9 Benefits of Adopting Digital HR Onboarding Software

You’re well aware that onboarding new employees is no easy feat — it’s not a fast process, and there are lots of tasks for both human resources teams and new hires to do. In fact, new hires complete an average of 54 activities during onboarding. Without an onboarding platform, all 54 activities must be completed manually, which is a heavy workload for HR and not too exciting for new employees.

You know that people are every company’s biggest asset, and an effective onboarding strategy that utilizes software reflects that. Adopting onboarding software aids in creating an awesome onboarding experience for every new employee. Keep reading to learn the biggest benefits of digital onboarding software.

Why Onboarding is Essential

Did you know your onboarding process affects engagement, retention, productivity, and your business’s ability to meet its goals? Onboarding is arguably the most important period of time during an employee’s tenure. Yes, they’ve accepted the position, but as many as 25% of new hires quit during the first six months. During that time, new hires are deciding if your organization can keep its promises and live up to their expectations.

So what is onboarding software and how does it fit in? Employee onboarding software provides digital tools for bringing new employees into the organization. Many onboarding processes can be difficult to execute manually and as a result, they fall to the wayside in favor of the most essential tasks. Using onboarding software can help your HR team create an experience that is focused on the activities that build loyalty, engagement, and relationships instead of on those administrative tasks.

For example, with software, there’s no need to compile onboarding packets for every new employee. That time can be spent on activities that enhance your onboarding strategy, like building a mentorship program or conducting a new hire onboarding survey.

Keep reading to learn how software can help your organization improve the employee onboarding experience.

1. Consistent Employee and HR User Experience

Onboarding software provides consistency of experience for both your new employees and the HR team members involved in the process. HR can use software tools to inform their process for onboarding new hires, including building a digital onboarding checklist, which eliminates confusion about which tasks need to be completed and when. Then, HR can confidently take every new hire through their onboarding process.

New employees will start their new role with a clear path through their onboarding plan, which instills confidence and shows them that they are valued. This consistent experience is also a recruiting strategy because often, employees will share their experience in the form of an online review, social media post, or via word of mouth. If they share positive experiences that are in line with others’ onboarding experience, that reinforces your employer brand and can entice job seekers to apply.

2. Compliance Without Complications

There are many compliance considerations when onboarding new employees that software can simplify. HR has to verify employment eligibility, run background checks, and get tax paperwork signed. Some new hires may need to provide proof of their credentials, sign NDAs, or complete specialized training.

With onboarding software, many of those basic verification tasks can be done digitally. HR can build new hire packets that include all of the special requirements for each role, ensuring that the necessary information is collected. Then, the documents can be stored in a secure software system. That makes it easy to maintain updated, accurate records for every employee.

3. Lighter HR Workloads

HR teams have plenty of strategic work to focus on without being weighed down by tedious onboarding tasks. With software, they can get access to a suite of onboarding tools to lighten their daily workloads:

• Automated workflows including task notifications to keep new hires and HR on track with onboarding duties like sending welcome emails and packets
• New hire portals where they can find welcome packets, company resources, and get virtual introductions to their coworkers and company leadership
• E-Verify, background checks, and WOTC built in for fast employment verifications
• Bulk onboarding to quickly onboard large groups of new employees
• New hire onboarding surveys to easily gather valuable feedback

4. Reduced Hiring Costs

Great onboarding is proven to increase employee retention. 69% of employees will stay for at least three years if their onboarding was excellent, and that lower turnover translates to lower hiring costs. That’s significant because, according to SHRM, the average cost to fill a vacant role is around $4,700. But that’s an average across all positions — employers estimate they spend as much as three to four times an employee’s salary to replace them.

Onboarding software can help your business manage these costs by supporting a better onboarding experience that leads to higher retention. New hires are far less likely to look for another position when their onboarding is seamless and prepares them for their role.

5. Integrations with Existing Software

Most likely, your company already has systems in place to manage payroll, benefits enrollment, PTO, and other necessary functions. Adopting HR software for onboarding doesn’t have to disrupt these systems. Great onboarding software integrates seamlessly with the solutions you’re already using. This means you can transfer employee data from one system to another quickly and safely, saving tons of hours needed to perform the task manually.

6. Fewer Data Entry Errors

Without the integrations we just mentioned, HR teams spend lots of time entering the same new hire information over and over as they get set up in various systems. That’s a tedious process, and it’s prone to mistakes, as is any repetitive job that’s done manually.

But because onboarding software can integrate with other programs, data can be transferred digitally, resulting in fewer errors in addition to less time spent on manual data entry. That’s a big deal when working with sensitive personal information like banking details and Social Security numbers.

7. No Paperwork Required

Paperwork is tedious to compile, read through, verify, and keep a record of. It’s also highly impractical if any aspect of your hiring process is remote. It’s hard to say if the information recorded on paper is outdated or if it’s accessible to your HR team.

With digital onboarding software, your company can switch to entirely paperless onboarding. New hires can complete all of their paperwork online — and get it done faster thanks to intelligent forms, which retain basic details from document to document and help reduce errors. Plus, there’s no need to keep file cabinets full of paperwork, and HR teams can be confident that employee information is accessible and up-to-date.

8. Keep Track of New Hire Progress

In the excitement of the employee onboarding process, it can be hard to keep track of where they’re at in their journey. Did they complete all their paperwork? Have they met a few coworkers outside of their departments? Do they have access to the equipment and software they’ll be using?

With software, your onboarding checklist is digital and equipped with automatic task notifications. That way, HR and new hires don’t have to remember every task and its deadline. They can quickly see how many tasks remain and get reminder emails when another activity is due.

You can also use onboarding software to track and monitor new hire goals. Their initial performance is extremely valuable to have insight into later on in the employee lifecycle when they are being considered for raises, promotions, performance improvement plans, or termination.

9. Employee Engagement That Lasts

The biggest value of great employee onboarding is that it leaves a lasting impact on your employees’ engagement levels — the higher retention rates are proof that engaged employees stay longer, perform better, and are less likely to experience burnout. Employees are also 2.6 times more likely to be “extremely satisfied” with their companies after an exceptional onboarding experience. They are more likely to say they feel prepared and supported, which has a direct impact on their productivity and confidence in their own abilities.

With a company full of confident, engaged employees who feel valued and supported, your organization is sure to achieve its goals.

These nine benefits are not the only reasons your company should invest in employee onboarding software. 78% of companies that invested in their onboarding strategies saw an increase in revenue and 54% in their engagement metrics. Great onboarding helps you build a workforce of employees that are confident, engaged, and loyal. Executing that strategy with software makes it a faster, more enjoyable experience for both new hires and your HR team.

Onboard your employees with software for an experience that leaves a lasting good impression and sets them up for a successful future at your company. Get all of these benefits with ClearCompany’s Employee Onboarding Software — plus:

• Award-winning customer support and software training
• A library of best practices resources for recruiting, onboarding, engagement, and more, including our employee onboarding guide
• A collaborative partnership where suggestions are welcome
• Regular updates with new features and tools
• Additional software modules to power recruiting, employee engagement, and performance management strategies

Get an inside look at the real results you could get using ClearCompany’s best-in-class Onboarding System — sign up for a demo with one of our product experts today.