You'd love for your team to embrace new technology to make their jobs more efficient and their lives easier, but so far, the response has been less than enthusiastic. What's going on?
One key reason is that many onboarding reps feel stuck on a “hamster wheel” of busy work, just trying to keep up. Although they may be eager to try something new, evaluating new client onboarding technology often falls into the category of “important but not urgent” tasks.
Additionally, the prospect of changing long-established processes and learning new technologies can seem overwhelming. Sticking with a familiar routine feels safer.
However, this combination of an overwhelming workload and resistance to change can prevent onboarding teams from reaching their full potential, confining them to a primarily administrative role rather than a strategic one.
As a leader, you can use your influence for good by providing them with the bandwidth and support they need to gradually adopt and fully embrace a new solution.
Here’s how.
Help Them Understand What’s In It For Them
People who are motivated by a cause that’s important to them are much more likely to make lasting changes. This is the premise behind Simon Sinek’s famous book, Start With Why, and it's an excellent way to initiate the conversation with your team.
Some team members may be reluctant to try new client onboarding solutions because they fear the technology could eventually replace their role. Start by clearly conveying the objectives: to elevate the role of onboarding and help your team become essential strategic partners.
Explain how automating routine tasks like data entry will free up their time to build relationships with clients and recommend complementary products or services that can improve retention and satisfaction. Show them that the goal is to enhance their roles, not replace them, and to make their work more impactful and fulfilling.
Evaluate Your Existing Client Onboarding Processes
Before implementing new technology, take time to assess your current processes. Look for bottlenecks and gaps in communication that may hinder efficiency. Are there specific tasks that consistently cause delays? Do clients often have the same questions, indicating a lack of clear information or ability to empower them to find out information on their own?
Gathering this information will help pinpoint areas where technology can make the most significant impact. For example, if manual data entry is a bottleneck, an automated data collection tool could streamline this process, reducing errors and speeding up onboarding times.
Have Your Team Play an Active Role
Engage your onboarding team in a meaningful dialogue to understand their current processes. Start by having them document or share how they complete various tasks and processes, the time it typically takes, and the reasons behind each step. This should include:
- The specific steps involved in each task.
- The reasons behind these steps. If the answer is "Joe told me to do it this way when I was onboarding," it's a good indication that we need to dig deeper.
- Their suggestions for improvement.
- Their perspectives on existing bottlenecks.
- Their opinions on the tools they use and how these tools help or hinder their work.
This exercise will provide additional insights, reveal inefficiencies and highlight activities that would most benefit from automation.
Involving your team in this way not only uncovers valuable insights but also fosters a sense of ownership and collaboration. By actively participating in the evaluation and implementation of new onboarding solutions, your team is more likely to embrace these changes and feel invested in the outcomes. This collaborative approach will streamline processes, eliminate unnecessary steps, and ultimately enhance the client experience.
Make Time for Training and Recognize Your Trend Setters
Don’t expect your team to magically find the time to learn solutions on their own— make the time for them.
Hosting "lunch and learn" sessions or attending industry conferences, such as OnboardingWorld, can provide valuable learning opportunities and showcase the latest advancements in onboarding technology. Breakfast and afternoon huddles work as well. That way the team can actively collaborate and help get each other going faster.
Lead by Example
As a leader, you set the tone for how any new technology or initiatives will be received. Use team meetings and one-on-one conversations to share your enthusiasm for new solutions you’ve seen or tried, whether it’s a new client onboarding platform or an innovative AI application. If you can, show an example by making time to make yourself an expert, too!
Hearing your excitement for using new solutions will encourage them to explore ways to become more efficient themselves.
Make Buy-In Easier With Setuply’s Client Onboarding Software
Getting started with new technology that’s easy to implement, intuitive, and truly saves your team time increases their enthusiasm. Setuply’s integrated client onboarding platform simplifies data collection, streamlines project management, and improves client communication throughout the process.
It empowers your clients to manage many onboarding tasks on their own while giving your team full visibility of each step in the process so they can manage expectations and avoid delays. With built-in automation and AI, your team can save time while providing a better overall onboarding experience.
Ready to transform your onboarding process? Request a demo today to see how our platform can help your team break free from the hamster wheel and achieve greater productivity and satisfaction.