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As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. For companies, onboarding is that first impression for new hires. To make sure it’s a good one, organizations are embracing new onboarding technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).
“Clunky, disorganized processes lead to confusion, lower engagement, feeling overwhelmed, and, unfortunately, sometimes early turnover,” said Jennifer Mihajlov, executive vice president of North America at Qualee.
A smooth onboarding experience “sets the tone,” she added. “It makes new hires feel welcomed, informed and connected from day one.”
Onboarding technology makes the process more efficient, which benefits both companies and their new employees. Here’s a look at some of the latest onboarding technology and how to incorporate it to boost engagement and retention.
AI in Onboarding Technology
Many companies are using AI-powered chatbots to provide “24/7 access to information and support” during onboarding, said Sarah Beth Todd, vice president of client and sales excellence at Equifax Workforce Solutions. Chatbots answer questions quickly and provide documents, such as forms and training manuals, whenever someone needs it.
For new employees, AI bots can be a “coach or virtual manager along the way” to ensure they complete paperwork, undergo training and learn about the company, said Luck Dookchitra, vice president of people and culture at Leapsome.
For HR teams, bots create workflows tracking an employee’s onboarding progress, sending reminders and checking in periodically, Dookchitra added. AI bots can also help HR ensure compliance — including that new hires adhere to tax, legal, regulatory and company requirements, Todd said.
Organizations are also offering mobile, integrated onboarding systems to improve experiences for employees, Todd said. This helps people complete the steps wherever they are and enter information in one place.
Mobile, self-service onboarding systems also make work easier for HR staff, so they can “focus on the more strategic parts of helping that employee feel excited versus answering technical questions,” Todd said.
Sentiment analysis and people analytics are other technologies to incorporate into onboarding to predict and mitigate turnover, Todd said. These tools also gather feedback about onboarding, to help organizations tweak their processes.
For instance, tools can detect emotional cues from survey responses, Mihajlov said. Others identify profiles of employees likely to stay with the company for several years, so company leaders can offer training opportunities to foster their growth, Todd added.
The Benefits of Streamlining Onboarding
Both HR teams and new employees have issues with the current process. In a 2024 survey by Paychex, 20% of employees said they were “dissatisfied” with their onboarding experiences, and about a third of those planned to look for new jobs because of it.
“It's absolutely critical to make a positive first impression,” Todd said. It spreads the word about company culture, sets expectations and gives workers the tools for success.
If onboarding is too complicated, employees may abandon the process and go to work somewhere else, Todd said. “They may feel, if this process is this hard just to start working for you, what is it going to be like actually working for you?”
Using technology improves retention. Employees onboarded with AI are 30% less likely to quit in their first year compared to those not onboarded with AI, the Paychex survey found.
AI can make onboarding more efficient and personalized, such as with customized learning opportunities, tailored content and automated meetings and check-ins, Mihajlev said
The technology saves HR teams time by reducing manual tasks and processes, Dookchitra added. It can also improve compliance, Todd said.
Smooth onboarding experiences protect organizations’ investments in recruitment, Mihajlov noted. “Iif it’s not done well from the beginning, all the talent work goes out the window.”
Getting Started with Onboarding Technology
It can be difficult to know where you can improve your onboarding technology. Here are some tips for getting started:
Identify Pain Points
Examine your current onboarding process and identify where the bottlenecks are, Todd said. That includes noting where errors occur, which tasks are mundane and what aspects cause problems for new employees.
Then, compare it to your “dream process,” or what you want to achieve with onboarding, Todd said. This will help reveal the changes you need to make to reach those goals.
Map Out a Plan
Once goals and problems have been identified, think about where it makes sense to automate and where humans are necessary to the process, Dookchitra said. Sometimes, this is a trial-and-error approach.
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“It's really important to be thoughtful about which processes you are trying to fix,” Dookchitra said. “You don’t have to do everything all at once. The best thing is just to start slow and test it out and then get people more comfortable within that system.”
Factor in Security and Data Protection
Make it clear to new hires and existing employees which aspects of onboarding are AI-centric and which are done by humans, Dookchitra said. “That will give people more comfort about who they’re interacting with, what they’re interacting with.”
Involve information technology and security teams to ensure data protection and safety are part of the process, Mihajlov said. For transparency, explain to employees how the data they provide is being used and how it will be protected.
Talk to Vendors
Dozens of companies offer onboarding tools. Mihajlov suggested reaching out to vendors that you already use for other HR technology to see what they offer to meet onboarding needs.
Whatever vendor you choose, make sure the onboarding technology integrates with your existing tools, Mihajlov said. Also make sure it addresses your specific onboarding pain points and does what you need, and that the vendor keeps up with compliance regulations, Todd noted.
Maintain the Human Touch
AI and other technology can be more efficient for HR and employees, but you still need humans involved. Over-automation can feel impersonal and decrease engagement, Mihajlov said.
“If somebody just has a bot talk to them the whole time, they’d probably not feel very much like they matter,” Dookchitra said. She suggested organizations incorporate a one-on-one, in-person meeting to discuss company culture during onboarding.
Another idea is to give new hires a contact, such as an HR representative or individual manager, to reach out to during onboarding, Todd said. “That makes it feel more personal.”
People remain an essential part of onboarding, Mihajlov emphasized. “Technology should advance, but not replace. We’re trying to create a system that can take away manual processes so that we give back time for that human interaction.”
Editor's Note: Read more onboarding tips below:
- Balance the Tech and the Human When Onboarding — Tech tools facilitate the onboarding process, but they shouldn’t replace human interaction. Integrating new hires in the company culture takes intention.
- 4 Steps to Better Onboarding — A new employee’s first impression of a company often comes from the ease of onboarding. Some strategies to make that impression one they’ll want to stick by.
- How Inclusive Onboarding Can Cut Turnover and Boost Belonging — An inclusive onboarding strategy isn’t difficult to execute, yet it does require intentional actions and mindful consideration.
