How to choose the best employee directory software (plus 7 top solutions)
How to choose the best employee directory software (plus 7 top solutions)
Jonathan Davies
9 mins read
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about employee directory software, including its benefits, how to pick the right tool, and which platforms are best for your team.
What is employee directory software?
Employee directory software is a centralized platform containing the essential details of all team members. An employee directory typically contains the following information:
- Name
- Job title
- Team or department
- Email address
- Phone number
- Location (if your company has more than one)
In addition, some software offers advanced customization options. This allows companies to add in-depth specifics, such as headshots, specializations, personal bios, birthdays, or hire dates.
What are the benefits of employee directory software?
Implementing and maintaining a robust people directory has many advantages. Recent studies have shown that collaboration tools that enable real-time communication increase efficiency and productivity by up to 30%. Other benefits of company directory software include:
Up-to-date employee information
An online directory allows HR to update employee information during onboarding and offboarding, ensuring accurate data.
Easier team collaboration
With directory software, you can create a centralized organizational chart to help your team collaborate easily. Employees can filter searches for team members based on their roles, skills, projects they’ve worked on, and more.
Improved onboarding
An online employee directory can help ease the onboarding process by reducing the stress of remembering colleagues' names and roles and preventing awkward situations.
Stronger company culture
An employee directory goes beyond listing names and numbers—it’s an interactive platform that can feature photos, detailed bios, special skills, and other content. This humanizes the workplace experience, making relationships more personal and cohesive.
Enhanced security
Online employee portal software provides authentication, encryption, and other security measures to keep employee data safer than traditional directories.
Key features to look for in employee directory software
Here are some key features to look for:
Flexible search functionality
An employee directory's searchability is one of its most important features.
Up-to-date organization charts
Online organizational charts give employees a quick overview of the company's structure.
Detailed employee profiles
An online employee directory with customizable profiles and multimedia content capabilities can highlight each team member in a more personal way.
Seamless team collaboration
The best employee directories facilitate social interaction and collaboration all from the same dashboard.
Automated employee reminders
A directory software program makes celebrating birthdays and work anniversaries easy by automatically sending recurring reminders.
Connected communities
The best employee directories give teams a digital office where they feel heard and connected.
Imports and auto provisioning
The right employee directory software can import data quickly and easily from a variety of sources.
7 best employee directory software for growing businesses
1. Happeo
G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Best for: Companies that want a user-first, all-in-one solution
Happeo is a powerful social company intranet that includes a customizable employee directory.
Key features:
- Employee profiles: Includes contact details, skills, experience, and photos.
- Digital phonebook: Overview of everyone in an organization in a grid or list view.
- Organizational chart: Visual representation of company structure.
- Federated search: Find departments, job titles, skills, and more.
- Peer recognition: Encourages peer-to-peer recognition within one platform.
2. Pingboard
G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Best for: Integrating employee directory with employee engagement software
Pingboard is designed for growing companies.
Key features:
- Streamlined onboarding processes
- Visually-appealing organizational charts
- Detailed employee profiles
- Interactive games to foster colleague connection
3. LeaveBoard
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Best for: HR and leave tracking software that includes an employee directory
LeaveBoard helps HR teams save time on people management.
Key features:
- Employee profiles stored in the cloud
- Dynamic, sortable employee list views
- Fast internal search of records
4. Bitrix24
G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5
Best for: Managing customer relationships and collaboration in a single tool
Bitrix24 is a comprehensive collaboration platform.
Key features:
- One system to manage all internal communications
- Online employee directory
- Workflow automation
5. Connecteam
G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Best for: Companies that want a holistic workforce management solution
Connecteam helps manage time and communicate with employees.
Key features:
- Employee mobile directory with customizable profiles
- Contact colleagues directly from the directory
6. Axero
G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Best for: A platform that integrates employee directories with company culture
Axero is ideal for small to large businesses.
Key features:
- Fully customizable employee profiles
- Interactive organizational charts
7. OneDirectory
G2 Rating: 5 out of 5
Best for: Microsoft 365 users looking for company directory software
OneDirectory is an automated employee directory software for Microsoft 365.
Key features:
- Specialist features for Microsoft 365
- Interactive org chart with customizable profiles
Unite your workforce with Happeo’s people directory
Modern workplaces need flexible solutions to bridge communication gaps between teams. Using Happeo's social intranet, employees can easily connect and collaborate.
Simplify remote collaboration and consolidate your digital workplace tools with a company intranet that integrates employee directory software. Contact us today to book a demo!