Overview
Xactly partnered with Hone to elevate performance reviews by embedding Hone’s AI-powered coaching directly into the process, connecting employees and leaders with real-time, personalized support. The goal was to make reviews less intimidating, more forward-looking, and more development-focused for every employee.
By equipping teams with guided AI prompts and an always-on AI Coach, Xactly achieved:
- 100% on-time completions of self-reviews, compared to the previous cycle.
- A streamlined review process, transforming what was once a heavy lift into a simpler, more efficient experience for employees and managers alike.
- A more meaningful, development-focused experience, helping employees gain a clearer understanding of their impact and growth areas.
The company
Xactly is a leading provider of intelligent revenue solutions, helping organizations optimize sales performance and drive predictable growth. With 600 employees distributed around the globe, Xactly supports finance, revenue, compensation, and sales leaders who want to drive quality, sustainable revenue.
The challenge
Xactly had previously delivered virtual performance review training to managers, which received strong feedback. However, employees lacked structured, just-in-time support when completing their own reviews.
Many employees struggled with staring at a blank review form, unsure how to articulate their impact over the past year or connect their work to broader company success. Conversations often skewed toward evaluating the past rather than propelling growth forward.
Jasmyn Pearl, Sr. Talent Programs Manager, and the HR team recognized that a one-pager on how to evaluate your own performance wasn’t enough. Employees needed an interactive, iterative resource that reduced cognitive load and made the process feel less daunting.
Timeliness was also a challenge, with self-reviews typically extending several days beyond the deadline.
The solution
To provide employees and managers with always-on, personalized support, Xactly embedded Hone’s AI Coach directly within its performance review workflow in Lattice.
“Our goal was for employees to walk hand-in-hand with Hone’s AI Coach during their performance conversations. I only have so much time, so this removed barriers and gave them support 24/7.”
– Jasmyn Pearl, Sr. Talent Programs Manager
The organization-wide rollout aligned with Xactly’s broader strategy to embed AI across HR workflows. Hone’s AI Coach provided:
- In-the-moment writing support, helping employees “turn raw notes into professional impact statements.”
- Safe space to roleplay performance conversations, allowing employees to practice performance discussions via voice or chat and receive instant, AI-powered feedback before meeting with their manager.
- Personalized, role-based guidance, tailored to each employee’s title and responsibilities to help them articulate contributions and development areas with clarity.
Jasmyn and her team also equipped employees with fill-in-the-blank prompts for both rating questions and qualitative responses. For example:
“I was responsible for [project/task] and delivered [specific results] by [context/method]. Help me rewrite this into a business impact statement that highlights how it [saved time/increased revenue/improved accuracy, etc.] for the [department/region] team.”
Unlike generic AI tools, Hone’s AI Coach is designed for employee development and trained on Hone’s research-backed frameworks, ensuring support is grounded in adult learning science and development best practices.
“Hone’s AI Coach is clearly coming from a growth and development perspective. When we tested it against Gemini, the difference was clear—it felt more robust and coaching-oriented.”
— Jasmyn Pearl, Sr. Talent Programs Manager
Available 24/7, the AI Coach enabled employees to iterate on their responses, refine their thinking, and approach performance conversations with greater clarity, confidence, and curiosity.
Conclusion
The impact was immediate and measurable:
- 100% of self-reviews were completed on time compared to the previous cycle, which required an additional three days to reach full completion.
- More importantly, employees reported enjoying the experience and feeling better supported.
- 108 employees used Hone’s AI Coach for their performance reviews, and of that, 55% used it more than once.
By reducing friction and reframing reviews as a growth opportunity, Xactly not only streamlined performance management but also reinforced its commitment to investing in employee development.
