Trakstar Software

None

Pros

Multiple means to provide input on own appraisal and to others.
Customizable to meet needs.
Customer service is very responsive.

Cons

The system takes getting used to. It takes a while to understand what changes you make in the system impact what areas of the system, forms or employee's files.

Trakstar's Performance Appraisal software that will help your organization manage feedback, goals, and reviews. You can also build customized appraisal forms, set SMART goals, and create flexible workflows to meet the needs of your organization. If you are looking for a new way to set goals and review performances, this is a great product to use.

Pros

We switched to Trakstar a while back for performance reviews and this product is extremely easy to use. It is visually appealing, has intuitive interface, and actually makes 1:1 meetings and performance reviews something to look forward to. We were unsatisfied with our old product and were looking for a program to make our reviews easier to perform, and Trakstar has made that process enjoyable.

Cons

When we first moved to Trakstar I felt that it was a bit clunky and hard to move around in Trakstar. Their new design, their customer service, and my continued usage have helped tremendously. Great product and Service!!

While this is an investment, it is one of the most comprehensive performance SaaS out there for it's price point.

Pros

Easy to use, near plug and play set-up, organization of data and helpful analytics! This software has kept us at the forefront of industry performance review standards.

Cons

Engagement is not intuitive, and still requires a champion pushing it forward in the organization, but I think that is standard with any platform.

For the money, TrakStar meets my needs.

Pros

I have confidence in TrakStar and am happy with the customer support I have received. My managers have no problem accessing information and are happy with the review process.

Cons

I would like to have the abiity to write reports. I wish the org chart was more user friendly - for me it isn't really usable.

Pros

The staff are extremely friendly and always willing to assist. They also are willing to work with you to solve any issues you may face during the set up and rollout phase.

Cons

The competency dictionary does not suit the needs of all organisations, and in some cases requires remodeling.

Trakstar has been amazing. We previously had no performance management process in place. This tool is helping us align our department goals to the leadership goals, and on up the chain. The support team answers my questions professionally, and in a timely manner.

Pros

It is very easy to navigate.

Cons

As the product develops, it could have more features. And make it so you don't have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the employee list to scroll the horizontal bar.

Advice to Others

If you are an org that is new to performance management, Trakstar is very much worth it.

We bought this product last year to "automate" and streamline our Annual Performance Review/Assessment process. We found the software to be very user-friendly and intuitive. Additionally, Trakstar builds 5 personal sessions with an adviser who guided and advised our design and implementation of this software in bi-weekly sessions. This was a great way to help us move forward (and to force us to keep on task).

We found the process to work very well and was extremely flexible in allowing to implement company-specific policies and procedures.

We look forward to starting the 2016 review process shortly with very little effort.

Pros

- Flexible
- Intuitive
- great customer service (they continue to respond promptly to questions)

Cons

Not much -actually

Advice to Others

Take advantage of:
the customized competencies
the initial training offered (use the people and commit to following their implementation plan)

Likes Best

This product is practically plug and play. For a company with very little established feedback, looking to start right from the beginning, this software allows you to take advantage of the industry shift from annual to more frequent feedback styles with very little learning cycle requirements. It has a lot of coaching and guidance built into the software as well as 360 and crowd-sourced style feedback loops. Engaging without being overly flashy or gimmicky. We are super excited to use it!

Likes Least

So far, nothing has been bad. Everything has been exactly as advertised and then some.

Recommendations

Ensure that you choose a product on all facets of ROI. Not just cost, but true value to yourself, your employees, and your organization. Reviews make a huge difference, as does tenure. You don't have to go with the most expensive product, but don't short change yourself either. Unless you have vast amounts of experience, don't sacrifice coaching assistance for cost.

Likes Best

it got the job done when we needed to do performance management.

Likes Least

They were not very accommodating to any custom alterations which was very frustrating. We were sold on the fact that this would be a customizable solution but this was not the case.

Recommendations

Look at other solutions or reach out toe trackstar and get them to do more customizations.

Likes Best

Easy to use, customization to fit my needs, libraries available

Likes Least

So far I like what I see amd feel it will meet my need.

Recommendations

Have an idea of what you would like and be able to explain it so they can look at ways they can meet your need.

Likes Best

As administrator, I can update competencies in multiple jobs simultaneously. Trakstar also has the capability to send customized emails to staff to remind them to take certain actions. The best advantage for me is I can run reports to see which appraisals are in progress, finished, etc. It makes it very easy to follow up with staff and ensure they complete appraisals on time. When we used paper appraisals we had about a 10% completion rate. Now, we are near 100%.

Likes Least

It isn't intuitive for all our staff. Some have embraced it and use it successfully throughout the year, but others only access it once or twice a year and have trouble navigating it.

Recommendations

View all their tutorials and help screens. Trakstar has a ton of them for users, managers and administrators, and I find them to be very helpful.