Client Onboarding Workflows That Increase Efficiency

Last month, I had a call with a CEO who was about to make a $50,000 mistake. He wanted to hire a new employee to handle their growing client onboarding process. "We're drowning, each new client takes 40+ hours to get set up properly." I asked him one simple question: "Can you walk me through your current process?" What followed was painful to hear: → Manual contract creation (2 hours per client) → Back-and-forth email chains for signatures (5+ days) → Manually setting up 12 different software accounts (3 hours) → Creating folder structures in 4 different platforms (1 hour) → Scheduling multiple onboarding calls (30+ minutes of coordination) The most insane part: his team was re-entering the same client information into 7 different systems. The same exact information seven times. Instead of hiring a new person at $50K, we built a simple automation system in 2 weeks: ✅ Smart intake form that captures everything once ✅ Auto-generates contracts with client data ✅ Triggers signature requests automatically ✅ Creates all software accounts simultaneously ✅ Sets up folder structures across all platforms ✅ Schedules onboarding calls based on client preferences Onboarding time dropped from 40+ hours to 2 hours. Client satisfaction increased (they loved the smooth process). His team could focus on actual value-add work instead of data entry. Total cost: $8,000 Annual savings: $50,000+ Before you hire more people, ask yourself: "Are we solving the right problem?" Sometimes the answer isn't more hands. It's smarter systems. Follow me Luke Pierce for more content on automations, AI, and scaling systems that actually work.

After 5 years helping 800+ companies streamline onboarding, here's the most underestimated way I’ve found to eliminate delays: Prescriptive playbooks. Most onboarding failures happen before customers even start using your product. We dump endless configuration options on them and ask them to figure out what they want. I know a software vendor in our space who gives a spreadsheet with 800 rows for their customers to fill, before they can “start” implementing. The result? Analysis paralysis, delayed launches, and frustrated users wondering if they're doing it "right”. Customers do sometimes blame themselves for these delays, but they’ll steer away from your software and software in your space if they have this experience Ever notice how many tools give you templates instead of a blank page? There's a reason for that. Smart companies use more prescriptive and preset configurations: For ex, Slack: Suggested channels and workflows This leverages two psychological principles: → People are more likely to use tools when they feel they've already started → Once started, momentum keeps them going Instead of asking "What do you want to set up?" start with, "Based on companies like yours, here's what we recommend." Map your customer types to proven configurations. Present these as the starting point. This approach eliminates decision fatigue, ensures customers benefit from your best practices, and de-risks launches with proven setups Your customers don't want infinite choices. They just want confidence that they're set up for success.

We analyzed what differentiates the highest-performing UserGems customers from the rest. It comes down to one thing. No, it’s not having champions (though you need them for the champion tracking play to work in the first place). No, it’s not customization and messaging (though this can heavily influence response rates). The clearest differentiator of them all? Automated workflows. Here are the best practices the most successful teams all follow. 1/ They make sure *at least* the first 3 steps of every playbook get actioned - without exception → If the signal is strong, you don’t want a 50% action rate - you want 100% Too often, we see companies where some reps do a fantastic job reaching out, but others weren’t trained or missed the signal. Everyone’s busy and any manual call or LinkedIn step adds the risk that ALL the following steps of a sequence get missed. Top tip: We just launched a new functionality where signals get pushed into manual sequences and if they don’t get actioned after 7 days, they get removed and added to an automatic sequence. Best of both worlds! 2/ They focus messaging on the “why” not just the “who”. → Reaching someone with a compelling reason, relevance, and resonance are more important than reaching a “decision-maker”. They ask "How can I adjust my messaging based on previous meetings, Closed Lost notes or a company’s changing needs?" 3/ They think through workflows from end to end. → Every signal comes with a playbook optimized to get a result (booked meetings, reduce churn risk, accelerate a deal). To get the most out of a workflow, it’s essential to understand how it fits into the rest of the sales process: ⚠️ Who’s the DRI (Directly responsible individual) for a task? Depending on the account, this could be the SDR, the AE or the CSM ⚠️ What’s the history of the account? Who have I been in touch with? What additional Contact or Account-level signals should I action in addition or even instead? ⚠️ What additional steps from Marketing can be done to support Sales? You need to make sure your signals get actioned, customized & fit into your broader strategy. At the end of the day, automation can make a huge difference in your success rates.