What is an online suggestion box?

An online suggestion box (sometimes called ‘anonymous suggestion box’ or ‘virtual suggestion box’) is the digital version of the physical box of the past in which company employees could drop slips of paper with suggestions for improvements. These days, organizations may choose to implement an online version which brings with it a range of additional benefits. 

What are the advantages of an online suggestion box?

First and foremost, implementing a virtual suggestion box demonstrates that you are an open and transparent employer that values feedback from your employees. 

The subsequent boost to employee morale can lead to an increased workforce retention rate, saving your company money in the long term. Did you know it costs an average of 6 months’ salary to replace a member of your team?

In receiving feedback through a virtual suggestion box, you may discover ways to make your processes more efficient, a lucrative new product or service, or unearth some deep-rooted dissatisfaction amongst your workforce. 

You might even unearth a case of internal theft or company fraud, something which costs the average company 5% of their annual revenue.

In providing a channel for staff to voice their concerns, you are able to keep these issues inside your company and avoid unwanted and negative media attention.

For employees, an online anonymous suggestion box means that they have a clear means of making their voice heard when they witness wrongdoing or suspect it. Since these suggestion boxes should always offer an anonymity option (like FaceUp), they will also be protected against any potential retaliation or damage to their future career prospects.

This is also beneficial to the company itself since it increases the likelihood of their employees using the system.

Finally, introducing an online suggestion box and in doing so, providing an anonymous reporting channel, ensures that your organization remains compliant with the whistleblowing legislation in your particular territory (such the EU Whistleblowing Directive) as well as any standards or certifications which you follow. Read more about standards and certifications in our recent post.

What functions should online suggestion box have?

• User-friendliness: It should be effortles to set up and navigate the virtual suggestion box is effortless, with an intuitive user experience.
• Customizability: Your virtual suggestion box should be adaptable to align with your company's identity and branding. You should have the ability to incorporate elements such as your logo and corporate colors into forms and surveys.
• Anonymity: Employees or customers should have the option to submit suggestions and feedback anonymously. 
• Notifications: Your anonymous suggestion box should send reminders to employees, ensuring consistent participation and maximizing the feedback you receive.
• Data and analysis: The tool should enable the swift organization and analysis of suggestions and feedback, offering visual data and analytics to inform your business decisions effectively.
• Easy Integration: The online suggestion box should be easily integrated through API with your company intranet, website, or app.

How can I ensure my team uses a suggestion box?

You can read in more detail about how to successfully implement an anonymous suggestion box in another of our recent blog posts, but it comes down to essentially three key pillars:

• A clear communication plan so that your employees know that the online suggestion box exists and are encouraged to use it.
• Training provision so employees are comfortable using the system, know when to use it and can get the most out of all the features it offers.
• Assigning roles, i.e. deciding which members of your company will be responsible for receiving suggestions and taking appropriate action.

Which suggestion box should I choose?

There are a host of online suggestion box solutions available on the market. Take a look at the software review website G2’s whistleblowing solution section for a comprehensive overview. FaceUp is proud to have a rating of 4.9/5 stars on this trusted comparison site. We believe that our whistleblowing platform serves perfectly as an anonymous suggestion box, thanks to features such as confidential reporting, follow-up two-way communication, voice messaging, intuitive user design, and high level of data security. 

FaceUp is GDPR compliant, ISO 27001 certified and offers E2E encryption and 2FA. FaceUp can easily be integrated with your company intranet, website, or app through API. If you would like to give FaceUp a try, you can do so with a free 14-day trial.

Are you looking for a virtual suggestion box?

For a reasonably priced, feature-rich system with the highest level of security and usability, why not give FaceUp a try? Book a consultation with our specialist today.