360 Degree Feedback Software

Guide to Buying 360 Degree Feedback Software

Feedback is important in any organization, as it helps employees improve their skills and also helps managers appraise the performance of their team members. 360 degree feedback is an entire process that allows an individual development plan to be created, which takes into account the employee's strengths, weaknesses and specific areas where they could improve.

As feedback is gathered from various sources, an organization can see how the professional skills of their employees can be improved, either through training courses or various other methods. HR teams will get the information they need to create a successful ongoing training program.

Manually keeping track of all the information related to the 360 degree feedback process can often be quite a challenge. This is why several software developers have put together solutions that allow businesses of all sizes to automate the process so that it can run in a more efficient manner.

What Does 360 Degree Feedback Software Do?

During the 360 degree feedback process, feedback is gathered on an employee from various sources, such as their peers, manager and direct report. Most of the data comes from questionnaires that aim to rate an individual's performance in specific areas. Once put together, the information can then be used to see how well an employee is doing in the specific position they were assigned to.

360 degree feedback software is designed to manage collecting, distributing and putting together this feedback by automating many of the required steps. Software allows employees to take surveys online, creates useful analytics and lets managers give valuable feedback to their team members in real time. Once the results are in, management and HR staff can use the information they have at their disposal to create a variety of goals for their staff. Software can also have functions that provide insight on how an employee is progressing towards achieving their goals.

Benefits of 360 Degree Feedback Software

Improved Honesty and Open Communication

360 degree feedback software enables honest communication between employees and opens up channels that previously wouldn't be available through more traditional performance reviews.

Stronger Company Culture

Employee engagement surveys can allow a company to reinforce their values and overall culture. Not only are an organization's values strengthened, but a clear message is sent saying that the business actually values employee satisfaction.

A Clearer Picture of Employee Performance

In many cases, an individual's manager may not be the best person to judge how they're performing, as they may have a large number of people reporting to them and may not always be able to fully evaluate how each of them is progressing. The feedback received through the use of 360 degree feedback software comes from a variety of sources, in addition to managers. This results in data that is more meaningful and paints a more accurate picture of how well an employee is doing.

High Degree of Versatility

Modern 360 degree software solutions are designed to be versatile and adaptable to a variety of situations. Businesses that deploy them can use them in a large number of scenarios, such as performing ongoing evaluations of employee performance, promoting open and transparent exchange of ideas in the workplace, on-boarding new employees and finding out specific areas where they can benefit from improving their processes.

More Autonomy for Each Worker

With 360 degree feedback software, each individual is given more autonomy, as they get useful information related to their professional development. 360 degree feedback also allows workers at all levels in an organization to request direct feedback from their colleagues whenever they feel that they need it.

Simplicity and Efficiency

Businesses that use 360 degree feedback often report that it has allowed them to significantly streamline their HR processes. Regular performance reviews become easier to conduct, as the software collects all of the relevant information and brings it together in one place. The software can be used to instantly generate reports that contain only the necessary information.

Today's 360 degree feedback software is designed to be simple and convenient to use. Many software solutions now come with a mobile app that makes it easier for team members to stay in touch with their colleagues and provide them with feedback. This is particularly useful in workplaces where a large number of staff members spend time out of the office.

Features Included in the Top 360 Degree Feedback Software Packages

Performance Reviews

Every 360 degree feedback software solution will have a module that enables companies to carry out performance reviews. The leading software tools allow users to bring together both quantitative and qualitative feedback to create reviews that are more insightful.

The software should provide an option to customize the information included in each report. Companies can then focus on developing the most important skills in their staff members, identify their hidden strengths and spot opportunities for improvement that may have been otherwise missed.

Setting Goals and Objectives for Individual Employees

Studies have repeatedly shown that setting goals for each employee in a team can have a very positive effect on an organization's entire workforce. A quality 360 degree feedback software solution should have functions that make it easy to set goals for individuals and keep track of how close they are to achieving them.

Real-Time Feedback

A proper 360 degree feedback strategy requires that feedback be provided by all sides on a regular basis. In order for a business to successfully implement a 360 degree feedback strategy, employees should feel comfortable giving feedback on a regular basis.

Real-time feedback has many benefits. It provides important information to employees on their current performance, as well as which areas they're good at and which ones they need to work on to develop their proficiency more. Receiving instant feedback keeps the feedback cycle shorter and encourages individuals to take action quickly to improve their skills. Furthermore, constructive feedback and recognition of accomplishments is useful when it comes to building team spirit and encourages the more open exchange of ideas within a company.

Anonymous Sharing of Feedback

If your employees are new to the idea of sharing feedback about the performance of their peers, they may be reluctant to do it at first. For this reason, the best 360 degree feedback programs have a feature that allows feedback to be shared anonymously. This feature can be used when the software is first deployed so that employees get familiar with the concept of giving and receiving feedback. Having a way to provide feedback anonymously will encourage employees to be more honest and thorough. Over time, your team members are likely to become more comfortable providing feedback face-to-face without requiring anonymity.

Useful and Insightful Analytics

One of the main reasons why organizations choose to use 360 degree feedback software is so that they can get feedback that can be used to take action right away. A quality software solution will bring together feedback information into customizable individual reports for each employee. Feedback received from peers and managers can be compared against an individual's self-assessment. This allows every member of your team to get a better understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are, so they can take advantage of the right training and professional development opportunities your company provides.

Easy Implementation

Different companies choose to implement 360 degree feedback software for different reasons. Some want to make a change in their company culture so that continuous feedback and open communication is encouraged. Others like the fact that the software provides comprehensive and useful information for use in annual performance reviews.

As various companies will have vastly different requirements, it's important that this type of software be highly customizable and flexible. The best 360 degree software allows users to customize the frequency of feedback, the content of questionnaires and who they're distributed to. Remember that business software is there to make your team members more productive and therefore should be easy to implement without any disruption to your regular workflows.

Other 360 Degree Feedback Software Considerations

Here are a few other things that you should keep in mind when you compare 360 degree feedback software to find the best one for your organization's needs:

Deployment Method

Just like many other types of business software, 360 degree feedback software can either be deployed in the cloud or on premises. For small to medium-sized businesses, a cloud-based solution is often preferred, as this allows the software to be accessible from any web browser and the data securely stored on a remote server. In most cases, software that runs in the cloud is offered on a subscription basis without any upfront costs.

Many developers offer different subscription levels based on the number of users that will access the software and the features available to them. If your needs change in the future, you can simply downgrade or upgrade your subscription level.

Ease of Administration

The software that you select should come with a back end interface that is intuitive and easy to figure out right from the start. This is important, as the administrative interface is what allows you to design feedback surveys and send them out throughout your organization. The software should also come with functions that let authorized individuals monitor the progress of surveys, send reminders to employees by email or text message and make changes to the questions asked in surveys if needed.