Over the last few decades, the role of human resources (HR) department has evolved from a primarily administrative function to a strategic business partner integral to organizational success. This transformation offers a compelling model for the future of client onboarding teams.
Both HR and onboarding areas are critical business functions for the that set the stage for productive, profitable relationships: HR for internal company health and viability; onboarding for revenue growth and client retention. Here’s a closer look at how HR leaders elevated their teams’ roles and how onboarding leaders can do the same.
How HR Became a Strategic Partner
Keeping Up With Generational Shifts
As Millennials began entering the workforce in the early 2000s and the technology boom began, companies found themselves in a war for top talent. The new tech-savvy generation had more options than ever before, and their expectations changed. They wanted collaborative workplaces that gave them a sense of purpose, more flexibility, and plenty of perks. As attracting and retaining talent became a top organizational priority, HR had to become a prominent strategic function. HR managers became “chief people officers” who had a more significant influence within executive teams.
Embracing Technology
As everyone demanded more from the HR teams and younger candidates expected a more efficient, tech-enabled application process, companies began to adopt HRIS platforms, applicant tracking systems, and learning management software. HR leaders encouraged employees to use self-service portals to update personal information and manage benefits. They began to use performance management systems to help managers set goals and provide real-time feedback.
This allowed HR to automate many tasks and shift focus of HR teams onto more strategic initiatives, such as improving employee engagement and fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. The companies that took this purposeful approach, rather than using technology to justify reducing headcount, ultimately saw the greatest returns.
Relying on Data To Drive Decision Making
The shift in HR from a cost center to a strategic partner was largely driven by its use of data analytics. By tracking metrics related to recruitment and retention, employee performance, engagement, training and development and diversity, HR leaders could demonstrate accountability and provide better organizational direction. For instance, if they saw significant increases in the time to fill certain positions, they could advocate for revisiting job requirements or reaching out to new networks.
These changes, among others, helped HR leaders become trusted partners within the organization, directly impacting many of a company’s most important objectives.
What Needs To Happen for Onboarding To Become a Strategic Partner
As new generations of business users enter the workforce, familiar with enhanced B2C experiences and demanding the same level of product and service delivery, the need for seamless, engaging onboarding experiences is more crucial than ever. These market factors, alongside accelerating digital transformation, are helping onboarding teams gain recognition as strategic partners, similar to the evolution experienced by HR in the past.
Despite this momentum, many organizations still view client onboarding as an administrative rather than a strategic task. This outdated perspective will increasingly impact businesses negatively in the long term if they fail to adapt to the changing market environment.
More work needs to be done by onboarding leaders to further fuel this momentum and solidify their roles as strategic partners. Here are a few recommendations for those who want to see their onboarding teams recognized as more strategic partners to help drive the company forward successfully:
Align on Broader Organizational Goals
Client onboarding should support key business objectives, such as enhancing client experiences, delivering value faster, reducing churn, and driving revenue growth. Identify successful outcomes that align with these goals and share them with your executive team. Demonstrate how an efficient onboarding process leads to long-term client relationships and loyal advocates.
Share your vision for a technology-driven, self-guided onboarding that empowers your team to focus on consultative engagements with clients. With less time spent on manual tasks, your team can have more meaningful conversations that lead to new solutions or services.
Develop Strong Internal Partnerships
HR’s strategic partnership involved close collaboration with other departments. Onboarding teams can replicate this by building strong relationships with sales, customer success, product development, and IT, ensuring a seamless client experience. Form cross-functional teams to tackle onboarding challenges collaboratively, fostering trust and a client-focused culture.
Continuous Improvement and Innovation
Implement continuous improvement loops by regularly soliciting feedback from clients and your team. This helps identify areas for enhancement and ensures onboarding strategies are continuously refined and optimized. (See how Axiom Human Resources Solutions put these principles to work in their onboarding process.)
Use Data and Analytics
HR departments are held accountable to metrics like time-to-productivity and employee engagement. Similarly, onboarding success can be demonstrated through metrics such as average implementation timespan, client satisfaction scores, capacity tracking, user adoption, and client retention rates. Establish and track these client onboarding metrics to provide feedback and drive improvements.
Invest in Training and Development
HR leaders invest in continuous learning and development for their teams.
Onboarding leaders should similarly ensure their teams are well-trained in the latest practices, technologies, and customer engagement strategies. Cross sectional training with other team members goes a long way. Encourage certifications in relevant areas to enhance expertise and credibility. Attending industry conferences like Onboarding World and completing Setuply’s new project management certification is a great step.
Communicate Value and Recognize Strategic Contributions
Regularly report onboarding contributions to business outcomes. Use data and dashboards to provide visibility into how efforts contribute to client satisfaction, retention, and revenue recognition and growth. Share success stories internally and externally to highlight the strategic value of the onboarding team.
Align onboarding initiatives with the overall business goals like growth, efficiency, and client retention. Shift the focus from process-oriented to outcome-oriented to demonstrate the strategic impact of onboarding activities.
Leverage Technology to Foster a Client-Centric Culture
Just as HR uses technology to streamline processes, investing in client onboarding software can reduce administrative burdens and enhance the overall experience for both clients and your team. These solutions offer full visibility into the onboarding process, transparency, accountability, and the ability to identify and address bottlenecks.
Cultivate a client-centric mindset by understanding and addressing both client and team needs. Tailor onboarding experiences to individual clients, focusing on consultative and personalized approaches. Leverage technology to deliver these experiences at scale, using automation to handle routine tasks and advanced analytics to predict client needs and personalize the onboarding journey. This approach empowers clients and your team, helping everyone recognize value faster.
Advocate for Resources and Support
Build a business case to articulate the ROI of investing in onboarding tools and resources. Use data to show improvements in client satisfaction, reduced churn, and revenue growth. Engage key stakeholders, highlight success stories, and set clear objectives to advocate for necessary resources.
Securing executive sponsorship is crucial for the visibility and support of onboarding initiatives. Engage executives early, communicate the value of initiatives with metrics and success stories, align them with organizational goals, and encourage executives to champion onboarding efforts.
The Future of Client Onboarding Within Your Organization
Client onboarding, like HR, is changing with the times. Organizations increasingly understand the link between a positive, seamless onboarding experience and client retention and success.
To achieve this shift within your organization, client onboarding leaders need to reimagine and reposition it from routine administrative tasks to a critical, strategic driver of business success. By adopting technology, using data and aligning with business goals, you can find ways to not only simplify onboarding, but use it to set the stage for strong, mutually beneficial relationships. The introduction of AI for onboarding adds even greater promise for teams looking to automate processes, allowing them to achieve a balance between personalization and scalability.
See how Setuply’s client onboarding software can help your team shift to a more strategic role that adds greater value to your organization. Schedule a demo today.