Key Features To Look For In Modern Employee Experience Platforms

Introduction: Why employee experience deserves your attention

The way employees experience their work environment—whether it’s remote, hybrid, or in-person—directly impacts engagement, productivity, and retention. And while “employee experience” might feel like a broad concept, at its core, it’s about one thing: making it easier for people to do great work and feel connected while they’re doing it.

Choosing the right employee experience platform plays a huge role in that equation. The best platforms do more than just deliver announcements or house documents. They create an ecosystem where communication flows smoothly, knowledge is easy to find, and employees feel informed, empowered, and valued.

In this article, we’ll break down the must-have features to look for in a modern employee experience platform—and explore how tools like Jive and Firstup bring these features to life.

Centralized, accessible knowledge hub

Make information easy to find

One of the biggest barriers to employee productivity is not knowing where to find the right information. A great employee experience platform should act as a single source of truth where documents, updates, and resources live—all easy to access, search, and navigate.

Jive excels in this area by providing customizable homepages, organized spaces, and robust search capabilities that allow employees to quickly locate the content they need, whether it’s a policy document, project plan, or company update.

Keep content current and reliable

It’s not enough to have information available—it needs to be up to date. Platforms should offer content management features like version control, content verification workflows, and archiving of outdated material to ensure employees aren’t working off inaccurate or stale data.

Personalized communication and audience targeting

Relevant messaging for every audience

Your workforce isn’t one-size-fits-all, and your communications shouldn’t be either. Modern platforms need to support audience segmentation so that the right people receive the right messages at the right time.

Firstup stands out here with its powerful audience targeting and automation features. It allows internal comms teams to segment employees by role, location, tenure, or other factors, ensuring that each message is relevant to the audience receiving it.

Multi-channel delivery

People consume information in different ways depending on where they work and what they do. Look for platforms that allow you to deliver communications across multiple channels—email, mobile notifications, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more—so you’re meeting employees where they already are.

Both Jive and Firstup offer multi-channel options that help ensure your messages actually get seen.

Two-way communication and feedback loops

Create space for dialogue, not just announcements

Top-down communication has its limits. The best employee experience platforms foster two-way interaction by giving employees ways to respond, ask questions, share feedback, and engage in discussions.

Jive supports interactive forums, comment threads, and Q&A features that turn internal comms into conversations. Firstup enables surveys, polls, and reactions that make it easy to gather input and gauge sentiment.

Act on feedback

It’s one thing to ask for feedback—but real impact comes when organizations show they’re listening and take action based on what they hear. Platforms should provide analytics and reporting that help identify trends and recurring issues so leadership can respond appropriately.

Seamless integrations with existing tools

Reduce context switching

The last thing your teams need is another tool that operates in a silo. Look for employee experience platforms that integrate with the systems your people are already using—project management tools, HRIS systems, collaboration platforms, and document storage solutions.

Jive integrates with platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, and SharePoint, bringing knowledge and communication directly into your daily tools. Firstup connects with HRIS systems and messaging platforms to automate audience segmentation and ensure consistent content delivery.

Automate workflows and simplify processes

Integrations also support automation, helping reduce manual tasks like building audience lists, sending reminders, or tracking engagement metrics. This frees up your internal comms and HR teams to focus on strategy and content, not administration.

Mobile-first access

Engage frontline and remote workers

For distributed, deskless, or hybrid workforces, mobile access isn’t optional—it’s essential. The right platform should offer mobile-friendly communication tools so employees can stay informed whether they’re at a desk, in the field, or on the move.

Firstup is built with mobile delivery in mind, ensuring that even hard-to-reach employees can receive timely updates. Jive also supports mobile access, allowing users to engage with content and stay connected no matter where they are.

Recognition and celebration features

Foster connection through recognition

Culture grows stronger when achievements are acknowledged and celebrated. Platforms that support recognition features—like shoutouts, badges, or spotlight stories—help reinforce company values and make people feel appreciated.

Jive’s community features make it easy to highlight wins, share success stories, and recognize contributions across the organization. Firstup’s campaign tools can be used to promote recognition initiatives and amplify employee stories.

Analytics and insights

Measure what matters

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Modern employee experience platforms should offer robust analytics that give you insight into how employees are engaging with content, what channels are most effective, and where gaps might exist.

Firstup provides detailed campaign analytics, including open rates, engagement rates, and audience insights. Jive offers usage metrics and engagement tracking across its intranet spaces. These insights help you fine-tune your strategy and make data-backed decisions.

Security, compliance, and access controls

Protect sensitive information

Employee experience platforms often house critical company data—from HR policies to financial updates. Make sure your chosen solution offers enterprise-grade security features like role-based permissions, SSO, and compliance support.

Jive and Firstup both offer security measures designed to ensure that the right people have access to the right information—no more, no less.

Scalability and flexibility

Grow with your company

Your employee experience platform should be able to scale alongside your organization. Whether you’re adding new locations, hiring rapidly, or shifting to new ways of working, your platform should be flexible enough to adapt without requiring a complete overhaul.

Look for customization options, API access, and flexible integration capabilities that make scaling seamless.

Conclusion: Choose features that support your people—and your goals

An employee experience platform should do more than just share updates. It should foster connection, streamline access to information, and create a space where employees feel informed, engaged, and valued.

By focusing on features like centralized knowledge, personalized communication, feedback loops, seamless integrations, and mobile-first access, you can choose a platform that not only supports your business objectives but also creates a better experience for your people.

Tools like Jive and Firstup offer strong examples of how these features come to life—helping companies bring their communication strategies into the modern era and build workplaces where employees can thrive.