The numbers don't lie. Employee engagement is in free fall.
Just 31% of American workers felt engaged in 2024 – the lowest figure since 2014, according to Gallup. Global engagement slid to 21%, only the second decline in the past 12 years, per Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. And other Gallup data reveals the U.S. hit an 11-year low in early 2024, with 4.8 million fewer engaged employees compared to the prior quarter.
These stats paint a stark picture, but they also point to a massive opportunity. The right employee engagement software can help turn things around, reconnecting teams and boosting morale. Pick the wrong one, though, and you’ll burn through budget and time without moving the needle.
Wondering how to choose employee engagement software in a sea of options? The secret isn’t just picking a platform with a long feature list – it’s asking the right questions of yourself, your team, and potential vendors so you land on a solution that actually works for your people. Here’s how to figure out which questions matter most, and what the answers should tell you.
What Does Your Organization Need?
Before you get swept away by flashy features and sales demos, step back and honestly assess where you stand today. This foundational work will save you from costly mistakes down the road.
What Are Your Current Engagement Challenges?
Identify your biggest engagement pain points. Are your employees leaving for better opportunities? Do team meetings feel flat and uninspired? Maybe your recent employee surveys revealed concerning trends about workplace satisfaction.
Document these challenges specifically. Instead of saying "morale is low," dig deeper. Is it because people don't feel recognized for their work? Are career development opportunities unclear? Do remote employees feel disconnected from company culture?
The more specific you get about your problems, the better you'll be able to evaluate whether potential solutions actually address your needs.
What Is Your Current and Projected Team Structure?
Not all engagement platforms work equally well for every organization size. While some vendors excel with enterprise-level implementations, others shine in the mid-market space where you need powerful features without enterprise complexity. Applauz, for example, offers scalability that works well for mid-sized businesses without overcomplicating setup.
Think about your current structure and growth plans. If you're planning significant hiring in the next 18 months, you'll want a platform that scales easily without requiring a complete overhaul.
What Is Your Budget and Timeline?
The budget isn’t just about the subscription price. It’s about the total cost of making the software work for your team, including implementation, training, and the internal resources needed to keep it running smoothly. A lower sticker price can still end up costing more if adoption is slow or the tool needs constant troubleshooting.
Your timeline matters just as much. Some platforms can be up and running in weeks, while others take months to fully implement. Factor in any key dates, like an upcoming engagement survey or company-wide initiative, so choose a platform that fits both your budget and your schedule.
What Functions Matter Most for Engagement?
Here’s where things get interesting. With HR departments stretched thin – only 19% of HR executives expect to increase their headcount, according to SHRM’s 2023-24 State of the Workplace Report, automation has become a lifeline for overworked teams.
The benefits of employee engagement software go beyond morale: the right tools can free up your team’s time, surface real-time feedback, and help you act before small issues turn into big headaches. It's worth thinking about the features that will make the biggest difference for your team.
What Engagement Features Does Your Team Actually Need?
Make a list of must-have versus nice-to-have features. Do you need robust recognition programs? Pulse survey capabilities? Performance tracking integration? Social collaboration tools? If you’re not sure where to start, consider these core employee engagement platform functions (Applauz offers all of them in one place):
- Recognition and rewards programs that make celebrating achievements effortless
- Pulse surveys and feedback tools for real-time employee sentiment tracking
- Goal setting and progress tracking to connect individual work to company objectives
- Communication tools that foster connection across teams
- Analytics and reporting to measure engagement impact over time
How Will Employees Interact With the Platform Daily?
The best engagement software in the world is useless if your team won't use it. Think about your employees' daily workflows. Are they constantly in email? Do they spend most of their time in specific applications? Are they primarily mobile users?
Look for platforms that integrate seamlessly into existing habits rather than requiring entirely new behaviors.
Does The Engagement Platform Support Your Communication Style?
Some organizations thrive on formal recognition programs with structured awards and set criteria, while others prefer casual peer-to-peer shoutouts that feel more spontaneous. Your sales team might love gamified leaderboards that spark friendly competition, but your R&D team might find that approach distracting.
The best platform will feel like an extension of how your team already works and celebrates wins, not a culture transplant that feels forced.
What Are the Integration and Technical Requirements?
When it comes to engagement software, the tech setup matters just as much as the features. If your new platform doesn’t fit smoothly into the way your team already works, you risk adding friction instead of removing it.
What Systems Need to Connect With Your Engagement Platform?
Think about your current HR technology ecosystem. You probably have an HRIS system, payroll software, and maybe a learning management system or project management tools. The more seamlessly your engagement platform integrates with these systems, the less manual work you'll create.
Common integration needs include:
- HRIS systems for employee data synchronization
- Single sign-on (SSO) for user authentication
- Slack or Microsoft Teams for communication workflows
- Performance management systems for goal alignment
How Important Is Mobile Accessibility?
If you have remote workers, field employees, or people who travel frequently, mobile accessibility isn't optional – it's essential. Test platforms on actual mobile devices, not just responsive web browsers.
What Are Your Data Security Requirements?
Employee engagement platforms handle sensitive employee data. Make sure any solution you consider meets your organization's security and compliance requirements, especially if you operate in regulated industries.
What About User Experience and Adoption?
The best platforms make it simple to jump in and get things done. If it takes too many clicks to log in, find information, or share feedback, people will lose interest fast. Look for a solution that makes participation feel effortless.
How Intuitive Is the Platform for Different User Types?
Your engagement software needs to work for everyone, from tech-savvy millennials to less digital-native employees. Try the platform with team members across the organization.
Pay attention to onboarding issues, navigation clarity, and how easy it is to complete common tasks. If someone needs extensive training just to log in and send a recognition message, you've got a problem.
What Training and Support Resources Are Available?
To roll out new software successfully, you need to help your team navigate the change with confidence – and that means thinking about how to implement engagement software well before launch day. Strong training resources and support can make all the difference. When you’re talking to vendors, ask about:
- Initial onboarding support – Do they provide dedicated implementation specialists?
- Training materials – Are there video tutorials, help documentation, and live training sessions?
- Ongoing support – What happens when you need help six months post-implementation?
- User adoption resources – Do they provide best practices for driving platform usage?
How Do You Track User Adoption Success?
When looking at engagement software, think about how you’ll measure whether it’s being used to its fullest.
Is it the percentage of employees who log in weekly? The number of recognition messages sent? Engagement survey participation rates? Your chosen platform should provide analytics that help you track adoption metrics over time.
How Will You Measure Success and ROI?
On that note, if you want to improve something, you have to track it – and employee engagement is no exception. Measuring the right metrics helps you see what’s working, spot issues early, and make changes that actually move the needle.
What Engagement Metrics Matter Most to Your Organization?
Different organizations prioritize different metrics. Some focus on traditional engagement survey scores, while others track behavioral indicators like voluntary turnover rates or internal promotion percentages.
Common engagement metrics include:
- Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
- Recognition frequency and participation rates
- Survey response rates and sentiment trends
- Manager effectiveness scores
How Will You Track Progress Over Time?
Look for a platform that lets you track engagement trends over time, not just one-off snapshots. You should be able to see how scores shift after a new initiative or even spot seasonal patterns in morale, like a dip during busy year-end periods or a boost after company retreats.
What Reporting Capabilities Do You Need?
Think about who needs access to what data. HR teams might need detailed analytics, while executives want high-level dashboards. Department managers might focus on team-specific metrics.
Sizing Up The Options: Vendor Questions to Ask
Now comes the fun part: actually evaluating vendors. Here are the questions that separate great partners from mediocre software providers.
What's Included in Implementation and Ongoing Support?
This is where vendor differentiation becomes crystal clear. Some providers offer comprehensive implementation support that guides you through every step of setup, configuration, and launch. Others give you login credentials and wish you luck.
The best vendors understand that technology alone doesn't drive engagement – successful implementation does. Look for providers who offer dedicated support during those crucial first few months when usage patterns are forming and adoption habits are being established.
How Does Pricing Scale With Your Organization?
Pricing transparency matters, especially for growing organizations. You don't want surprise costs when you add new employees or need additional features.
Ask about:
- Per-user pricing models and volume discounts
- Feature tier limitations and upgrade paths
- Implementation and setup fees
- Ongoing support and maintenance costs
The best vendors offer scalable pricing that grows with your organization without requiring expensive migrations to new platforms.
What Do Current Customers Say About Their Experience?
References are great, but they only tell part of the story. Ask for specific examples of how the platform helped other organizations solve challenges similar to yours. Customer success stories reveal not just what the software can do, but how it actually performs in real-world implementations.
Pay attention to case studies about companies in similar industries or growth stages as yours. A platform that works great for enterprise corporations might be overkill for your mid-size organization.
How Does Your Solution Support Managers?
According to Gallup, manager engagement dropped from 30% to 27% in 2024, while individual contributor engagement held steady at 18%. It’s a clear sign that managers need extra support more than ever. Ask vendors how their platform specifically helps overwhelmed managers succeed in their roles.
Making Your Final Decision
You've done the research, asked the tough questions, and probably sat through more demos than you care to count. Now it's time to make a decision that'll impact your workplace culture for years to come.
The best employee engagement software for your organization checks these boxes:
- Addresses your specific challenges rather than offering generic solutions
- Integrates seamlessly with your existing workflows and technology
- Provides excellent implementation support to ensure successful adoption
- Scales with your growth without requiring costly platform changes
- Offers transparent pricing that aligns with your budget realities
Why Applauz Stands Out
Here's the reality: most employee engagement platforms promise the world but leave you scrambling during implementation. That's where we take a different approach.
At Applauz, we offer what we call "hypercare" – dedicated implementation specialists who don't just set up your platform and disappear. We stay with you through those critical first months, helping you drive adoption, troubleshoot challenges, and optimize your engagement strategy based on real usage data.
Our pricing transparency is refreshing too. No hidden fees, no surprise charges when you add new employees, and scalable plans that actually work for growing mid-market companies. You'll know exactly what you're paying from day one through year three and beyond so you can plan your budget with confidence.
Most importantly, our customers consistently report that the platform feels intuitive from the start. When your managers are already overwhelmed (remember, manager engagement dropped to 27% in 2024), the last thing they need is complicated software that creates more work. As for individual contributors, they’ll love the clean, simple interface that works great on phones – it’ll make them want to participate in employee recognition efforts.
Ready to Transform Your Workplace?
The engagement crisis is real, but so is the opportunity to turn things around. Using effective employee engagement software can help you see improvements in retention, productivity, and workplace satisfaction, even in today's challenging environment.
So, don't let another quarter pass with declining engagement scores. Explore how Applauz's employee engagement platform can help you build the thriving workplace culture your team deserves.
