Your organization’s onboarding practices significantly impact the success of your business. According to a recent study by Glassdoor, a strong onboarding process can improve new hire retention by as much as 82%. It can also improve productivity by as much as 70% (1).
Today the best onboarding programs use technology to engage learners. They focus on delivering meaningful learning experiences that have measurable business benefits. Using AI, onboarding software, and the right blend of engaging training methods can make all the difference.
Using the right tools and strategies can help your business overcome onboarding challenges such as low engagement levels. The right strategies can also help train employees who work remotely.
Infopro Learning has more than 25 years of experience in creating onboarding programs that engage new hires. We have developed many learning solutions that have helped industry leaders deliver quality onboarding experiences and improve their training ROI. We recently created an AI-enhanced onboarding program to help an international business improve their new hire retention rates.
Solution Highlights
We designed a three-phased onboarding process to help an IT organization train and engage new employees more effectively. The program began with a pre-boarding welcome video from the leadership team. The next phase included a virtual orientation session. The third phase is where the AI-virtual assistant was introduced to provide ongoing support for employees.
Phase 1: Welcome Video
Successful onboarding begins right after a new team member accepts their offer letter. It is crucial that new employees feel prepared for their first day. This helps alleviate stress and frustration.
In this onboarding program, employee engagement was started with a pre-boarding welcome video. The video was sent out before the employee’s first day on the job. The leadership team welcomed new hires in the video, explained the onboarding process, and introduced the AI-based assistant. This video helped familiarize the new employees with the company culture and helped them understand what to expect next.
Phase 2: Virtual Employee Orientation
The most effective onboarding programs include activities that help orient employees early on. These activities help the new hires feel connected to the organization well before their start date.
After watching the pre-boarding video, new employees would be invited to one of the virtual orientation sessions. These sessions were held twice a month.
During orientation sessions, employees would learn more about what to expect on their first day. They would also learn more about the company’s mission and their new work environment. They would also learn where to find and access important tools and resources. This included onboarding software, employee handbooks, onboarding checklists, and the virtual assistant.
Phase 3: AI-Virtual Assistant
The third phase and highlight of the new onboarding program was the introduction of the AI-virtual assistant. The assistant was designed to provide HR support to new and existing employees. The AI was created to increase employee access to pertinent information and to speed up HR response times to employee queries.
The virtual assistant makes onboarding new employees easier by helping new hires better navigate the onboarding process. The design used to create the virtual assistant was mobile responsive. This gave employees access to the assistant from any device 24 hours a day.
The AI’s most useful features included pre-loaded intents, pre-build integrations, and an adaptive design. These features made it possible for the virtual assistant to participate in virtual chats and adapt to changing user needs.
Solution Results
The AI-enhanced onboarding program was incredibly successful and well received by employees. The new program reduced annual onboarding costs by nearly $100,000. New employee retention rates rose by 4%, and employee satisfaction rates improved.
The AI-virtual assistant provided much-needed support for all employees. 80% of new hires actively used the assistant every month. 80% of existing employees also accessed the assistant once a quarter.
Learn more about how Infopro Learning designed this highly effective onboarding program. Read the case study, Employee Onboarding for an IT Company.
