“One of the problems with HR software in general,” notes Forbes columnist Josh Bersin in a recent blog, “is that employees don’t use it.”

If the point of HR software, including corporate portals, is to enable people to work better and stay committed to their employers, doesn’t it make sense to improve the user experience? If you’re going to invest in a system that helps recruit, orient, inform, support, and otherwise help employees manage their working lives, you want something that practically compels them to use it. That’s what Bersin calls a “system of engagement.”

And nothing is more compelling than to get information that is personal to us – that reflects who we are, our preferences, our situation, and to some extent knows why we’re looking for this information. With all of the data HR has on its employees, accessing the company portal shouldn’t be an impersonal experience. The messages I get via the portal, the transactions I might conduct there, and the tools I use, should all be personalized for me.

But personalization alone isn’t going to result in employees who really want to use the system. The real secret to a compelling system starts with the user interface. In the Facebook and LinkedIn world, a user interface from the 1980s is not going to inspire anyone.

With a “social” interface and a personalized experience, along with the right tools, information, and ability to “do business” through various transactions (benefits enrolment and updates, learning and development opportunities, contributing to conversations, taking polls and so on), the HR portal suddenly becomes a useful and engaging destination.

Add to that the ability to access all this from wherever I am, and on whatever device I find most comfortable or convenient, and the portal finally fulfills its promise.

Download the full paper, A Portal to the Future: The personal, mobile, and clairvoyant HR experience, from Buck’s “Ability” series.