The demand for mentorship is at an all-time high. 98% of all US Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs in 2024. With such a high volume of organisations looking for mentorship opportunities, the pressure is on to find the best mentorship software in the market.
In this article, we make it easier for you to choose the right mentoring software as we talk about what makes a good mentorship program and what Brancher’s advantage is over its competitors. Let’s get started!
All good mentoring programs have three key phases: design, engage, and evaluate. Here are some statistics on why mentoring plays a vital role in your organisation’s success:
These numbers prove just how important it is to have the right mentoring program and software in place. But how do you set a mentoring program up for success? The three key phases to keep in mind are The Design Phase, The Engage Phase, and The Evaluation Phase.
Before you launch your mentoring program, you must ask yourself:
You may want to bring in an expert Mentoring Program Manager to facilitate a Design Workshop with your key stakeholders to work through the questions above and align on key mentoring principles. Some software providers such as Brancher will facilitate a complimentary Design Workshop during the implementation process so you don’t need to do the heavy lifting.
Look for a mentoring software provider who will ask you the following questions (or similar) in the sales process. This can help you to determine if the provider truly cares about your organisation (and is looking to implement a program that will deliver real results as opposed to hitting their sales target or KPI):
Also, look for a mentoring software provider who will help to customise the platform for your needs. Many providers are 100% self-service with minimal customer support. Good mentoring providers will help you (or even do it for you). This means you can spend your time talking to internal stakeholders rather than configuring the back end of a mentoring tech platform.
Look for providers who will provide you with key design and implementation resources including:
Within the Engage Phase, there are two steps:
When you launch the program, it’s one of the most exciting steps. But it can also be quite daunting. A mentoring program is a highly visible program - everyone can see if it’s successful or not. You need to ensure that your mentoring software provider will help you and your users through this process.
After a 45-minute launch webinar, Brancher takes care of the mentee-mentor matching by sending introductory emails and continually checking in with the program participants. Every 30 days, Brancher sends out a personalised nudge that helps to ensure everyone stays on track. As the program administrator, you get access to an admin portal where you can see how the relationships are tracked including which pairs are on track or off track. You can then proactively manage relationships and ensure everyone achieves their goals, including your organisation.
Once the mentoring program is launched, many software providers will stop their ‘human touch’ customer support. Brancher does things differently. We provide ongoing program management monthly check-ins and 6 monthly reviews.
We recognise that you’re busy, and whilst you have access to an admin portal where you can track success 24/7, we still want to meet with you for 30 minutes once per month to check in, share best practices, and help you prioritise your mentoring program management. Even if you’ve never run a mentoring program before, you can run a successful program with Brancher.
Without Brancher, customers need to employ a full-time staff member to manage their mentoring program. If your mentoring program will have more than 20 pairs, it’s time to consider mentoring software.
Lastly, the mentoring software you use should allow you to easily measure your program’s success. At a minimum, the tool should allow you to:
Brancher provides live mentoring relationship health metrics so you can see and act on the program at any time. Through Brancher’s customisable check-in and relationship wrap-up surveys, you can take actionable steps to improve your mentorship program. This data will also allow you to prove how effective your mentoring program is in your organisation.
Choosing the right mentoring software is crucial to maximising your organisation’s mentoring efforts. You need to choose a platform that meets your needs and effectively implements it so you can build transformative mentoring relationships within your organisation. Book a demo with us today and we’ll show you how we got things done for both large and small organisations like Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), the Government of South Australia, and Calm.
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