How to Quickly Activate Users to Accelerate Time to Valueby Mike Kuebler, Business Development Manager
 Dos for Successful Client Onboarding 1. Clearly Define Project Scope and Success Metrics Establish clear objectives and timelines at the start of the onboarding project. It’s essential to understand the scale of the project and how many end user clients it will impact. You should also define what success looks like — whether it’s measured by the number of clients migrated within the project time frame, the average time to the first transaction, or client satisfaction scores. Next, build your project flow to reduce risks and ensure it aligns with your team’s capacity and resources. For example, if your team has limited time to devote to the project, it might be strategic to migrate customers in phases instead of taking an all-at-once approach. A phased migration plan gives you time to optimize processes as you go. However, it may require that you support two applications for a period of time. The all-at-once approach results in a faster migration and potentially accelerates system utilization and time to value; however, this strategy comes with greater risks, such as cost overruns, technical issues, interference with more strategic functions, poor end-user client experiences, insufficient training, etc. Once you have determined the project scope, be sure to share it with your internal teams to set expectations and maintain alignment throughout the process. 2. Prioritize High-Value Clients Develop differentiated communication plans and onboarding journeys for each client segment. For example, you can offer your larger enterprise clients or those using high ROI products an efficient, white glove service that will ensure an excellent experience. Test and optimize campaign elements on a small sample before reaching out to the bulk of your valuable clients. Then continually optimize journeys for revenue potential, not just number of conversions. The relationship manager should always be in the loop, ready to reach out to individual clients to guide them through processes if needed. 3. Deploy Well-Timed, Tailored Communications Leverage personalization across all client segments. Address clients’ specific business needs and emphasize solution benefits that will prompt them to accelerate their conversion journey. Communication plans should touch both end users and the account owners to ensure optimal utilization rates. Always consider the timing of your communications. With a blitz strategy leading up to the project launch, you can inform treasury clients of the system change via multiple channels: web, email, snail mail, help desk, and via their relationship manager. In this way, clients will be better prepared and more responsive when they are asked to start their conversion journey. 4. Equip Clients with Self-Scheduling Tools Time is particularly precious for your commercial clients. Self-scheduling tools allow them to book and reschedule their onboarding or conversion session at their convenience. These tools empower clients to maintain control of their schedules while also streamlining your team’s workflow. 5. Monitor and Optimize Campaign Performance Always keep track of campaign progress and ensure that daily metrics and key milestones are being met. Campaign management dashboards enable you to see at a glance where issues are occurring. With this perspective, you’ll be able to see if bottlenecks are occurring with scheduling or if appointments are taking too long. As a result, you can make targeted optimizations to workflows and resource allocation. 6. Invest in Staff Training and Expertise Ensure your client support agents and technicians are equipped to handle a broad array of end-user requirements. Ideally your technical resources should understand the nuances of driver configurations, SSO issues, and system admin rights. Training on the onboarding process, the new platform, and troubleshooting common issues will empower your team to deliver exceptional service and avoid delays caused by knowledge gaps. 7. Offer Easy-to-Access User Guides Provide clients with step-by-step guides, training videos, and FAQs to support self-service to complete an implementation or to overcome issues independently after their conversion is complete. Be sure trained agents are on standby. Accessible resources increase solution utilization rates, reduce dependency on your help desk and empower clients to navigate new platforms confidently.  Don’ts That Could Hinder Onboarding Success 1. Don’t Leave Configuration to Chance A misconfigured platform can frustrate clients and lead to attrition or lost cross-selling opportunities. Make sure your team performs thorough testing and validation of software configurations for each client during the installation appointment. To support self-configurations, provide your help desk technicians with comprehensive troubleshooting guides so they can quickly resolve issues when your clients seek support. It’s important to be prepared for instances in which default settings don’t suit a particular client’s needs. 2. Don’t Underestimate the Human Factor Onboarding isn’t just about technology; it’s about the client relationship and experience. Ensure your agents demonstrate knowledge, patience, and a solutions-focused approach. They are there to resolve problems quickly so your clients can resume their day. 3. Don’t Forget About Training Effective onboarding doesn’t stop at implementation. Offer comprehensive training at the time of installation and follow-up resources or sessions to ensure clients understand how to use the platform. This approach minimizes disruptions to your clients’ operations and keeps deposits flowing. 4. Don’t Neglect Feedback Loops Skipping post-onboarding feedback collection can lead to missed opportunities for improvement. Conduct surveys or follow-up calls to understand client pain points and refine your process for future onboarding projects. 5. Don’t Overlook Project-Specific Resource Needs Onboarding requires an adequate number of client service agents and technical experts. Avoid stretching your team too thin or expecting them to manage roles outside their area of expertise. For example, if your product specialists are converting hard token users to your soft token application, you may not be using your resources strategically. If you can’t dispatch the right resource to the right task, invest in dedicated resources from a managed services partner who can represent your bank to your clients and ensure campaign requirements are met. In fact, before you launch a project, you should make sure your team is ready to handle the additional workload or scale your resources accordingly. However, sometimes an unexpected change in resources can occur due to a resignation, transfer, or other personnel action. That’s why it’s important to have access to outsourced services providers who can step in when your resources fall short. 6. Don’t Neglect the Importance of Data-Driven Optimization Without taking control of the process and managing KPIs and outcomes, onboarding can be as variable as the weather. Use data-driven process optimizations to refine workflows and enhance the overall client experience. Regularly analyze metrics such as conversions per help desk technician, time-to-first-transaction and product utilization rates to identify opportunities for improvement. Leverage dashboards to provide immediate insights and project-specific milestones, ensuring superior control over onboarding outcomes. Best Practices Lead to Success By adding these “dos and don’ts” into your client enablement strategies, you can create onboarding experiences that strengthen relationships, satisfy client needs, and drive long-term value. Do you need help getting started? The Benchmark managed services team has expertise in working on behalf of treasury teams to onboard clients for payables, receivables, and fraud solutions. We offer flexible managed services and consulting services that can help you take control of onboarding projects and processes in order to achieve your desired business outcomes. Contact us today.  About the Author
Mike Kuebler is a business development manager at Benchmark Technology Group. Based in Cincinnati, Mike has significant experience in Treasury Management, having worked at several large and mid-tier financial institutions. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn. Comments are closed.
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