You probably recognize this
A new employee starts on Monday. You sent around a checklist on Friday, but the laptop is not yet set up, the access card is missing and the buddy doesn't know what is expected of him. Monday you get a call: "What am I supposed to do today?"
Imagine: you are HR manager at a consulting firm with 60 employees. Each quarter 3–5 new colleagues start. The onboarding process consists of emails, loose documents and informal handovers — and every time you forget something. That costs time, money and sometimes even the new employee.
What this costs you
| Activity | Time per new employee | Costs per year (10 new hires) |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up and planning onboarding program | 3 hours | €1,875 |
| Welcome emails, account creation, tours | 4 hours | €2,500 |
| First weeks guidance (ad hoc questions) | 5 hours | €3,125 |
| Repetition upon departure due to poor onboarding | Hidden cost | €22,500+ |
| Total | 12+ hours per employee | €30,000+ |
Companies with a structured onboarding process achieve 82% higher retention and 70% higher productivity in the first months.
How AI tackles this differently
AI transforms your onboarding into a structured, automatically running process that takes the right steps for each new employee at exactly the right time.
1. Personalized induction program: Based on job function, department and start date, AI automatically generates an onboarding plan — including who does what and when.
2. Automatic task reminders: Managers, IT, facilities and the buddy automatically receive reminders. No more forgotten laptops.
3. AI chatbot for new employees: A 24/7 available chatbot answers questions like "How do I request time off?", "Where do I find the pension scheme?", or "Who is my IT contact?" — without bothering you.
4. Progress tracking: You see at a glance who has completed which onboarding step and where someone is falling behind.
> Expert tip: Connect your onboarding flow to AFAS or Personio. Then the onboarding process starts automatically as soon as the employee is entered into the system — no separate emails needed.
What it delivers
How other HR managers in SMBs use this
An HR manager at an accounting firm in Utrecht had her onboarding fully automated via Unify AI. New employees now go through a personal 4-week induction process without her having to do anything manually. "I now get questions at the moment when it's truly relevant — the AI takes care of the rest."
Frequently asked questions
*See FAQ section below*
Ready to start?
Curious how to automate your onboarding? Schedule a free demo and see how Unify AI puts your induction process on autopilot in 2 weeks.