Top 5 Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) in 2024

Discover the leading employee experience platforms revolutionizing workplace engagement.

Employee experience and employee engagement are closely linked concepts that directly impact an organization’s relationship with its employees. Utilizing a holistic Employee Experience Platform (EXP) can significantly enhance both employee and customer satisfaction, transforming work environments and fostering positive employee relationships across various business sizes and industries.

Engaged employees with satisfactory working experiences are reportedly happier and more productive. This benefits organizations, too, with a boost in growth and profitability. Research confirms that even average-performing businesses can increase their revenue by 50% by moving from the bottom to the top quartile in employee experience metrics. But how can you get there?

It all starts with acknowledging that employee experience and engagement are built over the different phases in the employee journey, from onboarding to training and even when they leave the organization. Next, it requires going into details and using to streamline the granular aspects efficiently. This helps to foster engagement and build an excellent employee experience. Capturing real-time employee feedback through surveys and pulse checks is crucial for understanding staff needs and driving actionable changes, ultimately enhancing employee engagement and satisfaction.

In this blog, we explore these concepts, how employee engagement and experience differ, and with that understanding, evaluate the five most popular EXPs available in the market.

Employee Experience and Employee Engagement: What’s the difference

Employee experience is how an employee perceives an organization subjectively during their tenure at an organization.

On the other hand, employee engagement refers to an employee’s emotional investment in an organization toward achieving its goals through genuine concern. This emotional motivation transcends financial motives.

Simply put:

• Employee experience answers: “How does this company make me feel?”

• Employee engagement provides the emotional rationale to: “Why do I want this company to grow, and how can I help in that process?”

In that sense, employee experience can be deemed as a broader concept, encompassing an employee’s overall journey. In contrast, employee engagement is a specific aspect of that journey, focusing on the emotional and psychological connection. Improving both to create a positive employee experience and improve employee engagement is crucial for creating a positive and productive work environment, and using EXPs helps.

What are the key features of an Employee Experience Platform(EXP)?

• Exact features vary across different employee experience software, however, we’ve compiled a list of the most essential ones to improve organizational performance:

  • Self-service options: Employees love to control their lives professionally and personally, and self-service options help with taking charge. For instance, this includes features that simplify applying for leaves, making status updates, communicating effectively, etc.

  • Mobile accessibility: Mobile accessibility and compatibility features with iOS and Android help ensure the platform can be adopted by all - frontline, in-office, or hybrid workforce. The employee engagement platform must also be smooth and easy to use on different mobile screen sizes.

  • Learning management system (LMS): Gaining knowledge and acquiring skills is essential to ensuring motivated and productive employees - directly influencing engagement and experience. In-built LMS in the employee engagement app is thus an indispensable feature for delivering short- and long-term training programs in relevant fields.

  • Real-time communication capabilities: Hybrid work settings often reduce career conversations by 60%, impairing organizational communication. Thus, features such as private and group messaging, instant texts, and sending and receiving notes and documents are essential for seamless communication.

  • Integrations: EXPs must integrate with third-party applications and add-ons to simplify work and reduce manual redundancy, for example, connectivity with Google Suite, Office 365, or other popular enterprise tools. Integrating with existing HR systems is crucial to create a cohesive and personalized experience, enhancing overall functionality by connecting various tools and platforms used in the organization.

  • Analytics and insights: Analytics are crucial to tracking and managing key performance indicators (KPIs) related to employee experience and engagement. Data visualization tools, insightful reports, and result-oriented suggestions are a must.

  • Employee well-being: Ensuring employee well-being is critical to engagement and building a good experience. Community features, practical communication tools compatible with inclusive, DEI policies, and options to run psychological and physical health awareness campaigns are necessary.

  • Compliance and security: EXPs often gather enormous amounts of data, and prioritizing its protection and privacy is essential to comply with regulations.

  • Customization and personalization: Personalization helps employees work from a place of familiarity and belongingness and enhances their experience. Features like customizing UI-UX, setting and applying communication guidelines, enabling Do-Not-Disturb features, etc, are vital.

Why use Employee Experience Platforms: What are the benefits?

• Increases the desire of employees to stick to their current jobs by 82%, significantly reducing turnover costs. These tools do just that!

• Heightened productivity: EXP helps optimize workflows with collaborative features, communication tools, and task management functionalities. These enhance the employee experience and directly boost productivity and performance.

• Data-driven insights: EXPs collect different data, such as employee user behavior, semantic data, information related to employee experience and engagement, etc. HR and business leaders can leverage these insights to make strategic, data-driven decisions that positively impact organizational outcomes. This helps generate insights to empower informed decision-making.

Now, let us explore the top 5 Employee Experience Platforms 

#1 Speakap: The Employee Experience Platform Your Employees Will Lov

Speakap is an employee experience platform (EXP) that boosts employee productivity and simplifies collaboration. From improved communication campaigns to successful onboarding experiences and training, the employee engagement app helps manage various aspects contributing to employee engagement and understanding.

Speakap’s internal communication software is developed with a mobile-first philosophy, putting the employees’ experience first. Using it, commonly overlooked employee groups like frontline workers benefit from seamless communication, collaboration, and an excellent experience. The tool has a friendly and customizable UX that can be tailored to each employee’s region, store, team, and role to deliver the most desirable employee experience and boost organizational efficiency. The employee engagement tool is in sync with the latest global standards and leverages AI to simplify creating content. For example, you can use it to translate your existing PDFs and print-outs into an online format and simply edit the first draft generated.

Here are some distinguishing features of Speakap:

• Social intranet features: Most companies often underestimate the importance of employee social interactions and how these add value and impact employee experiences.  Speakaps’ social intranet features are designed to establish a community that drives engagement and fosters a culture of mutual recognition and appreciation. Using it, individuals can send asynchronous and instant messages, communicate effectively, and promote a meaningful communication experience. By using the communication abilities on its employee hub Dominos App powered by Speakap, the pizza giant multiplied its intel, and its employees started producing twice as fast.

• Workforce Analytics: With Speakap you can tap into your workforce analytics to make each message better than the last. Check workforce analytics related to adoption, engagement and content performance across your company. Spot trends and improve your employee experience strategy. You don’t need to be a workforce analytics expert to interpret the data; it’s that simple.

• Manage and monitor employee journeys efficiently throughout the entire employee lifecycle: Speakap takes care of every minute aspect associated with the different employee lifecycle stages, right from onboarding to training and organizational change. By managing the entire employee lifecycle, Speakap ensures a unified approach to enhancing employee engagement and satisfaction. Using it, you can take your workforce through multi-step information flows and bring them up to speed while fostering a positive experience. Its employee app can help you create, automate, and launch tailored content for specific groups, regions, and departments, ensuring your employees feel validated.

• Efficient task management: These features of Speakap help you organize work so teams know what to do, why it matters, and how to do it. Using it, you can improve the employee experience by reducing miscommunication, delays, and conflicting information. The task management features of Speakap’s internal communication software greatly benefited De Waal Auto Group in streamlining communication and ensuring its 300 employees across departments were well-informed about organizational happenings at all times.

#2 Vantage Circle 

Vantage Circle is an employee experience tool that enables you to drive collaboration, employee well-being, and workplace productivity. Some of its top features include the ability to:

• Manage and monitor employee recognition programs, including peer-to-peer recognition and manager appreciation, which enhance employee engagement and make individuals feel valued within the workforce.

• Manage key employee milestones and appreciate each others’ achievements. The tool also allows users to send each other greetings and wishes.

• Implement real-time interactions and conduct surveys for enhanced communication and feedback analysis.

• Run well-being programs focusing on employees’ physical and mental health by tying to DEI policies that reflect an inclusive working environment.

#3 Motivosity 

Motivosity helps manage employee experience and focuses on employee recognition and rewards. It comes with community features that encourage employees to appreciate each other. In addition, it also helps improve managers’ experience, which has a trickle-down effect on those working under them. Finally, it provides insights concerning employee rewards and recognition to help with appraisals. With this tool, businesses can

• Encourage employees to validate and appreciate each other while tying these behaviors to a system of rewards.

• Focus on managers and their needs to help them grow as better leaders. Professional development is crucial in enhancing employee engagement, improving overall well-being, and contributing to a positive workplace culture.

• Analyze employee sentiment, understand fluctuations granularly, and take appropriate action.

• Integrate with your other HR-related software solutions.

#4 15Five 

15Five focuses on performance management and helps you identify areas for employee experience enhancement by tracking employee progress. It also enables you to maintain a continuous feedback loop that motivates employees and managers. You can use this tool to:

• Identify Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

• Gather feedback from key individuals to help manage employee performance. 

• Use the AI-powered assistant to monitor employees. 

• Work on the HR Outcomes Dashboard to track essential employee experience and performance metrics.

#5 Workday 

Workday is a human capital management (HCM) tool with employee experience features. It has customizable dashboards, predictive analytics, and employee engagement features. It offers real-time employee engagement analytics that helps you identify employees' specific needs and requirements. Based on these insights, you can make decisions that affect employee experience. Using it, organizations can:

• Leverage machine learning to deliver personalized employee experiences 

• Send reminders to employees when they miss specific goals or targets

• Manage employee journey during onboarding, promotions, and off-boarding. 

• Generate critical reports and insights based on data from different sources. 

Are you still wondering how to choose the right EXP from one of these? Make sure you think this through and ask all the questions listed below.

How do you choose the right Employee Experience Platform?

Choosing the right employee experience platform doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is to establish a well-rounded perspective about your overall needs.

For that, here are 9 areas to think about and question yourself:

1. Identify organizational needs: Does the product address your needs and give you the ROI you need while enhancing employee experience? By streamlining HR processes and automating tasks such as onboarding and performance management, HR professionals can focus on strategic initiatives.

2. Scalability: Can you add or remove modules based on your fluctuating usage?

3. User-friendly interface: Can you ask someone to run UX/UI tests before purchasing?

4. Customization options: Can your employees customize the interface to suit their preferences? Can your tech team customize the tool to align with your business strategy?

5. Integration capabilities: How easy is it to integrate with third-party apps?

6. Security and compliance: Does the tool comply with the rules and regulations of the jurisdiction you fall under?

7. Mobile accessibility: How does using it on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets feel? What about the UX on different screen sizes?

8. Customer support: Will the vendor offer any time support after you purchase the product? How about training assistance?

9. Analytics and reporting: All reports and analytics aren’t the same. Will you get the insights you specifically need? Confirm with the vendor.

Bottom Line: Adopt EXPs as they are the future of work

Employee Experience Platforms (EXPs) have consolidated their position as a game-changer in offering innovative solutions to elevate the employee journey and benefit organizations. These tools help streamline communication, promote collaboration, or prioritize employee well-being and are the future of work. 

While several excellent employee experience platforms are in the market, we've compiled the most popular ones equipped with valuable features. When choosing from these, understand your unique organizational requirements and needs. Most importantly, focus on your employees' unique requirements as well. This can depend on several factors, such as their experience level, working mode, familiarity with technology, etc. 

Finally, remember that the key to success lies in adopting and utilizing these platforms as integral components of a comprehensive employee experience strategy. 

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