Employee Self-Service Software: 11 Top Platforms and How to Choose One

It’s only Monday morning, and your HR and IT teams are already buried in emails. Password resets, holiday schedule questions, and locked accounts pile up before you even have your first coffee.

Sound familiar?

These daily bottlenecks frustrate employees and drain productivity. Instead of quick solutions, employees waste time searching outdated knowledge bases or waiting hours — sometimes days — for help.

On average, employees spend 30% of their time hunting for information across various systems. That’s lost efficiency you can’t afford.

The right employee self-service software empowers employees to find answers and resolve issues on their own. It slashes support wait times, boosts satisfaction, and gives HR and IT teams time to focus on more important priorities.

This guide breaks down the best self-service platforms, so you can choose the one that’s right for your business.

At a glance: The best employee self-service portals

HR management and payroll solutions

HR and payroll are two of the most common areas where employees can benefit from better self-serve options. The following tools make managing everything from benefits enrollment to payroll easy, with user-friendly interfaces designed for employee self-service.

Learn how HR leaders can automate employee support with AI.

IBM watsonx: Leverage AI for scalable and robust HR operations

IBM watsonx Assistant puts the power of enterprise AI into employee self-service portals, making it easier for organizations to offer consistent, personalized support at scale. 

This conversational AI platform understands natural language and works with your existing HR systems to give employees quick, accurate answers to their questions.

Key benefits include:

• Automated responses to common HR inquiries
• Multilingual support for global workforces
• Integrations with existing HR systems and knowledge bases

IBM watsonx Assistant is ideal for large enterprises with complex HR ecosystems and high volumes of employee inquiries. Pricing is available via customized quote.

Paycom: Simplify HR and payroll processes with comprehensive automation

Paycom delivers an employee self-service platform that puts HR and payroll functionality directly in employees' hands. The system houses employee data in a single database, eliminating redundancies and allowing employees to manage their own information.

Key benefits include:

• Single database architecture eliminates data inconsistencies
• Employee-driven data management reduces administrative work
• Comprehensive mobile app provides anytime, anywhere access

Paycom is a good fit for mid-sized to large businesses that want to cut down on HR admin work and boost data accuracy. Pricing usually starts at $25–$36 per employee per month.

BambooHR: Streamline HR management for growing businesses

BambooHR offers a user-friendly human resources platform designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform combines HR tools with an intuitive employee self-service portal that makes it easy for employees to access and update their employee information on their own.

Key benefits include:

• Intuitive, user-friendly interface requires minimal training
• Streamlined new hire onboarding and offboarding processes for current employees
• Mobile app for on-the-go access to HR information

Pricing is per-quote, but is based on per-employee rates for companies with more than 25 employees and a flat monthly rate for smaller teams. 

ADP Workforce Now: Optimize HR workflows, from talent acquisition to payroll and everything in between

ADP Workforce Now is an all-in-one human capital management (HCM) platform that offers powerful self-service tools for employees, covering everything from hiring and PTO to performance reviews and retirement.

Key benefits include:

• All-in-one platform covering the entire employee lifecycle
• Role-based access controls for appropriate information sharing
• Built-in compliance tools and updates

ADP Workforce Now is designed for mid-sized businesses looking for an HR solution with a wide range of features and a relatively low learning curve. Pricing is available via custom quote.

Gusto: Manage payroll, benefits, and HR with simplicity and ease

Gusto simplifies payroll, benefits, and HR for small to mid-sized businesses. With handy self-service tools, employees can take care of onboarding, update their info, and access things like time-off requests, performance management, and benefits administration whenever they need to.

Key benefits include:

• Exceptionally user-friendly interface with minimal learning curve
• Automated tax filing and compliance updates
• Digital onboarding experience for new employees

Pricing starts at $49 per month plus $6 per employee per month.

Paylocity: Innovate your HR and payroll workflow with modern solutions

Paylocity combines HR and payroll software functionality with social collaboration tools to create an engaging employee self-service experience. The platform goes beyond traditional self-service by incorporating social features that foster connection and communication.

Key benefits include:

• User interface with consumer-grade experience
• Built-in social and collaboration tools
• Powerful mobile app with full functionality

Paylocity is good for organizations looking to modernize their HR technology stack while increasing employee engagement. Pricing is available via custom quote.

Employee engagement and collaboration tools

Employee self-service platforms are now doing more than just handling HR and payroll. Many also aim to boost engagement and teamwork. The result is tools that create central hubs where employees can find resources, connect with coworkers, and stay in the loop.

Workvivo: Boost employee engagement and communication seamlessly

Workvivo takes a unique approach to employee self-service by combining communications, engagement, and recognition in a social media-inspired platform, replete with activity feeds, shout-outs, and interactive content. The platform creates a dynamic digital workplace where employees can access information and connect with colleagues.

Key benefits include:

• Social media-inspired interface that drives engagement
• Recognition tools for celebrating achievements
• Content management for organizing important resources

Starting at $20,000 for the standard business plan, Workvivo is built for larger organizations looking to boost employee engagement and create a stronger digital workplace culture.

SP Employee Hub: Centralize employee resources and enhance workplace collaboration

SharePoint Employee Hub takes advantage of Microsoft's SharePoint platform to create a centralized self-service portal for employees. This customizable solution allows organizations to build information hubs connecting employees with resources across the enterprise.

Key benefits include:

• Deep integration with Microsoft 365
• Highly customizable to match organizational needs
• Advanced security and permission controls

SharePoint Employee Hub is a good fit for organizations that need a customizable self-service solution and are already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Pricing is based on SharePoint licensing, with custom implementation costs.

Employee support and automation tools

Employee self-service is now relying more on AI-powered tools that can give instant answers, automate tricky workflows, and answer questions in everyday language, offering more interactive, personalized support.

Moveworks: Supercharge employee support with agentic AI

Moveworks delivers an AI-powered platform that transforms how employees get support. Instead of dealing with clunky portals and hunting through menus, Moveworks uses conversational AI to understand natural language requests and deliver instant, personalized help.

Key benefits include:

• Immediate responses to employee questions across multiple domains using centralized knowledge bases
• Natural language understanding (NLU) that interprets multilingual requests accurately
• Automatic resolution of common support issues without human involvement
• Integration with existing enterprise systems
• Continuous learning that improves performance over time

Moveworks is a great option for large companies looking to cut support costs and improve the employee experience. Its ability to automatically handle issues across different departments makes it a powerful all-in-one solution for simplifying employee support.

For pricing information, contact Moveworks directly for a customized quote based on your organization's size and requirements.

Discover how Moveworks can transform your employee support with cutting-edge AI. Learn more about our self-service solutions.

SAP SuccessFactors: Integrate end-to-end HR processes with a scalable solution

SAP SuccessFactors is a powerful HCM suite built for large enterprises, offering strong employee self-service features. Its Employee Central acts as the core HR system, with extra modules that make self-service easy throughout every stage of the employee journey.

Key benefits include:

• Comprehensive coverage of all HR processes
• Global compliance capabilities for multinational organizations
• In-depth analytics and reporting capabilities

SAP SuccessFactors is best suited for large, complex organizations, particularly those with global operations. Contact SAP directly for custom quotes.

Aisera: Streamline employee support with advanced automation

Aisera provides an AI Service Management (AISM) platform that automates employee service and support across IT, HR, facilities, and other business functions. It uses conversational AI to figure out what employees need, and either solves the issue automatically or sends it to the right person to resolve the issue.

Key benefits include:

• Automated resolution of everyday support requests
• Omnichannel support across multiple communication platforms
• Integration with existing ITSM and HRSM tools

Aisera is an excellent option for organizations that want to lighten the load on their service desk teams while speeding up employee response times. For pricing information, contact Aisera directly for a custom quote.

How to compare employee self-service software

Now that you know which tools are out there to help you build out a strong self-serve solution for your team, how do you pick one?

Choosing the right employee self-service solution for your business means closely examining a few critical factors. Here's what to think about when comparing different platforms:

Goals and support needs

Before looking at specific solutions, take a moment to clearly define what you want to accomplish with employee self-service. 

Are you primarily focused on reducing HR administrative workload? Improving employee satisfaction with support processes? Creating a more cohesive digital workplace?

It's also important to understand the full scope of employee support needs. Beyond basic HR functions, think about how employees need help with IT issues, facilities management, and access to company information. 

The best self-service solutions tackle support needs as a whole instead of breaking them into separate silos.

Integration capabilities

Another factor in choosing an employee self-service platform is how well it integrates with your existing technology ecosystem. Look for solutions that offer pre-built connectors to your HRIS, ITSM, communication tools, and other critical systems.

Strong integration capabilities ensure data consistency across systems, eliminate redundant data entry, and create a better experience for both employees and administrators. 

User experience

Any self-service platform’s success ultimately depends on employee adoption. If the system is difficult to use or navigate, employees will simply ignore it and continue to rely on the same old direct support channels. 

Be sure to look at each solution's user interface, mobile capabilities, and overall design quality. Choose platforms that offer intuitive navigation, responsive design for different devices, and personalized experiences based on user roles and preferences. 

The best solutions balance easy access and functionality with simplicity, empowering employees to find what they need without a giant (often frustrating) learning curve.

Customization and scalability

Your organization's needs will inevitably evolve over time, so selecting a platform that can adapt and grow with you is essential. Evaluate each solution's customization capabilities, including the ability to tailor workflows, create custom fields, and modify the user interface to match your brand.

Scalability is equally important, especially for growing enterprises. Find out if the platform can handle more users, extra customizations, and new use cases without slowing down or needing another major investment later on.

Security and compliance standards

Employee self-service systems often handle sensitive personal data, causing significant concerns for security and compliance. Look closely at each potential solution’s security setup, including data encryption, access controls, authentication methods, and audit features.

Compliance features are an even bigger deal if you're in a regulated industry. Make sure to choose solutions with built-in tools to help you automatically stay on top of regulations like:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Any industry-specific requirements

Agentic advanced functionality

The most sophisticated employee self-service solutions now incorporate agentic AI capabilities that go beyond standard automation. These advanced systems can understand context, make decisions, and take actions across multiple systems often without human intervention.

Look for platforms that offer natural language processing (NLP) to understand employee questions, machine learning (ML) that improves the product over time, and the ability to automate complex workflows that touch multiple systems. 

For instance, employee self-service platforms can streamline HR processes by allowing employees to independently manage personal information, benefits, payroll, time tracking, and access corporate documents.

Empower employees to find answers and resolve their own issues

The right self-service platform reduces administrative burden, empowers employees, improves satisfaction, and drives productivity across the organization.

Moveworks is a powerful solution for enterprise employee self-service. Our AI is designed to understand natural language, work through complex enterprise systems, and address issues automatically — often without human help. 

This agentic approach extends beyond traditional portals, offering a more productive support experience.

With a self-service solution like Moveworks, you can cut down resolution times, boost employee happiness, and let your HR professionals and IT teams focus on big-picture initiatives instead of routine support and administrative tasks.

Request a demo today to see how Moveworks can help your organization build a more efficient, responsive employee self-service experience.