Improve Onboarding Process with Modern Tech: HR’s Go-to Guide

HR and recruitment Tech had come a long way since the days when the first day at a new job meant a whole lot of paperwork and several signatures on multiple documents. 

Years on, onboarding still remains the critical first step in an employee's journey as it sets the tone for their tenure at the company. 

The whole amalgamation of HR and technology (HRTech) was to improve the onboarding process and other things in HR. 

A seamless, tech-driven onboarding isn't just a formality but a strategic advantage. 

In this article, we will discuss how to improve the onboarding process using modern HR and recruitment technologies and their role in impacting onboarding more and more in the future. 

Why is Onboarding Vital in the HR Process? 

Onboarding marks the first step in an employee's journey within your organisation. 

A well-crafted onboarding process establishes the foundation for a productive and motivated workplace atmosphere. 

It extends beyond mere paperwork; it's about making new hires feel welcomed, valued, and equipped to embark on their new roles. 

If you're questioning whether onboarding influences revenue and customer satisfaction, here's a noteworthy fact. 

A study by Gainsight indicates that organisations observed a 60% YoY increase in revenue and a 63% enhancement in customer satisfaction due to structured onboarding. 

Role of Tech To Improve Onboarding Process

Technology has transformed the way both HR professionals and new employees perceive and interact with the onboarding process. Not only does it bring a more streamlined, engaging and personalised experience to the table, but it also creates a more interactive and immersive environment critical to learning and development.

New staff can then absorb, retain, and use the corporate information and resources in a more effective manner. 

The use of modern collaboration tools and other digital platforms further helps establish an instant connection, paving the way for communication between new joiners and the existing team. 

The newly inducted members can be integrated into the company’s culture starting from day 1. 

Blending the goodness of traditional means of team collaboration with up-and-coming tools, the expectations of a modern team can be managed. 

This can lead to improved productivity, better job satisfaction, and, ultimately, help with employee retention in the long run. 

7 Proven Ways Technology Helps Enhance Onboarding

There are various recruitment technologies and tools that come into play during various stages of onboarding. All of them serve different purposes and are leveraged in different ways.

Here’s a look at some of the most important technologies and tools that enhance the onboarding process.

1. Digital Onboarding Platforms 

With digital onboarding platforms, HR teams no longer need to send, receive or store paper trails of documentation. 

These platforms are the best way to replace traditional documentation ranging from employment contracts, tax forms and policy acknowledgements with digital copies. 

This not only fastens the paperless onboarding process in general but also helps simplify documentation access and management. 

New employees can then concentrate on learning about their new role instead of navigating through complex documentation. 

With platforms such as BambooHR and Workday, HR teams can create customisable checklists and workflows to assist at each step of the onboarding process. Similarly, Asana software can be integrated into these processes, providing task assignment and tracking tools for efficient onboarding completion.

2. E-learning Tools

E-learning tools such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and custom-built platforms offer interactive training programs that can be tailored to the specific needs of the new employee. 

These tools use a mix of videos, quizzes, and interactive content to engage employees in learning about their new roles, the company culture, and essential skills needed for their positions. 

E-learning allows for self-paced study, accommodating different learning styles and schedules, which can increase the retention of information and improve job performance from the outset.

3. Virtual Reality (VR) for Immersive Training 

VR technology offers an innovative approach to immersive training experiences, particularly advantageous for positions requiring practical skills or familiarity with physical environments. 

Through VR, new starters can practice procedures in a simulated setting, learn to operate machinery or explore virtual replicas of their workplace without the risks associated with real-life training.

This method can significantly improve understanding and retention of complex procedures and ensure employees are better prepared for their roles.

4. AI-Powered Assistants 

AI-powered assistants, such as recruitment chatbots, can offer round-the-clock support to new starters, answering common queries about company policies, benefits, and job duties. 

These assistants can be integrated into company intranets or messaging platforms, providing personalised guidance based on the employee's role and stage in the onboarding process.

By automating this support aspect, organisations can ensure consistent information is provided to all employees while freeing HR professionals to concentrate on more strategic tasks.

5. Social Collaboration Tools

Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Trello facilitate and improve candidate communication and collaboration across teams and departments. 

They can be instrumental in onboarding, helping new hires to quickly build their internal network, seek assistance, and integrate into the company culture. 

These platforms can host dedicated channels or groups for new employees, allowing them to ask questions, share experiences, and receive updates, making them feel connected and engaged from the start.

6. Performance Tracking Tools 

Performance tracking tools like 15Five and Lattice allow managers and HR professionals to set clear objectives and expectations for new starters, monitor their progress, and provide timely feedback. 

This continuous performance management approach assists new employees in understanding how their work contributes to the company's goals, identifying improvement areas, and feeling more supported in their development journey.

7. Mobile Applications

Mobile applications for onboarding enable new starters to access training materials, complete documentation, and connect with their colleagues from any location. 

These apps can provide push notifications for essential deadlines or updates, interactive company maps, directories, and even gamified learning experiences.

Companies can ensure equal access to onboarding resources by making them available for remote and field employees on mobile devices. MDM solutions like Scalefusion, Miradore, and Hexnode can assist IT and HR in ensuring employees have access to the correct onboarding resources from the outset.

How to Implement Modern Technology to Enhance Onboarding? 

A. Assessing Current Onboarding Procedures

Start by evaluating your current onboarding procedures to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement. 

Understanding what works well and what doesn’t is the first step toward integrating effective technological solutions.

B. Selecting the Right Tech Stack

By choosing a tech stack that perfectly matches the requirements of your organisation, you can ensure that the solution is future-proof, can accommodate new requirements in the future and also is easy to use. 

C. Checking for Integrations

To ensure data consistency and streamlined recruitment processes, check for how well the new tech aligns with your pre-existing HR tech. 

This will help in a smooth transition for the HR teams as well as the new joiners.

D. Train Your Team

To ensure that the new tech is well adapted, create a solid training and development plan. This will make the teams ready to take on the new tech. 

Create programs for continuous training and support. 

E. Don’t Forget to Monitor and Improve

Regularly assess the effectiveness of the technological solutions you've implemented. 

Solicit feedback from new hires and HR staff to identify areas for enhancement and ensure the technology continues to meet your evolving needs.

Benefits of Improved Onboarding Process with Modern Technology 

Incorporating contemporary technology into the onboarding process yields numerous advantages that can influence an organisation's success. Here are a few straightforward advantages:

• Improved efficiency since routine tasks are automated. Your HR teams get back their time instead of being buried in administrative work

• GDPR Compliance with legal requirements and latest standards within the stipulated time

• Enhanced engagement from new hires since they get a chance to access personalised learning plans 

• Companies can improve their employer branding, attracting top talent.

• New employees can be integrated into their teams smoothly from the get-go.

• Higher employee retention rates and an overall positive work atmosphere.

Future Trends in Onboarding Technology

The future of onboarding technology is set to personalise further and streamline the integration of new hires into organisations. These technologies are set to make the onboarding process more efficient and engaging, especially for distributed teams in remote and hybrid work environments.

Here are some trends in onboarding technology to keep an eye on:

• Predictive recruitment analytics and AI will play a key role in providing insights into candidate success and will help shape the onboarding process

• Learning and development will be gamified, making it more interactive 

• Immersive learning will reach be scaled via AR, VR, MR and XR

iSmartRecruit: Enhance Your Onboarding Procedure

iSmartRecruit is a modern AI recruitment software solution that helps transform the recruitment and onboarding process for organisations. 

It comes with a diverse set of tools and recruitment features ranging from applicant tracking and recruiting CRM capabilities to automated end-to-end hiring workflow. 

It automates the manual and administrative tasks within the onboarding process. 

This way, ISmartRecruit ensures an efficient and engaging way to introduce company culture to new hires. 

Want to leverage the power of this highly-rated recruitment software platform? Then get a demo now and take a step towards successful recruitment. 

Closing Lines

Adopting a modern tech stack for onboarding processes helps set the tone for a successful candidate experience and a positive employee journey within an organisation. 

Stay ahead of the curve, retain top talent and set yourself up for success in the competitive hiring market.