After the COVID-19 pandemic began, many companies rushed to build virtual onboarding strategies. This was not just about safety. It was about keeping new hires engaged without face-to-face meetings. From automated workflows to recorded videos and online meetings, teams worked through each part of onboarding to fill the gap between human and tech-driven steps.
Leaders had to reimagine the workplace. Onboarding quickly became a top priority. With business slowly picking back up, the need to hire and train safely became urgent. Virtual onboarding could help with speed, safety, and even company value. But skipping feedback could turn all that work into failure.
Why Virtual Onboarding Feedback Matters
Just like any other part of the hiring cycle, onboarding needs feedback. Some companies had already started using surveys to track new hire satisfaction. Survale client CDW, for example, added onboarding feedback to their Canadian operations in early 2020.
Now that more teams rely on virtual onboarding, missing feedback is a big risk. Without it, teams might miss key issues. Bad onboarding means new hires may leave early or stay unproductive for weeks. Feedback shows you what’s working and what’s broken.
Onboarding Feedback Must Be Real-Time
Surveys can help, but if they’re not timely, they fall short. If you wait too long to gather input, you can’t fix problems fast enough. That’s why automated, real-time systems are better. Survale’s platform connects to recruiting and HR tools and collects feedback at each step automatically.
As tasks are marked complete, the system triggers quick surveys. For example, once an email is set up, the system checks with the new hire, the IT team, and the hiring manager. It asks short questions: Was this step easy? What could be better? This makes it clear where the process broke down.
The system then shows results in easy-to-read dashboards. HR and onboarding leads can see which tasks are hurting new hire success. Fixing a bottleneck fast can stop bigger problems down the line, especially when considering key onboarding experience and quality of hire metrics.
Fix Early Problems Before They Grow
The first weeks at a company are critical. If a new hire feels confused or ignored, they may not last. Feedback at each step helps spot these issues before they grow. Poor fit, unclear roles, and slow responses are signs of future turnover. Catch them early and you save time, money, and people.
This applies to any program that deals with people. As more companies shift to hybrid or remote work, every touchpoint needs attention. Talent feedback needs to stretch across the whole employee lifecycle.
Connect Onboarding to Hiring and Experience
Remote work affects everything—from hiring to onboarding to day-to-day tasks. That means feedback must follow the employee at each phase. If tech replaces personal interactions, you need to check how that’s going.
When changes happen fast, feedback helps you stay on track. It’s not just about how people feel. It’s about what works and what doesn’t. If one new hire reports a problem, you may be fine. If 10 do, you have to act.
Feedback helps spot these patterns. And it helps confirm what’s working so you can do more of it. It gives your team the power to fix mistakes before they affect others. In a remote-first setup, that’s a must.
Use One Platform for All Feedback
You shouldn’t have to juggle five tools to check employee feedback. One platform that collects all hiring and onboarding input makes your life easier. A good Talent Intelligence Platform connects the dots. You can see which hiring step led to a bad onboarding task. Or which team is doing it well.
The platform should pull in responses, sort them, and show you trends. It should also link feedback to real steps in the process. That way you know what went wrong, when it happened, and how to fix it.
This system helps you do more than just improve onboarding. It helps with hiring, training, and long-term growth. It ties the whole experience together and lets you measure what matters.
Final Thought
Virtual onboarding is now a key part of hiring. But it only works well if you listen. Feedback isn’t just nice to have. It’s critical. It shows you what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs to change.
Companies that use real-time feedback stay ahead. They fix problems fast. They build stronger teams. And they show new hires that they care from day one.
A full feedback system, built into every step, is the smart way to run hiring today.
FAQs
How do I give feedback to onboarding experience?
Use short, clear surveys after each step. Ask what worked and what didn’t.
What are the 5 C’s of onboarding?
Compliance, clarification, culture, connection, and check-back. These build strong starts.
What are the 4 C’s of employee onboarding?
Compliance, clarification, culture, and connection. Focus on each to support success.
How to gamify employee onboarding?
Add fun tasks, rewards, and simple challenges. Keep it light and engaging.
