Trakstar Software

Timely Feedback for Employees

This software has made it possible for employees to take charge in viewing group goals and objectives, without having to go wait for their employer to reiterate these to them. I feel like it has made the workplace more efficient. Goal driven people are effective people.

Pros

I like that there is an option for peer-to-peer communication, as this could be a platform for constructive criticism. I also prefer this software because I am able to receive timely feedback from my employer, as well as see a list of employee goals so I'm always reminded what I'm working towards.

Cons

I wish that there was a means to do a mid-year review instead of just the set-up for a yearly review. I feel that mid-year or even quarterly reviews help to keep employees on track.

TrakStar

Pros

It is easy to login and navigate the website - very straightforward.

Cons

It did not feel much different from the previous software we used (WideAngle), but we may not have been taking advantage of all functionality.

A new wrinkle in performance reviews

Pros

I really like the ability to comment (encourage) other people in your organization so that peer feedback can be utilized in annual performance reviews.

Cons

I really wish that there was an easier way to create entires via responding to automated email reminders.

Mainly for hourly employees

Pros

It was easy to use and neat to be able to praise coworkers.

Cons

While easy to use, the metrics measure are more in line with a call center (this may have to do with the way my company had it set up. It didn’t make sense for a salaried employee to use this as a performance tracking system.

User Friendly Software for Performance Appraisal

Pros

I love that the accountability of my performance is in my hands - I can leave notes about wins I've had throughout the year to give my supervisor a look at my accomplishments. It makes reviewing a year more memorable rather than trying to remember how I contributed. It's also a win for company morale to be able to give and receive notes for other associates to describe a job well done that both that person and their supervisor can see.

Cons

I haven't run into anything so far that I like the least!

Tell them how you are doing

I like being able to go back and point out certain accomplishments to my employer during my annual review

Pros

When our company started to engage this tool I thought it was silly. I have an appreciation for Trakstar now. It is a place where I can keep track of the many things that get forgotten otherwise.
I can go back and review my accomplishments from the beginning of the year and also gain a perspective of my growth in the last 12 months

Cons

the initial learning curve seemed a little steep, but it feels natural at this point

Subpar in my recent experience

Pros

It's easy to leave your annual reviews from the desktop. Quick to figure out as an end user from the employee side.

Cons

The format seems a bit limited in how you can set up the reviews for your company and if you have to reopen for an employee it can erase all their data they've entered. You can access from your mobile but it will not auto save your progress like it does from the desktop.

2018 Review - Consultant perspective

Implemented Trakstar as a Consultant across 2 companies with very different use-cases - interesting experience in getting 2 work with 2 firms where I play very different roles (Firm 1: acting as Administrator and Manager - latter of which necessitates a lot of changes as I cannot be the de facto Manager; Firm 2: there will be Managers taking over the actual role, Goals and Notes will be used, etc.)

Pros

Flexibility to be rolled out for HR internal and consultants working on Human Capital initiative
Pricing model when considering getting multi-rater feedback from external sources
Mix between preset competencies and allowance to customize
Relatively user-friendly compared to other products
Flexibility in turning on/off features
My rep and the experience of the support team

Cons

a lot of hidden layers in compiling review forms
the initial set up where nobody talks to you before you upload that excel spreadsheet outlining the cohort groups - this was confusing at best and was the first touch-point with Trakstar - even if you attach a quick recording being a bit more granular on what is required there
lack of easy tracking capabilities of people completing reviews (as you get close to deadline and need to cat-herd individuals)
reporting is bit complex (that could just be me though)
would be great to get some guidance on resourcing this platform for perhaps a few different use cases

Intuitive and Valuable Tool

Pros

Since their new design update, Trakstar is easy to use for the average employee. It's fairly intuitive, and the training sessions and videos are easy to grasp. I also appreciate the options to customize based on our company's performance cycle.

Cons

Although there's some customization available, I would appreciate more features. We're also big into reporting, and it's not possible to pull the exact combination of information/reports we need.

Trakstar makes tracking annual reviews easier

Pros

I like the ability to leave notes for coworkers in order to inform their team leads of the great things they are doing.

Cons

I don't always find it easy to pick just one category to assign to a note.

Excellent performance appraisal software

Excellent experience with support received in transitioning from another software platform; the followup is great.

Pros

What I liked most about this software is how user-friendly it is, the many features and useful reports it offers, the flawlessness of the implementation process thanks to our very knowledgeable and thorough account executive, and the excellent training our administrators, managers & employees received and have access to via video, phone and online support.

Cons

I have not encountered anything I dislike about the software yet.

Great review software, but a little complicated

Pros

Trakstar software provides many ways to create goals, take notes and even send notes to co-workers.

Cons

Requires a lot of admin upkeep to be fully utilized.

Trakstar appraisal software

Overall experience has been great - the product is a great value; it's easy to use and to teach others to use. The service team is very responsive.

Pros

It's an easy and intuitive platform from setting up to implementing and training others to utilize.

Cons

Keeping up with the upgrades can be challenging. However, Trakstar does their job of notification and preparatory work.

Just recently implemented

Pros

We just recently implemented this software and it has made 1on1s much easier.

Cons

There is a lot going on but once you get use to it, it is a great software.

Trakstar

It makes it easy to document our performance and for the managers to update information. It flows easily between multiple offices.

Pros

It is simple and easy to use. Just by following the boxes or typing in information it will easily flow to the next area.

Cons

The software itself is fine, it is probably just the questions we have programmed to use. Some of the questions I feel could easily be made into just a check box instead of needing an explanation.

Nice way to have employees self evaluate and review performance

Pros

Nice way for employees to track performance and add accolades. Can set goals to follow as well

Cons

When setting performance of yourself and picking grades, it can almost seem harsh for giving you a performance, for those being modest or wanting to improve. Would be best to go over with manager to more realistic grading

Trakstar got us on track!

For a small company like ours, performance appraisals were inconsistent and arduous because we didn't have a simple, robust process. Trakstar has transformed our appraisal process, making it possible for appraisals to be done consistently across all departments, on time (not 3 months late!), and with insight from multiple team members.

Pros

We love the multi-rater (360) feedback capability! Trakstar offers "coaching tips" which are pre-written feedback statements to help supervisors find the right way to convey their feedback. For supervisors who are new to doing appraisals, that removes some of the apprehension and gives them a big head start.

Cons

The set up takes some careful time and consideration, but that would be the case with any software we chose.

Higher Educational - Trakstar Review

The Customer Service experience is the best. They are very responsive by both phone and email.

Pros

The ease of use is the best feature of the software.

Cons

The goals - we had to do a work around and are using "measurements," and although this works, it makes it a little touchy when it comes to referring new users to the Trakstar support pages.

Simple, not overly-complicated interface, encourages participation

Easy and fun to use, encourages MUCH more participation than any previous appraisal software I have used (which is usually associated with dread).

Pros

This software encourages you to input updates on your progress every month. This is an EXTREMELY valuable reminder because then you aren't racking your brain at the end of the year trying to remember your accomplishments. You can keep track of them year-round, and when your appraisal is due, the hard part is pretty much done. This helped a lot even for my 90-day appraisal. It breaks everything out among several competencies and it is a very user-friendly, dynamic interface that is kinda fun to use.

Cons

To be honest I cannot think of any criticism for this software.

Modern, streamlined performance management

Pros

Coming from a very clunky, slow SaaS tool, Trakstar is modern, fast, and easy to use. It saves as you go and warns you when changes might not be saved. It's very simple to add in goals and navigate around appraisals.

Cons

There are very simple abilities I would have expected (reordering goals after you've entered them) that aren't included, but I expect these to come with incremental tool improvements.