Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are documents, policies, and files that contain key internal processes and workflows for employees to follow & adhere to.
SOPs are utilized by businesses internationally to implement new procedures, ensure employees are meeting company standards, and train their staff.
A few common examples of SOPs:
- New hire training documents & policies
- Brand standards for delivering exceptional customer service
- Instructional video guides on daily operating tasks for employees
- Annual governing body compliance documents
- Employee vacation policies and requesting time off
- Continuing education & training content for tenured employees
- Quarterly manager & employee performance review processes
- Processing vendor payments & customer invoices
- General company policies (such as employee workplace safety standards)
Whatever your use case is, implementing an SOP tracking software platform for your organization will enable you to create, distribute, and track your operating processes without administrative headaches.
You also need to ensure that your employees are adhering to brand standards, policies, and procedures today with SOP tracking software!
Why Use SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) Tracking Software for Businesses?
With any new process implementation, a manager must first document key tasks and instructions and then distribute these files across the organization.
An SOP Tracking Software tool manages the entire lifecycle of preparing these documents & files, distributing them, and tracking the progress of these procedures.
Key Benefits:
- Employee procedure adherence & alerts: Managers frequently find that employees may gloss over or not read/view an SOP.
With a SOPs software platform, managers can be alerted when a procedure or policy hasn’t been reviewed, track progress, and even require acknowledgement.
- Accessibility & shareability: Access any SOP anytime and on the go with digitized documents and multi-media content.
SOP software platforms enable frontline teams to view SOPs directly on their mobile device. Managers can also share URLs of documents or export files to distribute to their staff via email or SMS.
- Embeddable media for complex processes: With printouts and paper & pencil processes, employees can’t view images or video guides associated with an operating procedure.
SOP tracking software lets managers embed content into their procedures. This delivers greater transparency on how to conduct certain types of (complex) tasks and ensures employees actually understand the work they need to do.
- Permission restrictions: With an SOPs software platform, managers can set certain access permissions on who can create, edit, or only view certain SOPs & files.
- Instant communication: Employees often have follow-up questions or comments concerning an operating procedure.
Instead of waiting to ask questions in person, a free SOP writing software tool enables employees to get answers faster and sooner.
- Pre-built templates: For newer businesses and even new strategic projects/initiatives, knowing where to start is sometimes the hardest part.
With a free SOP writing software tool, managers can access pre-built operating templates and further customize them for their organization’s specific needs.
- Integrated docs with accountability tracking: Without SOPs tracking software, managers will find difficulty staying organized across multiple different systems & departments.
A centralized SOP platform ensures no policy or file gets left behind and can be tracked through employee completion.
- Version control: With any operation, processes are constantly evolving and changing to meet new standards or unforeseen circumstances.
The process of editing and updating documents & files can become tedious with standard document management systems and paper & pencil processes.
- Regulatory compliance: Most businesses have to maintain certain levels of compliance to conduct business in their industry.
Digital documentation and procedure tracking can increase knowledge and awareness of these regulations amongst your teams and help improve audit scores.
How To Chose an SOPs Tracking Software to Implement for My Business?
When evaluating vendors offering SOPs tracking software solutions, it is important to dig into not only their capabilities for managers on the Web but also the Mobile / Tablet functionality available to frontline employees.
Try Free SOP Writing Software To Get a Hang of Main Key Features
Document Builder User Interface:
The best SOP tracking tools have an easy-to-use, customizable document builder.
Given the majority of a manager's time will be allocated towards building these operating procedures, the vendor selected must have a modern user interface that is easy to navigate.
Furthermore, being able to format your SOP easily is crucial.
A best-in-class but also a free sop writing software tool will let you create beautifully formatted documents that are easy to read by your employees and staff.
Mobile App Considerations In SOP Tools
Ensure that the platform enables document building on a dedicated Mobile App as well as the Web App.
While it's much faster to build an SOP on a Web App, being able to make modifications or embed video recordings/images in-the-field is important for managers.
Embeddable Content, Assessments, and Quizzes:
While SOPs provide the instructional content for employees to follow, it's important for managers to also track how much information is recalled by the employee.
With embeddable videos, images, checklists, and quizzes, managers can create assessments for employees to complete after they have reviewed the SOP materials.
Selecting a SOPs tool vendor that allows managers to test and continuously evaluate employee knowledge across their business is important. These assessments directly correlate to policy & brand standards adherence.
Artificial intelligence capabilities:
In today’s age of artificial intelligence, many SOP software providers have already integrated AI capabilities.
This greatly speeds up the time it takes to create and implement your SOPs. With AI, managers can prompt the SOP tool with specific commands or questions (for example: “Generate a policy on preparing & storing pizza dough for my pizza business.”).
Mobile user interface:
Managers and employees need to evaluate how easy it is to find their assigned SOPs, post comments, and receive/view alerts.
A seamless Mobile / Tablet App experience is critical for user adoption as most employees view these policies on multiple devices.
Managers may also prefer to handle SOP changes, follow-ups, or questions posed by employees on the go instead of behind their desks.
Pick a platform that has a simple but powerful user interface across all devices to avoid this pitfall
5 Best SOPs Software To Streamline Procedures, Processes and Operability For Businesses In 2024
Here’s a quick rundown on the best SOPs software that you can use to improve your overall procedural requirements, company-wide operations and processes on the frontline.
Let’s get into it!
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1. Xenia - Overall No. 1 Free Online SOP Writing Program For Businesses
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Xenia is a completely flexible CMMS solution for frontline workers and managers to streamline their processes.
As far as Sop writing is concerned, the tool provides a dedicated and totally free AI-powered SOP management module to maximize adherence to brand standards.
Moreover, this platform delivers an advanced SOP AI writer, task management engine, and corrective action capabilities along with real-time communication.
Xenia’s customizable templates, forms, and SOPs are utilized to manage daily operations, inspections & audits, safety & quality assurance protocols, facility maintenance procedures, new hire training, and company knowledge bases.
The Company also offers advanced access permissions for both individual and multi-location businesses with multiple departments.
Xenia serves the facility management, hospitality, and food & beverage industries with a continued introduction of different features to meet the evergrowing industry’s standards these days.
Key Features:
- Operations Templates: Fully customizable SOP, document, and checklist builder. Xenia offers enhanced AI capabilities to create SOPs in seconds. Teams can access pre-built templates from Xenia’s public template library.
- Tasks & Work Orders: SOP task workflow to manage due dates, teams or users that still need to review a SOP, locations/departments, and priority levels. Access other categorization fields to keep track of your SOPs and even schedule them in advance. Track status with customizable views and receive alerts for overdue SOP assignments.
- Chats: Communicate directly with team members and discuss key matters related to a specific SOP. Answer employee questions instantly and ensure transparency & accountability.
- Reporting: Access real-time dashboards & analytics and filter results by location, team, user or SOP. Track and measure progress and view any historical activities related to the SOP.
- Corrective Actions: Build resolution workflows around SOPs with conditional logic and track completion.
Pricing:
- Free forever
- Starter: $49/month
- Premium: $99/month
- Custom: Contact sales
Available for up to 5 users
Premium for $99/month for the first 20 users (with free trial period)
Available on iOS, Android and Web
2. Whale
Moving on with the best SOP software recommendations, we’ve got Whale on this list.
It provides centralized document and procedure management software solutions.
The company primarily focuses on employee onboarding and training workflows enhanced with AI assistance, automated workflows, read assignments, and summary analytics.
Key Features:
- SOP & Process Documentation
- Employee Onboarding & Training
- Quizzes
- Automated Training WorkflowsAnalytics
- Version Control
Pricing:
- Free forever
- Essentials: $6 per user/month (minimum 5 seats)
- Scale: $10 per user/month (minimum 10 seats)
- Enterprise: Contact sales
3. ProcedureFlow
Moving on, ProcedureFlow takes the spot at number 3 as a robust SOP tool that provides process management tools & document centralization to help build visual workflows.
The platform facilitates employee training, audits, customer service, and more. The company serves the contact center, finance, health insurance, and retail industries.
Key Features:
- Procedure Builder
- Visual Flows
- SOP Organizer
- Customizable Notifications
- Enhanced Collaboration
- Analytics
Pricing:
- Teams: $25 per user/month
- Standard: $27.50 per user/month
- Enterprise: $32.50 per user/month
4. Trainual
Trainual provides documentation, training, and accountability solutions.
The company offers a process document builder, assignments, completion tracking, and SOP organizer tools.
In addition to managing SOPs, Trainual users have access to HR administration features to manage their people operations along with several HRIS integrations.
Trainual’s vast library of templates is utilized by small businesses to establish brand standards and compliance.
Key Features:
- Process Builder
- Assignments
- Assessments
- Directory
- Org Chart
- User Profiles, Roles, and Responsibilities
- Dashboards & Reports
Pricing:
- Small Business: $250 per month
- Growth Business: $417 per month
- Unlimited: Contact sales
5. Tallyfy
As far as the best SOP software recommendations go, Tallyfy comes as an all-in-one sop tool that provides task management and automation solutions to manage internal and client-facing standard operating procedures.
The platform primarily focuses on automating approvals, handovers, and employee onboarding.
Key Features:
- Task Management
- Task-Related Commenting
- Procedure Step Builder
- Conditional Logic
- Templates
Pricing:
- Tallyfy docs: $5 per member/month (minimum 10 members)
- Tallyfy pro: $30 per member/month (minimum 4 members)
Try Xenia, or Try them All to Find the Right SOP Tool For Your Team.
The list we went through today was just a sample of SOP tracking software for businesses. There are a ton of options to choose from and it can often feel overwhelming - that’s why we hope this guide will help you finalize your decision in choosing the right tool.
You can create a free account with Xenia here, or get in touch with our team to schedule a demo here.
Our team of experts are available around the clock, so reach out and we’ll help you wherever you are in the process.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with your search!
Unify Team Operations, Maintenance and Safety Compliance with Xenia
Xenia unifies daily operations, maintenance management and quality assurance to help ensure teams and facilities are effective and efficient.
Our customers love Xenia's robust use cases including:
Operational Execution
✔️ Checklists & SOPs
Create checklists, SOPs, Inspections and Data Logs to power accountability, training and staff clarity on every task.
💪 Team Task Management
Assign work digitally to defeat pencil whipping and disorganized teams. Complete tasks, chat with teams on any device, track time, collect photos, and ensure high quality work.
📆 Recurring Tasks
Create recurring schedules for daily opening and closings, performance review meetings, inspections, cleanings and more.
📲 Chats & Announcements
Centralize team communications with in task chats, one-on-one chats, team messages and company wide announcements
📊 Team Performance Reporting
Use Xenia's analytics dashboards to view staff work reports. Filter by asset, location, category or due date and export the report in PDF or Excel
Maintenance Management
🛠️ Work Orders
Create work orders with associated team, asset, location, priority, category and due date. View live progress reports on each work order, chat with teams, and review resulting template submission, images and notes to improve operations.
🧰 Preventive Maintenance
Create a preventive maintenance calendar to ensure asset uptime is not compromised. Attach images, templates, videos and notes to every task and assign to a team or individual for completion.
📲 QR Codes
Generate and attach QR codes to equipment and facility locations to enable fast and accurate inspections and data logs.
⚙️ Work Order Requests
Receive, approve and assign work order requests from tenants, regular customers and vendors. Enable requesters to submit, track, and communicate with your team, without access to operations templates or unrelated work orders.
📁 Equipment Work History
View work history for every asset and sub asset in Xenia. Review performance data and enable corrective actions to improve your operation.
Safety Compliance & Quality Assurance
👍 Concrete Brand Standards
Put your brand standards in a clear and operational checklist to be attached to work assignments.
🔎 Smart Inspection Workflows
Xenia's operations template builder has built in conditional logic into each step. This allows you to trigger actions based on a form response such as creating a corrective action on a failed inspection step, sending a notification to management for out of range meter readings, and much more.
✨ Corrective Actions
Operationalize inspections with fast work order assignment arising from a failed inspection step. All corrective data is stored in the checklist submission for auditing and accountability.
📋 Analytics and Reports
View live dashboard summaries of tasks, employee performance, template submissions and more. Filter, organize and export compliance reports to PDF and Excel formats to simplify compliance management.
Streamline Your SOP Management With Xenia's Robust AI Solutions
Our state of the art AI-powered SOP writing tool is here to revolutionize your sop processes, document management and more!
Operational Execution & Process Excellence Redefined!
✔️ Checklists & SOPs
Create checklists, SOPs, Inspections and Data Logs to power accountability, training and staff clarity on every task.
💪 Build Inspections, SOPs and Logs Within Minutes!
Take the lead on your church facility management activities by creating detaild templates with unlimited steps and diverse reponse times.
📆 Plan Ahead With Scheduled & Recurring Tasks
Create recurring schedules for daily opening and closings, performance review meetings, inspections, cleanings and more.
📲 Dedicated Mobile App
Download and install Xenia's official iOS and Android app on your smartphone to centralized your on-site facility management activities.
📲 Chats & Announcements
Centralize team communications with in task chats, one-on-one chats, team messages and company wide announcements
🛠️ Work Orders Management
Create work orders with associated team, asset, location, priority, category and due date. View live progress reports on each work order, chat with teams, and review resulting template submission, images and notes to improve operations.
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