Remote Employee Onboarding Software

It’s no secret what can happen when a digital employee onboarding goes wrong. Perhaps you’ve been on one end of a failed onboarding and remember the agony of system glitches, miscommunications, awkward silences, or rambling executives unsure what they’re supposed to say. First impressions are far too important to allow a newer employee to have a bad experience during their first days.

Many of these virtual onboarding failures are the result of poor planning or a misunderstanding of what makes an online onboarding different. Welcoming new employees in person is far less complicated because you’re immersing your new hires into your culture immediately. It’s far more complex to bring the culture and everything else to your employees when you onboard remote workers. 

When COVID first forced many businesses into the remote workforce with little warning, many businesses tried to adapt quickly by utilizing the same programs they were already using in the office or for personal organization. The result was a lot of scatterbrained onboardings utilizing three or more programs. 

Calendar links and Zoom meetings scheduled at the last minute will not send the right first impression to your new hires. Even if they aren’t working in your office, you want them to feel like a valued part of your team. You want them to understand the culture and pride of your brand. That only happens when you utilize professional HR onboarding software, preferably customized to your unique need.  

To enjoy the many digital onboarding benefits, you need to use one remote employee onboarding software. A single software that mimics the engagement and enthusiasm of life back at the office is ideal because it avoids the awkward disconnect and confusion that many new hires feel when onboarded remotely through a more scattered, multi-app approach.

Online Employee Onboarding

How do you avoid an online employee onboarding gone wrong? The easiest way is to consider everything that may go wrong and work to avoid those problems during the planning and preparation phase. If you’re reading this because you are searching for employee onboarding services, have an onboarding scheduled or look forward to onboarding remote workers soon, you’re in that phase right now. 

There are a lot of things that can go wrong during a virtual onboarding session. Let’s go over some of the potential remote onboarding problems right now, providing some tips to upgrade your employee onboarding systems from the start. 

Technical Glitches 

Conference calls that suddenly drop due to unstable WiFi. New hires unable to get into a virtual conference room (or they don’t even know where to go). Entire speeches that no one can hear due to volume issues. There are so many technical glitches that can ruin an onboarding session or at least make it much longer than necessary. 

You can avoid most glitches by selecting onboarding software for small businesses that has been thoroughly tested. You don’t want to run with a free program that was released quickly because it’s likely to have bugs that aren’t yet worked out. 

Once you select your software, take the time to understand how each of the features work. Software training is essential to make sure you understand all of the features and use them correctly. 

Rambling Meetings 

How long can an executive or HR employee speak when they don’t have clear talking points or venture away from the original plan? Quite a long time, and the result is boredom, confusion, and frustration for your new employees. 

This is easily solved by working with a software that allows you to pre-record most if not all of your onboarding material. The recordings are easily created one piece at a time and then arranged into the most effective and logical order. The result is a streamlined onboarding experience that moves at the right pace and strikes the right tone. 

Plus, everyone involved in the onboarding will feel less pressure to get it all right the first time out. They can redo their recording until they get it right, and then they’re done! 

Lack of Interaction 

There’s nothing more frustrating than a virtual meeting filled with awkward silence. If you’ve ever asked a question no one wanted to answer, you understand the problem clearly. You can avoid this only by selecting software that allows you to generate engagement from the start. For instance, you may want to send out polls or other small tasks that give your new hires a fun way to participate. Sending these polls or surveys out before the session can also be included in the new hires pre-work.

If nothing else, giving out small treats like company swag for those willing to participate may work. Just announce the goodies at the start, getting your new hires fired up to win something. 

Onboarding Systems

There are so many onboarding systems available today that you may struggle to determine which one best meets your needs. Do you go with an HR system like Sentrifugo or BambooHR Onboarding? What about Zoho Onboarding or simply going with a well-known solution like Slack? Those are big names in human resources with lots of experience but there are other systems that can be used for onboarding as well.

Those options all have their advantages, and all onboarding platform vendors are going to tell you that they have the best employee onboarding software available. Your job is to identify which one is telling you the truth. That requires detailed knowledge of what you’re looking for in a software. 

You can start by listing the essential features that you know you will need. For instance, you need an easy way for new hires to communicate with select members of your team. You also need a way to present and share information. Checklists may make it easy for everyone to follow the onboarding without confusion. 

From there, select one software that checks all of your boxes. For the best results, go with a software that solves problems after the onboarding as well. For instance, how will you keep your remote workers connected to employees in the office? How will they ask for technical assistance or access internal memos?

Your chosen onboarding system should serve as a comprehensive program that maximizes success for all of your online meetings moving forward. Employees at all levels can utilize this software for team meetings, review sessions, strategy collaborations, and more. 

Schedule your Filo demo to discover an onboarding software that lives up to that ideal. Attract, develop and retain the right talent with collaborative live onboarding and training experiences. 

Employee Onboarding Tools

Many onboardings go wrong because they’re carried out with programs that weren’t designed for remote work, HR applications or virtual onboarding softwares. A great SaaS onboarding software will allow you to customize features to fit your unique needs. Without that customization option, you cannot consider any program the best onboarding software for your company. 

As you explore the many employee onboarding tools available today, question how often you will use the software after your remote employees are fully onboarded. Are there features you can utilize to maintain and support your virtual workforce moving forward? 

It’s easy to question how a software will fit into your budget. That’s a consideration you have to keep in mind, but so is the experience that you want your new employees to have. The best talent is in high demand today, and a great onboarding that leads to a sense of connection and value will work in your favor as you establish trust and loyalty with talent you want to keep long term. 

Digital Onboarding Process

Digital onboarding, also known as virtual or remote onboarding, needs a well throughout process. The process is handled in technology that digitizes or mimics the experience of an in-person onboarding. This includes signing all forms, reviewing company benefits, meeting company execs and team members, reviewing job responsibilities, training for the role and other important information and materials.

If you’re designing your first digital onboarding process or know that it’s time to upgrade an existing system, Filo’s virtual onboarding guide is an invaluable resource. We collected top-notch advice from human resource experts and sales enablement professionals to create one comprehensive guide that serves as a free onboarding template. The guide covers ways to inspire, align, enable and connect the recruits.

This guide is packed with strategies that cover everything from communicating your company culture virtually to stimulating engagement with employees. It’s the best free onboarding template you will find online today, and it’s ready to download now. 

If you’re interested in a sample employee onboarding, consider signing up for a Filo.co demo. We’ll show you exactly how our remote onboarding software can meet the unique needs of your company. Come armed with questions and your list of must-have features because we’re ready to show you our software in action. 

During the great resignation, don't let your onboarding experience be part of the problem. Create streamlined virtual onboarding experiences that align, educate, and energize new hires from day one.