Best 14 employee feedback tools and software to boost engagement in 2025

Published

Mar 27, 2025

Gathering and acting on employee feedback is one of the most effective ways to build a stronger workplace. When employees feel heard, employee engagement can rise, communication can improve, and performance can grow. But relying on traditional methods like annual surveys isn’t always enough anymore.

Employee feedback tools give businesses a better way to collect, analyze, and act on feedback in real-time. These tools can make it easier to spot patterns, identify challenges, and respond quickly to what employees need. But with a huge selection of employee feedback tools to choose from, how do you know which is best for your business?

In this guide, we share some of the best employee feedback tools available, explain how they work, and help you decide which one is the right fit for your team.

What is employee feedback software?

Employee feedback software helps businesses gather and organize feedback from their teams to boost employee engagement. It’s a tool that can make collecting opinions and suggestions easier, so managers can understand what’s going well and what needs attention.

The software works by using surveys, forms, and feedback channels to gather information. Managers can analyze the results and identify patterns or problems. Some tools even help create action plans based on what employees share.

Essentially, feedback software can help employees and managers communicate in a structured way. It facilitates more than just asking questions. It creates a space for teams to share thoughts openly, with the confidence that their input will drive real improvements.

7 types of employee feedback

Here are seven types of employee feedback that businesses can collect using an employee feedback tool. This feedback can offer actionable insights that can help improve the employee experience and drive better decision-making.

1. Peer feedback: This kind of feedback enables employees to share insights about their colleagues’ performance, teamwork, or contributions. Peer feedback can foster collaboration and support performance management by identifying strengths and areas for growth.

2. Managerial feedback: This relates to employees sharing feedback about their managers, focusing on leadership effectiveness, communication styles, and support. It can help improve leadership strategies and strengthen the relationship between managers and their teams.

3. 360-degree feedback: This involves collecting feedback from multiple sources, including peers, managers, and direct reports, to create a holistic view of an employee’s performance. This approach can provide detailed employee insights to guide development plans.

4. Onboarding feedback: This is feedback that new hires provide about their onboarding experience, identifying gaps or areas for improvement. This helps ensure the onboarding process is seamless and improves the overall employee experience for future hires.

5. Goal-setting feedback: This kind of feedback involves employees and managers collaborating to review and adjust goals based on progress and challenges. It can encourage alignment with performance management objectives and keep everyone on track.

6. Exit feedback: This relates to departing employees sharing feedback through surveys or interviews, offering insights into their reasons for leaving. It can highlight trends, helping organizations improve retention and employee engagement strategies.

7. Engagement feedback: Employee engagement feedback helps businesses measure how connected and motivated employees feel at work. It can provide actionable insights to improve employee engagement and create a more positive work environment.

The importance of employee feedback software 

Employee feedback software plays a key role in improving workplace communication, employee engagement, and performance management. Here are some of the main benefits of using a survey tool:

1. Data-driven decision making 

Employee feedback software collects and organizes data, offering clear insights into employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance trends. This can help leaders make informed decisions based on real employee feedback rather than assumptions or guesswork. With access to this data, businesses can prioritize changes that have the greatest impact on their teams and overall operations.

2. Targeted training and development 

Feedback tools can help identify specific skill gaps or areas where employees need additional support. By tailoring training programs based on this feedback, businesses can ensure that employees get the resources they need to grow. This targeted approach can boost individual performance and enhance team effectiveness.

3. Streamlined communication between teams and leadership

A survey tool can provide a structured way for employees to share feedback with leadership, creating open lines of communication. When employees feel heard, trust and engagement can naturally improve. At the same time, leaders gain a direct way to address concerns, share updates, and enhance their employee recognition efforts. 

4. Uncovered blind spots and areas of improvement 

Employee feedback software creates an opportunity to uncover challenges that might otherwise be overlooked. Employees can share insights about issues affecting morale, efficiency, or overall employee satisfaction. With this information, businesses can address blind spots and make meaningful changes that improve the employee experience.

14 best employee feedback tools and software

1. Rippling 

Rippling offers a comprehensive employee survey tool as part of its all-in-one workforce management platform that handles HR, Payroll, IT, and Spend all in one place. It aims to simplify how businesses gather and act on employee feedback.

Below, you can find an overview of the Rippling's survey features: 

  • Customizable surveys: Businesses can create tailored employee surveys to collect feedback on employee engagement, performance, and workplace culture.
  • Real-time analytics: HR teams can analyze survey results instantly to identify trends and gain actionable insights.
  • Automated distribution: The platform schedules and delivers surveys to employees, reducing manual effort.
  • Integration with HR systems: The system syncs feedback data with employee records in Rippling’s HR components.
  • Reporting tools: Businesses can generate detailed reports to track progress and measure the impact of changes.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • The platform combines employee feedback with other workforce data in one system, saving time and effort.
  • The intuitive interface works well for both HR teams and employees.
  • Advanced analytics quickly uncover trends and provide actionable insights.

Weaknesses

  • Costs may rise as businesses add more features, which may be a consideration for smaller companies.

Below, you can review some of the Rippling's survey software use cases: 

  • Growing businesses: Ideal for companies looking for an all-in-one solution to manage employee feedback alongside HR, Payroll, IT and Spend systems as they scale.
  • Data-focused organizations: A strong choice for businesses that prioritize actionable insights to drive employee engagement, performance management, and workplace improvements.
  • Custom survey needs: Perfect for businesses that require tailored employee surveys to align with unique goals and strategies.

2. Lattice 

Lattice provides an employee feedback app with a focus on helping businesses improve engagement through pulse surveys and performance management.

Below, you can find an overview of Lattice’s survey features:

  • Pulse surveys: Collects continuous feedback from employees to measure engagement and identify trends over time.
  • Actionable insights dashboard: Offers analytics to help HR teams identify key areas for improvement.
  • Anonymous feedback options: Enables employees to share honest opinions without fear of repercussions.
  • Pre-built survey templates: Provides ready-to-use templates.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Pulse surveys offer ongoing insights to track employee engagement over time.
  • The platform includes tools for performance reviews.

Weaknesses

  • Customization options for performance reviews and surveys can feel limited for some users.
  • Integration with other HR systems can be challenging, sometimes causing delays.
  • Turning feedback into actionable steps can be difficult, leaving some users searching for clearer recommendations.

Below, you can review some of Lattice’s survey software use cases:

  • Mid-sized businesses: Can be suitable for organizations seeking tools to track and improve employee engagement over time.
  • Feedback-driven teams: Could be a potential choice for businesses that want a platform to gather regular feedback and integrate it into performance management processes.

3. Leapsome

Leapsome offers an employee engagement tool that focuses on gathering actionable feedback through employee engagement surveys.

Below, you can find an overview of Leapsome’s survey features:

  • Engagement surveys: Collects data on employee engagement with pre-built and customizable survey templates.
  • Analytics and insights: Provides visual reports to identify trends and uncover areas for improvement.
  • Pulse surveys: Sends regular, quick surveys to monitor engagement and satisfaction over time.
  • Feedback anonymization: Ensures confidentiality, encouraging honest feedback from employees.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Engagement surveys come with pre-built and customizable options for flexibility.
  • Analytics tools provide clear visual reports, helping HR teams identify key engagement trends.

Weaknesses

  • Users have reported bugs and a clunky user experience, making navigation less smooth than expected.
  • Survey features lack advanced functionalities, such as logic-based question routing.
  • Implementation can be harder and slower compared to other solutions, requiring extra time to onboard teams.

Below, you can review some of Leapsome’s survey software use cases:

  • Engagement-focused businesses: Can be suitable for companies that prioritize monitoring and improving employee engagement through regular feedback.
  • Organizations seeking visual analytics: May be a fit for businesses that value clear, data-driven insights to inform engagement strategies.

4. BambooHR

BambooHR provides an employee feedback tool that can help businesses measure employee satisfaction using tools like eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score) surveys.

Below, you can find an overview of BambooHR’s survey features:

  • eNPS: Measures employee satisfaction and loyalty through targeted surveys.
  • Customizable survey templates: Offers pre-built options to gather specific feedback from employees.
  • Feedback analytics: Provides insights into trends and areas for improvement based on eNPS results.
  • Employee self-service: Allows employees to access and complete surveys on their own through the BambooHR portal.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • eNPS surveys offer a focused way to measure employee satisfaction and loyalty.
  • Feedback analytics provide a clear view of trends, helping businesses identify strengths and areas to improve.

Weaknesses

  • Implementation can feel unsupported, with users reporting that they felt they left to figure things out on their own.
  • Users mention that customer support relies heavily on scripted responses, which may not address specific or unique issues.
  • Users note cumbersome navigation, including frequent re-login requirements, which disrupt workflow.

Below, you can review some of BambooHR’s survey software use cases:

  • Small to mid-sized businesses: Can be suitable for organizations looking to track employee satisfaction with simple eNPS tools.
  • Culture-driven companies: May be a potential option for businesses that prioritize monitoring and improving workplace culture through targeted surveys.

5. Gusto

Gusto offers an employee pulse survey tool as part of its HR platform to help businesses measure employee engagement and collect feedback through quick, recurring surveys.

Below, you can find an overview of Gusto’s survey features:

  • Employee pulse surveys: Sends short, recurring surveys to gauge employee engagement and satisfaction.
  • Anonymous feedback: Allows employees to provide feedback without fear of being identified, promoting honesty.
  • Reporting tools: Summarizes survey results to help HR teams identify trends and areas for improvement.
  • Integration with HR tools: Syncs survey data with Gusto’s broader HR platform.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Pulse surveys offer a simple way to monitor employee engagement on a regular basis.
  • Anonymous feedback encourages open and honest communication from employees.

Weaknesses

  • Viewing reports and finding specific information can be challenging, making it harder to act on feedback.
  •  Users report that the platform increasingly pushes premium features to higher-tier plans, reducing affordability for smaller businesses.
  • Users have reported frequent glitches, and customer service is often unable to resolve these issues.

Below, you can review some of Gusto’s survey software use cases:

  • Small businesses: Can be a suitable option for companies looking for a basic tool to collect recurring employee feedback as part of a larger HR platform.
  • Cost-conscious organizations: Can be a potential choice for businesses needing a simple, budget-friendly solution to monitor engagement without extensive features.

6. 15Five

15Five offers a feedback and engagement tool that combines employee surveys with performance management features.

Below, you can find an overview of 15Five’s survey features:

  • Engagement surveys: Enables businesses to collect feedback on employee satisfaction and workplace culture.
  • Pulse check-ins: Provides short, frequent surveys to monitor ongoing engagement and sentiment.
  • Analytics and insights: Delivers data-driven reports to help organizations identify trends and take action.
  • Question bank: Offers pre-built questions to simplify survey creation and gather relevant insights.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • 15Five combines employee feedback with performance management tools for an integrated approach.
  • Pulse check-ins provide frequent updates, which can help businesses stay informed about the employee experience on an ongoing basis. 

Weaknesses

  • Survey features can feel limited, particularly in customization options and question logic.
  • The software has a learning curve, and teams may need time to master its features fully.
  • There can be limitations when it comes to integrations with other tools, which can create challenges for organizations using multiple systems.

Below, you can review some of 15Five’s survey software use cases:

  • Engagement-focused businesses: Can be suitable for organizations looking to improve employee satisfaction with regular feedback and surveys.
  • Teams seeking integrated solutions: May be a potential choice for companies that want feedback and performance management tools in one platform.

7. Achievers

Achievers provides an employee feedback tool as part of its employee engagement platform with a focus on helping businesses listen to their employees through surveys and analytics.

Below, you can find an overview of Achievers’ survey features:

  • Employee feedback surveys: Collects feedback through customizable employee engagement surveys to gauge engagement and sentiment.
  • Pulse surveys: Enables regular check-ins to monitor how employees feel over time.
  • Analytics dashboard: Offers visual insights to identify patterns and track engagement metrics.
  • Rewards integration: Links feedback responses to Achievers’ recognition and rewards program to improve engagement.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • The platform integrates feedback with rewards and recognition, tying survey results to actionable engagement strategies.
  • It provides visual analytics, making it easier for HR teams to track and understand feedback trends.

Weaknesses

  • Survey features lack advanced functionalities, such as in-depth customization or logic-based questions.
  • Privacy concerns may arise because of the platform's focus on public sharing in its recognition features, which may not suit all workplaces.
  • While Achievers recently expanded its global reach through partnerships, reward delivery times can vary significantly, often taking two to five weeks.

Below, you can review some of Achievers’ survey software use cases:

  • Reward-focused organizations: May be a suitable option for businesses that want to tie feedback and employee recognition together to enhance engagement.
  • Global companies: Might be a potential choice for businesses looking to gather employee feedback while leveraging global rewards programs to boost morale.

8. Deel 

Deel offers a pulse survey tool that integrates into its broader platform, which helps manage global teams, including payroll and compliance.

Below, you can find an overview of Deel’s survey features:

  • Pulse surveys for remote teams: Designed to collect feedback specifically from distributed and international teams.
  • Global compliance insights: Aligns survey tools with compliance needs for international workforces, ensuring data handling adheres to local regulations.
  • Integration with Deel’s payroll and HR tools: Links feedback directly with other Deel features, giving businesses a unified view of their global workforce.
  • Simplified survey distribution: Enables businesses to send pulse surveys quickly across multiple regions, supporting multilingual options.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Deel's employee feedback survey tool has a focus on global teams, which can help businesses managing international employees and contractors.
  • Surveys align with Deel’s payroll and compliance tools, which can streamline feedback collection for distributed workforces.

Weaknesses

  • Survey features lack advanced customization options, such as logic-based questions or deeper analytics.
  • Users have reported that the platform can be slow and buggy, which affects usability.
  • Deel offers limited integrations with external tools, making it harder to connect with other HR or analytics platforms.

Below, you can review some of Deel’s survey software use cases:

  • Global organizations: Can be suitable for companies managing remote and international teams that need feedback tools aligned with compliance requirements.
  • Distributed workforces: May be a potential choice for businesses prioritizing feedback from employees working across various regions and time zones.

9. ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now offers an employee feedback tool as part of its broader HR and payroll platform. Its “Voice of the Employee” feature aims to help businesses gather and analyze feedback to improve the employee experience.

Below, you can find an overview of ADP’s survey features:

  • Voice of the Employee surveys: Collects feedback from employees to measure engagement and satisfaction.
  • Sentiment analysis: Uses AI-driven insights to gauge employee sentiment and identify trends.
  • Integration with HR systems: Links feedback data to ADP’s core HR features, providing a centralized platform for managing employee insights.
  • Customizable surveys: Enables businesses to design surveys tailored to their specific needs and goals.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Sentiment analysis can help businesses quickly identify employee morale and engagement trends.
  • Integration with ADP’s broader HR and payroll tools provides a unified view of employee data.

Weaknesses

  • Survey customization options can feel limited compared to competitors, making it harder to address unique business needs.
  • Reporting tools lack depth, which can make it challenging to generate detailed insights from feedback.
  • A common complaint from real ADP users is that its customer service leaves a lot of room for improvement, with slow response times frequently noted.

Below, you can review some of ADP Workforce Now’s survey software use cases:

  • Large enterprises: Can be suitable for companies already using ADP’s HR and payroll systems that want to integrate employee feedback into their existing platform.
  • Data-driven organizations: May be an option for businesses looking to use sentiment analysis to identify and act on engagement trends.

10. Culture Amp

Culture Amp offers an employee engagement platform with survey tools to help businesses understand and improve their workplace culture.

Below, you can find an overview of Culture Amp’s survey features:

  • Engagement surveys: Collects detailed feedback to measure employee engagement and satisfaction across teams.
  • Customizable templates: Provides pre-built surveys tailored to various feedback needs, including engagement and onboarding.
  • Actionable insights: Delivers analytics and recommendations to help businesses act on feedback effectively.
  • Heatmaps and trends: Visual tools highlight strengths and challenges across teams, helping managers focus on key areas.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Engagement surveys come with built-in analytics and recommendations, making it easier to act on feedback.
  • Heatmaps and trend analysis provide visual insights, helping businesses quickly identify areas of improvement.

Weaknesses

  • Confidentiality settings can be hard to reverse if initially configured incorrectly, which may complicate adjustments.
  • As a standalone platform, better integration with broader HR systems would improve workflow and data centralization.
  • Users report that sometimes the 360 feedback data gets lost, leading to potential disruptions in reporting.

Below, you can review some of Culture Amp’s survey software use cases:

  • Engagement-focused companies: Can be a potential fit for businesses looking to dive deep into employee engagement and workplace culture through tailored surveys.
  • Organizations seeking actionable insights: May be suitable for companies that want clear recommendations to improve engagement based on survey data.

11. Zoho Survey 

Zoho Survey is an online survey tool that enables businesses to collect and analyze feedback. While part of the larger Zoho ecosystem, it also functions as a standalone tool for organizations looking to gather data from employees or customers.

Below, you can find an overview of Zoho Survey’s features:

  • Customizable surveys: Offers templates and question types to design surveys for various use cases.
  • Multilingual support: Allows businesses to create surveys in multiple languages to reach diverse teams.
  • Data reporting: Provides basic analytics and reporting tools to help users analyze survey responses.
  • Mobile-friendly surveys: Ensures the optimization of surveys for completion on mobile devices.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Zoho Survey integrates directly with the larger Zoho ecosystem, providing a seamless experience for users of Zoho products.
  • Multilingual support enables businesses to gather feedback from diverse, global teams effectively.

Weaknesses

  • Survey layout customization has limitations which can restrict personalization and branding options.
  • The tool integrates well with the Zoho ecosystem but struggles to work smoothly with third-party CRMs, which can limit flexibility for businesses using other tools.
  • The user interface is functional but lacks the polished aesthetics and modern UX/UI design that some competitors offer.

Below, you can review some of Zoho Survey’s use cases:

  • Zoho-focused businesses: Can be a suitable option for companies already using Zoho One and looking to integrate feedback into their existing ecosystem.
  • Small businesses: May work for organizations needing a simple, budget-friendly tool for basic surveys and feedback collection.

12. Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace provides an employee engagement platform that focuses on gathering feedback, driving engagement, and improving organizational performance. 

Below, you can find an overview of Quantum Workplace’s features:

  • Engagement surveys: Collects feedback through customizable surveys tailored to measure employee engagement and satisfaction.
  • Pulse surveys: Sends short, frequent surveys to track engagement trends over time.
  • Action planning tools: Helps HR teams turn feedback into strategies with built-in planning and tracking capabilities.
  • Feedback analytics: Provides reports to identify trends and measure progress on engagement initiatives.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Action planning tools can guide HR teams in using feedback to develop and execute strategies effectively.
  • Pulse surveys provide continuous engagement insights, allowing businesses to monitor trends on an ongoing basis.

Weaknesses

  • The platform lacks advanced features like branching logic in forms, which limits customization for feedback cycles.
  • The admin setup process can be difficult to navigate, with some users struggling to understand how configurations cascade across the platform.
  • Feedback cycles may not align with every organization’s specific needs, limiting its usability for certain business structures.

Below, you can review some of Quantum Workplace’s use cases:

  • Engagement-focused organizations: May be a fit for businesses looking to collect and act on employee feedback regularly to improve workplace culture.
  • HR teams prioritizing action plans: Could be a potential option for companies that want built-in tools to transform survey results into actionable strategies.

13. CultureMonkey

CultureMonkey is an employee engagement platform that can help businesses collect feedback, analyze results, and create action plans to improve workplace culture.

Below, you can find an overview of CultureMonkey’s features:

  • Customizable engagement surveys: Enables businesses to design surveys tailored to their unique needs and goals.
  • Pulse surveys: Facilitates regular check-ins to gather ongoing feedback and track engagement trends.
  • Analytics dashboard: Provides visual reports and insights to help HR teams identify key areas for improvement.
  • Actionable recommendations: Suggests strategies based on feedback data to improve employee engagement.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Tailored engagement surveys allow businesses to create feedback tools that align closely with their specific culture goals.
  • Analytics dashboards provide clear visual insights to identify trends and prioritize action items.

Weaknesses

  • The process of creating custom surveys can feel cumbersome, with users reporting occasional loading issues and crashes.
  • Verification processes within the platform can cause delays or errors, frustrating users during survey distribution or result analysis.
  • Feature limitations restrict flexibility, particularly for companies with complex feedback or engagement needs.

Below, you can review some of CultureMonkey’s use cases:

  • Culture-driven organizations: Can be an option for businesses with a focus on improving workplace culture through targeted engagement surveys.
  • Teams seeking feedback guidance: May be suitable for companies that want actionable recommendations to address feedback and improve engagement.

14. Limeade Listening

Limeade Listening, once called TinyPulse, is an employee feedback and engagement tool that works within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It focuses on gathering employee feedback, tracking engagement, and providing actionable insights to improve productivity and workplace well-being.

Below, you can find an overview of Limeade Listening's features:

  • Feedback collection surveys: Gathers employee feedback on engagement, well-being, and workplace satisfaction.
  • Integration with Microsoft 365: Embeds directly into tools like Teams and Outlook.
  • Analytics and insights: Uses collected feedback to generate reports that identify trends and suggest areas for improvement.
  • Productivity metrics: Tracks data, such as meeting times and focus hours, to improve work-life balance and efficiency.

Here are some of the survey tool's strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

  • Limeade Listening integrates with Microsoft 365 tools, which can make it convenient for organizations already using the platform.
  • Productivity metrics offer unique insights into how employees manage their time and work.

Weaknesses

  • Some survey questions lack relevance, such as lighthearted prompts like “If your company was an animal, what would it be?”, which add little value to meaningful feedback collection.
  • Managing administrative updates, like changes in employee departments or managers, can be cumbersome and confusing.
  • The platform offers fewer customization options for surveys, limiting its flexibility for businesses with specific needs.

Below, you can review some of Limeade Listening's use cases:

  • Microsoft 365 users: Can be suitable for businesses already integrated into the Microsoft ecosystem and looking for a feedback tool that works with their existing systems.
  • Productivity-focused organizations: May work for companies that want to combine employee engagement surveys with productivity metrics to enhance efficiency and work-life balance.

Key features of employee feedback software tools

When choosing an employee feedback tool, HR managers should consider features that align with their company’s goals and needs. Here are four essential features to look for:

1. Real-time feedback capabilities

The ability to collect and review feedback in real-time enables businesses to address concerns quickly and identify trends as they happen. Real-time feedback can encourage a culture of open communication, where employees feel heard and managers can act promptly on insights.

Example: A manager notices low engagement scores from a team in a weekly pulse survey. By following up immediately, they identify workload issues and adjust deadlines, improving morale and productivity within days.

2. Customizable surveys and templates

Customizable surveys let HR managers tailor questions to specific goals or situations, such as onboarding, engagement, or exit feedback. Templates can speed up survey creation while ensuring the questions remain relevant to the organization's needs.

Example: An HR manager uses a template to create an onboarding survey for new hires, then customizes it to include department-specific questions. The feedback helps refine the onboarding process for future employees, making it more effective and streamlined.

3. Integration with existing HR systems

An employee feedback tool that integrates with existing HR systems, such as payroll or performance management platforms, centralizes data and streamlines processes. This can reduce manual data entry and provide a comprehensive view of employee engagement.

Example: After integrating the feedback tool with the company’s HR platform, HR managers can link survey results to performance reviews. This helps identify trends, like how employee satisfaction correlates with productivity, and guides future training efforts.

4. Analytics and reporting features

Robust analytics and reporting features can turn raw feedback into actionable insights. HR teams can track trends, identify areas for improvement, and measure the success of initiatives over time. Visual dashboards and benchmarking tools can be particularly helpful.

Example: A company tracks engagement scores over a year using analytics dashboards. They notice a consistent dip in satisfaction every December. By investigating further, they discover a lack of holiday-related initiatives and implement activities to boost morale during the festive season.

How to choose the best employee software: 4 steps

Selecting the right employee feedback software can feel overwhelming, but breaking the process into clear steps can simplify decision-making. Here’s how you can find the best fit for your organization:

Step 1. Identify business needs and objectives

Start by understanding what your organization wants to achieve with employee feedback software. Consider whether you need tools for engagement surveys, performance feedback, or pulse surveys. Think about who will use the software—HR teams, managers, or employees—and how the feedback will drive change.

Step 2. Perform cost-benefit analysis 

Weigh the costs of different tools with the benefits they provide. Assess pricing structures, including setup fees, subscription costs, and additional charges for extra features. Consider the value the software will bring, such as saving time, improving engagement, or reducing turnover.

Step 3. Evaluate different tools based on features 

Review the features of various tools to ensure they align with your goals. Look for essentials like customizable surveys, integration with existing systems, and reporting capabilities. Consider how intuitive the software is for end users and administrators.

Step 4. Read reviews and case studies

Research feedback from real users to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each tool. Look for reviews on software marketplaces or case studies from companies similar to yours. These insights can provide valuable context about usability, customer support, and real-world performance.

How to measure employee feedback

Measuring employee feedback effectively requires a structured approach. By following these steps, you can turn raw data into meaningful insights that drive improvements:

1. Compare against internal and industry benchmarks 

Start by evaluating employee feedback against both internal benchmarks (previous survey results) and industry standards. This comparison can help you understand whether your organization is improving or lagging behind. Benchmarking provides context to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Example: A company compares current engagement scores to last year’s results and finds a 10% improvement in work-life balance satisfaction. They also benchmark their engagement score against industry averages and identify areas where they need to catch up, such as career development opportunities.

2. Analyze trends in feedback 

Look for recurring patterns or shifts in employee feedback over the long term. Analyzing trends can help you spot emerging issues or track the impact of recent initiatives. Break feedback down by departments, locations, or demographics to uncover specific insights.

Example: An HR manager notices declining engagement scores in one department over the last three surveys. After analyzing the feedback, they discover a common complaint about excessive workload and work with the department head to redistribute tasks.

3. Calculate sentiment scores 

Use sentiment analysis tools to gauge the overall mood of employee feedback. Sentiment scores can quickly show how employees feel about specific topics, such as leadership, communication, or workplace culture. This quantifiable metric can help HR prioritize focus areas.

Example: A sentiment analysis of open-ended survey responses reveals employees feel positive about team collaboration but express negative sentiment about career advancement opportunities. The HR team uses this insight to launch new training programs.

Transform employee feedback into action with Rippling

Rippling’s Surveys makes it simple to collect, analyze, and act on employee feedback, all within its unified platform. Designed to streamline workforce management, Rippling’s Surveys integrate seamlessly with its HR, Payroll, IT, and Spend systems, providing you with the tools your business needs to drive meaningful change based on employee responses.

With Rippling, you can design custom surveys tailored to your unique goals, from employee engagement to workplace culture feedback. Its platform enables you to send out surveys effortlessly and track results in real-time, helping you gather actionable insights to make informed decisions.

Rippling’s reporting and analytics features enable you to break down survey responses, identify trends, and uncover areas for improvement. You can easily tie feedback results to other workforce data within Rippling, such as performance metrics or team-specific insights, to create a clearer picture of your organization’s needs.

By centralizing feedback collection and analysis in one platform, Rippling empowers HR teams to develop targeted action plans that address the feedback directly. This makes Rippling the perfect choice if your business is looking to improve engagement, satisfaction, and overall workplace culture through data-driven strategies.

FAQs on employee feedback software

What is the best anonymous feedback tool?

The best anonymous feedback tool is one that ensures confidentiality while providing actionable insights. Rippling excels in this area by allowing businesses to design fully anonymous surveys, including options like a compensation survey or benefits survey, to gather insights on salary satisfaction. Employees can share honest feedback without fear of being identified, helping HR teams gather authentic insights to improve engagement and workplace satisfaction.

How do you collect employee feedback?

You can collect employee feedback through various methods. These can include employee engagement surveys, pulse surveys, or one-on-one meetings. If you're wondering how to get employee feedback efficiently, platforms like Rippling simplify the process. HR teams can design custom surveys tailored to their specific goals, distribute them effortlessly, and track responses in real-time. The centralized system collects all feedback data, links it to employee profiles, and provides advanced analytics to uncover trends and create actionable strategies.

Are employee feedback tools secure and confidential?

Yes, most modern employee feedback tools prioritize security and confidentiality. For example, Rippling stores data securely and ensures it’s only accessible to authorized personnel. As mentioned, its surveys offer anonymity options, so employees can provide feedback without fear of exposure. This helps organizations build trust while maintaining compliance with data privacy regulations.

Is employee feedback software suitable for small businesses?

Yes, employee feedback software is highly suitable for small businesses. Tools like Rippling are scalable, meaning they can work for businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. Small businesses benefit from the ability to gather valuable insights quickly, enabling them to address issues and create a positive workplace culture without needing a large HR team or complex processes.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of January 21, 2025.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.

last edited: March 27, 2025

Author

The Rippling Team

Global HR, IT, and Finance know-how directly from the Rippling team.