How to Build a World-Class Customer Onboarding Team (Part 1)

What to highlight as a candidate to become part of that team

Author

Clare Knight
October 10, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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One of my most popular posts on LinkedIn was about the skills I look for when hiring a world-class Customer Onboarding team.

I want to elaborate further on this topic to help those looking to transition into the role but also those looking to hire incredible talent.

I have split this into 2 parts, so look out for part 2 in next week’s newsletter.

This is not an exhaustive list and I’d love to know what you would add to it when building your team.

I am covering both the job seeker and the hiring manager personas and hope that you find some useful ideas throughout.

Let’s get stuck in. ↓

🧪 5 Skillsets to Showcase & Identify Talent

1. Cover the customer journey

Job Seeker

Go beyond simply stating that you understand the concept of a customer journey. Explain your process for how you map it. Include how you identify milestones and pain points.

"I start by mapping the customer journey from their initial point of contact through to becoming a loyal customer. I pay close attention to identifying quick wins and potential roadblocks in the process. Such as…"

It's valuable to give an example of how this worked in the past. Don't be afraid to show what didn't work and how you overcame the challenge.

Hiring Manager

Look for a candidate that can not only map the journey but also predict where the customer might take an unexpected detour. At the very least, they should be able to demonstrate an understanding.

Onboarding rarely goes to plan, so ask questions about challenges that can happen throughout the customer journey.

2. Talk about software

Job Seeker

Don't just list the onboarding tools that you have used. Describe how each tool helped streamline onboarding and the positive impact it had.

Be prepared to discuss a time when a tool didn't work as expected and how you adapted.

Don’t forget to quantify your results whenever possible. This backs up what you are saying with evidence.

"I implemented [insert software] to create interactive walkthroughs, which reduced our time-to-value by 30% and increased feature adoption rates by 25%."

Hiring Manager

Look for candidates who can demonstrate not just familiarity with tools, but strategic implementation.

Ask about metrics they've improved using specific tools. Find out how they've integrated tools for seamless onboarding experiences. You can also ask if they had to put a business case together to purchase the software. This shows further understanding of needs and ROI.

3. Create content libraries

Job Seeker

Highlight your experience in creating engaging training materials like help docs, video tutorials, webinars, and in-app guides. If you can, have these examples ready to show.

Share concrete examples of positive feedback you've received on your training delivery.

"I decided to create a series of micro learning videos as I was seeing repetition of common questions. It reduced our support ticket volume by 30% and received an average satisfaction score of 4.8/5 from new users."

Hiring Manager

Seek candidates who can create content that adapts to different learning styles and user needs. Ideally, you want to build a team that has differing strengths.

Some may be very comfortable on webinars, others may be excellent writers, or project managers. Find out where your candidate’s strength lies.

Ask for examples of how they've measured the effectiveness of their training materials and how they iterated upon them based on user feedback.

4. Problem solving skills

Job Seeker

Prepare examples of how you've handled challenging onboarding situations. Clearly outline the steps you took to resolve the issue and the positive outcome it had for the customer or the process.

Think of an example that would be interesting to the hiring manager. Make it relevant to them and their industry. It will make them pay attention.

"When faced with a complex multi-department onboarding, I created a custom workflow that reduced onboarding time by 50% and became our new standard for enterprise clients. I did this by…"

Hiring Manager

Look for candidates who can think on their feet and turn challenges into opportunities.

Ask about a time when they had to completely overhaul an onboarding process and how they managed the change.

To dig deeper, tell them about a challenge you have had and ask them to talk through their thought process on how they might solve it. You aren’t looking for the right answer, you are looking for their critical thinking skills.

5. Communication is key

Job Seeker

Illustrate your communication skills by providing specific instances where you effectively communicated with customers and internal teams.

Emphasise the techniques you use to ensure clarity and conciseness in your communication.

"I implemented a weekly cross-functional onboarding huddle to ensure all teams were aligned on customer needs and progress. This helped identify a number of challenges that we were unaware of and were able to handle quickly. I used 🔗 the 5 whys technique to get to the root cause."

Hiring Manager

Seek candidates who can adapt their communication style to different audiences.

Ask how they handle communicating bad news or delays to customers. Ask how they ensure technical information is understood by non-technical stakeholders. This is a big challenge for software companies and is an important part of getting onboarding right.

Part 2 coming next week…

When hiring, look beyond the buzzwords. The best onboarding talent might not fit neatly into a checklist, but they might have the ideas that move your customer experience to the next level.

When applying for a role, personality is a big part of the process. Don’t be shy, be bold. Go the extra mile in your effort, people will take notice.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with hiring or applying for customer onboarding roles - just reply to the email with your anecdotes 📩