit tasks and goals. However, there’s no way to edit or upload tasks or goals on a mass scale. For example, if you want to change the title or description for every task, then you’ll have to manually do it one by one.
Profit.co's employee engagement module is designed to complement their flagship offering for OKR and performance management. We’ve given it a go and liked how easy it was to create and run pulse surveys. You can have these surveys be in different languages and choose to make them anonymous so employees feel at ease giving honest feedback. Once submissions are in, the built-in dashboards help you get quick insights into the results, while the export functionality allows for deeper analysis in external tools.
Profit.co also emphasizes the importance of regular 1:1 meetings between managers and their direct reports to stay connected and course-correct as needed. The platform facilitates this by allowing managers to schedule and define an agenda framework and employees to plan discussion points, review their work and results, and openly discuss any roadblocks they're facing.
Recognizing and appreciating employee accomplishments is another key strength of Profit.co. The Awards feature allows managers to celebrate their team's successes in the context of specific achievements and have this recognition showcased publicly to boost morale and motivation. And for an added element of friendly competition, Profit.co's Leader Board helps you highlight top performers across the organization, further igniting performance.
Overall, Profit.co delivers a thoughtfully designed platform that touches on the key drivers of employee engagement - from clear goal-setting and consistent feedback to recognition and organic team interactions. If you’re looking for a holistic platform to track OKRs, manage performance, and drive engagement, we highly recommend checking Profit.co out.
Over 1000 businesses use Profit.co, including SunTec, Altheo, and CWB Financial Group.
Profit.co’s employee engagement module is available as an add-on to customers who’ve already purchased either of its primary modules, OKRs & Task Management or Performance Management & Goals. To learn how much all modules and add-ons cost, we recommend scheduling a demo with Profit.co’s Sales team.
Best For
Profit.co is a great fit for mid-size companies looking for an OKR and performance management platform with employee engagement features.
Quantum Workplace
Quantum Workplace’s platform is expert-designed and comprehensive. Its validated survey, expansive benchmarks, and action-oriented tools make it a powerful solution for measuring and improving employee engagement.
PROS
- Easy to use and intuitive interface; you can find what you’re looking for and still see the most important items pinned on top.
- You can personalize surveys, make them from the best practices templates, or build them entirely from scratch.
- You can share, review recognition with your teammates in a social newsfeed format, and make it as detailed and scheduled or as succinct and impromptu as you please.
- Ever-present customer service team. Many users have complimented them on their responsiveness.
- Easy to use, the user interface is intuitive, you can find what you’re looking for and still see the most important items pinned on top.
- The option to personalize surveys, make them from the best practices templates, or build entirely from scratch.
- The ability to share and review recognition with your teammates in a social newsfeed format. What’s great is that you have the option to make it as detailed and scheduled or as succinct and impromptu as you please.
- An ever-present customer service team. Many users have complimented on their responsiveness.
CONS
- The platform lacks anonymity options, with feedback being visible to peers/colleagues.
- Navigation can be confusing at times, particularly when trying to find past goals/feedback.
- The platform could benefit from more customization options, like adding more details when updating goals or customizing feedback questions.
- Many users have expressed their issues with canceling, rescheduling, and the inability to schedule 1-on-1s on short notice.
- Some users have found the goals feature to be a little confusing to understand because of its extensivity.
- This is a rather unprecedented one, but we found many users wishing for more vibrant colors for the platform.
Quantum Workplace’s employee engagement software is easy to navigate and is highly flexible in terms of customizations. You can design surveys using the platform's library of validated, research-backed questions that employ a standardized Likert scale to ensure high-quality results. Open-ended questions are also integrated to gather examples of what employees think your company should start, stop, or continue doing.
Once survey data is collected, the built-in reporting and analytics provide insights into overall trends as well as breakdowns by team and demographic. Additionally, Quantum Workplace provides unparalleled benchmark data from over 10,000 organizations to add context to results.
Beyond measurement, the platform enables you to take action on engagement data through features like the action planning library, personalized employee engagement reports with recommendations and lightweight one-on-one tools for managers. The platform also makes it easy to collect data through multiple access options like desktop, kiosk, and SMS text surveys. This allows you to reach every employee, including dispersed and deskless teams.
There are lots of neat automation in place: the automated invitations and reminders significantly reduce survey administration work for HR teams, while the AI-powered Narrative Insights quickly analyzes employee comments to uncover themes, sentiments, and sensitive topics needing follow-up.
With easy-to-interpret analytics, robust benchmarking data, and built-in action planning features, we think Quantum Workplace has got what it takes for you to be on top of employee experience. If you’re looking to reliably measure and improve employee experience, Quantum Workplace’s offering is worth considering.
Quantum Workplace is used by over 10,000 companies, including Fossil Group, DSW, BKD, and Getty Images.
Pricing is not disclosed upfront, but you can get it after booking a demo.
Best For
Quantum Workplace's employee engagement platform is ideal for medium to large businesses that require advanced engagement and analytics capabilities.
We mainly use Quantum Workplace for surveys. We were introduced to Quantum Workplace through Oregon's Best Places to Work Survey and enjoyed the survey experience that came from that. Quantum Workplace is a great tool to measure various employee benefits and relationships consistently over time. By continuing to use the same platform, it guarantees a more accurate and consistent measuring system, so I am glad that Quantum Workplace is so easy to use. Right now, we only use it annually but would like to move to quarterly. Once we use it quarterly, the price reflected in the next question will change.
- I like that Quantum Workplace sends out reminders on surveys automatically without any action on my part.
- I love the reporting and graphs, tables, and images that Quantum Workplace gives to portray feedback. It helps to keep my leadership team attentive and engaged.
- Results and comments are easy to read. I love how it will not let you filter down job titles, comments, or feedback unless there are enough of that job title so that it remains anonymous.
Our company purchased Quantum Workplace for engagement surveys and pulse surveys. We have been using this measuring tool for over two years. In the past two years, we have specifically used the engagement surveys but will start using pulse surveys due to the positive reaction and traction around annual engagement surveys. We use this tool to gauge how our employees feel about policies, benefits, leadership, etc.
- I wish there was a way to filter terminated employees from active employees so that I could see if issues were eliminated when employees were terminated. I understand this could affect anonymity.
- Quantum Workplace is an overall really simple and easy product to use that is easy to read. I do not have any cons to say about their surveys.
I have used survey tools previously that do not allow the search of comments, making it difficult to find comments you have read previously. I have also used survey systems that are very complex due to the amount of customization included. Quantum Workplace is easy to use and straightforward, which is what I am looking for as an HR team of one.
If you are looking for ways to increase retention with honest and thorough feedback, then Quantum Workplace is a great tool. It is also easy and quick to use, with automated reminders for small HR teams that might not have much time to spend on engagement surveys.
We are a newer and smaller company, so we have only used Quantum Workplace for two years. So far, there have not been many changes. I would love to see what will be implemented over time, and I can only hope that it will remain simplistic and easy to use.
Quantum Workplace is great for small to medium organizations with HR or leadership that is looking for an easy way to gather engagement and culture feedback from their employees.
Quantum Workplace might not be a good fit for companies that are looking for highly custom reporting dashboards.
Bonusly
Bonusly helps you engage employees, celebrate their wins, and hear their thoughts on improving company culture. It does this through peer recognition, integration with team communication tools, analytics, and more.
PROS
- Modern, easy-to-use UI that’s available in multiple languages.
- Employees can recognize one another with GIFs, points, and more.
- Its social-media-style spreads recognition across teams/departments.
- Employees can redeem points for gift cards and other tangible rewards.
- There’s a 14-day free trial you can use to test the waters.
- Intuitive user interface.
- Available in German, English, French, and Spanish.
- Supports Android and iOS.
- Discounts for nonprofit and education organizations.
- 14-day, full-featured free trial.
CONS
- The analytics and reporting functionality is limited in customization and scope.
- The rewards catalog lacks experiential options and is focused on gift cards instead.
- Employees outside the U.S. have reward caps and fewer options.
- Some technical issues like downtime, user imports, and redemption bugs may be experienced from time to time.
- The starter plan is for small businesses that cap out at 50 users.
- Analytics and reporting features are relatively underdeveloped.
- The reward catalog lacks in-person experience and physical goods, and options and focuses on gift cards, cash, or donations.
- Unused bonus funds don’t roll over: users use it or lose it.
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Bonusly aims to improve employee engagement through frequent, meaningful peer-to-peer recognition and rewards. Employees can choose from over 1,200 gift cards across popular vendors, redeemable in over 200 countries. There are abundant options for apparel, food and beverage, travel, and more to match individual preferences. Bonusly also enables companies to offer unique branded swag using an AXOMO integration. Employees can browse and order items right from the Bonusly platform.
For those who prefer cash rewards, Bonusly points are redeemable for PayPal, Visa gift cards, and prepaid Mastercards. You can also create customized experiential rewards like lunch with the CEO, tickets to local sports games, additional PTO, and more. For employees passionate about certain causes, rewards can be redeemed as donations to over 50 integrated charities.
Beyond rewards redemption, Bonusly helps you put appreciation on auto-pilot through features like automated awards for milestones and integrations with HRIS platforms for automated birthday and anniversary recognitions.
Peer recognition is also simplified through Bonusly. There’s only a few steps to do it: employees receive a monthly allotment of points valued from $10-$20 to recognize fellow team members, then it’s as simple as choosing the recipient, points amount, reason, and optional hashtags or GIFs. To top it all off, all recognition shared around is showcased on a public feed, spreading and amplifying the positive vibes further.
Among Bonusly’s 3000+ customers are Hulu, InVision, SurveyMonkey, Headspace, and more.
Bonusly has 3 plan that costs as follows when billed annually:
- The Core plan costs $2.70 per user per month for up to 50 users. This plan is best suited for small businesses.
- The Pro plan costs $4.50 per user per month and provides more reporting, permissions, and integration capabilities for larger teams.
- The Custom plan gives access to all of the platforms’ features, plus premium customer service and implementation support for big businesses. Pricing is determined based on the number of users and features needed.
Best For
Bonusly serves companies in different verticals. As for company size, Bonusly is typically used by companies between 50-5,000 employees.
- I use the flow of recognition through values to acknowledge colleagues for their positive actions
- I use the points exchange flow to receive rewards from partners.
- I use the dashboards to identify the recognition among my team and know where I stand in comparison to my colleagues
- the reports and dashboards are useful to identify which values I have received the most recognition for and which I have received the least recognition for.
- We can use the management flow to adjust the registrations and be able to give extra bonuses to employees if a specific policy is applied that allows this action.
- I really like the possibility to recognise colleagues and use the gifs which make everything much more fun.
- I like to change the rewards for several possible vendors
- I really like to see the Dashboards that indicate the best-placed teams globally.
- They have a cool interface and are very easy to work with
We had been looking for a tool that could reinforce our values through recognition and rewards and thought to give Bonusly a try.
Having been using it for over a year now, I can say that it provides a relaxed environment for recognition and appreciation of our internal actions. It promotes satisfaction with the possibilities of exchanging rewards for benefits among several suppliers of major brands and franchises.
It also helps our employees feel at ease to express their feelings of appreciation and gratitude regarding projects or small actions that require formal recognition.
- Limitation of exchange partners for some specific regions.
- Some partners require fees for the exchange of rewards such as "PayPal".
I think Bonusly is something very unique. I don't see many vendors with similar products and the biggest difference is the integration with other products such as Slack.
People buying this type of tool should check if it:
- is practical and easy-to-use tool.
- generates engagement between employees.
- has good customer service support.
- has a global performance and with very good partners to exchange rewards.
- is flexible so that Human Resources can adapt it to their reality in terms of points provided to employees.
They have sought to improve their service, implement new tools such as Analytics and Dashboards, and also include new partners to exchange rewards.
I see Bonusly suitable for companies with a young audience, as it is a tool that uses many gifs and emojis, which generally appeals to this type of audience.
I also see it for companies seeking to create greater engagement and recognition within employees.
Companies with very traditional processes and people who do not adapt to online tools for recognition.
Companies with bureaucratic and archaic methods may not adapt to the tool.
Reward Gateway
Reward Gateway stands out for combining employee engagement surveys, recognition features, reward options, communication tools, wellness guidance, analytics, and more in a single solution.
PROS
- Easy to use for both the employees and the admin users.
- Remarkably good customer support thanks to their 24/7 help desk team and multiple communication channels.
- Varied rewards, including products from Amazon, customizable ecards, and experiences.
- You can purchase modules separately if you prefer.
- Integration includes HRIS, directory, authentication apps, and collaboration tools. There’s also an open API.
- Remarkably good customer support due to their 24/7 help desk team and multiple communication channels
- Varied rewards including products from Amazon, customizable ecards, and experiences
- You can purchase modules separately if you prefer it
CONS
- The “Reward Gateway for Small Business” version is only available for companies in the UK, Australia, and Ireland.
- The platform’s free trial is only available for the Reward Gateway for Small Business version.
- The reporting feature isn’t very easy to navigate, according to some users.
- Several users noted they had poor experiences using the mobile app to access discounts provided by employers. The app also hasn’t been updated since Dec 9, 2022.
- Users are unable to change employee profiles or create new recognition themselves but have to rely on customer support.
- No free trial
- The “Reward Gateway for Small Business” version is only available for companies in the UK and Australia
Reward Gateway provides a robust yet user-friendly employee engagement solution that can help you boost morale, retention, and productivity. It centers on employee surveys, including its proprietary four-question Engaged Index that benchmarks engagement. You can use this Index to identify at-risk areas for turnover and presenteeism, then conduct follow-up surveys on specific topics to dig deeper. Surveys can be created from existing templates or customized as needed.
A major advantage of Reward Gateway is how effectively it turns survey insights into impact. The platform makes acting on feedback easy with digestible analytics tied to engagement drivers. Leadership teams can clearly see potential areas for investment and how interventions may influence key metrics like retention. This proves the ROI on employee engagement spend and lends credibility when proposing new programs.
All in all, there’s a lot to like about Reward Gateway as an employee engagement software solution. It offers versatile survey options, an easy-to-understand yet robust scoring system, powerful segmentation, and actionable analytics. Companies looking to boost engagement and improve culture through data-driven insights would do well to shortlist Reward Gateway.
Reward Gateway has over 4000 customers, including Ikea, McDonald's, Unilever, and Heineken.
- For companies under 100 employees and are based in the UK, Ireland, or Australia: It costs £6 (around $7.5) per employee per month for an annual subscription.
- For companies with 100+ employees: Undisclosed pricing. You will have to get in touch with their team to get the quote.
Best For
Rewards Gateway can be used by companies anywhere, though they do cater to U.S., UK, Ireland, and Australia-based companies best.
While using Reward Gateway, I used it every day. The employee engagement platform was customized to our organization and enabled us to provide regular newsletters, formal and informal recognition in a public setting, and wellbeing initiatives for our staff. We customized an exit interview equivalent to understand why employees were leaving and how we could improve. The platform allowed us to engage and connect with our remote workers and included job vacancies and opportunities for staff. Management and executives appreciated the analytic function, which showed their return on investment and tracked team performance.
- The customization allows us to align the platform with our business needs and add various functions.
- It is very easy to navigate and integrate with our internal systems.
- The analytics provide transparency and the ability to drill down to see our return on investment and identify areas for improvement.
- The ability to communicate with the entire organization and engage with remote workers has been transformative.
The organization I worked for purchased Reward Gateway to improve employee engagement, organizational culture, and staff retention. There was a noticeable issue with culture and engagement, which became evident as staff left the organization and cited these factors as reasons for leaving. The executives approved funding to implement Reward Gateway as a solution to enhance the employee experience and improve culture and retention. Reward Gateway has allowed the organization to streamline communications, provide rewards and recognition, and improve overall employee satisfaction. I used this tool for one year during my tenure at the organization.
- Removing a staff member is not user-friendly and could be improved.
- Some staff reported difficulties in settling canceled retail transactions.
- More local retailers for rewards would be preferred.
Reward Gateway stood out for its ease of integration with our internal systems and data transition. The platform's customization, user-friendliness, and robust reporting capabilities made it the best choice. Other platforms were clunkier, more difficult to transition to, and more expensive with less functionality.
Consider the price for the functionality provided; Reward Gateway offers a lot at a reasonable price. Evaluate the customization options to ensure it aligns with your organization’s values and user-friendliness. The tool's ease of integration and data transition, along with outstanding customer service, simplifies the implementation process.
Yes, the reporting was of concern. However, there has been improvement in this area, and in speaking to people who currently use the platform, they have also commended Reward Gateway on the improvement in their reporting.
Reward Gateway is excellent for medium-sized organizations looking to increase employee engagement and culture. It helps set the organization apart from competitors and contributes to staff retention.
Small businesses may find the costs outweigh the benefits. Additionally, dedicated employees are needed to manage and update the platform's content.
Culture Amp
Culture Amp boosts engagement through dozens of ready-made and customizable surveys, powerful analytics, and integration capabilities. To top it all off, the platform is supported by a group of data experts focused on everything relating to engagement.
PROS
- Culture Amp has an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface.
- You can choose from multiple survey templates or create your own.
- Upon survey completion, the platform gives you insights into employee sentiment via heatmaps, trendlines, and benchmarks.
- You can set goals and track their progress seamlessly.
- You get useful reminders about different things like tasks, reviews, and 1:1s.
- People science team
- Tons of engagement surveys
CONS
- Customization options for reviews and ratings are limited.
- The platform features a text-heavy design that lacks visual elements like charts.
- It takes time to understand the platform’s full capabilities.
- The pricing isn’t publicly disclosed and can only be obtained after booking a demo.
- Their people science plus offering is not available for very small companies
- Enterprise clients might find that they lack some of the integrations and customizations a bigger team needs.
Culture Amp provides organizations with an effective system to regularly pulse their workforce, dig into key drivers of engagement, and take proven steps to create a thriving culture.
One of Culture Amp's greatest strengths is its library of 40+ customizable survey templates designed by experts in organizational psychology. You can leverage these prescriptive questionnaires to glean actionable insights around engagement, inclusion, onboarding, company events, and more. The software also benchmarks results against over 1 billion survey responses, allowing you to understand your engagement levels compared to top-performing companies.
Another feature worth highlighting is Culture Amp’s Retention Insights, which gives you early warning signs around employee flight risks. It doesn’t stop there though, Retention Insights also gives you suggestions on what you can do to bring these employees around.
The insights Culture Amp gives you aren't just comprehensive for leadership - they empower each employee to feel heard while driving change at an individual level. Both managers and employees appreciate the customized reporting and focused recommendations that translate feedback into clear steps forward. The platform is thoughtfully designed for each stakeholder, providing leaders with a birds-eye view of engagement while giving teams and individual employees visibility into areas requiring their input. This connectivity fosters a culture of accountability at all levels.
Culture Amp is used by over 6500 companies, including SoulCycle, Canva, McDonalds, Etsy, and Bombas.
Culture Amp has three modules - Engage, Develop, and Perform. The pricing isn’t fixed and is calculated based on the modules, number of user seats, and features you need. Contact the Culture Amp sales team for pricing details.
Best For
Culture Amp serves growing and large companies best, regardless of industry and location.
Culture Amp has been a great tool in my work as an HR Consultant. I primarily use Culture Amp to streamline employee reviews and track employee engagement. Culture Amp's system and support team guide you through every step of the implementation process. It is fantastic for tracking employee goals. Culture Amp also provides survey templates that are easy to follow.
- Culture Amp is easy to set up.
- Culture Amp has an intuitive system.
- Culture Amp supports large organizations seamlessly.
My client purchased Culture Amp after rehauling the employee experience post-covid. I have been using the platform since then.
- Culture Amp has outdated terminology on occasion.
- It can take a lot of time to sort through what surveys are applicable to you.
- Setting up multiple users can take time.
Culture Amp is one of the better HRIS/Employee Feedback tools available. I would recommend it to 90% of their competitors.
Employers should consider the time it takes to properly analyze an effective survey before purchasing Culture Amp. If you are unfamiliar with the 360 process, it can be a learning curve.
Culture Amp has consistently maintained high marks among my clients based on their evolving to users’ needs.
Public-facing, growing organizations (particularly after M&A or high employee turnover).
Small businesses that are not culture-focused.
Kudos
Though it primarily focuses on employee rewards and recognition, Kudos has expanded its platform with features for understanding and driving engagement, including sentiment surveys, detailed analytics, incentive campaigns, and more.
PROS
- Kudos’ interface is quite intuitive, making recognizing coworkers very easy.
- Employees like the ability to reward and appreciate peers.
- Employees can earn points to redeem for gift cards and prizes.
- Unique, company culture-oriented features are present all across the platform, such as in the way they approach analytics, or on the actual Culture Accelerator module.
- Excellent relation of mobile / desktop functionality. You basically get all the bells and whistles on both versions.
CONS
- The monthly point limits to award others can be restrictive.
- The system can be buggy at times, especially when redeeming points for rewards.
- The gift card options are somewhat limited, especially for local brands.
- There is no free plan or free trial.
- Unless you get a demo and start exploring the tool with the help of an insider, we’d say it’s somewhat hard to get a good idea of what features are like, how they work, and even what they do, just from their website alone.
- From our research, we could gather that the points system and how this works can get a bit confusing for some users.
Kudos’ platform packs several modules aimed at improving employee experience. For starters, it lets you create and deploy anonymous Sentiment Surveys, enabling employees to safely provide feedback and giving you reliable insights to identify issues within the current workplace culture. All of these insights, along with trend analysis, are neatly displayed in the Kudos Dashboard.
Going beyond surveys, Kudos can help you create a culture of appreciation through its user-friendly peer recognition tools. Employees can send customizable Kudos cards to colleagues to highlight appreciated actions, from individual contributions to team efforts.
You can also use the platform to delight employees with all sorts of rewards, including merchandise, events, travel, charities, gift cards, and even custom rewards. Kudos’ rewards system is point-based, which means you give employees points as incentives, and they get to choose to redeem their accumulated points for. For the most part, we’ve found the point value assigned to rewards fair, without added fees.
Another stand-out module you’ll find within Kudos is its Culture Accelerator. Through it, you can create specialized campaigns to incentivize behaviors aligned with your company’s values and objectives. All of these campaigns can be customized to reflect your company brand and messaging, and if you need any help, you can work with a Kudos Program Designer to ensure your campaigns hit the mark.
If you’re a mid-to-large company looking to elevate employee engagement through data-backed insights and values-driven recognition strategies, we think Kudos checks all the boxes and is highly worth checking out.
Kudos is used in over 80 countries. Some of their customers include KidsPeace, Kronos, DHL, Chewy.com, and Make A Wish.
With a minimum requirement of 500 employees, Kudos offers pricing starting at $3.25 per user per month. The actual cost varies based on factors such as the number of users and the contract length.
Best For
Kudos is best suited for companies with large teams, from 500 to thousands of users in practically any country and industry.
I use Kudos on a daily basis as it is added to the company Slack and on the general chat channel. It is categorized in different leaderboards based on a variety of criteria like company's values, culture, most number of kudos received, and most number of kudos given by someone.
It is a fun way to keep everyone engaged and make the employees feel valued for helping each other out. You can accumulate points that can be redeemed for money. It also makes recognizing people easy and builds a culture of help and collaboration.
My organization bought Kudos to implement an employee recognition system, which was quick and fun. It was a way to acknowledge people for the little things they did on a regular basis and not have to wait till the Performance reviews.
I wish it could also include the contract employees. I can’t think of any negatives of using the app. Maybe it can have more emojis to include in more activities.
I have not used any other similar tool, I used Kudos and it did exactly what the team was looking for.
They should understand that this tool is not to replace any formal reviews or engagement activities. It is merely to supplement and extend the engagement among the team and highlight quick wins to create positivity
I have not seen much changes during my time of usage
I think a technically savvy workplace is important and would be the best scenario to use the tool
Organization where not much technology is used on a regular basis and/or if the employees are out if the field mostly, it may not be the best option, as people are not on the same channels to recognize each other.Field sales, construction etc are some industries
Empuls
Empuls’s engagement solution lets you run a variety of surveys, including Pulse, eNPS, and 360 Feedback surveys. All surveys are customizable and can be anonymized so your employees feel at ease giving honest feedback.
PROS
- Empuls features a modern UI that’s easy to navigate. They also offer plenty of self-help articles to help you get started.
- The platform is quite comprehensive, with tools covering employee communication, engagement surveys, recognition, rewards, and analytics.
- Employees are able to participate in surveys on the go with the help of Empuls’ mobile app available on both iOS and Android devices.
- Their affordable and tiered pricing ensures companies of different sizes can try out the tool and scale it up or down as needed. They also offer a 30-day free trial that anyone can sign up for.
- Empuls features a modern UI that’s easy to navigate. They also offer plenty of self-help articles to help you get started.
- The platform is quite comprehensive, with tools covering employee communication, engagement surveys, recognition, rewards, and analytics.
- Employees are able to participate in surveys on the go with the help of Empuls’ mobile app available on both iOS and Android devices.
- Their affordable and tiered pricing ensures different size companies can try out the tool and scale up or down as needed. They also offer a 30-day free trial that anyone can sign up for.
CONS
- A few users find the options for rewards rather limited. Several of them are specifically wishing for the inclusion of more Amazon gift cards viable in their countries.
- Employees cannot share their points with each other at this time.
- Once you assign a sub-domain, you cannot change it later.
- Several users have experienced performance speed issues with Empuls’ mobile app.
- There is no monthly billing option.
- A few users find the options for rewards rather limited. Several of them are specifically wishing for the inclusion of more Amazon gift cards viable in their countries.
- Employees cannot share their points with each other at this time.
- Once you assign a sub-domain, you cannot change it later.
- Several users have experienced performance speed issues with Empuls’ mobile app.
Empuls provides organizations with a host of tools to listen to, diagnose, and act on employee feedback to boost engagement. Central to its offering are anonymized pulse surveys which can help you elicit honest input. You can customize these surveys or choose from existing templates, thoughtfully created in partnership with HR experts at SHRM.
Another powerful tool is Empuls’ simplified eNPS surveys, which help you identify brand promoters, passives, and detractors with a single score. The detailed classification, coupled with guidance on how to engage each segment, enables you to convert detractors and passives into loyal promoters.
Once feedback is in, Empuls makes it easy to diagnose problem areas through cross-linkage insights between engagement, performance, culture, and more granular analytics. The platform detects interconnections that highlight priorities for improvement. These data-backed insights inform Empuls’ Act phase, where you are given action plans and change management recommendations tailored to addressing each engagement obstacle.
The ability to capture feedback across the employee lifecycle is another thing we like about Empuls. Right from onboarding to exit interviews, Empuls’ conversational surveys help you uncover how employees feel at each touchpoint. These staged insights along with data from pulse and 360-degree surveys, allow you to craft targeted strategies that elevate the experiences of your employees.
Empuls has over 1,000 global customers, including Prodevans, Magzter, KPIT, Quixy, and more.
Empuls’ modules are sold separately. Below is how much each module costs, billed annually:
- Reward and Recognize: $3 per employee per month.
- Surveys: $3 per employee per month.
- Social Intranet: $1 per employee per month.
- Perks and Benefits: $2 per employee per month.
Best For
While Empuls offers several competitive features for every business, it’s most suitable for small to medium-sized businesses who want to build a people-first environment.
Assembly
Assembly’s platform helps companies automate a host of employee engagement and recognition processes through customizable templates and workflows - eliminating manual effort and ensuring consistency.
PROS
- The platform is easy to use and customize.
- The pricing is transparent and affordable. There’s also a free plan you can sign up for without a demo.
- Make your own rewards and even set up a points system with automated incentives.
- Explore the platform for free, no need for a credit card or demo
- Great set of features for the price point
- Make your own rewards and even set up a points system with automated incentives
- You have the option to go with a month-to-month plan or a long-term contract. For the latter, you can reach out to their team for a custom deal if it’s a larger team. However, keep in mind that the minimum agreement is 12 months.
CONS
- A few users noted needing more control over their notifications to avoid notification overload.
- Coins and points do expire, so sometimes they’ll expire by the end of the month before you can use them, although you get more the next period.
- SSO is only included with some plans. For others, it can be purchased as an add-on.
- Coins and points do expire, so sometimes they’ll expire by the end of the month before you can use them, although you get more the next period.
- SSO is only included with some plans. For others, it can be purchased as an add-on.
Assembly originally started as an employee rewards product but rapidly evolved into a comprehensive platform that facilitates employee listening, recognition, and collaboration. With the help of its customizable workflows and templates, companies large and small are able to celebrate their employees’ achievements, drive engagement among their teams, and streamline their daily operations.
Among the key workflows Assembly offers is one dedicated to engagement surveys. Designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of employee sentiments, this workflow lets you craft concise surveys, collect actionable feedback, and establish a consistent benchmark for measuring engagement over time. Another valuable workflow is centered around employee recognition. Whether it's acknowledging exceptional work, celebrating milestones, or simply expressing gratitude, the Recognition workflow can help you convey heartfelt recognition effortlessly.
Assembly also facilitates transparency and open communication through its Executive Updates and News Feed workflows. These features allow executives to share strategic decisions, company milestones, and important announcements, keeping employees informed and fostering a sense of connection to the organization's goals and successes.
There’s a lot to like about Assembly’s platform; it is user-friendly, customizable and affordable. There’s lots of other workflows you can customize and deploy within as well. If you’re an SMB looking for a flexible and budget-friendly employee engagement platform, we think Assembly is worth checking out.
Over 4,000 companies use Assembly’s solutions, including Coca-Cola, Quest Nutrition, Nesco Resource, HelloTech, and Amazon.
Assembly has four plans that are priced as follows:
- Recognition: Packs all the employee rewards and recognition features for $2 per user per month, billed annually.
- Engagement: For $4 per member per month, billed annually, this plan is designed for teams that want to maximize their employee engagement.
- Digital HQ: For $6 per member per month, billed annually, this plan packs all the necessary features for businesses to amplify cross-functional engagement, without any limits on the number of members on board.
- Custom: Designed for large organizations that need a custom and unique program, the Custom plan can accommodate unlimited members. Contact Assembly’s Sales team for a price quote.
Best For
Small and mid-size businesses across different verticals can benefit from Assembly’s solutions.
Assembly is such a fantastic platform for sharing gratitude with your colleagues, across the organization as a whole, as well as internally and externally between departments. It is straightforward, easy, and fun to use! This tool is especially good for nurturing culture across a remote team. The integration with Slack makes it seamless for the team to use and engage with, and Assembly engages senior leadership with ease.
Simple, fast platform. Easy set-up and free trial version prior to transition to paid version. Easy implementation and great reporting options and support.
In the age of remote, work-from-home, and hybrid models, and all of the inherent challenges it presents, Assembly has allowed us to continue to celebrate business culture and monetize the value of success within our organization. We are able to easily recognize team members and their accomplishments so that those ambiguous moments can become tangible for the entire company to see. Acknowledgements of birthdays, anniversaries, work anniversaries etc. are seamlessly built in, never to be forgotten or overlooked. Coins can be exchanged for gifts, donated to charity, traded in for company-branded gifts, or cashed in for rewards. Our engagement rate is over 90% on the Assembly platform and we are very excited to see how they can continue to evolve its value proposition.
Coins expire if not used in time. UX could be more user-friendly. Larger tiered allotments would be a great improvement.
When considering any employee recognition platform, functionality and reporting should always be heavily weighted in the final decision. Recognition platforms go hand-in-hand with engagement surveys; some platforms do not offer this feature or offer. Limited version of this feature. Mobility and accessibility are primary concerns, especially where remote and global teams exist. Also, goal/challenge creation, tracking and attainment features are wonderful enhancements to include.
There have been consistent upgrades to the platform and Assembly is very open to feedback and suggestions.
Assembly is ideal for small and mid-market organizations.
Assembly would not be a good fit for large/enterprise organizations.
Motivosity
Motivosity’s product is changing every time we see it! We like that their employee Net Promoter Score survey (eNPS) goes out on the cadence you choose, and their feature-rich tools combine community, recognition and rewards, and employee insights.
PROS
- Easy to use for both employees and managers.
- Employees can access this system from their phones, desktop, and apps they are in at work, such as Teams/Slack.
- Free implementation support is included in all plans.
- Premium support: Help desk, help site, community site, training videos, quarterly QBRs with a dedicated Customer Success rep (for large customers) in every product.
- The average administrator spends 43 minutes per month in this system.
- Robust analytics to measure the impact of their platform as well as measure employee sentiment
- eNPS surveys, template surveys, plus build your own surveys.
- Employees can access this system from their phones, desktop, and apps they are in at work such as Teams/Slack
- One platform that combines rewards, recognition, employee engagement, and more
- Built in reporting with insights around potential attrition, most recognized employees, managers that need coaching, etc.
CONS
- Only has dollar (not points) based rewards. Their research shows dollars are more effective, but many companies want points.
- Doesn’t allow for as many rules regarding who can give what dollars to whom (for example, a team member could theoretically give 100% of their rewards to a friend each month).
- Only has dollar (not points) based rewards. Their research shows dollars is more effective, but many companies want points.
- Some users claimed sometimes it can be a bit buggy connecting to Slack to notify people that an appreciation came through.
- It would have broadened the number of gift card options for users to choose from.
- There could have been an easier way to integrate the software with swag stores. For now, you have to transfer funds to a card and then link that card with the swag store, which slows down a bit the process to cash in funds.
Motivosity product’s philosophy is that engagement and recognition should come from the bottom up, not from the top down, which explains why the software is designed to be simple for employees to access via their mobile devices, Slack/Teams, and also easy to use with an interface that looks like a social platform vs. enterprise software.
Motivosity’s solution is based on three pillars: Building Community, Employee Recognition, and Manager Relationships. The platform enables employees to interact with their entire team via a Facebook-like social feed and recognize and reward peers for a job well done, while managers engage with their team members, see where their employees are going above and beyond, and understand and track employee engagement.
What’s also great about Motivosity is that it’s scalable. Users can upgrade plans and add additional products or team members as they grow.
Instructure, University of Michigan, WGU, Cotopaxi, HealthEquity, DF Credit Union.
Motivosity offers two main products:
- Community and Connection + Recognition and Rewards: costs $4 per person per month and is automatically bundled with the other Motivosity products.
- Employee Insights: Employee Insights costs $2 per person per month.
Best For
Movitosity has customers from 25-person startups to 10,000-employee large enterprises. However, their sweet spot tends to be mid-market (75-750 employees) companies looking to take their employee experience to a new level.
I use Motivosity on a daily basis, as it is a part of my routine and habit. Here are some key workflows I use it for:
Every morning, I check the social feed to see the recognitions that my colleagues and managers have sent and received. I like to read the comments and reactions, and join the conversation by adding my own.
Throughout the day, I send and receive recognitions, points, and badges for the work that I do and the work that others do. I try to align the recognitions with our core values and goals, and be specific and sincere in my messages.
Every week, I redeem my points for gift cards, perks, or donations. I like to treat myself or others with something that I or they enjoy, or support a cause that is cared about.
Every month, I review the analytics and reports that Motivosity provides. I like to see the impact of recognition on my performance, engagement, and retention. I also like to see the trends, patterns, and insights of the recognition and rewards activities.
Some of the main reasons why I like Motivosity are:
It helps me feel appreciated and valued by my colleagues and managers for my work and contributions.
It allows me to redeem my points for gift cards, perks, or donations that I enjoy or care about.
It integrates with my other tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and ADP making it easy to access and use.
My organization bought Motivosity because we wanted to improve our employee engagement and retention. We had a problem with low morale, high turnover, and lack of recognition among our staff. We needed a tool that could help us create a culture of appreciation and motivation in our workplace.
I have personally used Motivosity for about six months, and I have seen a positive change in our workplace culture. I feel more appreciated and valued by my colleagues and managers. I also enjoy recognizing and rewarding others for their work. I think Motivosity is a great employee engagement platform that helps us achieve our goals and grow as a team.
Some of the main ways that Motivosity can improve or I wish it were different are:
It could offer a free trial for the upper tiers, so that potential customers can evaluate the features and benefits of the platform before purchasing.
It could improve the Android app, so that it is more stable and reliable, and has the same functionality and user experience as the iOS app.
It could provide more direct support options, such as chat, phone, or email so that customers can get faster and better assistance for their questions, issues, or feedback.
Motivosity is different from its competitors in a couple of ways. Here are some of the main differences and how it stacks up:
Motivosity has a unique feature called MVTV, which is a live stream of recognition that can be displayed on TVs, monitors, or screensavers. This feature enhances the visibility and impact of recognition in the workplace. I have not seen this feature in any other platform, and I think it is a great way to celebrate and inspire employees.
Motivosity has a flat pricing model that charges per user per month regardless of the number of users. This makes it easy to budget and scale the platform as the organization grows. Most of the other platforms have tiered pricing models that charge different rates based on the number of users or features. I prefer Motivosity's pricing model because it is affordable, transparent, and easy to use.
Employee engagement software is a type of tool that helps organizations measure and improve the engagement and satisfaction of their employees. When buying this type of tool, people should think about the following criteria:
The tool should offer features and functionality that match the organization's goals and needs for employee engagement. The tool should also be easy to use, customize, and scale.
It should have a high user adoption and feedback rate which means that most of the employees who are invited to use the tool actually use it regularly and provide feedback on their experience. This indicates that the tool is engaging, fun, and valuable for the employee.
Lastly, the tool should have a transparent and affordable pricing model that fits the organization's budget and expectations. The tool should demonstrate a clear and positive return on investment (ROI), which means that the tool helps the organization achieve its desired outcomes, such as improved performance, retention, and culture.
I have noticed two ways in which Motivosity has changed or evolved over time to meet users needs:
It has introduced new features and functionality to enhance the user experience and provide more value to the customers. For example, some of the recent additions are MVTV, a live stream of recognitions that can be displayed a number of ways; ThanksMatters Card which is a Visa card that allows users to use their Motivosity Bucks anywhere Visa is accepted; and 1 on 1's, a tool that helps managers and employees have effective and meaningful conversations.
Motivosity has expanded the integrations and partnerships to make it easier for users to access and use the platform from different platforms and tools. For example, some of the recent integrations and partnerships are Microsoft Teams, a chat and collaboration tool that allows users to send and receive recognitions, points and badges from within the app; Covver, a swag provider that allows users to redeem their points for branded merchandise; and Sweeteners, a perk provider that allows users to redeem their points for discounts and deals.
Motivosity is suitable for teams of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, across various industries and sectors. It is especially beneficial for remote or hybrid teams, as it helps them stay connected, engaged, and motivated.
Motivosity might not be a good fit for users or organizations that:
Prefer more customization and flexibility for the recognition and rewards features, such as creating their own badges, points, or gift cards.
Require more direct support or contact options from the Motivosity team, such as chat, phone, or email, for their questions, issues, or feedback.
WorkTango
WorkTango helps you measure engagement and collect actionable feedback easily and confidentially. You can leverage its real-time dashboards and analytics to understand employee sentiment, empower managers to act, and drive positive organizational change.
PROS
- You can run unlimited surveys, available in over 20 languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Korean.
- You can use WorkTango’s research-backed and statistically validated assessments, or create your own.
- Anonymous Conversations enable managers to acknowledge and respond to open-text survey comments while protecting employee anonymity.
- You can compare your engagement survey results to internal and external benchmarks.
- Open-text responses can be summarized with Natural Language Processing (NLP). It can also bring the most used terms front and center in a word cloud.
- Unlimited surveys available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Korean.
- You can add modules as you go and these will be charged on a prorated basis.
CONS
- There isn’t a monthly billing option. You have to pay by year.
- All plans require a minimum commitment of 12 months.
- Free trials aren't available at this time.
- Billing is only done annually and all plans require a minimum agreement for a 24-month subscription (see our FAQs for more and their pricing page for full details).
- Several users have complained about the rewards redeeming process being not very intuitive.
WorkTango’s Surveys & Insights module is all about helping businesses measure and improve employee engagement. We like that users can customize and deploy an unlimited number of surveys to gather feedback across the entire employee lifecycle. Survey creation is made even easier with WorkTango’s library of expert-designed questions, ready to be used as needed.
Once responses are collected, WorkTango's dashboards and reporting features kick in. The sophisticated analytics help identify key themes and trends from both quantitative data and open-ended comments. Features like the Sentiment Cloud summarize the overall positive and negative sentiment within employee feedback, while easy benchmarking shows how your company compares to other players in your industry. These insights are presented through highly visual, easy-to-grasp dashboards tailored to different roles.
But WorkTango isn't just about measuring engagement. The software offers predictive recommendations and suggested actions based on survey results. Leaders can then turn these recommendations into accountable action plans with progress tracking. For developing leaders' capabilities, WorkTango even suggests relevant learning resources to build skills in areas needing improvement. It’s overall, a very well-thought-out platform.
Over 1,000 companies use Worktango’s solutions, including Kia Motors, HUB International, Rexall, and Accruent.
WorkTango pricing is calculated based on each customers' needs. For more information, we recommend booking a demo with their Sales team.
Best For
Although WorkTango can be used by any company size, from SMBs to Fortune 100 enterprises, their 1000+ customers are predominantly mid-sized to large companies.
We use WorkTango daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. I find it most effective on a quarterly and yearly basis for performance tracking and rewarding. This tool is also beneficial during project integration, helping to focus and reward employees on specific tasks. For daily and monthly use, it can be applied for more immediate recognition and rewards.
This program's key attribute is its ability to recognize not only employees but also peer-to-peer recognition and reward.
These types of programs are especially useful for remote workers, as those in the office still get to be rewarded with special days, days off, etc. This is a way to reward those who are not able to participate in those times with the other employees who may not be remote.
Lastly, I think the automation aspect of this reward program is a great attribute. I say this because in the world of business, sometimes an employee's time of service can become 2nd sting to other things happening in the company.
However the need to look at why your business is running smoothly is due to the employees keeping your business afloat. So to be able to reward them on a yearly basis when their time of service comes about can be key in keeping those employees engaged and looking forward to the year ahead.
Our organization purchased WorkTango to monitor employee performance, recognize hard work, survey employees, and implement their feedback. It allows us to survey employees about ideas and workplace issues, then integrate their input into our company’s operations. Recognizing employees who excel and ensuring they are aware of their contributions was a key factor in choosing this product. Additionally, tracking employee performance and rewarding it through this tool has been invaluable. I have been using this tool for several months.
There are few cons to this program overall. The analytics could be improved, though this is a common issue with many programs. This tool is primarily a recognition tool rather than an analytics tool.
WorkTango offers more peer-to-peer recognition options than most competitors, which is valuable for building company and employee rapport.
If you need a peer-to-peer recognition program, this is an excellent choice. It’s also suitable for measuring employee performance. However, if you need extensive analytical features, you may need to look elsewhere.
WorkTango has improved its analytics features, though there is still room for enhancement in this area.
WorkTango is ideal for established companies looking to encourage employee progress and development.
Start up companies and those looking for a quick tool to reward their employees may not benefit as much from WorkTango.
Mo
Mo drives morale and engagement through its easy-to-understand rewards system, peer nominations, and an AI Assistant that ensures appreciation never falls through the cracks.
PROS
- User-friendly UI with a wide range of vouchers available.
- System auto-nudges employees to recognize achievements if recognition is overdue.
- Reasonable pricing with no rewards fees.
- Free onboarding and implementation support.
- Users can access the platform in 12 languages.
- Android and iOS mobile apps are available for on-the-go access.
- UI is easy to navigate, and users seem to appreciate the varied choice of gift cards they can offer through the platform.
- Transparent pricing starting from $2.25/user/month with no rewards fees.
- Free onboarding and implementation support for all users.
- Robust and feature-rich mobile applications.
- Available in 12 languages and growing.
CONS
- Base plan does not offer HRIS integration. Additional implementation fees may apply for Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations.
- The availability of customer support is limited to weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM GMT.
- There aren’t free trials or free plans that you can sign up for at this time.
- HRIS integration absent in Base plan. Possible implementation fee for Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations.
- The customer support hours are limited to weekdays, 9 AM - 5 PM GMT.
Mo’s platform takes on employee engagement through meaningful rewards and recognition. At its core, you’ll find Moments and Boosts - which are simple yet effective features engineered to fuel morale. Managers can easily create Moments to praise team or individual accomplishments, pairing the shout-outs with gift cards or custom rewards. Boosts, on the other hand, are automations that ensure day-to-day kudos are never forgotten.
We appreciate Mo’s attention to different preferences through its varied and customizable reward options. We also like how straightforward their rewards program is; if a user puts in $5 to recognize someone, the recipient gets $5 to redeem. Having a clear dollar value to rewards is great for a few reasons: it’s simpler for users to understand (as opposed to confusing point-based systems), and it also makes budget tracking infinitely easier.
Mo also promotes inclusiveness in its peer-to-peer nomination features, which give employees the ability to actively recognize one another. This not only makes employees feel more empowered but also contributes to a positive and supportive company culture.
To complement its core offering, Mo recently introduced its AI-powered Assistant tool, which provides customized recommendations on actions leaders can take to boost engagement further. For example, it will automatically remind managers of upcoming employee milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries. Or if someone hasn’t given praise to a deserving co-worker in a while, the Assistant will gently prompt them to send some appreciation.
Mo counts over 58k users using its platform, including SGN, The O2, NHS, Aspen, William Hill, and SHL.
Mo’s offering is available over three plans. When billed annually, the pricing for each plan is as follows:
- Appreciate: This plan is designed for small teams who are new to recognition software. It costs $2.25 per user per month and includes features that allow you to acknowledge achievements, celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and more.
- Engage: Priced at $4.5 per user per month, this plan includes everything in the Appreciate plan and additional features such as the ability to nominate individuals for awards and grant rewards, access advanced reporting and insights, and integrate with third-party platforms.
- Transform: Tailored for large companies, the Transform plan has personalized pricing. It encompasses all the features available in the other plans, along with rewards and recognition program design, advanced security measures, premium support, and implementation services.
Best For
Companies of all sizes can use Mo to drive employee engagement through rewards and recognition.
SurveySparrow
SurveySparrow can help you boost employee engagement through pulse surveys, assessments, and automated feedback workflows that provide actionable insights from pre-hire to offboarding.
PROS
- SurveySparrow has an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
- Users like the ability to customize survey questions, design, flow, and logic per their needs.
- Integration with CRMs, marketing platforms, and collaboration tools allows for more process automation, seamless data syncing, and workflows.
- Responsive customer support.
- You can translate surveys in over 50 languages.
- There’s a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
CONS
- Starting at $19 per user per month, SurveySparrow's pricing is on the expensive side, making it out of reach for startups and small businesses. That said, you can try their newly released employee engagement and recognition solution, ThriveSparrow, for just $3 per user per month.
- The extensive features make the initial learning curve steep, especially for beginners.
- The reporting feature could use some improvement, with users reporting issues with extracting, analyzing, and compiling survey data like text responses into reports.
- A few users reported experiencing technical issues like surveys crashing or not loading properly. There were also spam filtering limitations that allowed fake responses.
SurveySparrow’s employee engagement solution helps you gather and act on employee feedback, from even before they’re hired and throughout their journey with your company. Right from the start, SurveySparrow helps attract top talent through engaging video survey forms that simultaneously collect the information you need and showcase your company culture. Once new hires join, you can ensure their onboarding goes smoothly by sending feedback surveys and providing the resources they need.
One of the things we were impressed with is SurveySprarrow’s ability to auto-send pulse surveys regularly. These short, routine surveys give real-time data on how satisfied employees feel regarding their work, benefits, company culture, and more. You can then dig into SurveySparrow's reports to glean actionable insights and make data-driven improvements.
When it's time for an employee to move on, SurveySparrow's exit surveys provide closure by uncovering the reasons behind their departure. This valuable feedback lets you address any issues to boost retention company-wide.
With its focus on actionable data, automated workflows, and integrated recruiting-to-offboarding feedback features, SurveySparrow is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the market for a suite with a host of employee engagement features. They’ve also recently launched a dedicated employee engagement and peer recognition product called ThriveSparrow, with affordable pricing plans businesses of all sizes can use and derive value.
SurveySparrow has over 100,000 customers, including Xerox, Godrej, Honda, Opera, and Grand Thornton.
For individuals
- Basic: $19 per month (billed annually) for a single user and 2,500 responses per year.
- Starter: $39 per month (billed annually) for a single user and 15,000 responses per year.
For teams:
- Business: $79 per month (billed annually) for up to 3 users and 50,000 responses per year.
- Professional: $249 per month (billed annually) for up to 5 users and 100,000 responses per year.
Best For
SurveySparrow’s engagement solution is best suited for growing companies and enterprises.
I use SurveySparrow to gather feedback from employees, which helps improve our service delivery. Additionally, I integrate the tool with WhatsApp to automate the collection of reviews from employees in different regions we operate in. The tool's chat system also enables real-time feedback collection from clients who visit our pages, enhancing our responsiveness and engagement.
I appreciate the user-friendly interface of SurveySparrow, which makes navigation straightforward. The pricing is affordable, scaling reasonably with the number of users, which suits our budgetary constraints. Furthermore, I value the tool's ease of integration with other live chat tools, streamlining the collection of reviews directly from chat interactions.
Our organization purchased SurveySparrow to enhance our feedback collection and review processes, aiming to improve service delivery within our human resources sector. Additionally, it facilitates the collection of client feedback, particularly useful when integrated with employee automation tools. I have been using this tool for over three years, during which it has significantly raised the standards of talent acquisition management at our company.
The customer care team is slow to respond to technical queries via live chat, which can be frustrating. The tool supports very limited payment options, complicating the subscription process. Additionally, some integrations, such as with Intercom, do not function properly, limiting its utility.
SurveySparrow offers more competitive pricing compared to other tools I have evaluated, making it a cost-effective choice for our needs.
Potential buyers should carefully consider the pricing and the tool's capabilities relative to their specific needs before making a purchase. SurveySparrow is particularly well-suited for HR departments focused on collecting employee feedback and customer reviews. Assess whether the tool's features align with your organizational requirements to ensure it adds value.
Over time, SurveySparrow has been enhanced with a faster-loading browser extension, improving ease of use and accessibility. This development demonstrates the company's commitment to evolving in response to user feedback and technological advancements.
This tool is especially beneficial for human resource managers who need to manage and improve internal feedback mechanisms efficiently.
SurveySparrow is not well-suited for support operators, as it lacks specific functionalities tailored to optimizing support operations.
Eletive
We’ve tested hundreds of tools in this space and have yet to come across anything that matches the way Eletive handles engagement. Seamlessly blending ready-to-use, automated pulse surveys with AI, this platform covers every stage of the employee lifecycle and offers a unique, personalized experience where the survey questions are tailored to each individual.
PROS
- Pre-made survey packages cover 11 different areas of employee engagement, ranging from onboarding to diversity and inclusion and offboarding.
- Machine learning personalizes the pulse survey question distribution.
- Tailored advice and suggested actions based on Organisational Behavior Management theory for active participation.
- The dashboard offers a clear, concise report and analysis of survey answers and trends (see screenshot).
- 40+ native HRIS integration options are available.
- 40+ languages support.
- Pre-made survey packages cover 11 different areas of employee engagement, ranging from onboarding to diversity and inclusion and offboarding.
- Machine learning personalizes the pulse survey question distribution.
- Tailored advice and suggested actions based on Organisational Behavior Management theory for active participation.
- The dashboard offers a clear, concise report and analysis of survey answers and trends (see screenshot).
- 40+ native HRIS integration options are available.
- 40+ languages support.
CONS
- AI analysis is done in English. Non-English answers have to be translated before analysis.
- The Base plan's report lacks export options, alerts for sensitive questions with low scores, and positive improvement and attrition risk insights.
- 1-on-1s, OKRs, 360-degree feedback, and HRIS integrations cost extra.
- AI analysis is done in English. Non-English answers have to be translated before analysis.
- The Base plan's report lacks export options, alerts for sensitive questions with low scores, and positive improvement and attrition risk insights.
- 1-on-1s, OKRs, 360-degree feedback, and HRIS integrations cost extra.
If you're on the hunt for an employee engagement solution that feels personal, intelligent, and genuinely designed for modern organizations, Eletive is worth a closer look.
Unlike most employee engagements we’ve tried before, Elective’s pulse survey is AI-supported—it can tailor the employee survey-taking experience by asking questions based on each individual's previous responses.
To test how this feature works, one of our editors scored a question low, and interestingly, they received a follow-up on that topic in the next survey. We can see how valuable this is for managers who want to understand their employees' feelings more deeply without spending hours reviewing responses to previous surveys in order to personalize the next ones.
Considering how important privacy is today, we were pleased to see how Elective integrated anonymity into its platform. The Chat feature, for example, enables any team member to respond to a manager’s question without revealing their identity unless they choose to do so. Moreover, allowing users to comment on any survey question—not just the open-ended ones—is a thoughtful way to collect nuanced feedback.
Unsurprisingly, as the brand is from Sweden and primarily targets the European market, it is more renowned in the U.K. and the E.U than in the U.S. Pricing-wise, Eletive’s is undisclosed and varies from user to user, but from what we've gathered, it’s pretty much in line with what you'd expect from other platforms like Profit.co or Quantum Workplace.
We like the abundance of HRIS integrations Elective offers—over 40 options. What we don’t like, though, is that these aren’t free. You must opt for their priciest plan or an integration add-on to access them. And while we’re on the topic, features like 1-on-1s, OKRs, and 360 feedback cost extra, too.
Undisclosed number. Some brands that have used Eletive include Halton, Orka, and Purmo.
Eletive has 3 plans: Essential, Standard, and Professional. All are quote-based.
Best For
Teams with at least 100 employees, ideally but not necessarily based in Europe.
Benefits of Employee Engagement Software
There’s a lot to gain from employee engagement software. Most notably, these tools enable you to:
- Make employees feel heard: Employee engagement software provides an outlet for employees to anonymously share their opinions, voice out any concerns about the workplace and work culture, and propose suggestions for improvement. When employees feel heard and their feedback is taken into account, it leads to less turnover and higher productivity.
- Craft and deploy surveys like an expert: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The best employee engagement platforms are built on solid research, which often includes the input of IO psychology experts. They also often come with a host of ready-made survey templates you can deploy in minutes, with recommendations on what to ask, when to ask it, and how often.
- Automatically analyze and uncover employee sentiment patterns: One problem with traditional employee engagement surveys is that it can take a long time to analyze all the feedback gathered. A lot of what is uncovered relates broadly to the employee experience but lacks actionable next steps. The best employee engagement tools can analyze feedback as it comes and give you a comprehensive understanding of employee sentiments, preferences, and areas for improvement.
- Continuously perform culture health: Most employee engagement platforms use pulse surveys to gather small amounts of data in frequent intervals. These surveys ask only one or two questions, keeping the pressure low and the response rate high. By establishing a consistent feedback loop, you can identify trends, address concerns before they grow into systemic problems, and adapt strategies to maintain a psychologically safe working environment.
- Do a lot more than surveys: Oftentimes, employee engagement platforms bundle up their offerings with other solutions in the employee experience tech space, such as employee recognition and performance management software. Having all of these tools integrated into one platform reduces tech fatigue for your team and is easy on your budget too.
Common Mistakes When Buying and Using Employee Engagement Platforms
- Unreasonable expectations of impact: To be effective, the platform must work alongside a distinctive, authentic, and appreciative work culture. The software can supplement your efforts, but it won't “fix” company-wide problems with engagement. Employee engagement experts Mallory Herrin and Tracie Marie agree here, and Marie's experience has borne this out. She reminds us in no uncertain terms that engagement software cannot replace the power of a human connection.
- Unreasonable expectations of adoption: Affecting a company-wide change will take time. Simply put, inspiring behavioral change is difficult. After working in an environment that could have been more attentive to their engagement, employees are sometimes distrustful of initiatives that promise brighter days. The process of winning over the skeptics can’t happen overnight, but it can happen. The right time to start, whether with engagement software or other means, is now.
- Underestimating the slow pace of implementation: Like the plodding, uphill struggle of behavior change, implementing a new HR tool can also be painfully sluggish. To make it as easy as possible, choose a platform with an open API and/or partnerships with tools you already use. Consider your HR tech stack and daily communication tools: Both must be seamlessly connected to your new tool to ensure a seamless transition.
- Trying to do too much, too fast: Be conservative and methodical about your rollout game plan. Some vendors offer assistance with this process, but if yours doesn't (or you choose not to follow it), you can orchestrate a successful rollout with good planning and reasonable expectations. From our experience, creating a schedule with a regular cadence that introduces features slowly is best. We’ve also found it helpful to take feedback from departments across the organization about the rollout order: the insight of your leadership and individual contributors is a massive asset.
The Business Case Behind Employee Engagement Platforms
Employee engagement software allows companies to have a better understanding of the health of their organization. These solutions give People and HR teams more insights into what is working and what needs to be fixed.
When used right, HR can reap benefits by increasing the productivity of their workforce and studying losses caused by employee attrition. Plus, we all got into HR to help people have a better employee experience, right?
We’ve designed this Excel-based calculator to help you calculate the basic ROI from using the best employee engagement solutions. We highly suggest you watch the video below to learn how to use this spreadsheet best.
We also have a page on our site dedicated to HR Tech ROI calculations if you want to check it out.
Key Features of Employee Engagement Software
Here are some key features of employee engagement software:
- Employee surveys: Employee surveys are a fundamental capability of employee engagement software. These include pulse surveys for regular sentiment check-ins, eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) surveys to measure loyalty and satisfaction, and more in-depth annual or quarterly surveys. Sophisticated survey builders make it easy for HR teams to craft customized question sets while choosing from preset expert-validated templates.
- Anonymity settings: The best employee engagement platforms allow admins to configure anonymity settings on a per-survey basis. For example, demographic data collection can be toggled on or off. Respondents can also opt to submit written commentary anonymously with no identifying details. Setting the right anonymity parameters helps drive survey participation and enable tracking of trends for different subgroups.
- Automated distribution: Employee engagement tools allow you to configure surveys to be sent out either via email or other internal communication apps to pre-defined audience segments at the time and frequency of your choosing. There are often automated nudges and reminders, too, which further alleviate manual intervention, freeing admins and HR teams to focus on reviewing results and implementing ideas to enhance employee engagement.
- Real-time analytics: With the help of artificial intelligence and user-friendly dashboards, employee engagement software helps you analyze employee feedback and visualize key engagement metrics like eNPS and satisfaction scores. Trends can be segmented across teams, locations, or any custom attributes captured, allowing HR professionals and leaders to respond promptly to emerging trends or critical issues.
- Reporting: Employee engagement software typically offers robust reporting tools. You can auto-generate and share reports for stakeholder audiences that showcase response rates, trends, and insights over time. You can also tailor reports by including or excluding sensitive groups and export results into various formats, such as PDF and CSV.
Questions to Ask in Demos with Employee Engagement Software Vendors
- How does your platform measure and track employee engagement? What metrics and analytics does it provide?
- How customizable are the surveys and feedback tools? Can I tailor questions and flows to my organization's specific needs?
- What methods does the platform use to gather employee feedback (e.g., surveys, pulse polls, open text, etc.)?
- Does your system integrate with our current HRIS, payroll, or other platforms?
- What types of participation tracking does it offer (e.g., survey response rates, event attendance, etc.)?
- What kinds of real-time feedback capabilities does it have? Can employees provide input anytime?
- What types of employee segmentation and filtering options are available? Can I analyze data by role, team, location, etc.?
- How are the results and data visualized? What dashboards, reports, and insights can I access as an administrator?
- Does your platform provide employee engagement action plan templates and tools and follow-up workflows based on feedback results?
- How do you ensure data security and compliance with regulations? What is your security and privacy protocol?
- What type of support, training, and account management do you provide?
- Can you explain the implementation process? How long does rollout typically take?
- What are the pricing models available? Are there options to scale up or down as needed?
- Can I see a demo tailored to our specific use cases and needs?
Employee Engagement Software FAQs
What is employee engagement software?
Employee engagement software provides tools to gather employee feedback through surveys and pulse checks, facilitates internal communications and social connections, and enables managers to coach employees and analyze engagement metrics. The software leverages data and analytics to identify areas for improving the employee experience and sparks action to nurture a highly engaged, satisfied workforce.
What is the difference between employee engagement and employee recognition?
Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm, connection, and commitment an employee has toward their organization and its goals.
An engaged employee is one who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work. In contrast, employee recognition is about acknowledging employees for their efforts and contributions. Forms of recognition include praise, rewards, awards, and appreciation events.
How do companies use employee engagement software?
Employee engagement software serves various purposes within an organization to improve the employee experience.
Human resources teams use the software to conduct regular surveys to monitor engagement levels and pinpoint problem areas. Managers also use it to check in with their direct reports, provide coaching, and recognize achievements. The software also facilitates company-wide communications from leadership to all employees and social connections between peers.
When is the best time to use employee engagement software?
Our community expert, Christina Moran, emphasizes that there’s no exact headcount or development phase for buying employee engagement software. The right time depends on your company’s unique needs. She recommends looking for signs that indicate widespread disengagement, such as decreased productivity, absenteeism, and complacency.
She adds, “Like with any software purchasing decision, the software should make your life better, easier, and higher-performing in the realm it’s being added to. It should be an enhancement, a value-add, not just an accepted cost.”
What is a good measure of employee engagement?
A good measure of employee engagement encompasses multiple factors, such as job satisfaction, enthusiasm for work, and alignment with company values. Key indicators include high levels of participation in workplace activities, positive feedback in surveys, low turnover rates, and strong peer relationships.
When employees feel connected to their roles and company mission, they tend to demonstrate higher productivity, discretionary effort, and commitment. Engagement metrics, therefore, combine quantitative data (like retention and productivity) with qualitative insights from regular employee feedback.
Final Advice on Buying Employee Engagement Software
There are no silver bullets when it comes to tackling disengaged employees and understanding what's really happening in your business. However, having an employee engagement platform in place can help you engage your remote workers as well as in-office ones.
Given companies using employee engagement gamification are seven times more profitable than those that don't, you may also want to figure out ways to add gamification to your employee engagement programs.
Last but not least, providing proper training for your managers and teams is crucial for creating a culture of appreciation in your workplace. This list of the best employee engagement training courses can be a great starting point.
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