Idea software solutions are digital platforms that help companies collect, manage, deliver and measure impact from employee ideas. 

People who perform tasks everyday often think of ways to improve them, idea software gives employees a way to share time, cost and waste-saving suggestions with decision-makers.

Some types of idea software are in-house standalone programs built by businesses, that often get low engagement, or are difficult to scale. Others, like Sideways 6, can be integrated into existing business applications to help leaders collect ideas more efficiently.

The terms idea management software and idea management platform are interchangeable.

That said, some people refer to standalone tools as idea software and integrated tools as idea management platforms, but this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule.

Idea software tools are used in all types of industries to help businesses find new ways to save time, reduce waste and improve products and services.

Industries where ideas management tools are common include:

• Built environment: Idea management software brings efficiency-driving ideas from frontline workers to the attention of decision-makers - one such idea shared through Sideways 6 saved Balfour Beatty $222,000.
• Retail: Idea management solutions bridge the gap between customer-facing and office-based teams to help ensure all employees are involved in business decisions and can offer on-the-ground, local insight to increase sales and improve the customer experience.
• Travel: Travel industry leaders like Virgin Trains and British Airways use ideas software to bring their employees’ time, cost and resource-saving ideas to life.
• Utilities: Utilities companies with hundreds of office, call centre and field workers use ideas organisation software to bring dispersed teams together.

Ideation software is for businesses of all sizes. 

Frontline staff oversee day-to-day operations in all kinds of businesses, by giving them a way to suggest time and resource-saving ideas, leaders can improve operational efficiency.

Flexible idea management solutions like Sideways 6 can be adapted to meet just about any need, helping small and enterprise-level businesses to collect and organise employee ideas efficiently in one place, on the goals and challenges that matter to them.

Our idea management tools help businesses run effective ideas programs that employees actually engage with, driving ROI from impactful ideas and boosting workplace productivity.

By integrating our ideation software into the tools you already use daily, highlighting practical cost-saving ideas becomes natural and adoption into change initiatives is made simple. 

No extra programs or processes, just a straightforward and intuitive way to share employee ideas inside your existing workflows.

Sideways 6 benefits everyone involved in your business, from owners and managers to frontline staff and customers.

• C-suite: Well-organised and intuitive ideas management tools turn great ideas into actionable strategies, helping businesses to improve operational efficiency.
• Managers: Idea management software simplifies decision-making, reducing time and resource waste by making your best ideas more visible.
• Frontline employees: Idea management solutions give employees a voice and help them feel valued among their colleagues.
• Customers: Bright ideas improve business operations, helping employees provide a better customer experience and quality of service.

Idea management helps to improve employee engagement by involving all employees in decision-making processes.

When people know their thoughts will be heard and respected, they become more engaged and motivated to share truly brave ideas. Take a look at these real-world examples:

• Marks & Spencer used our idea management tools to boost engagement in ideas initiatives by 70% YOY.
• Discovery saw a 4x increase in ideas shared after implementing our ideas software.
• Nestlé increased employee engagement by over 90% using the Sideways 6 platform.

The cost of idea management software depends on the type of solution you choose, but it doesn’t need to be expensive.

In addition, the ideas shared through these solutions often save companies time and money and most see 7-15x ROI in the first year of working with Sideways 6.

• PG Tips used one worker’s idea to save €47,500 and cut paper waste by 9.3 tonnes.
• Balfour Beatty saved $222,000 by implementing just one great employee idea.
• Centrica streamlined operations and saved £5 million off the back of a single idea.

Sideways 6 Lite, our leading employee ideas app for Microsoft Teams, is free for up to 10 users and only $3 per month, per user for up to 500 users.

We offer a flexible and custom pricing structure, so it’s easy to find a perfect idea management solution for any budget.

You can start collecting employee ideas through our Lite Ideas app in Microsoft Teams straight away.

Our enterprise package with Teams and our Idea management platform can take longer to set up depending on the size and scope of your project (3-6 weeks to give you a rough idea).

As our ideas software is tailor-made, our pricing and timeframes are customised to your needs. Contact our team to discuss your requirements and we’ll be happy to give you a more accurate estimate.

The best ideas don’t always come from the boardroom. That’s why Sideways 6 helps you turn employee insight into measurable business impact.

We make it easy for your people to share and build on ideas—right where they work, in tools like Microsoft Teams and your intranet.

Our team will help you design, launch and grow a programme that fits your goals, engages your people and delivers results over time.

Every business is different. That’s why Sideways 6 is flexible by design, with tailored set-ups to match your teams, systems and ambitions.

Find out what a successful idea programme looks like in practice with our playbook:

‘The Playbook for Running Successful Idea Programs in 2025’