If you work in human resources, you probably understand how important it is to effectively organize the remote employee onboarding process. The primary goal of onboarding is to acclimate new employees to their roles and helps them understand the company’s core values.
Choosing the right remote onboarding tools is essential because you want new hires to feel comfortable and engaged.
Using onboarding automation tools ensures that the process is smooth and seamless from beginning to end.
“69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding.”
SHRM
Many employees leave a company when the onboarding experience is not professional or not well-organized. High turnover rates lead to low productivity and company morale, making it even harder to attract new talent.
If you’re still using lengthy paper-based documents to onboard employees, consider switching to remote onboarding tools to digitize your new hire process.
The intricacies of remote employee onboarding
Onboarding efficiently is vital to the success of your business. It ensures that remote hires get the information, support, and training they need to succeed in the company.
Remote employees should become familiar with their new company’s expectations of them and how they can find resources like instructional videos. You want employees to have excellent onboarding experiences to assimilate to the company culture and fit in with the current team.
You can attract top talent when hiring remote teams because you are not limited geographically. It’s also a great way to save the company money as you won’t have to pay for costly onsite programs for onboarding.
But the remote onboarding experience comes with challenges, such as building a strong work culture and relationships. When onboarding doesn’t go smoothly, whether remote or onsite, it can lead to employee turnover, low employee productivity, and decreased job satisfaction.
To make the onboarding process more accessible, try delegating a direct manager to be the new hire’s onboarding buddy. It can be difficult for new employees to talk to managers, but it can be less complicated for the new member to ask questions and receive feedback when you pair them together.
Put together a remote onboarding checklist and include an introductory meeting, one-on-one meetings, virtual training, and a new hire survey.
A quick comparison table
Starting price (billed annually) | Free trial | Operating system | G2 ratings | |
---|---|---|---|---|
airSlate | $30/mo | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, Mobile (iOS, Android) | 4.6 / 5.0 |
ProProfs | $1/learner/mo ($300/annually) |
Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux), Mobile (Android) |
4.3 / 5.0 |
Slack | $6.67/user/mo | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.5 / 5.0 |
Avoma | $20/user/mo |
Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, | 4.7 / 5.0 |
Monday .com | $8/seat/mo | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.7 / 5.0 |
WorkBright | $178 / mo (1-100 users) |
N/A | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based | 4.8 / 5.0 |
Assembly | $2.80 member/mo (50 members max) |
Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based | 4.7 / 5.0 |
Zoom | $149.90/year (100 members) |
Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux), On-premise (Windows, Linux), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.5 / 5.0 |
DottedSign | $8/mo | Yes |
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.7 / 5.0 |
Gusto | $39/mo | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based | 4.3 / 5.0 |
ClearCompany | Custom quote | No | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.6 / 5.0 |
BambooHR | Custom quote | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based Desktop (Mac, Windows), Mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) |
4.4 / 5.0 |
OnPay | $40/mo | Yes | Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based, Mobile (iOS, Android) | 4.8 / 5.0 |
13+ Useful tools to streamline your remote onboarding process
Check out these top 13 remote onboarding tools to help with your new employee onboarding.
1. airSlate
airSlate is the all-in-one no-code document workflow automation solution for teams and businesses of all sizes. airSlate helps human resource departments across different industries speed up their employee onboarding process with its HR templates. Imagine having all your document workflows in one place. Well, airSlate does that for you.
airSlate doesn’t require any coding knowledge in order to set up your automation and integrations.
airSlate’s key advantage is its thousands of pre-built workflow templates and no-code Bots for a wide range of use cases — HR departments can automate their most-used workflows, from employee onboarding to absence leave requests, in minutes.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, airSlate offers a Free version and a Free trial period. The Basic plan starts at $30/flow creator/month. The airSlate Business Cloud will cost you $50/flow creator/month for a minimum of five users.
2. ProProfs
ProProfs is a software company that makes online tools for a variety of different needs, including employee training, education, and customer satisfaction. ProProfs’ goal is to help companies make smarter employees by giving you tools for training and tracking their progress.
ProProfs Training Maker is an all-in-one software that allows you to customize courses, create learning resources, and build a learner community.
You can find tools on their website like a training maker, a knowledge base, a quiz maker, Q&A forums, and a project tracker. Plus, you can add quizzes and games, making the training more engaging.
ProProfs has three plans: Essentials, Premium, and Business. The Essentials plan is billed annually at $1 per month per learner. So for 25 learners, you would pay $300 for the year. The Premium plan is $1.50, and the Business plan is $1.97.
You would pay $591 per year for 25 learners (you can customize the number of learners and the price will adjust accordingly). The Business plan gives you unlimited features for just a few cents more.
3. Slack
Slack provides you with a digital headquarters where your entire company can connect. You can create channels to connect across departments, whether for sales, special projects, or new remote hires.
Slack promotes a healthy remote work environment by providing the necessary tools for employees to work how they like. You can chat, send audio and video, or host virtual meetings.
Remote hires can benefit from using Slack because it creates a virtual network of employees and makes it feel as if everyone is together.
You can try Slack for free for as long as you want, you will only have access to essential tools like messaging and video calls. For more features, upgrade to a paid monthly plan.
The Pro plan is $6.67 a month and is an excellent option for small teams who need a better way to collaborate. The Business plan is $12.50 a month and provides a way for you to scale your business and increase productivity while keeping your remote teams connected. The Enterprise plan is for the most demanding business and requires you to customize your pricing with a representative.
4. Avoma
Avoma is one of the best conversation intelligence platforms out there. They position themselves as a meeting lifecycle assistant and can significantly accelerate your remote onboarding process.
This AI-powered meeting lifecycle assistant helps you across the phases of your meeting — before the meeting (to prepare using its agenda templates and reduce no-shows using reminders), during the meeting (by taking notes on your behalf and collaborating with your peers), and after the meeting (with conversation intelligence and revenue intelligence).
You can use Avoma to collaborate with teams and onboard new members faster by creating and sharing helpful playlists, sharing asynchronous comments/feedback, and snippets of information on the fly.
Try Avoma for free with a 14-day trial.
Select from one of their many plans that include varying features. They offer pricing plans from $0 to $130 based on what you need and do not compel you to commit annually.
5. Monday.com
Monday.com is a platform designed to let you customize your workflow any way you want. It has some excellent HR use cases where you can track talent and engage with employees.
The software lets you attract and engage top talent, streamline the onboarding experience, and manage employee development. Give new hires a place to learn and develop their skills while maintaining their well-being.
Monday.com has several plans to choose from and pricing ranges from a free plan to more customized programs. The standard plan is their most popular, for $10 per seat, per month. It allows you to collaborate and optimize your team processes with over 250 automated processes and integrations.
6. Flair
Automate your human resources team with Flair. Flair is a complete HR platform that adapts to your company’s needs and provides efficient software. Out of the box, you will get automation features for simple, everyday tasks with options to customize.
You can keep track of all employees with an internal database.
Enter information about employee salaries, schedules, and workloads. The HR dashboard gives you tools to onboard new hires, manage documents, plan shifts, track time, and export payroll.
Plans start at $3.25 a month and go up to $7.58 for their performance package. The performance plan is excellent for complex needs and those who want enhanced HR processes.
7. WorkBright
WorkBright builds HR tools for small and medium-sized businesses. Hiring new staff can often be repetitive and time-consuming.
If you don’t want your new employees to leave because of a slow onboarding process, try this software to guide you through the speedy process of getting people to work faster.
WorkBright specializes in collecting and verifying human resource documents. The software will transform your hiring packet into a library of intelligent forms. It will also guide your employees through the I-9 form and instantly submit E-verify cases.
You can choose a plan that fits the needs of your business, whether you have 50 employees or 50,000.
The lowest package includes all government forms and complete custom employee paperwork for $178 a month. The most extensive plan is for companies with 50,000 or more employees and costs $3,970 a month.
8. Assembly
Assembly helps you create automated processes for every HR task and provides a seamless and customizable interface. Create new hire surveys and gain insights into their thoughts and feelings about the company and onboarding process.
You can also celebrate their accomplishments by introducing an employee recognition system.
Try Assembly for free to get a feel for the software before committing.
If you’re ready to commit, start off with the lite or standard plan. The lite plan is excellent for companies focused on employee engagement and costs $2.80 per member every month. The standard plan is for companies that are focused on amplifying their cross-functional engagement and costs $4.50 per member.
9. Zoom
Zoom allows you to take work with you wherever you go with seamless video conferencing software. Have formal meetings with HD video and clear audio, create webinars filled with features, host virtual events, chat with employees on the messaging app, and collaborate outside of meetings.
Zoom has packages for small teams, small businesses, and large enterprises.
The pro account can host up to 100 people and costs $149.90 a year. The business plan allows you to host up to 300 participants and costs $199.90 for the year. The enterprise plan hosts up to 500 participants and costs $240 a year.
10. DottedSign
Like most businesses, you probably have many documents that need to be signed and managed. DottedSign is an excellent tool for intelligent eSignature solutions.
This eSignature tool is one of the popular DocuSign alternatives that introduces a number of different advantages. You can sign documents from anywhere on any device, multitask by organizing all tasks in one place, and track the progress of each signer.
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and experience DottedSign before you buy.
The plans are flexible and start at $8 a month for a Pro account. If you want to expand your capacity and access more advanced features, try the Business account for $15 a month. Contact the support team for a customized payment plan for businesses with many users on one account.
11. Gusto
Gusto is an all-in-one people platform that can hire, pay, insure, and support your employees. You can access the full-service payroll service, employee benefits, attendance tracking, talent management, insightful reports, and an intuitive onboarding process.
Gusto offers multiple payment options depending on your business size and needs.
The lowest option is $39 a month and is fantastic for small businesses with simple payroll. Companies with more complex payroll and sophisticated HR needs can choose the top plan for $149 a month.
You also can customize a payment plan if your needs are more elaborate.
12. ClearCompany
ClearCompany is an award-winning talent management system. The intelligent software uses best practices to hire, retain, and engage top talent. Make faster decisions by planning effectively and stay compliant by managing remote work policies and onboarding paperwork.
Also, improve company performance by hiring top talent and providing real-time employee feedback.
Because there is no one-size-fits-all for businesses, ClearCompany doesn’t have regular monthly plans. If you want access to the software, you can request a free demo and fill out a form to get a customized quote. Prices will vary and depend on a company’s size and needs.
13. BambooHR
BambooHR is software that handles all of your human resource needs, including analytics, hiring, onboarding, compensation, and company culture.
Implement an applicant tracking system, streamline onboarding, gather eSignatures, and conduct off-boarding. Create a positive company culture by measuring employee performance, understanding overall job satisfaction, and creating a plan of action.
If you’re interested in signing up for BambooHR, you must contact them and get a custom quote.
Your pricing package will depend on the size of your company and the features you choose to add. The more features you add, the higher the price will be. You can add and take away things you don’t need as your business progresses, making it completely customizable.
You don’t have to pay for something you won’t use.
14. OnPay
OnPay is a payroll, HR, and benefits platform that makes it easier for professionals to run their businesses. With their automated platform, you can effortlessly pay your team on time, issue the correct benefits to the right staff, onboard talent, and stay compliant in your state.
OnPay integrates with multiple high-quality tools, such as QuickBooks and Mineral.
The first month and setup are free, so you can test out OnPay before you buy.
And when you’re ready to take the plunge, you can start at $40 a month as a base fee. Businesses will then pay $6 per every person onboarded to the software.
Wrap Up
With the insurgence of companies going fully remote or hybrid, there is an increasing demand for intuitive tools that help companies attract, onboard, engage and boost the morale of new remote hires.
As a result, you can now find many software companies providing top-rated platforms and resources for struggling human resource teams everywhere.
HR software can only improve from here, so be on the lookout for new and exciting tools.
These top 13 software companies will help you effectively onboard new remote employees quickly.
If you want to attract top talent, speed up onboarding, use perceptive communication tools, and increase employee satisfaction, you need to integrate HR technology into your processes.
FAQ
Remote onboarding is the process of welcoming a new employee to a company and integrating them into business processes. Remote onboarding entails the introduction to the company’s digital technology and software stack to ensure efficient team collaboration. One of the key aspects of remote onboarding is making new employees familiar with the company culture and policies.
1. Ensure effective pre-onboarding communication from contract signing to the first day of work.
2. Collaborate with the new remote employee during the onboarding process.
3. Tailor the onboarding experience to each new employee.
4. Keep remote employees engaged with checklists and nudges.
5. Human resources should gather feedback to improve the onboarding process.
6. Measure success with onboarding metrics.
The best practices of welcoming a new remote employee include:
1. Making the proper company introduction
2. Elaborating on the company’s structure
3. Assigning a virtual mentor to guide the new employee
4. Providing digital welcome treats, such as gift cards, vouchers, etc.
5. Pairing the new employee up with a work buddy.
Remote onboarding gives new employees the feeling of connection and allows for building personal bonds. It is also crucial for remote employees to learn how the company works and its organizational structure.
Human resources should take the following steps to integrate new remote team members:
– Prepare the set-up beforehand (check their Wi-Fi connection, ensure they have valid logins and company access, VPN connection, familiar with security guidelines, etc.)
– Adapt onboarding materials for virtual learning (convert hard copy materials into digital files)
– Make virtual introductions (set up introductory calls with leaders and teams the new employee will be in contact with)
– Communicate often (hold weekly one-on-ones to communicate formally and informally)
– Gather feedback (involve your new hire in your company’s feedback process).
Try airSlate.