Onboarding tools: types, features and how to choose one

Onboarding tools are software solutions that help you plan the onboarding of new employees, assign tasks and keep documents, accounts and appointments in one place. For businesses with 10 to 500 employees there are roughly three types: dedicated onboarding software, HR software with built-in onboarding, and general tools such as spreadsheets or project boards. The best choice is usually a tool that connects directly to your employee records, so everything collected during onboarding ends up in the right file straight away. See how that works in our onboarding tool for new employees.

What are onboarding tools?

An onboarding tool is software that structures everything between a signed contract and the end of the induction period. Instead of spreadsheet checklists and email reminders, you define once which tasks come with every new starter, and the tool assigns them to HR, the team lead, IT and the new hire. Everyone knows what to do and by when, even when several people start in the same week.

Most onboarding tools cover three phases: preboarding before day one, the first day itself and the first weeks of settling in. Which steps belong in which phase is explained in our article on the onboarding process.

What types of onboarding tools are there?

There are three types of onboarding tools, and the main difference is how well they connect to the rest of your HR processes. The right type depends on your company size, how often you hire and the systems you already use.

Dedicated onboarding software

Dedicated onboarding software focuses entirely on onboarding, often with learning modules, quizzes and a separate portal for new hires. It suits companies that hire at volume and have their own training team. The downside: employee data usually has to move to your HR system through an integration or by hand.

HR software with built-in onboarding

HR software with built-in onboarding links the onboarding flow to employee files, contracts, leave and company equipment. Whatever a new hire fills in during onboarding lands directly in their file. For most small and mid-sized businesses this is the most practical option, because HR maintains one system and team leads work with the same account.

General tools such as spreadsheets or project boards

Many companies start with a spreadsheet checklist or a project board. That works for one or two hires a year. As soon as several people start at once, you miss reminders, clear ownership and an overview of which tasks are done.

Onboarding tools compared: the three types

Which features should an onboarding tool have?

A good onboarding tool takes the recurring organisation off your hands and makes sure every new hire gets the same solid start. These features matter most for small and mid-sized businesses:

• Templates for onboarding flows that you can adapt per role or location
• Tasks for HR, team leads, IT and the new hire, each with a deadline and automatic reminder
• Contracts and documents generated from templates and signed digitally
• Self-service, so new hires add their own details such as address and bank account
• An overview of equipment handed out, such as laptops, phones or keys
• Progress per person at a glance, so you see where things get stuck

A ready-made list of tasks per phase is in our onboarding checklist.

Example: three new starters in one month

Picture a company with 45 employees where three new people join two teams in March. Without a tool, HR sends the same emails to IT three times, hunts for contract templates and chases team leads about the induction plan. With an onboarding tool, HR starts one flow per person from a template: IT automatically gets the task for the laptop and accounts, the team lead schedules the first check-in and the new hire fills in their own details. HR sees in one overview which tasks are still open.

How do you choose the right onboarding tool?

You find the right onboarding tool by describing your own process first and only then comparing tools. Work through these steps:

• Step 1: Note how many people start each year and who is involved in onboarding
• Step 2: List the tasks that come with every new starter, from contract to induction plan
• Step 3: Check whether the tool connects to your employee records and payroll, or whether you will keep data twice
• Step 4: Look for ease of use for team leads and new hires, not only for HR
• Step 5: Check data protection and access rights, because onboarding involves a lot of personal data
• Step 6: Test the tool with a real new starter before you decide

What are the pros and cons of onboarding tools?

Onboarding tools mainly save time and create a consistent start, but they take some setup at the beginning.

Pros of onboarding tools

• Every new hire gets the same structured start, regardless of who happens to have time
• Fewer follow-up questions and emails, because tasks and deadlines are visible to everyone
• Data and documents are stored centrally instead of scattered across inboxes and folders
• New hires can add details and read documents before their first day

Cons of onboarding tools

• You need to describe your process clearly once before a tool can support it
• A separate tool next to your HR software means another system with its own logins
• A tool does not replace a personal welcome from the team and team lead

Onboarding with HoorayHR

HoorayHR is all-in-one HR software for small and mid-sized businesses, in which you organise onboarding in the same place as employee files, contracts and leave. With our HR workflows you start a flow from a template for every new hire, assign tasks to HR, team leads and IT, and get reminders before a deadline passes. You create contracts from templates and have them signed digitally, and our document management keeps every file in the employee’s record. New hires add their own details through the app.

An onboarding tool pays off most when it grows with your company: start with one simple template for everyone and refine it per role once you see what new hires really need.