An AI-powered voice-based platform has been launched to provide quicker and more accessible 360-degree feedback in the workplace.
The feedback challenge
The process of collecting employee feedback, widely known as '360 feedback', is often criticised for being slow, time-consuming, and heavily reliant on human resources teams or managers. Traditional systems usually require employees to fill out lengthy surveys for multiple colleagues, with managers responsible for interpreting results and delivering feedback individually. This model can deter organisations from pursuing regular feedback cycles, leaving many employees without vital insights for professional growth.
Huckleberry, a new platform created by Aaron Ward, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, addresses these concerns by incorporating voice-based artificial intelligence to streamline the process. The system allows team members to provide feedback verbally in short sessions of around four minutes, rather than typing answers into long forms.
Ward highlighted the core issue faced by employees: "The best performers know to ask, 'How can I have more impact?' but the sad reality is that most people get little or no feedback at work. Software is supposed to help but has actually made the problem worse. No one wants to waste hours scoring their colleagues against silly rating scales and managers hate getting a pile of raw data and being told to 'coach'. Huckleberry rescues us all from this colossal waste of time - making feedback radically easier, transparent, and actually helpful for every worker on the planet."
How Huckleberry operates
Unlike conventional feedback solutions, users of Huckleberry engage in a guided conversation with an AI coach, which typically takes four to five minutes per session. The AI then analyses the recorded feedback, summarising it to highlight an individual's professional strengths and areas for development. No input from managers or HR personnel is required for the review process. Results are presented visually, making them easy to interpret and act upon.
Huckleberry offers several features designed to minimise barriers for users. Individuals can access the service at no cost and invite colleagues to participate straight away, without waiting for organisational approval or lengthy onboarding procedures. Each user receives a portable feedback profile, which remains with the individual throughout their career, independent of their current workplace. This profile can be shared to support career progression and personal development.
Broader industry context
The method of gathering feedback used by the platform aligns with questions frequently asked by recruiters and executive coaches keen to understand an individual's reputation within a team. Human resources leaders at global companies, including AirBnb, Netflix, and Google, often rely on 360-degree feedback mechanisms to shape high-performance workplace cultures. However, the traditional processes can take months to complete, discouraging participation and limiting the value for employees and organisations alike.
Huckleberry seeks to address these delays by offering an instant, user-driven approach that bypasses lengthy review and delivery phases. The design aims to allow for more frequent and immediate feedback exchanges, supporting professional development at scale.
"In a few years, it will feel weird how our feedback got locked away, out of sight in our employee file. We see massive opportunities in enabling feedback for all the world's workers and helping them leverage that collective experience to build great careers," says Ward.
The company was co-founded by Aaron Ward and Chief Technology Officer Diogo Böhm, located across Portland, Oregon and Auckland, New Zealand, and supported by a team of investors and advisors. Ward previously co-founded AskNicely, a platform in the customer experience sector, where he focused on similar challenges related to collecting and acting on feedback to drive improvement.
The introduction of Huckleberry responds to a workplace need for more efficient and meaningful feedback, promising to increase accessibility and ownership of individual professional insights for employees worldwide.
