There's no shortage of software to support teams in just about every area of business:

• Sales teams have CRMs and lead-generation systems like Salesforce.
• Marketing teams have platforms such as HubSpot, Marketo, and HootSuite. 
• Support teams have tools like ZenDesk and ServiceNow. 
• Client success teams have platforms that include Totango and Delighted.

But with client onboarding, it’s a different story.

Despite the focus on optimization across other departments, many organizations fail to provide onboarding teams with the specialized client onboarding software they need to be successful. Instead, onboarding teams are often left using nothing but spreadsheets, project management tools, and other home-grown approaches to manage what’s often a multi-step process that could take months.

Why Is Specialized Tech Not Prioritized for Client Onboarding Teams?

While sales departments are perceived as a core revenue-generating function of abusiness, onboarding departments are often viewed as a cost driver in a way of recognizing new revenue. At the same time, there is often a misconception that basic tools like spreadsheets are sufficient to manage “transactional” client onboarding processes. Both of these factors can leave business leaders reluctant to invest in purpose-built software to manage client onboarding.

But as client onboarding projects become more complex, the volume of onboarding projects increases, and the number of skilled implementation experts continues to dwindle, the need for specialized client onboarding software becomes all the more clear.

Traditional Onboarding Tools Are No Longer the Answer: Here’s Why.

Standard Project Management Systems Are Insufficient

In a search for tools that can facilitate predictable and repeatable processes, client onboarding teams sometimes turn to project management solutions. However, these tools are not designed for the multi-dimensional needs of the client onboarding process, which can include unique workflows, client engagement, and communications, as well as historical data migrations and security awareness. Because of these shortfalls, project management tools are ultimately not suitable for client onboarding. 

“Duct Tape” Solutions Can Create More Headaches

Other client onboarding organizations might string together project management tools, spreadsheets, and questionnaires for a more comprehensive client onboarding solution. With data scattered across siloed platforms, onboarding teams have to spend time manually synchronizing data between disparate tools. The manual nature of these updates increases the chances for data inconsistencies that can lead to confusion and miscommunication that ultimately have a negative impact on the client experience. 

At the same time, this stack of tools to manage client onboarding processes fails to answer other important questions. What is the client experience going to be like? How is client data going to be collected, validated, and exchanged? How can client onboarding teams be managed for greater efficiency? 

Overwhelmed Teams Have Limited Time and Resources

With so many onboarding projects happening at any given time, it's hard for teams to keep up, let alone take the time to seek out a better client onboarding solution. As new client projects are continuously added to the mix, client onboarding teams are in a constant state of catch-up, leaving little room for innovation or process improvement.

What Happens When You Invest in Client Onboarding Software?

You’ll Create a Better Life for Onboarding Teams

Investing in client onboarding software makes the client onboarding team’s day-to-day efforts easier. Onboarding teams are constantly pulled in different directions, and a tool that can help them be more efficient and productive — while prioritizing customer engagement in the onboarding experience — is a step in the right direction. Job satisfaction translates into retention, ultimately driving better client experiences. 

You’ll Eliminate Unnecessary Costs

Investing in client onboarding software also helps eliminate unnecessary costs. As client onboarding projects often go over budget and scope, having a specialized solution that can help keep things on track is a huge cost-saver for organizations and enables better management of the limited onboarding resources.

You’ll Maximize Onboarding Team Capacity

Specialized client onboarding tools can be instrumental in helping businesses better manage their onboarding team. With access to detailed data related to the revenue at stake, KPIs, and onboarding processes, businesses can easily identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies and prioritize resources to drive better results. Client onboarding software can also provide insight into high performers on an onboarding team who deserve recognition (not to be overworked), as well as lower performers who could benefit from additional training.

You’ll Improve the Customer Experience

Clients have grown to expect more from solution providers, and that includes the onboarding process they deliver. According to Wyzole, 86% of people say they’d be more likely to stay loyal to a business that invests in onboarding content that welcomes and educates them after their purchase. Implementing a tool specifically for user onboarding improves client engagement and accelerates the client onboarding process. This translates into happier clients, which leads to repeat customers and referrals — the lifeblood of any business.

Choosing The Right Client Onboarding Solution Is Critical

Fortunately, specialized client onboarding tools are available to help onboarding teams remove 90% of the tedious work that delays projects and implement smooth onboarding processes.

To experience these benefits, it’s of paramount importance that businesses choose the right client onboarding solution. Only then can companies see the full positive impact on their productivity, deliver a superior client experience, and fuel growth without disruption.

When selecting a client onboarding solution, it's essential to ask these questions:

• Does the solution address your business needs and goals?
• Does it fit within your allocated budget?
• Can you start using it quickly?
• Is it scalable enough to accommodate your future growth?
• Does it provide analytics capabilities to track your performance?

Once you find the right client onboarding solution, you can gain visibility and insights into the onboarding flow, improve communication and collaboration between a team and clients, and optimize onboarding workflows throughout the customer journey. Each of these measures is critical to reducing excess costs and realizing mutual value faster.

Setuply: Your All-in-One Client Onboarding Solution

At Setuply, we offer a client onboarding solution that meets all of the criteria above — and more. Our comprehensive solution is designed specifically for client onboarding teams and comes with a wide range of features to make your team members' lives easier.

If you're ready to reduce workload, shrink project timelines, and cut costs by improving your client onboarding process, we want to hear from you. Request a demo today.