Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started is easy! Simply sign up for a free account, complete our guided onboarding wizard to set up your company profile, and invite your team members. The wizard will help you configure your goals, performance review cycles, and feedback systems. Most teams are up and running within 30 minutes.

Yes! Our Starter plan is always free for teams of up to 10 members, with core performance features included. No credit card required, no trial period. For larger teams, our paid plans offer additional features and capacity.

Most teams complete the initial setup in under 2 hours. The guided onboarding process walks you through company setup, team structure creation, and basic configuration. For larger enterprises with complex requirements, our dedicated implementation team can help with a customized rollout plan.

Absolutely! We support data imports via CSV for employee information, organizational structures, and historical performance data. We also offer direct migration assistance from popular platforms like BambooHR, Workday, and Lattice. Our support team can help with custom data migrations.

Not at all! LVL Up Performance is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. No coding or technical skills required. Our drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and step-by-step guides make it easy for anyone to use. Plus, we offer comprehensive training resources and live support.

Yes! LVL Up Performance is highly customizable. You can create custom review templates, define your own goal frameworks, set up unique feedback categories aligned with your company values, configure custom workflows, and brand the platform with your company colors and logo.

We offer five tiers based on Tuckman's Team Development Model: Starter (free for up to 10 team members), Forming ($29/month for up to 25 members), Storming ($79/month for up to 100 members), Norming ($149/month for up to 500 members), and Performing ($299/month for unlimited members). All plans are flat monthly rates with no per-seat fees.

The Starter plan is always free for teams of up to 10 members. It includes core features like basic goal setting, simple feedback tools, employee recognition, and basic analytics. No credit card required, no trial period. Upgrade to any paid plan when you need more capacity or advanced features.

We offer both monthly and annual billing options. Annual subscriptions come with a 20% discount (2 months free). You can switch between billing cycles at any time, and we'll prorate any payments accordingly.

Yes, you can cancel your subscription at any time directly from your account settings. When you cancel, you'll retain full access until the end of your current billing period. We don't believe in lock-in contracts - if we're not delivering value, you're free to go.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans. If you're not satisfied within the first 30 days, contact us for a full refund - no questions asked. For annual subscriptions, we'll refund the prorated amount for any unused months.

No hidden fees. Every plan is a flat monthly rate with no per-seat charges. All features included in your tier are fully available, including HR tools. Storage, data export, and core integrations are included.

Yes! Our Performing tier ($299/month) includes unlimited team members, SSO, custom workflows, and a dedicated account manager. For organizations needing additional customization, custom SLAs, or on-premise deployment, contact our sales team for a tailored quote.

Yes! We offer 50% off for verified nonprofits and educational institutions. We believe performance management should be accessible to all organizations making a positive impact. Contact us with your organization details to apply for the discount.

Our Goals & OKRs module supports cascading objectives from company level down to individual contributors. You can set quarterly OKRs with measurable key results, track progress with visual indicators, link dependent goals, and automatically roll over incomplete objectives. Built-in alignment views show how individual work connects to company priorities.

360-degree feedback collects input from multiple perspectives - self-assessment, manager review, peer feedback, and even external stakeholders. Our system makes it easy to request, collect, and aggregate feedback from multiple sources. Responses can be anonymous or attributed, and AI-powered insights help identify patterns and growth areas.

Performance reviews in LVL Up are fully customizable. You can create review cycles (quarterly, semi-annual, annual), use pre-built or custom templates, include self-assessments and multi-rater feedback, set up approval workflows, and track calibration sessions. Reviews integrate seamlessly with goals and continuous feedback data.

LVL Proof is our innovative career portfolio feature that helps employees document and showcase their achievements. It captures verified accomplishments, completed goals, received recognition, and feedback highlights into a portable professional portfolio. Employees can share their LVL Proof externally for career advancement.

Our recognition system enables peer-to-peer kudos, manager shoutouts, and company-wide celebrations. Recognition can be tied to company values, and a social feed showcases achievements. Optional rewards integration allows you to attach points or gift cards to recognition. Leaderboards and badges gamify the experience.

Beyond performance management, LVL Up includes core HR features: employee directory, org charts, PTO/time-off tracking, benefits enrollment, document management, employee profiles, and basic payroll integration. This makes us a complete people management solution, not just a performance tool.

Yes! Our 1:1 meeting module includes agenda templates, talking point suggestions, action item tracking, and meeting notes history. Recurring meetings can be scheduled automatically, and insights from 1:1s feed into performance review summaries. Calendar integrations keep everything in sync.

Our analytics dashboard provides insights on goal completion rates, review scores, feedback trends, engagement metrics, and recognition patterns. Custom report builder lets you create tailored reports. Predictive analytics (on higher tiers) can identify flight risks and high performers. All data is exportable.

Absolutely! Managers get a dedicated dashboard showing team goals, pending reviews, feedback received, recognition given, and upcoming 1:1s. Team health indicators highlight attention areas, and the manager effectiveness module provides coaching insights based on team engagement data.

Yes! We use AI to power several features: feedback summarization, writing assistance for reviews, goal suggestion based on role, sentiment analysis of feedback, and predictive analytics for employee engagement. AI helps make performance management faster and more insightful without replacing human judgment.

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) measures how likely employees are to recommend your company as a workplace. LVL Up calculates a real eNPS score using the standard NPS formula from pulse survey responses, displays color-coded scores (green >30, yellow 0-30, red <0), shows 12-week trend charts, lets you drill down by department, and auto-generates action items based on score thresholds.

The Approval Hub at /approvals gives managers a unified queue for all pending items: PTO requests, document acknowledgments, and time entry approvals. Each tab shows pending counts, and managers can approve or deny with one click. No more switching between different pages to handle team requests.

Yes! LVL Up includes full PTO management: employees can request time off, managers approve via the Approval Hub, HR can adjust balances with an audit trail, and the Export Report button downloads a real CSV with balances, accrued hours, and usage. Accrual rules, carryover policies, and blackout periods are all configurable.

The interactive org chart at /team/org-chart visualizes your entire reporting structure. Managers can drag employees between teams to reassign reporting lines. The system prevents circular references (you can't make someone report to their own subordinate). Each card shows XP level badges and color-coded engagement indicators.

When giving recognition, you can select company value chips (like Innovation, Teamwork, Leadership) to tag which values the person demonstrated. Admins can create and manage custom badges at /settings/badges. Visibility controls let you choose public, team-only, or private recognition.

Your data is stored in a managed PostgreSQL database powered by Supabase, hosted in SOC 2 certified data centers in the United States. The application is hosted on Vercel. Your data never lives on a laptop, thumb drive, or shared spreadsheet — it's in a professionally managed, continuously monitored cloud environment. For full details, visit our Security page or download our Security Whitepaper PDF.

All data is encrypted at every stage. In transit via TLS 1.2+ (bank-grade encryption) with HSTS enforced. At rest via AES-256 encryption at the database level. Highly sensitive fields like SSNs and salary data receive an additional layer of AES-256-GCM field-level encryption with unique, per-account keys — so even raw database access wouldn't expose them.

No. Row-Level Security (RLS) policies enforced at the PostgreSQL database level ensure complete data isolation between organizations. This is not just application logic — it's a database-enforced guarantee that prevents cross-tenant data access even in the unlikely event of an application-level bug.

Yes. We support four methods: authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy), SMS verification via Twilio, email-based verification, and backup recovery codes. Administrators can require 2FA for all admin users as an organization-wide policy. Accounts also lock automatically after repeated failed login attempts.

Only users with explicitly granted roles (HR Admin, Payroll Admin) can access sensitive fields. SSNs are encrypted with dedicated per-account encryption keys. Every access to sensitive data is logged with who accessed it, when, and from where. IP allowlisting and MFA enforcement are available for HR admin functions.

Our infrastructure providers (Vercel, Supabase, Stripe) each maintain SOC 2 Type II compliance. Our application follows SOC 2 aligned practices including access controls, encryption, monitoring, and audit logging. We also follow OWASP Top 10 protections, NIST password guidelines, and are GDPR and CCPA aligned. Payment data is handled by Stripe (PCI DSS Level 1).

You do. Your data is your data — we're just the custodians. You retain full ownership of all data you input into the platform. You can export your data at any time in standard formats (CSV, JSON, PDF). We never sell your data or use it for purposes other than providing our service.

Automatic daily backups with 7-day retention and point-in-time recovery (PITR) capability. Backups are encrypted and stored separately from the primary database in geographically isolated infrastructure.

Users and admins can view and revoke active sessions instantly from the account settings. Accounts are protected by multi-factor authentication, and session cookies are HTTP-only (inaccessible to JavaScript) with SameSite=strict to prevent session theft.

Yes! Visit our Security page at lvlupperformance.com/security and click "Download Security Whitepaper" to get a branded PDF covering encryption, data isolation, authentication, compliance, infrastructure, and FAQs. You can share it with your leadership, IT team, or prospects.

We integrate with popular tools including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and more. Our Zapier integration connects you to thousands of additional apps. We are actively expanding our integration library.

Yes! We offer native integrations with major HRIS platforms including BambooHR, Workday, ADP, Namely, Gusto, and Rippling. Bi-directional sync keeps employee data, org structures, and job information up to date. Custom HRIS integrations are available for Enterprise customers.

Absolutely! We support SAML 2.0 and OAuth 2.0 SSO with providers like Okta, Azure Active Directory, Google Workspace, OneLogin, and Ping Identity. This allows your team to access LVL Up with their existing credentials, improving security and user experience.

Yes! We provide a comprehensive REST API for custom integrations and automation. Full API documentation, webhooks for real-time events, and sandbox environments are available. Rate limits are generous, and API access is included in all paid plans.

Yes! Our Slack and Teams integrations bring LVL Up into your daily workflow. You can give recognition, receive notifications, complete quick check-ins, view goal progress, and get review reminders - all without leaving your chat tool. The integrations are easy to set up and highly customizable.

We offer multiple support channels: in-app live chat, email support, comprehensive knowledge base with video tutorials, community forum, and scheduled video calls. Enterprise customers get dedicated success managers and priority phone support. We're here to help however you prefer to communicate.

Our support team is available Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm EST. Average first response time is under 2 hours for email and under 5 minutes for live chat. Enterprise customers enjoy 24/7 priority support with 1-hour response SLAs. We also offer weekend coverage for critical issues.

Yes! All paid plans include complimentary onboarding support. This includes account setup assistance, data migration help, admin training sessions, and best practice guidance. Enterprise customers receive dedicated implementation managers and customized rollout plans for their organization.

Absolutely! We offer a comprehensive learning center with video tutorials, step-by-step guides, webinars, and best practice documentation. Live training sessions are available for admin and end-users. We also host monthly "Office Hours" where you can ask questions directly to our product experts.

You can report bugs through in-app support chat, email, or our help center. For feature requests, we have a public roadmap where you can submit ideas and vote on others' suggestions. We actively incorporate user feedback into our product development - many of our best features came from customer requests!