What is onboarding software?

Employee onboarding software is a specialised tool designed to streamline the process of integrating new hires into your company. This digital solution simplifies the administrative tasks associated with the onboarding process, like document management, training and orientation materials, compliance and setting up payroll and benefits. By automating these processes, you can lighten the load on your HR team, allowing them to be more productive in other areas, and create a seamless first impression for new starters. Most available onboarding software also handles other key HR tasks, from recruitment to resignations, making it a worthy investment if you’re looking to increase both efficiency and automation in your workplace.

Related: The employee onboarding process and why it matters

What are the benefits of using onboarding software?

The onboarding process has historically consisted of far more administration than human interaction, which makes it an ideal candidate for automation, now that there are tools advanced enough to handle the associated tasks. One of the main benefits of handing over the bulk of your onboarding process to software is that it frees up your HR team to concentrate on more human-centric endeavours. Let’s take a look at some of the other advantages.

• Enhanced efficiency: Onboarding software automates complex tasks like document management, transforming it into a quick and stress-free experience.
• Compliance management: By managing tasks like documents, payroll and benefits for new hires, the software can ensure that your company stays compliant with legal requirements and relevant regulations, no matter where in the world you’re hiring.
• Clear and straightforward experience for new hires: Employees can get set up with training materials, company policies and resources in a central location, helping them to get up to speed quickly.
• Improved data accuracy and security: Digital onboarding can minimise errors and flag inconsistencies. It can also offer secure storage for sensitive information, reducing the risk of data breaches.
• Paperless environment: Onboarding software promotes sustainability by reducing the need for paper- and ink-based documentation. It can also greatly reduce your printing costs.

We’ve collated some of the most popular onboarding software and looked at the positive and negative things that users are reporting about each to help you decide which platform is the best fit for your company.

These programmes include:

1. Bamboo HR
2. Bob
3. Deel
4. HR Partner
5. Kallidus
6. Personio
7. Remote
8. Rippling

Let’s break the key features of these programs down.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

1. Bamboo HR

Bamboo HR is a popular choice for companies looking for a one-stop HR platform as it also offers payroll, time-tracking and benefits in a unified way. The onboarding process is simple and highly automated, which can provide a seamless experience for new hires. Data accuracy and security are also top priorities.

Pros

• Data is centralised
• Onboarding, offboarding and every step in between can be automated
• Integrates easily with external platforms, like job boards
• Task and document management provided
• Self-service portal

Cons

• Not all new-starter forms are provided, so you may need to scan documents
• No integrated training tools to support induction
• Price quite high, though a free trial is offered
• Notifications work sporadically, with stakeholders not always informed about new starters
• Limited reporting features

2. Bob

Bob, also known as HiBob, is designed to make the onboarding process go as smoothly as possible, offering a streamlined experience across all departments. You can use digital onboarding checklists to make sure that no detail is overlooked, which makes it an ideal choice for younger businesses that may still be establishing their new-starter process. There is also a focus on automation tools, which could benefit you if you’re looking for ways to speed up your HR department’s productivity.

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Analytical tools to facilitate data-driven decision-making
• Flexible and scalable – ideal for businesses of all sizes
• Onboarding and other HR tasks can be automated
• Fun details that encourage employee interaction – like listing hobbies

Cons

• No self-service portal
• Can be slow and glitchy
• Its customisability can make it hard to navigate, and it’s not especially intuitive
• Complicated to integrate with other software, and these capabilities are limited

3. Deel

Deel software is well-positioned for large companies that have an international workforce, as it supports onboarding in 150 countries. It does this with great attention to detail, carefully localising actions to be compliant with each location, from minimum wage and labour laws to country-specific documentation requirements. Deel is also popular for its speedy onboarding, which it promises can be achieved in under five minutes.

Pros

• One of the few platforms with thorough international integration
• Self-service portal
• Fast onboarding
• Document-management service offered
• Integrates seamlessly with other services like Slack and QuickBooks
• GDPR compliant and secure
• Free version available

Cons

• Some users report complicated workflows and inadequate instructions
• Very few options for customisation
• Insufficient customer support

4. HR Partner

HR Partner is a software solution that caters for small- and medium-sized businesses, with an affordable price tag to match. Like other standouts in the sector, it also combines multiple HR processes, including recruitment, employee records, leave requests, time sheets and more. The software design is user friendly, thereby avoiding common pitfalls like a steep learning curve. 

Pros

• Customisable features
• Intuitive platform with a clean layout
• Good value for money
• Responsive and helpful support team

Cons

• Some issues with recruitment- and leave-related workflows
• UX could be improved
• Report-generation features are quite basic/limited 

5. Kallidus

Kallidus software is suited to HR in the modern world, with a clean, fun interface. The platform prioritises the user experience, with learning materials for new starters and highly automated processes that make onboarding quick and easy.

Pros

• Aesthetically pleasing
• Highly customisable
• Integration possible with over 40 third-party programmes
• Automated task assignment and workflows
• Full visibility of the employee lifecycle

Cons

• No way to communicate with new starters inside the platform
• No options to undo errors without contacting the support team
• Insufficient user guides for HR employees to self-train
• Some UX issues, like candidate profiles being easily duplicated by mistake

6. Personio

Like many of the programmes that we’ve covered so far, Personio is also a one-stop solution for a variety of HR functions. This software is specifically designed for small and medium businesses and facilitates cross-departmental automation. It also provides reminder notifications so that you can make sure that nothing is forgotten in the onboarding process.

Pros

• Offers document management
• Integrated employee handbook
• Self-service portal
• Offers compliance management
• Customisable task lists for onboarding
• Integrates with a wide range of third-party programmes

Cons

• Not suitable for companies larger than 2,000 employees
• Some teething issues reported with the mobile app
• Limited reporting functionality
• Some problems with payroll integration

7. Remote

As its name suggests, Remote is a software solution for onboarding and managing your global team. In addition to onboarding, the programme handles payroll, compliance, benefits, taxes, stock options, the relocation process and more.

Pros

• Offers a global network of local providers
• Self-service capabilities
• On-call specialists available

Cons

• Expensive
• Layout not very intuitive
• Payment workflows for different regions can be complicated to understand
• Inconsistent service from support teams

8. Rippling

Rippling is another multi-functional software solution than combines onboarding with other key HR workflows. It allows hiring of employees anywhere in the world and boasts the quickest onboarding we encountered. Rippling promises that new hires can be set up with payroll, a corporate card, a computer, benefits and even third-party apps within 90 seconds. It was also one of the most highly rated pieces of HR software across several review platforms.

Pros

• Extremely efficient
• Self-service portal
• Document management
• Integrated employee handbook
• User-friendly interface and intuitive design
• Integration with wide range of third-party apps including accounting and productivity programmes

Cons

• Customer service can be hard to engage
• Platform is new and growing with some teething issues
• UX could be improved

Once you’ve reviewed all your options and selected the best fit for your company, you can get to work leading your HR department into a new era of digital automation. It’s a good idea to carefully monitor the implementation process and seek feedback from HR team members as well as the new hires that the software welcomes. This can empower you to determine whether you’ve made the right selection and make changes if needed.