What to Look for in a People Analytics Platform in 2025

People analytics gives various insights into workforce trends, engagement levels, performance indicators, and retention challenges. However, it is tough to do manual data entry and interpretation of information about the employees. Hence the point of convergence is a people analytics platform. Such a platform allows organizations to gather data on their workforce, analyze it, and make decisions regarding the course of action.

What is a people analytics platform? 

A people analytics platform is a software tool designed to collect and analyze workforce data and business data and offer insights on specific issues like employee engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and retention. It can gather qualitative and quantitative data from one or multiple sources, including HR systems, performance reviews, and employee surveys.

People analytics software will collect data from various sources, including employee surveys and performance reviews. It may also work with external data, such as market trends and competitor analysis.

Going beyond people analytics with Workforce AI Edge

A people analytics platform must enable a leader to have a Workforce AI Edge, that is, the range of AI-enabled abilities that every leader needs to navigate confidently through an exponentially more difficult business landscape. An excellent people analytics solution ought to enable organizations to:

• Elevate productivity: Use AI insights to bring efficiency to the workforce and optimize team performance.

• Understand impact: Gain visibility into how workforce strategies and initiatives affect the workforce.

• Continuously shapeshift: Use AI and adaptive workforce planning to remain nimble in rapidly changing business conditions.

What to look for in people analytics software 

In this AI era, people analytics platforms must do much more than describe past trends. They must drive efficiency, strategic decision-making, AI-driven insights, and continuous innovation. 

To maximize the benefits of a people analytics platform, here are key features to consider:

1. Data integration and aggregation

Data is the gold standard of people analytics. Without the possibility to incorporate your new software into your systems to ingest data, you could not gain critical insights out of it. The tool you select must easily integrate with your databases, data warehouses, HR systems, and any other data source you may want to use. 

Consider a platform that accepts multipoint data ingestion and offers options such as prebuilt connectors, direct data intake APIs, and uploading flat files.

Ideally, to be more efficient, the people analytics platform should aggregate data by merging this data into one source from which you are going to work. Collecting data from several sources and saving it into your various spreadsheets does not bring you control and would make your task a little more challenging. Rather opt for such a system that is to unify the data and run a workforce analysis with all the ease.

2. Ease of use

The right product must be easy to use and require no extra effort when being learned. Various platforms now include user-friendly interfaces that employees can quickly master. Some even provide step-by-step guidance along the way. 

Solutions that provide AI assistance allow employees to learn more about a process or workflow so they can always be at their most productive.

3. Prebuilt analytics

Choose a tool with prebuilt analytics options, such as questions and data visualizations, to guide users through the data. These options provide a solid starting block on your data analysis journey and assist you with evidence-based decisions.

You may also search for products that support advanced analytics and predictive modeling, depending on your goals. This will enable you to project workforce trends and make proactive, data-based decisions. Platforms that leverage AI can take this further by adapting insights specifically to your business needs, helping leaders maximize the impact of their people investments.

4. Data security and compliance

People data is some of the most sensitive data in business. A people analytics platform must prioritize data security. The methods can vary, but must often include encryption and access control. Compliance with data privacy regulations may require getting user consent for certain processing activities. 

To avoid any issues, make sure the software you choose offers robust data security measures. You may also need to implement a few measures within your organization, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and role-based permission controls—restricting who has access to the employees’ data.

5. Scalability

As your company grows, so does the amount of data you need to work with. Select a tool that you can easily scale so that it accommodates more data and users without a drop in performance.

Workforce AI Edge solutions support you as you scale by continuously adapting your changing needs and optimizing analytics based on these.

6. Add and extend customization options

Customized adaptability, aligning to changing business needs quickly, is the promise of modern platforms for workforce analytics. Platforms powered by artificial intelligence move beyond the realm of static reports; constantly revised according to incoming data, workforce trends, and ever-changing business objectives, elevating workforce productivity.

Key benefits of Visier’s people analytics platform 

Visier’s people analytics platform is a complete solution for all your people-related questions. Right out of the box, you get hundreds of prebuilt questions, content, and metrics for high-impact areas.

Deliver insights that create true business impact

Use generative AI-driven analytics to surface actionable insights at every level of the organization. With Visier’s AI digital assistant, Vee, HR and business leaders can access workforce intelligence instantly, enabling smarter and faster decision-making.

Connect people and business data to improve strategic decisions and workforce productivity

With adaptive workforce planning, Visier ensures that organizations respond to rapid changes with actionable insights. Better plan for the future and modify strategies as changes occur, with real-time insights to facilitate correct and fast decision-making.

Customize and extend analytical models to meet any use case

Visier lets you customize and extend analytical business models whenever these evolve quickly as you’re scaling. This way you can address new use cases, ensuring that the platform continues to meet unique organizational needs. 

Support adaptive, agile workforce planning 

You’ll also be able to plan better for the future as changes happen, and have the insights at your fingertips to make smart decisions fast—all in one place so you can extrapolate the data and make strategic decisions.

Visier’s people analytics platform helps lay the foundation of your analytics journey. It is cost-effective, customizable, and secure so that you can start focusing on your workforce right away. 

Ready to transform your business?

• Discover how AI-powered workforce intelligence boosts productivity, reduces inefficiencies, and drives business impact. Learn how to maximize your workforce.

• Discover how Visier’s AI-powered solutions give you a Workforce AI Edge—unlocking the full potential of your people and organization.

• Stacia Garr and Keith Bigelow discuss how agentic AI will impact roles, teams, and organizations. Watch the full webinar on demand.