Employee Engagement Software has become a ‘no brainer’ for most organisations. The return on investment for this type of software is impressive with reduced people costs and increased productivity. For example, engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave (Corporate Leadership Council). Engaged employees will also increase profitability by £2,700 per employee per year.
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It is a buyer’s market at present with so much choice on offer. This is a good thing for both the customer and the provider. The customer can choose from a range of high quality products. So, how do you get the most from your investment in employee engagement software?
You should use the following tips to select the software provider that best suits your company.
What do you need from the engagement software?
Not all engagement software is the same. Some will be a good fit for your company and/or your requirements. Others will be a poor fit. So, you will need to be clear about what you need from the software. For example, do you want an automated report on a dashboard/email leaving you to figure out the data. Or, do you need experts helping you to uncover the data trends and advise on interventions?
This is just one example of why you will need to be clear about what you need from engagement software.
Who is the business and why do they do employee engagement?
It is worthwhile getting a feel for the back story behind the business providing the software. Visit their website, read their blog and check them out on LinkedIn and other relevant sites. Do they fit your company values and requirements? How passionate are they about employee engagement? Why have they got involved in providing employee engagement software? Check out their definition and understanding of employee engagement – does it match or improve upon yours?
Free trial on offer?
The best thing about such software products is that it is very easy to set up a free trial. If there isn’t an option on the website to request a free trial, email the provider and ask for one. You can have a closer look at the software with one of your teams and discuss its effectiveness with them.
Ask for a demo with a detailed talk through of the product
Why not ask the provider to arrange a demo where s/he talks you through the products features and benefits of the software. Again, this is easy to arrange remotely so you can ‘attend’ from your own desk. It will give you a good feel for the product and highlight key features you might have missed, even on a free trial.
Who has designed the product – a technical person or an experienced HR person?
This is important. You are looking for ‘domain expertise’ here. Ideally, you are looking for a product where the design/ideas of an experienced HR professional – Occupational/Organizational Psychologist, Organizational Development, Human Capital etc – have been enabled by a skilled software developer. Ask yourself the question, do the key people have the required HR credibility? If software wasn’t involved, would you hire them to carry out a HR/Employee Engagement consultancy project in your company?
Real time reporting and expert support
There is no real reason why you can’t have a good range of data and feedback provided almost immediately on real-time dashboards. This will be a given with most engagement software providers.
You will have to be clear on whether this is enough for you. Many companies want a closer relationship with their engagement survey supplier. They want expert insights from psychologists or other experienced HR professionals.
Key features and benefits
What are you looking for from an Employee Engagement Software solution? Draw up your list of ‘buying criteria’ so you can check out the features and benefits of the range of offerings and make an informed decision.
What depth of data & support do you require?
Will a simple survey do? Or do you want to customise the survey or run more frequent pulse surveys? There are a number of offerings available that dig much deeper than just a survey. Do you want engagement levels but also a clear indication of team cultures mapped across your organisation? Maybe you require each employee to receive individualised feedback and action planning features to share responsibility for his/her own engagement.
You should also think carefully about the level of support you require. Are you buying a software product from a software company with some remote support? Or do you want an employee engagement diagnostic designed and supported by HR and people experts?
It is worth your while to check out the range of engagement software products available and choose the one that fits your needs. Whichever product you choose, it has become a ‘no brainer’.
