FAQs

10KC is redefining how mentoring is done in the modern workplace. Our product provides a central place for employees to connect, learn, and grow, fueled by the belief that people learn best from each other.

Our mentoring software is utilized by more than 200 organizations like RBC, Nike, and BMO who rely on our smart-matching algorithm, expert-backed discussion guides, and wide range of mentoring formats to engage, develop, promote, and retain top talent. 

Yes! More often than not, we refer to ourselves as “10KC”, which is short for “Ten Thousand (10K) Coffees (C).” But, we are one company.

The name “Ten Thousand Coffees” is directly inspired by the “10,000 hour rule” in Malcolm Gladwell’s book "Outliers”, where he proposes that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery in a field. Just as 10,000 hours of practice leads to mastery, we believe 10,000 "coffees" (or mentoring conversations with leaders, peers, and subject matter experts) help employees develop the skills and connections they need to thrive.

10KC makes it easy for you to build, launch and manage end-to-end mentoring programs for your employees all in one central spot. We offer a variety of pre-built mentoring pathways that pull all of our best practices together—matching configuration, discussion guides, mentoring formats, surveys and more—to help you launch an effective program, quickly. 

To get started, you’ll map out the right mix of mentoring experiences you’d like to include (1:1, small groups, peer to peer networking) to help employees develop and practice specific skills. Next, you’ll automatically invite or assign specific talent groups to participate. Our smart-matching algorithm then automatically matches mentees with mentors, peers and experts who can help them make meaningful progress in their career. 

Expert-backed discussion guides are served up ahead of every mentoring touch point, through email or other communication tools like Teams and Slack. Plus, after each connection, we’ll gather feedback to help you understand which skills employees have developed and how your mentoring programs have impacted metrics like engagement, development, mobility or retention. Learn more about how our product works. 

Every organization looks a bit different. We’ll work with you to understand your talent goals, number of employees you’d like to offer 10KC access to and the level of support required to build out a pricing proposal. To get started, we encourage you to review our pricing page and reach out for a personalized quote..

10KC is trusted by more than 200 organizations to deliver mentoring programs that engage, retain and develop top talent. Customers choose, and stay with, 10KC because of our smart-matching algorithm, expert-backed discussion guides, and wide range of mentoring formats. Plus, our pre-built mentoring pathways make it easy for you to deliver mentoring programs for specific talent groups like people managers, new leaders, early talent and more. 

But, what truly sets us apart is our team. With 10KC you’ll gain a true partner who puts everything we’ve learned implementing mentoring for hundreds of businesses to work for you. From program best practices to smooth implementation and ongoing support we’ve got you covered.

10KC’s smart-matching algorithm strategically pairs employees with experts across your organization who can help them make meaningful progress in their career. 

To get started, admins can create matching rules based on criteria that matter most for program success like seniority level, role, skills and more. Then, we’ll layer in each employee’s goals and interests to personalize every connection. Once our algorithm has done the heavy lifting, you’ll have a chance to preview matches, make adjustments if needed, then lock them in. We’ll also gather feedback after each connection to help you measure match quality. 

10KC offers a wide range of mentoring formats including traditional 1-on-1 mentoring, group mentoring, peer-to-peer mentoring, and more. Better yet, we’re the only mentoring solution that allows you to sequence a variety of mentoring formats together in a single journey for specific talent groups, giving employees multiple ways to connect and learn from each. Learn more about formats we offer in our mentoring experiences overview.

Yes, you can. Employees can automatically be enrolled in a mentoring program (or as we like to call them, mentoring pathway) based on specific organizational attributes like role, location, department and more.

With 10KC you’ll gain access to best practices and expertise that will help you maintain your mentoring programs in just a few hours a month. Our product takes care of all the heavy lifting from recruiting participants and making matches to serving up discussion guides, measuring results and everything in between—so your team can stay focused on other priorities.

While employees can certainly log in to 10KC directly, we know that we’re just one part of your learning and development toolbox. That’s why we make it easy for you to serve up mentoring program invites, matches, discussion guides and feedback surveys directly in your employees’ inbox or through integrations with communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack.

10KC can easily integrate with several tools within your existing HR tech stack including your HRIS, communication and collaboration tools, calendar, SSO provider and more. To learn more about how our integrations work, we encourage you to check out our integrations overview.

Mentoring conversations facilitated by 10KC can be hosted in person or virtually through your existing communication platform including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet.

All of your 10KC mentoring program touch points, including participant invites, matches, discussion guides and feedback surveys, can be accessed through 10KC directly, through your employees’ email or through integrations with communication and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack.

Most clients are up and running in 4 to 6 weeks. 

We’ll put everything we’ve learned in implementing mentoring for hundreds of businesses to work for you to ensure that you are up and running quickly. From program best practices to smooth implementation and ongoing support, we’ve got you covered. 

With 10KC, you’ll be in good hands. Our ongoing partnership with each of our clients is one of the top reasons customers choose—and stay with—10KC. We offer a few different support packages, but regardless of which package you choose you can count on us for: 

• Implementation support to get you up and running quickly. 
• Product training to show you how to use 10KC. 
• Help center and support team access for answers to your questions. 
• Ongoing touch points with our Customer Success team to ensure you’re on track to reach your goals. 

You can see a more detailed overview of our support packages on our pricing page.

Absolutely. We’d love to show you what our product can do. Fill out our demo form and someone from our partnership team will be in touch to walk you through the platform and answer any questions you may have.

Mentoring software is like the central nervous system of a successful mentoring program. It's a tool that helps you build, manage, and measure every aspect of your program. 

Traditional mentoring programs often struggle to scale and can quickly become an administrative burden. This limits your program's impact and makes it difficult to demonstrate ROI. With mentoring software, you can streamline the entire process, making it easier to connect the right people, provide structure, and measure impact. 

Ultimately, mentoring software helps you transform your mentoring program from a well-intentioned initiative into a powerful engine for company-wide learning and development.

While informal mentoring relationships can be valuable, a structured mentoring program ensures access to development opportunities and drives strategic business goals. A mentorship program provides: 

• Clear goals and defined structure aligned with business objectives.
• Streamlined matching to ensure mentors and mentees are thoughtfully paired based on skills, experience, and development goals.
• Comprehensive tools and resources to equip both mentors and mentees for success.
• Frameworks for regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and progress tracking. 
• Methods for optimization, tracking program effectiveness, and demonstrating value. 

Mentoring programs offer a range of advantages for both individuals and organizations, including improved career outcomes, increased employee engagement, better company performance, lower turnover, and a more positive company culture. 

Designing a successful mentoring program requires a strong foundation, a well-thought-out plan, and the right technology to help scale. Here are some best practices to guide you:

1. Define your objectives: Start by identifying the specific challenges you want to address and the goals you want to achieve. Are you aiming to develop future leaders, improve employee retention, or foster a more inclusive workplace? Establish clear, measurable KPIs to track your progress. For example, "Increase employee retention by X% within the first year of employment."

2. Identify your audience: Determine who will benefit most from your program. Will it be an organization-wide initiative, or will it focus on specific talent groups like early talent, high-potential employees, or people managers? 

3. Gather employee insights: Understand your employees' needs, goals, and preferences. This will help you design a program that truly resonates and drives engagement. 

4. Design your program structure:

• Matching process: Define the criteria for matching mentors and mentees. Consider factors like talent segments, skills, location, and development goals.
• Mentoring formats: Explore various formats for dynamic learning. This could include one-on-one mentoring, group experiences, networking, and peer-to-peer learning. 
• Resources and support: Provide participants with clear guidelines, discussion materials, and ongoing support to ensure a positive experience.
• Program timeline: Establish a clear timeline with milestones and check-in points to keep participants on track.

5. Measure and iterate: Continuously measure your program's success, celebrate achievements, and identify areas for improvement. This iterative approach will help you demonstrate the value of your program and ensure its long-term effectiveness.

Need more support in structuring and scaling an impactful mentorship program? Download our checklist. 

Mentoring software is typically used and managed by HR, Talent Management, or L&D leaders within your organization. However, many other stakeholders may be involved, especially when mentoring is a company-wide initiative.

Mentoring software helps:

Those with existing programs: If you've seen early success with mentoring but struggle to scale it effectively, mentoring software can automate tasks, expand your reach, and reduce the administrative burden on your team. 

Those starting from scratch: If you're building a mentoring program and want to ensure it's impactful and scalable from the beginning, the right software can provide the structure, guidance, and tools you need.

Of course, the mentors and mentees participating in the program also benefit greatly from mentoring software. A good platform integrates seamlessly with the tools employees already use, eliminating the need to learn a new system. Mentoring participants benefit from streamlined program management, structured curriculums, and a clear framework for success. 

Mentoring software empowers you to overcome manual limitations and transform your mentoring program from a well-intentioned initiative into a powerful driver of growth and development.

Manual approaches to mentoring can be time-consuming, inefficient, and difficult to scale. They often lack the structure and insights needed to maximize impact and meet the evolving needs of today's workforce. Mentoring software provides value across the board by:

• Reducing admin load and streamlining program management
• Providing structured mentoring guidance and resources
• Tracking progress and measuring impact
• Accelerating internal knowledge-sharing and collaboration 
• Fostering a culture of learning and development
• Driving employee engagement, retention, and development 

When evaluating mentoring software, it's important to look for key features that will drive engagement and maximize the impact of your program. Here are some essentials:

Centralized platform: Provides cohesive and strategic frameworks for all program activities.

Multiple learning formats: Offers a variety of mentoring formats and experiences beyond traditional 1:1 pairings.

Smart-matching: Uses AI and data-driven algorithms to create effective mentor-mentee pairings.

Reporting: Tracks, analyzes, and monitors program effectiveness to help demonstrate ROI and provide valuable insights for continuous improvement.

Resources: Offers a variety of expert-curated resources, including curriculums, discussion guides, and templates to encourage knowledge sharing and maximize learning outcomes. 

Structure: Provides a clear framework for mentoring engagements, enabling learning pathways that allow you to target specific individual and business needs.

Integrations: Integrates with key business platforms to embed mentorship into existing workflows and increase accessibility for participants. 

Mentoring software can drive significant positive outcomes for your organization. While the specific results may vary depending on your goals and priorities, here are some possible outcomes: 

Scalable impact: Expand your mentoring program efficiently and effectively, reaching more employees and maximizing its impact across the organization.

Increased efficiency: Reduce the administrative burden of managing mentoring programs, freeing up HR and L&D teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Improved retention & engagement: Foster a culture of development, connection, and belonging through streamlined and focused mentoring initiatives, leading to higher employee retention and engagement rates.

Accelerated early talent development: Provide structured support and guidance for early career employees, helping them develop critical skills, build confidence, and navigate their career paths. 

Upskilled managers: Equip managers with the skills and knowledge they need to lead high-performing, engaged teams, driving growth and retention.

Improved performance: Enhance individual and collective performance by fostering skill development, knowledge transfer, and leadership growth.

Enhanced collaboration: Facilitate cross-company knowledge sharing and collaboration through enhanced connections, strategic discussion guides, and intelligent matching algorithms.

Stronger talent pipeline: Develop a robust internal talent pipeline and identify employees ready for leadership roles and promotions.

Enhanced DEI initiatives: Support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by creating inclusive mentoring opportunities and fostering a sense of belonging for all employees.

Mentoring software pricing can vary widely depending on the vendor and several factors like the core experiences, features, number of users, and levels of support. To get a better idea of what mentoring software might cost for your organization with 10KC, we encourage you to share a few details with us through this form. Someone from our team will be in touch to get started on a personalized quote.

Mentoring software should integrate with your existing HR systems and workflows for a seamless experience. Think about your HRIS, communication tools, calendars, and single sign-on (SSO) providers. These integrations streamline processes and maximize efficiency.

Absolutely! Formal learning programs like training, workshops, and online modules are valuable, but to maximize their ROI and truly achieve your organizational talent goals, consider adding mentoring to the mix. 

Mentoring provides a human-centered approach that complements formal learning, fostering continuous growth through personalized guidance, social interaction, and knowledge sharing. This creates a more impactful and engaging development experience for your employees, leading to increased engagement, knowledge retention, and ultimately, a stronger talent pipeline.