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June 6, 2024
From Idea to Impact: The Founding Journey and Growth of Introist in HR Automation
Klaus Julin
After the widespread job losses in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the narrative shifted in 2021 and 2022. Both Europe and the US witnessed a remarkable resurgence in employment rates.
As employers eagerly sought to onboard top-tier talent for their organizations, the idea of Introist was first initiated. We identified that onboarding and scheduling challenges, such as coordinating multiple stakeholders, managing complex timelines, and dealing with time-consuming administrative processes, all while ensuring a personalized onboarding experience, persist as major pain points for companies and HR departments.
Additionally, a 2022 survey by payroll company Paychex revealed that only about half of new hires are satisfied with their onboarding experience. This shortfall can hinder the development of an emotional connection between new hires and the company, affecting engagement and employee retention. New employee turnover rates can be as high as 20% within the first 45 days, with roughly one-third leaving their jobs within the first 90 days.
Recognizing this gap, we aimed to create a startup that serves as a one-stop solution for employee onboarding, with the goal of providing a seamless and positive experience for both the employer and the employee. Inspired by this vision, we developed a platform dedicated to simplifying the onboarding process. Moreover, we equipped the platform with efficient automation modules and ensured seamless integration with existing Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), thereby shaping it into an essential resource for HR professionals.
As one of our co-founders puts it together:
“We believe that if we could automate a lot, that would leave much more room for companies to actually be with their employees, especially the new hires”.
By relieving HR from the burden of mundane tasks, such as paperwork and administrative duties, we empower them to dedicate their time and energy to what truly matters—building strong connections and fostering a sense of belonging within the workforce. This shift in focus enables HR to play a pivotal role in improving employee retention rates and cultivating a positive work environment where employees feel valued and supported in their professional growth.
The vision became a reality with the combined efforts of Jarno Vuorenmaa, Klaus Julin, Tommi Huovinen, and Niko Salkola who founded Introist. Our mission extends beyond automating routine HR tasks; we aim to empower HR teams to prioritize strategic initiatives and remain an integral component of business success.
Introist assists you by automating and handling different company processes like:
Onboarding
Employee Well-Being
Absences and Vacations
Offboarding
With this glimpse into our mission, we invite you to explore our journey and learn how Introist can ensure seamless HR operations within your company.
The Founders' Vision: Building on a Strong Foundation
The origin story of Introist begins with a shared vision among its founders, all of whom bring a wealth of experience from innovative companies in Finland. Tommi Huovinen has held numerous business growth and leadership positions in tech scaleups. Jarno Vuorenmaa and Klaus Julin have extensive experience in software companies, primarily in consultation roles. Niko Salkola, a seasoned UX designer, adds a critical perspective on user experience. All founders previously collaborated at Wunderdog, a company known for its progressive and employee-centric approach.
These companies had modern, people-centered organizational structures, which provided a first-hand personal experience to all of us of what it means to have great employee experience. This unique perspective shaped our understanding of effective leadership and its profound impact on workplace culture and productivity.
Having witnessed the success of such models, we became passionate proponents of leadership styles that prioritize employees' needs. We saw how these approaches not only fostered a positive work environment but also drove efficient business outcomes, such as reduced onboarding times, improved employee retention, and higher overall productivity. This inspired us to create a solution that could bring the same level of employee-centric focus to organizations worldwide.
Introist is the product of this shared ambition. It's more than just an HR automation tool—it's a vehicle for transforming the way companies manage their human resources and enhance employee experiences. We envisioned a platform that could automate and streamline complex HR processes like onboarding, early care, and offboarding, ensuring that employees feel supported and companies save time to focus on more business-critical tasks.
We observed that many HR managers and People Ops teams are still burdened with manual tasks and checklists. This often leads to crucial information and steps being overlooked, while the time spent on these tasks continues to grow with the company's expansion. This realization drove our founders to understand that automating these tasks would enable companies to scale to new heights. By freeing up time, HR teams could concentrate on improving the overall employee experience.
The Journey to Introist's Creation
The inspiration for Introist can be traced back to 2020. Even before the world was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that seamless HR processes like onboarding, communication, and check-ins were pivotal in shaping a positive employee experience. Having enjoyed a supportive and trust-based work environment in Finland ourselves, we were driven by a desire to replicate this model in other organizations globally.
Our inspiration was rooted in the belief that every employee deserves a smooth experience in their role on the job. This vision led us to build a tool that could not only manage the administrative burden on HR teams but also enhance human-centered processes.
With this idea in mind, our team began pitching the plans to various companies. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and we secured numerous pilot projects, many of which have evolved into long-term partnerships.
How Introist Evolved to Meet HR Needs
The journey to developing Introist was not without its challenges, particularly during the complexities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to hybrid work models dramatically altered the landscape of HR. One of the significant obstacles was adapting to the continuously shifting priorities of HR departments. Initially, onboarding was the primary focus, but as the pandemic progressed, other human-centered processes demanded attention. This demanded remodifying the platform to ensure it remained simple yet valuable in a rapidly changing environment.
At Introist, we tackled this challenge head-on by tailoring the platform to be more holistic. We expanded its capabilities beyond onboarding to manage a broader range of HR processes. For instance, Introist was changed to look after the integration of hybrid and remote work processes. The platform's flexibility allowed it to manage tasks such as scheduling virtual meetings, sending automated reminders, and facilitating communication across different time zones.
The key to overcoming these obstacles was the shared commitment to keeping Introist user-friendly and intuitive. We recognized that a complex tool would hinder rather than help HR teams, so we prioritized simplicity and ease of use in every update. This approach ensured Introist delivered maximum value, regardless of how the HR landscape shifted.
In summary, as remote work surged in the wake of the pandemic, it became clear that a more structured and systematic approach to HR processes was necessary. This shift made automation even more crucial for enhancing the employee experience, ensuring that new hires receive consistent and comprehensive support regardless of their physical location.
The Product
Getting familiar with Introist does not require a lot of technical expertise. This tool is an easy-to-use software that allows automation across different, people-related processes, such as offboarding, that companies often struggle with.
One significant challenge companies and startups often face is the long onboarding process. Moreover, the time-consuming nature of this process not only delays the productivity of new team members but can also burden the existing team.
With Introist, you create tailored automated onboarding programs which also include preboarding, ensuring that new hires feel supported and prepared even before their official start date. New hires are welcomed with automated intro messages, scheduled training sessions, and provisioned accounts, allowing them to seamlessly integrate into the team and make valuable contributions right from the outset.
Introist’s automation capabilities streamline various tasks, saving you significant time by automatically scheduling meetings and sending personalized emails, Slack, or Teams messages at optimal times.
For example, instead of HR manually coordinating every step, Introist ensures reminders and critical information are sent precisely when needed. Additionally, to maintain smooth workflows, Introist can submit tickets to project management tools like Trello and Jira, keeping all team members aligned and informed. This automation not only reduces the manual workload for HR but also ensures consistency and accuracy, minimizing the risk of human error and enhancing overall efficiency.
Introist also works to create a better employee experience for fresh recruits. By provisioning Google Workspace accounts, it eliminates the need for coordinators to spend valuable time on administrative setup. This allows new employees to hit the ground running from day one.
Additionally, it provides an excellent tool for monitoring sick days and flexible working hours. Instead of manual record keeping, deploying Introist can automate the process of managing employee allotted hours. It can send an email reminder to the stakeholders and keep track of data that would otherwise be manually supervised.
This seamless plug-and-play integration extends to your existing HRIS or ATS without any complications, where Introist activates automated processes based on real-time updates. This does not only create ease but also ensures that your HR operations are always up-to-date and responsive.
These product features guarantee that the transition to using Introist is smooth and intuitive. Its integration capabilities effortlessly align with your existing systems. As your team adopts Introist, you'll notice a significant shift in efficiency and effectiveness, giving your HR team the time to prioritize creating a thriving workplace culture and supporting employee growth.
In an effort to strengthen its company culture through tailored technology, a leading digital transformation company, Futurice wanted to ensure a consistently exceptional employee experience while minimizing the burden on HR personnel. The initial aim was to streamline the onboarding process, reduce reliance on manual tasks, and lessen the burden on the Human Care (HC) Team. This would allow them to concentrate on value-creating tasks.
With the implementation of Introist, Futurice automated its onboarding process, ensuring new hires received relevant information at a manageable pace and through an instantaneous communication platform like Slack. This approach avoided overwhelming newcomers with information overload. Moreover, the onboarding processes were customizable based on the employee's role, ensuring a personalized and efficient integration into the company.
Beyond onboarding, Introist streamlined the process for monitoring employee work permits. Introist sent timely notifications when permits were nearing expiration. These notifications included detailed steps and deadlines, ensuring compliance and peace of mind for both employees and the company.
As employees transitioned through their lifecycle at Futurice, Introist ensured a positive experience even during their departure. The tool managed critical tasks such as deactivating keys, permits, and company credit cards, while also sending out a comprehensive checklist for their last day.
In essence, by deploying Introist, Futurice not only streamlined its HR processes by automating workflows but also significantly enhanced its workplace culture, allowing the HC Team to focus on strategic initiatives that drive the company forward.
Katja Kainulainen, the HR Operations Lead at Futurice vouches for Introist and said: "We are extremely pleased with Introist, which has become an indispensable companion in our work. Unlike humans, who may be absent, Introist is consistently reliable. Even during the holiday season, we trust that everything will run seamlessly.”
Future Goals
As Introist continues to promote HR automation, our vision for the next stage is to become the go-to solution for large-scale organizations looking to streamline their HR processes and improve their workplace culture.
Our ideal clients are companies with 250+ employees or businesses that are experiencing significant growth and need efficient and transparent HR solutions to manage their expanding workforce. We are particularly focused on tech companies such as IT consultancies and SaaS product companies. These organizations understand the value of automation and are in a prime position to utilize Introist's full capabilities to drive efficiency within their HR departments.
We are planning to leverage AI potential in the near future. By combining AI with automation, Introist will be able to accomplish precise and detailed actions, particularly for critical tasks like performance analytics and compliance monitoring. AI will aid in execution and provide suggestions for reasonable ways forward. To ensure these suggestions are practical and effective, we plan to involve a human element in the equation. This approach will allow a human to evaluate the AI-generated suggestions and rely on AI for final execution.
We have launched a comprehensive pricing calculator on our website, providing stakeholders with a clear understanding of what Introist would cost for their organization, tailored to their specific requirements. Additionally, we feature a request-for-offer form, allowing interested companies to easily initiate conversations about how Introist can integrate with their existing human resource systems.
As we continue to innovate and expand, we remain committed to helping our clients achieve greater efficiency, productivity, and employee satisfaction through advanced HR automation.
As we continue to change the HR landscape with automation, our mission remains clear: to empower businesses to operate more efficiently, focus on strategic growth rather than mundane tasks, and create an exceptional workplace culture. Whether you're part of a large enterprise, an entrepreneur, a growing startup, or a tech company, Introist is here to add efficiency to your HR operations.
Learn more about how Introist can automate your HR processes by exploring our website. You can also book a demo and see firsthand how our automation solutions can make a tangible difference in your organization.
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