Keep your kickoff calls focused on strategy, not information gathering

Every CSM and onboarding rep wants to be thought of as a strategic advisor and not just a reactive task reminder, collector of information, or account implementer.

Creating a system for collecting required information upfront and sending automated reminders in the background gives teams more time on their calls to be strategic and focus on the value only they can provide.

We can use an automated workflow in HubSpot with data synced from the customer facing Arrows onboarding plan to provide a real-time view of the actions customers are taking.

We're using “sequential phases” in Arrows to prevent customers from scheduling a kickoff call until they have completed the required pre-work.

Here’s how it works:

1. Trigger the workflow when a new ticket is in the “Ready for Onboarding” status in our onboarding pipeline and has a current onboarding plan phase that includes “Welcome” or “Kickoff”

2. Add an IF/THEN action to check if there are any overdue tasks in our onboarding plan.

3. IF there are overdue tasks, add a second IF/THEN action to identify the current task.

4. For each branch add a third IF/THEN action to check how many days we have been on the current task.

5. If 2 days or less THEN send an automated reminder email using a template that explains why this task is important and links directly to the task in the onboarding plan to take action.

6. If we have been on the current task for more than 2 days, escalate the account by sending creating a task for the owner and sending a Slack notification.

7. If the current branch contains “Schedule Kickoff” THEN we want to double check if a meeting has been booked with an additional IF/THEN action:→ If the campaign of the last meeting in the meetings tool is “Kickoff” then the meeting has been scheduled and we should “Go to Action”

8.→ If the campaign is not “Kickoff” then repeat steps 4 thru 6.

9. Once a meeting has been booked we can create an internal task for our team to prep for the kickoff call using the information provided in the first phase of our onboarding plan.

Creating a clear process for customers to complete their onboarding tasks (with helpful automations for repetitive tasks) while also looping in your team when they have what they need to do their highest leverage work saves time and prioritizes effort.

By giving customers a way to make progress themselves without waiting for their kickoff call, you’ll help them build momentum and get to value faster as well.