During a recent briefing with Robin Daniels, Chief Business Officer at Zensai, he shared something that crystallized a growing frustration I’ve been hearing from HR leaders: “70% of people are disengaged from work” not because they lack ping pong tables or free snacks, but because they’re stuck in systems that treat their development as an afterthought. After analyzing a number of HR platforms, I’m seeing a clear pattern emerge—the vendors winning hearts and minds aren’t those cramming in every conceivable feature, but those making deliberate choices about where and how their solutions live.
Zensai’s approach represents a fundamental rethink of how HR technology should work. Rather than forcing employees to log into yet another portal, they’ve built their entire platform—learning management, performance tracking, and employee engagement—directly into Microsoft 365 and Teams. With over 6,000 customers (2,000 paying, 4,000 freemium), they’re proving that sometimes the best interface is no interface at all.
The $2 Trillion Problem Nobody Wants to Address
The enterprise HR software market faces a credibility crisis. Gallup’s latest employee engagement survey shows that a lack of engagement at work may cost the economy $2 trillion. Yet most vendors continue pushing the same tired playbook: complex portals that employees avoid, compliance-focused training that nobody remembers, and engagement surveys that measure symptoms rather than solving problems.
The Current State of HR Platforms: Feature Overload, Adoption Underload
Cornerstone OnDemand operates as the enterprise learning heavyweight:
Strengths:
- AI-powered workforce learning, development, and intelligence platform
- Comprehensive talent management suite covering the full employee lifecycle
- Partnership with Microsoft to integrate into Teams and Viva Learning
Limitations:
- Complexity and cost often exceed mid-market needs
- Implementation typically requires significant IT resources
Workday serves as the all-in-one HR system of record:
Strengths:
- Complete HCM suite with integrated performance and learning modules
- Strong data security and compliance certifications including GDPR
- Seamless data flow between HR functions
Limitations:
- Expensive and complex for organizations under 1,000 employees
- Performance and learning features less specialized than dedicated platforms
15Five positions itself as the lightweight champion of continuous feedback:
Strengths:
- Weekly check-ins and pulse surveys that managers actually use
- Real-time recognition features that create visibility for good work
- Pricing starts at $4 per user/month for basic engagement features
Limitations:
- Basic analytics compared to enterprise competitors
- Best for small teams that prioritize regular communication over deep analytics
Culture Amp takes the data scientist approach to engagement:
Strengths:
- Powerful surveys and detailed reporting that transform complex data into useful perspectives
- Sophisticated analytics for tracking engagement trends over time
- 360-degree feedback capabilities for comprehensive performance views
Limitations:
- Can overwhelm smaller teams with data complexity
- Requires dedicated HR resources to maximize value from insights
Lattice bridges performance management with employee development:
Strengths
- Cloud-based platform focusing on progress and productivity through performance management
- Strong OKR and goal-tracking capabilities
- Starting at $8 per employee/month
Limitations:
- Less focus on broader employee engagement and culture initiatives
- Learning curve for organizations new to structured performance management
Microsoft Teams: The 350 Million User Opportunity Everyone Missed
Here’s what makes Zensai’s Microsoft-first strategy brilliant: Over 350 million people use Teams alone, with nearly a billion Microsoft users globally. Instead of competing for mindshare with another login and interface, they’ve embedded themselves where work actually happens.
The Technical Advantages That Actually Matter
Native Microsoft Integration Goes Beyond Single Sign-On:
- Satya Nadella has highlighted Zensai’s solution in his keynote at Build for three years running
- Access through Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and even PowerPoint and Word
- Exchange calendar integration for automated training scheduling
- Power BI integration for real-time analytics without data exports
AI That Enhances Rather Than Replaces Human Connection:
- One-third of all content created in the platform uses AI assistance
- Nearly 50% of performance reviews use AI summarization
- Contextual coaching suggestions for managers during difficult conversations
- Automated learning path creation based on skill gaps
The Freemium Gateway That Actually Converts:
- 10% conversion rate from free to paid users
- Free version handles basic compliance training for up to certain enrollment limits
- No credit card required for initial deployment
- Full AI capabilities available even in free tier
Which Organizations Win With Platform-Native HR Tech
Microsoft-Committed Mid-Market Companies (200-5,000 employees):
- Already invested in Teams and SharePoint infrastructure
- IT teams stretched thin without capacity for multiple integrations
- Compliance-heavy industries like finance, manufacturing, and healthcare
- Benefit: Deployment in days, not months, with minimal IT overhead
Global Organizations With Distributed Teams:
- Customers across 75 countries with revenue distributed evenly across regions
- Need consistent experience across time zones and languages
- Mobile-first requirements for field workers
- Benefit: Flow365 extends platform to frontline workers without Microsoft licenses
High-Growth Technology and Media Companies:
- Example: The Zone (largest sports streaming network) scaled from 500 to 3,000 users
- Rapid headcount growth requiring scalable onboarding
- Achieved 5X increase in learning usage after implementing full platform
- Benefit: Platform scales with growth without architectural changes
Organizations Undergoing Digital Transformation:
- Moving from disconnected HR point solutions
- Seeking to modernize employee experience alongside business processes
- Need data flowing seamlessly between systems
- Benefit: Integrate365 connects with Workday, Oracle, BambooHR, and other HRIS platforms
The Strategic Reality: Consolidation Through Integration, Not Acquisition
Zensai’s acquisition of Weekly10 in 2023 demonstrates a different consolidation path than the typical HR tech rollup. Rather than bolting on disparate technologies, they’ve created what they call the “Human Success Platform”—where learning, performance, and engagement data create compound value.
The recently announced Human Success Score functions like “Strava for work”, gamifying professional development in ways that feel natural rather than forced. When employees update their weekly check-ins, the system automatically identifies skill gaps and suggests relevant learning paths. When they complete training, it feeds into their performance reviews. When performance improves, engagement scores typically follow.
This isn’t theoretical. As noted during the briefing: “[Zensai is] really fulfilling the promise of AI in a pretty powerful way.” High praise from an organization that evaluates HR technology every day.
Looking Forward: The Death of Portal-Based HR?
The future of HR technology isn’t about building better portals—it’s about eliminating them entirely. As organizations embrace AI assistants and conversational interfaces, the winning platforms will be those already embedded in daily workflows.
Zensai’s Microsoft-first approach positions them perfectly for this shift. When Copilot integration allows employees to ask “what training do I need for my next role?” directly in Teams, the traditional LMS interface becomes obsolete. When managers can say “show me my team’s engagement trends” without leaving Outlook, the separate performance management portal serves no purpose.
For HR leaders evaluating platforms in 2025, the question isn’t just about features or price points. It’s about where your employees actually spend their time and whether your HR technology meets them there. In a world where 70% of employees are disengaged, perhaps the first step toward engagement is stopping the forced march to yet another portal.
The organizations winning the talent war won’t be those with the most sophisticated HR suites. They’ll be those who made employee development as seamless as sending a Teams message. In that race, platform-native solutions like Zensai have already crossed the starting line while others are still tying their shoes.
