Guide

How to choose performance review software

A guide for HR, IT and procurement teams: what to define before requesting quotes, which criteria to compare, what to ask in the demo and which red flags to look for.

On video

Clikma Performance

Evaluating your people from start to finish: self-assessment, manager review, goals, the feedback conversation and the progress of the process in view.

Narrated in SpanishEnglish subtitles

Transcript

Reviews in spreadsheets, reminders by email… and nobody knows where the process stands? Hi, I'm David. Meet Clikma Performance: evaluating your people, from start to finish, on the same platform where they learn. With the Process builder you set up your cycle to fit: you choose the stages, who takes part and with which rules.

Self-assessment, manager review, goals, feedback and closing: start from a template or from a blank page. Each person sees what's theirs to do and by when, and answers in a few clicks: it saves automatically. Managers rate competencies and goals on a clear scale, with the person's self-assessment in view.

Then, the feedback conversation: what was discussed and agreed is recorded, and the person closes their review. And if you're in HR, you have the whole process in view. Progress by stage and by structure, so you know where things are pending before the deadline. Results and reports in Excel and PDF, and reports that arrive in your inbox on their own.

From compliance to impact: evaluate, talk with and develop your people, all in Clikma. Clikma powers up your organization's learning ecosystem. Write to our accounts team: more at clikma.com

  • Three questions before requesting quotes
  • The criteria that really matter
  • Questions for the demo
  • Chilean law, data and total cost

Updated 2026-10-31

How do you choose performance review software?

Start with three questions: how many people you will review and where they work (office, field, shifts), whether you need only performance or also training, onboarding and climate in the same place, and what method your company uses (goals, competencies, several perspectives, review of criteria). With that, compare the finalists in a demo using your own cycle, not a generic presentation.

The criteria that weigh most are: the cycle can be configured in stages without custom development, it reviews goals and the competencies of each job role, everyone can sign in (including people without a corporate email), HR sees progress by stage and by organizational structure, reports come out ready to use, it integrates with the HR system and it protects personal data. Decide based on the total cost over several years and a pilot run.

This guide sums up the criteria and the questions and, at the end, shows how Clikma meets each one.

Step 1: three questions before requesting quotes

Answering them narrows the list of options before you ask for the first demo.

  • Who will you review and where do they work?

    How many people, at which locations and on which shifts, how many without a corporate email or a computer, and how many managers acting as reviewers.

  • Only performance, or an ecosystem?

    If you also need training, onboarding, climate or people analytics, they should live on the same platform, with the same people and job roles.

  • What method does your company use?

    Goals, competencies or both; how many perspectives (manager, self-assessment, peers, direct reports); whether managers review criteria together and whether the result affects a bonus.

Step 2: compare using the criteria that matter

Performance software stands or falls on whether your real process fits in it and whether people complete it on time.

Criteria for comparing performance review software
CriterionWhat to checkRed flag
Configurable workflowStages, participants, deadlines and rules that your team defines, starting from templates.Every change to the process requires a project with the vendor.
Goals and competenciesWeighted goals approved by the manager; competencies taken from the job profile.A single form for the whole company.
Scale and resultA scale with described levels, weighting and named result ranges.The final result is calculated in a separate spreadsheet.
Access for everyoneSign-in without a corporate email, several login methods and use in the field.It only works with a company email.
Progress and controlProgress by stage and by organizational structure, closing of the process and a log of changes.Nobody knows how many reviews are still missing until the deadline.
ReportsIndividual report, spreadsheets of results and progress, and comparison with previous cycles.Results are exported raw and put together by hand.
Connection with trainingPerformance and training share the same people, job roles and managers.Training lives in another system, with a different employee list.
Integration and dataIntegration with HR, single sign-on, access control and where the data is hosted.The vendor cannot say where the data is or who sees it.
Languages and supportSpanish, English or Portuguese depending on your operation; support with response times in writing.Support without service commitments.

Step 3: questions for the demo

Ask for the demo to use your cycle. These questions separate what the software does today from what it promises.

  • Build my performance cycle with me

    With my stages, my reviewers and my deadlines, without the vendor having to write code.

  • Show me how a person without a corporate email signs in

    And how they find out they have a pending review.

  • What does the manager see and what does HR see?

    The screen of whoever reviews their team, and the progress of the process by organizational structure.

  • What of what I saw is available today, in production?

    And what is in development, is enabled at extra cost or depends on a separate project.

  • Which company in my industry uses it?

    And whether I can talk to them.

Step 4: Chilean law and personal data

Performance reviews handle personal data and, in Chile, are tied to the company's internal rules. Review this with your legal team before choosing.

According to the Labor Directorate (Dirección del Trabajo) in Ruling 881 of December 2024, when an employer establishes a mandatory performance review, it must include it in the internal rules of order, hygiene and safety (RIOHS), in Spanish, with its manuals attached, and respect the advance notice periods for workers. Ask the vendor what documentation it provides to describe the system in those rules.

Review results are personal data: the Labor Code requires employers to keep the employee's private information confidential, and Law 21.719 raises data protection requirements. Check who sees what, where the data is hosted, how long it is kept and whether any decision is made automatically. This guide is not legal advice.

Step 5: decide based on total cost and a pilot run

The decision combines the demo, the technical and legal review, references and the total cost.

Compare the total cost over three years: licenses, implementation, integrations, service and the modules you will need. Cheap software that forces you to keep parallel spreadsheets or a second system for training usually ends up costing more.

Before opening the cycle to the whole company, run a pilot with one area and set measurable success criteria, such as the percentage of reviews completed on time.

How Clikma meets these criteria

This is how Clikma covers each criterion in this guide, with what is available today in production.

The criteria in this guide, in Clikma
CriterionClikma
Configurable workflowVisual process builder, with templates for a full cycle, for goals and for competencies.
Goals and competenciesWeighted goals that the manager approves or sends back; competencies and scale from the job profile.
Scale and resultWeight of goals and competencies, and result ranges with a name and a color, for each process.
Access for everyoneSign-in with RUT (Chilean national ID), with a Microsoft or Google account, or with a username and password.
Progress and controlProgress by stage and by organizational structure, spreadsheets with the status of each activity and a log of changes to the process.
ReportsIndividual PDF report comparing the two most recent reviews, Excel spreadsheets and reports scheduled by email.
Connection with trainingPerformance, training and onboarding on the same platform, with the same people, job roles and managers.
Integration and dataIntegration with HR via API or SFTP; single sign-on with SAML 2.0; data hosted in Chile.
Languages and supportSpanish, English and Portuguese; 99.5% guaranteed availability and support in Chile.

Frequently asked questions

How do you choose performance review software?

Define who you will review and where they work, whether you need only performance or also training in the same place, and what method your company uses. Then compare the finalists with your own cycle in a demo, review data and integration with IT and legal, ask for references and decide based on the total cost and a pilot run.

What should good performance review software have?

A cycle configurable in stages, goals and job-role competencies, a scale with result ranges, access for everyone (including people without a corporate email), progress by stage and organizational structure, ready-to-use reports, integration with HR and control over who sees what.

Is an HR suite or specialized performance software the better choice?

It depends on what else you need. If payroll is already covered and what is missing is developing people, a platform that brings performance and training together and integrates with your HR system, instead of replacing it, is the better fit.

Does a performance review have to be in the internal rules?

According to the Labor Directorate (Dirección del Trabajo) in Ruling 881 of 2024, if the employer establishes a mandatory performance review, it must include it in the internal rules of order, hygiene and safety (RIOHS), in Spanish and with its manuals attached. Review it with your legal team.

What should you ask in a performance software demo?

Ask them to build your cycle without writing code, to show how someone without a corporate email signs in, what the manager sees and what HR sees, which of the features you saw are available today and which company in your industry uses it.

Can a spreadsheet work for performance reviews?

In small teams, it can work at the beginning. With more people, a spreadsheet does not show progress, does not control who sees what, does not keep a log of changes and forces you to consolidate by hand, which is where errors appear.

Official sources

Next steps: how to get started with Clikma

If you are comparing performance software, this is the usual path.

  1. Book a meeting

    On the contact page you pick a time on the calendar, or you can write to contact@clikma.com or message us on WhatsApp at +56 9 7960 1634, Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00.

  2. See a demo with your cycle

    We build your process on the platform, with your stages, your reviewers and your deadlines.

  3. Define the scope and implementation

    With a project manager, the scope, timelines and roles are set; the HR system is connected and job roles and managers are loaded.

  4. Pilot run and ongoing support

    Before opening the cycle to the whole company, it is tested with one area and adjusted; after that, the Clikma team keeps supporting the operation.

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