All the information you need about Onboarding Automation
You’ve decided to welcome new members to your business family, but the registration process can be long and tedious. Fortunately, onboarding automation can help you manage tasks like paperwork management, training, and orientation because they can be fully automated with the right software. Let’s dive deeper into this concept and see how it benefits both the company and the employee.
Onboarding options: Manual vs. Automated
Now that we’ve briefly discussed what automated onboarding is, we need to elaborate on why it’s better than manual onboarding. To begin with, manual recruitment can cause a number of problems for the new employee and your company. The primary problem is that it is a time-consuming process that requires HR personnel to handle paperwork and manage other logistical tasks. This diverts their focus from more strategic activities such as management and employee development. Because the risk of human error is higher, manual onboarding can lead to inconsistencies and missed deadlines or unfinished tasks. There is also the danger of poor communication leading to confused and frustrated employees and damaging your company’s reputation. All of this can contribute to higher turnover rates as new employees feel disconnected from your organization.
How to automate hiring
HR Information System (HRIS)
An HRIS is a platform that typically automates most of the administrative tasks associated with onboarding that take up a large portion of your HR staff’s time. It allows your HR team to easily manage employee data, complete paperwork and schedule meetings or training. The team can also create personalized checklists and workflows for each new hire’s needs while ensuring the process aligns with company culture.
Learning management system
A Learning Management System (LMS) can be used to automate the training and development components of the employee onboarding process, thereby improving its efficiency. Specifically, an LMS provides a central location for all training and development activities and reduces the likelihood of missed training. Additionally, it can promote consistency as all employees receive the same training content. Most LMSs also have an employee progress tracking feature, allowing your HR team to evaluate the effectiveness of the process.
A virtual onboarding platform
A virtual onboarding platform can be used for pre-onboarding activities such as sharing important information and company policies with new hires. The platform can also assign a virtual buddy to help the new member adapt and acclimate through virtual tours or collaboration with other employees. Most importantly, it offers your HR team the opportunity to evaluate the process at every step and provide feedback.
Paperwork and digital forms processing software
Although most registration programs include a function for documents and paperwork, it can be beneficial to have separate software for this purpose. These platforms allow your new employees to digitally sign documents, making the whole process easier. You can also monitor the status of paper collection and set reminders for deadlines. Digital forms, on the other hand, collect and store new employee data. This may include contact information and emergency contact details. Forms are filled out online or through an onboarding automation platform with this feature, so information is stored in a central location, reducing the need for physical paperwork and improving accessibility.
Automated workflows
Automated workflows can automate every step in the onboarding process. You can create a new hire checklist as an automated workflow that guides your HR staff through each step without missing any important details. You can also create reminders to send to employees during registration and manage data more efficiently. Ideally, you should be able to integrate them with other systems to ensure seamless tracking of every activity.
What are the benefits of an automated onboarding process?
Accuracy and consistency
Automating onboarding processes can reduce data entry errors and inconsistencies. This leads to more accurate and reliable information. Also, important tasks such as new hire background checks, drug testing and reference checks can be easily streamlined. As a result, this creates a consistent onboarding experience for each new member and reduces time to hire.
Compliance
Automation can help ensure compliance with many legal and regulatory requirements. Compliance is critical for your company to avoid costly fines and penalties or legal liability. For example, your onboarding platform can provide access to the latest versions of legal forms and documents. It will also help you comply with labor laws and regulations regarding equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination and workplace safety.
Improved engagement
Employees will feel more connected to their workplace and colleagues as the automated process creates engaging and interactive onboarding. Additionally, recruiting automation will help new hires better understand their role and how their work contributes to the company’s overall goals and success. Your new hires will have the opportunity for feedback and collaboration to increase productivity and help your company achieve better results.
Cost savings
Automating onboarding saves time by reducing the amount of manual work required for these activities, allowing your HR staff to focus on more important things. Also, by providing new hires with an efficient and personalized onboarding experience, your company ensures a low turnover rate, reducing the cost of training new hires.
Improved data analysis
Collecting data about the enrollment process, such as completion rates or employee satisfaction, can help your company gain insight into the effectiveness of your program and identify areas for improvement. Similarly, you can track and analyze metrics related to the productivity and performance of new hires.
Faster onboarding
Automated onboarding speeds up the entire process by eliminating the need for manual data entry and paperwork, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. Automated onboarding also includes self-service portals and pre-built workflows to ensure new hires don’t miss any important tasks or deadlines.
Better understanding of company culture
New hires feel more connected and confident about their place in your organization because all information and resources are immediately available. By working with other colleagues, they will feel comfortable and learn more about the company culture and procedures to acclimatize faster.
Reduced stress
An onboarding process that is automated and clear, with ongoing support and a user-friendly onboarding platform can reduce stress. Also, automating administrative tasks like filling out forms helps new hires focus on more important and meaningful tasks that better prepare them for their role.
Best practices for successful onboarding automation
Identify goals and objectives
What do you want to achieve with your onboarding program? Want to improve efficiency, increase engagement, reduce turnover or ensure compliance? Answering these questions will allow you to improve results while reducing costs. At the same time, you need to make sure your process aligns with and supports your company’s goals. Finally, identify the problems you may encounter and determine how automation can solve them.
Create a clear plan
An onboarding plan outlines the steps involved in welcoming new employees, from their first day on the job to their full integration into the company. It usually includes a detailed timeline to ensure that everyone involved in the registration process knows what needs to be done and by when. Your plan should also include the required paperwork along with instructions on how to complete each form and where to submit it. Also, keep a communication plan in place to keep your new employees informed about the entire process. Having a clear view of the process you are automating reduces confusion, delays and errors that can compromise your goals.
Make it engaging
Incorporating multimedia elements such as videos, images and games can help engage new team members from day one. Your content should also be interactive, preferably with a reward system to motivate your new hires. Also, set clear guidelines and expectations along with any necessary resources. These may include a digital library, industry reports or case studies.
Assign mentors to new hires
Your HR team cannot monitor every single process, even if it is automated. Assign a mentor to each new hire who will be responsible for monitoring their progress by reviewing the automation software. In addition, new employees will know that there will always be someone by their side who they can turn to with questions or problems. A mentor should have experience in the same role and know how to actively listen, provide constructive feedback and help with individual goal setting.
Leverage technology
There are more automation tools to consider, such as chatbots or virtual reality (VR). For example, chatbots can be used as an FAQ system to help your new hires when they need it. They can be programmed to answer frequently asked questions and provide links to relevant resources. Chatbots are also able to arrange appointments and meetings to keep everyone involved in the registration process on track.
Make sure the process is consistent
To ensure consistency, develop standard operating procedures that indicate who is responsible for each task and a timeline for completion. Also, provide new employees with clear communication about what to expect during the process. However, the most important part of consistency is using a centralized onboarding platform to ensure that all your new hires get the same onboarding experience.
Measure and analyze results
Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) can help organizations track and measure the success of their enrollment process. KPIs can include metrics such as productivity, retention rates, and satisfaction scores. Then use data analytics tools to track task and form completion, the time it takes to complete the entire process, and the success rate of new hires. This way you can see what you need to improve and make the necessary changes immediately.
Get feedback from new hires
Get feedback from your new employees using surveys and questionnaires. This can be done digitally – via an online platform or email – or in person. Surveys may include questions about clarity of communication, quality of training and overall experience. You can also gain insights through one-on-one meetings with managers or HR representatives. Ask your new hires questions about the process, including what went well or what could be improved. Finally, conduct frequent reviews and follow-ups to see how your new hires are progressing and gauge whether they need additional training to improve their performance.
Conclusion
Successful onboarding automation helps increase employee productivity and satisfaction. By following these best practices, you can improve the overall onboarding experience and set new hires up for success. With technology constantly advancing, every company must prioritize automating the onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition for every team member, including your HR and L&D departments. Last but not least, check out our list of the best onboarding LMS platforms to evaluate vendors and find the right tool for your new hire training programs.
