How The Jerky Outlet simplified HR processes, transformed employee engagement & reduced turnover by 30% with Leapsome
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“We’re using Leapsome for our yearly satisfaction surveys and performance reviews, which has been great — the platform automates everything, and saves us a lot of time! This frees up my schedule for many other activities instead of tracking smaller tasks. And it brings us closer to our team members. We’re not with them daily, but Leapsome gives us a way to reach out and connect more often.”
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When Michelle Taylor joined The Jerky Outlet six years ago, she faced a significant challenge: building an HR function from scratch for a company spread across multiple locations. The family-owned convenience store chain struggled with manual HR processes, the lack of a cohesive employee engagement strategy, and no centralized system to connect with team members effectively.
Despite the company’s commitment to its team, The Jerky Outlet needed a smarter way to engage and support its people. That’s when the HR team turned to Leapsome.
Before Leapsome, The Jerky Outlet’s performance review process was time-consuming, impersonal, and frustrating for managers and employees. Managers filled out outdated paper forms, leading to repetitive feedback and disengaged employees.
“It was all paper before I got here,” recalled Michelle. “It was just these old school forms where you check a box, this is where the employee falls and that’s about it. Every review was the same, every year. Nothing really changed, it wasn’t specific.”
Seeking a solution, Michelle explored multiple platforms, but only Leapsome combined automation with a people-first approach.
The transition to Leapsome wasn’t just about efficiency, but about creating a more meaningful review process that supports development and engagement. According to Michelle, “Leapsome makes the process much more specific and personal.”
The Jerky Outlet implemented Leapsome’s robust suite of HR modules, including Reviews, Surveys, the platform’s out-of-the-box Meetings features, and its advanced AI-powered capabilities. This transformation turned once-overwhelming HR tasks into streamlined, intuitive processes.
Leapsome’s Reviews module introduced structured performance evaluations at The Jerky Outlet, with automated reminders and AI-generated feedback suggestions. This gave managers a helpful starting point to craft thoughtful, personalized reviews — saving them significant time and effort while amplifying impact.
“Leapsome has saved us so much time. Managers are now more engaged in the review process for their team members. Previously, reviews were often put on the back burner, but now they know what’s coming up since they receive email notifications in advance. This gives them more flexibility to plan and complete reviews on time.”
Beyond just efficiency, Leapsome’s review process also drove greater collaboration and engagement. Employees can now provide feedback before their manager’s review, leading to more meaningful, two-way conversations.
“It’s been great having the automation, allowing team members to give feedback before their managers actually see it, and making managers and team members engage more, instead of just managers writing the review. We like that our team members are much more involved in the process.”
With Leapsome Surveys, The Jerky Outlet uncovered valuable insights to improve employee engagement and satisfaction.
“The surveys allow us more data-driven decisions. They let us know when we need to have more people go out and talk to the team if they’re not satisfied, or things that we didn’t realize they were struggling with. They help us create new policies and give us direction to do different things. That has definitely helped us.”
Leapsome’s Meetings module empowers managers to document coaching moments, praise, and other important conversations in real-time. This created a rich record of employee performance that can be easily referenced during reviews.
“Our managers are diving in and using the meeting notes now to help track conversations with team members for when it’s time for the review,” Michelle said. “So, on the fly, if a manager needs to coach or praise a team member, they can quickly jot down a note, and when it’s time for the reviews, they can see all of their notes. Over a year, they’ll forget many things, but it makes it much easier if it’s right in front of them.”
The Jerky Outlet was able to create a culture of continuous feedback and development by using Leapsome to combine the Meetings module with Reviews. This improved communication and fostered individual growth.
Throughout The Jerky Outlet’s transition to Leapsome, Michelle found a true partner in our Customer Success team. The CSM’s personalized, hands-on support ensured a seamless onboarding experience and continues to provide guidance as Michelle explores Leapsome’s capabilities.
“Our Customer Success Manager really supported our journey,” Michelle shared. “Ryan was great at walking me through and explaining everything — from setting up review cycles to automating our processes. Having him there with me on Zoom, sharing his screen and answering my questions in real-time, made all the difference.”
The Leapsome team’s availability and responsiveness have been invaluable. “I know I can email them, and they’ll answer right away,” said Michelle. “I like the personal touch of talking face-to-face, asking questions, and walking through everything together. The personal service is definitely the biggest highlight for me.”
This level of personalized support has been critical to The Jerky Outlet’s transformation. By guiding Michelle through setup, identifying new features, and providing ongoing assistance, our Customer Success team has empowered The Jerky Outlet to streamline processes, enhance employee engagement, and drive tangible business results.
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📈 90%+ review participation — a significant increase from the previous manual system
📉 30% reduction in turnover — from 89% to 59%, far outperforming the 150% industry average
⭐️ Higher employee engagement — big growth in participation for The Jerky Outlet’s Dream Program
“Leapsome has definitely increased our review completion rate, and, more than anything, the content is better,” shared Michelle. “The AI feature gives managers a good starting point, and then they go in and change it specifically to their team member and what makes sense. It looks a lot more professional than it used to, and it helps our managers, so they’re not just staring at a blank sheet of paper, trying to figure out what to say.”
“When it came time to renew our contract with Leapsome, we talked to our managers: Everybody really liked the tool and wanted to keep using it! We even have a few managers interested in learning more, sitting in on demos, and figuring out if there are other features that I didn’t think of that they can use in their stores to help them.”
Looking ahead, The Jerky Outlet is excited to expand its use of Leapsome, including exploring:
… and more!
“Leapsome has definitely made me look into other ways to help our team and engage with them — things I had never thought of before,” said Michelle. “There are a lot of hidden gems. The more I explore the platform and collaborate with the Leapsome team, the more features I find that can make a real difference for our business and our people.”
With Leapsome as a trusted partner, The Jerky Outlet is empowering its people, improving retention, and building a workplace where employees thrive.
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