Why choose dedicated onboarding technology over your ATS or HRIS?

10/07/2026

Most ATS and HRIS platforms now offer an onboarding module, and it’s usually sold as a separate, chargeable add-on rather than something bundled into your core licence. Sometimes an expensive one. So, the real question isn’t “we already have it, why buy more?” It’s whether that module, however much it costs, actually delivers what pre-boarding and onboarding are meant to deliver.

These systems can manage the administrative side of joining an organisation well. What they generally can’t do on their own is build the engagement, connection and a sense of belonging that reduce reneges, cut early attrition and get new hires performing faster. Dedicated onboarding technology (like Eli) does both – process and engagement, in one platform – or works alongside the ATS or HRIS you’ve already invested in, so nothing falls through the gap.

What ATS and HRIS platforms do well (and what it costs)

Credit where it’s due. Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle, iCIMS and ServiceNow are all strong at the administrative core of onboarding: paperwork, task routing, right-to-work checks, compliance sign-off. If a new hire needs a form completed or a checklist actioned, these systems handle it reliably, inside a platform HR and IT already trust.

Often though, the onboarding module is a separate, chargeable add-on to your core ATS or HRIS licence, not something you get automatically. And, depending on the vendor and your existing contract, it can be a significant additional cost.

Where they fall short

Most of these platforms will also tell you they do engagement. Look closely and it’s usually a form, a checklist item, or a static content page badged as “engagement”. Enough to pull the wool over the IT team’s eyes, but not candidates. It’s not the same as a personalised pre-boarding and onboarding experience that makes a new hire feel genuinely connected to the organisation they’ve just agreed to join, and connected before day one, not from it. By the time someone walks through the door, day one is too late to start building that connection.

There’s a practical problem too. Change something in a big ATS or HRIS system, a new checklist or task, a tweak to a journey, an update for a new hire type, and you’re usually looking at a request to a system specialist and a wait measured in months, not days. HR teams don’t own that process. They just wait for it.

Why this matters for ROI

The elements ATS and HRIS platforms manage well, paperwork, task routing, compliance, aren’t the elements that deliver the biggest return on your onboarding investment. Fewer reneges. Lower early attrition. Faster time to performance. Stronger sense of belonging. None of that comes from a checklist being completed on time. It comes from the experience a new hire has from the moment they accept an offer, through pre-boarding and into their first months on the job.

That’s not a criticism of the platforms. Process and compliance still matter. They just aren’t where the return comes from. If your onboarding technology only manages process, it was never going to move those numbers on its own.

What dedicated onboarding technology does differently

This isn’t process versus engagement. Eli manages checklists, compliance tasks and forms just as capably as an ATS or HRIS onboarding module, and layers genuine engagement on top. For clients who’d rather keep those admin processes in their existing system, Eli integrates cleanly with it, Workday, SAP, Oracle, iCIMS and others, so data moves smoothly between systems and nothing has to be entered twice. Either way, process and engagement stay balanced instead of one being sacrificed for the other.

Eli builds personalised pre-boarding and onboarding journeys by role, location, team, hire type and more. Connections between a new hire and their team start before day one, because by the time someone starts, the relationships that keep them engaged should already be forming. Eli Insights™ tracks engagement and wellbeing in real time throughout the journey, flagging flight risks early enough to act on them. It gives your employer brand somewhere to actually show up, rather than being buried inside a generic system template. And because new hires arrive better informed, more connected and more confident, they perform sooner.

On managing another system: it’s an additional platform, not additional admin. Because HR owns Eli directly, changes and content updates happen in days, without a request to a system specialist and a wait measured in months.

The proof

2026 Global Client Survey: Eli’s NPS is +80, up 26 points on 2025. 100% of clients said Eli reduced admin, reduced reneges, reduced early attrition and set new hires up for success. Implementation was rated 5/5.
GE HealthCare: a 24% reduction in early attrition globally, delivering a cost avoidance of over £6 million.
Autism Unlimited: a 9% reduction in early attrition, with 97% of new hires describing their onboarding as “outstanding”.
A&M: an EMEA-wide programme that delivered a £1.92 million cost avoidance through reduced early attrition and admin, and better early performance.
NatWest Group: a 5% reduction in early career reneges, resulting in a £73,692 cost avoidance.

Conclusion

If pre-boarding and onboarding is a box-ticking exercise, an ATS or HRIS module can do that admirably, though at a cost. If it’s about the people joining your organisation, whether they stay, how quickly they perform and how connected they feel from the moment they accept, it needs technology built for that job. Eli isn’t a replacement for the system you already run. It’s what makes sure process and experience both get delivered properly, from offer acceptance through to full performance.

FAQs

Is the onboarding module already included with our ATS or HRIS?

Often not. Most ATS and HRIS onboarding modules are sold as a separate, chargeable add-on rather than bundled with your core licence. It’s worth checking exactly what you’re paying for before assuming the capability is already covered.

Do we need dedicated onboarding technology if we already have an ATS or HRIS?

It depends what your onboarding module actually covers, and what it cost you to get it. Many are built for process rather than for pre-boarding and onboarding experience. Eli covers both, or integrates with what you’ve already paid for, so you’re not choosing between compliance and engagement.

Will dedicated onboarding technology integrate with our existing ATS or HRIS?

Yes. Eli integrates with the systems most organisations already run, including Workday, SAP, Oracle and iCIMS, so data moves cleanly between systems and nothing has to be entered twice.

Isn’t managing another system extra work for HR?

It’s an additional platform, not additional admin. Because HR owns Eli directly, changes and content updates can be made in days, without submitting a request to a system specialist and waiting months for it to be actioned. And, Eli free’s you and your team up to spend more time on value add work, not admin.

Can’t our ATS or HRIS just do engagement too?

Some claim to, and a few handle basic tasks like checklists and forms well. But genuine pre-boarding and onboarding engagement, building connection before day one and tracking real wellbeing, is a different job to process management, and it’s rarely what these modules are built for. Eli manages the same checklists, forms and compliance tasks just as well, then adds the experience most ATS and HRIS modules can’t.

What kind of results can we expect from dedicated onboarding technology?

Results vary by organisation, but Eli clients typically see measurable reductions in reneges and early attrition, alongside faster time to performance and stronger early connection with their new employer. On average clients see a 5% reduction in early attrition one year after go live. See the proof points above for specific client outcomes.

Book a discovery call to see what Eli could do for your pre-boarding and onboarding experience.