If you're involved with HR tech, or with any workplace technology for that matter, you may have noticed two prominent trends emerge: "Best of Suite" and "Best-of-Breed" solutions. So, which approach is best to employee engagement surveys?
While Best-of-Suite solutions offer an all-in-one approach, bundling various functionalities under a single umbrella, Best-of-Breed solutions focus on specialised tools for specific tasks or areas.
➡️ What is Best-of-Suite? Best-of-Suite solutions are integrated software packages that combine multiple functionalities into one platform. They offer broad capabilities with the benefit of seamless interconnectivity between tools. However, they might not delve deeply into any single specialised domain.
➡️ What is Best-of-Breed? Best-of-Breed solutions are specialised tools considered top-tier in their specific niche. They prioritise depth and expertise in a single function, and they solve the issue of interconnectivity by integrating with other systems for a comprehensive approach.
Best-of-Breed vs. Best-of-Suite for employee engagement
In the realm of employee engagement, a typical example of Best-of-Suite is when an HRIS system adds a wide spectrum of functionalities to its platform and includes a module for employee engagement surveys. This may mean that you use the same platform for everything from salaries and recruitment to employee surveys and performance management.
Eletive, on the other hand, is a perfect example of a Best-of-Breed solution. We have a very sharp focus on providing the best possible toolkit for working with employee engagement and performance.
In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of each approach and help you decide which one is best for your organisation.
The Best-of-Suite dilemma
Best-of-Suite platforms promise convenience by offering a vast array of functionalities within one ecosystem. However, this bundled approach has its limitations:
Lack of specialisation: They may offer everything but excel at nothing, thus diluting employee engagement efforts.
Limited customisation: Organisations might find themselves bending to the software's will rather than being able to tailor it to fit their unique needs.
Complex and less user-friendly: Juggling myriad functionalities in one place creates complex systems that are often less user-friendly. This can be overwhelming for HR teams and deter employees.
Innovation lag: Large platforms are not prone to evolving as quickly as the overall technological landscape, often leading to outdated strategies and tools.
Benefits of Best-of-Breed solutions for employee engagement
Best-of-Breed solutions focus on providing specialised tools that excel in their respective areas. While the more shallow approach of Best of Suite tools works well for some areas of your business, we strongly advise against it when it comes to employee engagement.
Your people are the backbone of your organisation. The level of their engagement serves as a primary indicator of your business's overall health, akin to the role of a sales pipeline. Just as businesses invest in sophisticated tools to understand their market and customers, you need potent tools to delve deeply into their organization's core - its people. Here's why adopting this approach is crucial for employee engagement:
Specialisation and excellence: Best-of-Breed solutions are designed to address specific challenges and excel in their niche. Whether it's employee feedback, recognition, or surveys, these tools are finely tuned to deliver exceptional results.
Tailored solutions: Organisations can choose the exact tools that best fit their needs. This level of customisation allows for a more tailored approach to employee engagement.
Enhanced user experience: With simpler, specialised tools, employees and HR teams can navigate and use the software more easily, resulting in higher user adoption rates.
Integrations: Best-of-Breed solutions can be integrated with your other HR systems through readymade integrations or APIs.
Adaptability: Best-of-Breed solutions are more agile and responsive to changing market trends and needs, ensuring that your organisation stays ahead of the curve.
From insights - to actionable strategies
One of the inherent challenges of the employee engagement sphere is transforming the insights gleaned from surveys into tangible actions.
Eletive streamlines this with an integrated approach, seamlessly connecting survey outcomes with one-on-one meetings, performance management, and strategic action plans. More importantly, this dynamic platform facilitates monitoring the real-time effects of various interventions on survey feedback, ensuring that organisations remain nimble in their engagement strategies.
Cross-analyse engagement data with core business metrics
To truly appreciate the ripple effect of employee engagement on the broader business landscape, it's essential to be able to correlate engagement data with other pivotal business metrics.
Eletive’s Export API serves this very purpose. By effortlessly feeding your engagement data into your BI tools, you can pinpoint the exact impact of engagement on your bottom line. This helps illuminate potential areas within your organisation that need support, driving both employee satisfaction and business growth.
Harnessing the power of AI
In a world rapidly being reshaped by Artificial Intelligence, your employee engagement tool kit cannot afford to lag. The future is AI-driven, and businesses require an engagement platform that evolves in tandem with this transformative force. Leveraging the latest AI technologies will provide you with real-time, accurate, and predictive insights, setting the foundation for proactive strategies.
Final thoughts
The case for Best-of-Breed solutions in employee engagement is robust and compelling. Especially for larger organisations with bigger data sets, powerful analytics and specialised features are a must-have.
By opting for a specialised tool like Eletive, which offers depth, adaptability, and integration, you position your business at the forefront of employee engagement. In the intricate dance of understanding and motivating a workforce, precision, depth, and agility are crucial, making a Best-of-Breed solution an indispensable partner on your journey.
