There’s nothing more important in the employee journey than the first day, and for a lot of companies, getting it right can be a challenge.
Brent Pearson knows. He’s heard his share of horror stories as the founder of the onboarding platform Enboarder. One new hire went two weeks without a computer or phone. Another was stuck in the building lobby until 4 p.m. because their manager was out of town and the company forgot to notify security. But the worst, he said, was when a new hire showed up, only for the company to realize they hired the wrong person and had to fire them.
How’s that for a welcome party?
You only get one chance to make a great first impression, and I wanted to create an opportunity for companies to provide an amazing employee experience.”
Each story confirmed for him what the research showed — first days are critical. They can determine whether a person stays and is productive or starts plotting their exit. So Pearson started Enboarder in 2015 to help companies make a better first impression.
“You only get one chance to make a great first impression, and I wanted to create an opportunity for companies to provide an amazing employee experience,” Pearson told Built In.
Enboarder, whose U.S. headquarters is in Austin, has since made a great impression on investors, announcing on Wednesday that it raised $8 million in a Series A round. The round will help fuel the company’s go-to-market efforts, Pearson said.
“In the last few years, we’ve built out our product and proven what the product can do,” Pearson said. “Now we want to step on the gas...We’re now going on a hiring spree to build our sales and marketing teams.”
Enboarder tackles the first-day challenge with an onboarding platform that focuses on the human element of human relations. They do that through a series of curated reminders and nudges. As soon as that new employee signs their letter of intent, those nudges kick into gear.
New hires are encouraged to fill out a form introducing themselves to their new team and add notes about their favorite snacks. Meanwhile, managers receive nudges to send a message welcoming the employee and are provided tips for small personal touches like providing their favorite snacks on their desks. The goal is to make the employee feel welcome before they even step foot in the office.
Of course, the software also assists with more formal processes like filing paperwork and getting the employee’s computer and phone ready, Pearson said.
“Yes, the forms are important, but what makes our system different is that we focus on making an amazing experience for the employee,” Pearson said. “We help the manager get the hard things ready like the computer, but we also coach the manager on the little things they can do that will have a big impact on their employee.”
Since its launch, Enboarder has been used by over 200 companies, including McDonald’s, Hugo Boss and EA Games, according to the company. With this round, the company plans to triple its seven-employee team in Austin and grow from 40 overall employees to 80. The company is looking to hire for the sales, marketing, customer success and engineering team, Pearson said.
Greycroft led the round, with participation from Next Coast Ventures and Stage 2 Capital.
