As a provider of online 360 degree appraisals it will come as no surprise that we see value in moving the process away from paper-based. If you are having to make the case for an investment in a 360 degree appraisal system then here is a list of what we see as the key benefits. Some obvious, some less so.

• Reduced administrative overload - the key reason people approach us
• Flexibility on questionnaires - it is very simple to have subsets of questions for peers compared to direct reports, say. You could do this on paper, but I wouldn't recommend it!
• Able to monitor and chase progress easily
• Higher completion rates. I'm sure someone has worked out why, but people respond to email better than they respond to paper.
• Great flexibility on reporting - and reporting is instant
• Reduced ongoing cost
• Simple routes to get consolidated reports - that analyse strengths and weaknesses over a range of demographic information
• Integrate into your performance review process - the link to performance appraisals may not be direct but the administration can easily be linked
• Repeating the process is trivial