Client Onboarding 101 with Adam Schweickert of Wetmore Consulting Group

Adam Schweickert at Wetmore Consulting Group uses Process Street to help their clients document, improve, and automate their processes.

Out of Wetmore Consulting Group, we’ve built a company that now focuses solely on identifying, documenting, and then building our clients processes within Process Street. So, that’s how our company came about. That’s what we do. – Adam Schweickert

This article is based on a segment from Process Street‘s Highway 2021 virtual event, where Adam gives us a detailed walkthrough of his onboarding process for new clients.

Client Onboarding 101 with Adam Schweickert of Wetmore Consulting Group was the fifth segment in Process Street’s Highway event.

You can check out our playlist of the full Highway event here, and make sure to sign up for free with Process Street!

Here’s the Client Onboarding 101 segment with Adam Schweickert in full:

• Wetmore Consulting Group’s client onboarding problem
• Supercharge your client onboarding workflows with these Process Street features
• Client onboarding process building tips

Key takeaways:

• Wetmore Consulting Group built their client onboarding workflow in order to have a better way to collect information and documents from customers throughout the onboarding process.
• Some problems they were having were: not getting complete information from staff and a clunky information collection process.
• They set out to build a process that would allow for quality assurance controls over the information, the ability to make sure they were getting complete information, and allow for a collaborative experience with their customers.

Adam: “The reason we built this workflow is because we needed a better way to collect information and documents from customers throughout the onboarding process.

One of the common problems we were having was we were not getting complete information and documents from our sales staff, and the way in which we were collecting information and documents was just a little clunky.

So, we set out to build a process that would allow us to have some quality assurance controls over the information that was being given, make sure that we are getting complete information, and also open things up to have a collaborative experience with these customers. The culmination of those things is what allowed us to cut that timeline in half. It’s had a huge impact on our business, we move much quicker, we’re getting much better information, and the client experiences have been much, much better.”

Conditional logic

Process Street feature: Conditional logic
Benefits: Shows clients only the pertinent information and data requirements that are needed from them, rather than overwhelming them with information that does not apply to them.
Stage in process: Start of process/Record initial information

Adam: “The way this process works is that the front half is all internal-facing, meaning that we’re pulling levers behind the scenes and using conditional logic to set up the back half of the process, which is going to be customer-facing, to only show them the pertinent information and data requirements that we need from them. So, it’s only what they need, nothing they don’t.”

DocuSign native Automation

Process Street feature: DocuSign native Automation
Benefits: Collects signatures in the process and automates that data to link directly into the workflow.
Stage in process: Sign electronic documents

Adam: “The DocuSign native automation has been a huge game changer for us.

We actually collect signatures in the process and then automate that data, through the Process Street automation, to link directly into this workflow. So, this new way to map fields through that native automation has been fantastic.

We’ve also built a Zap on top of DocuSign through Zapier to go out and grab the envelope download link and then add it in here, and it pre-fills by automation, so that whenever we need, we can come in, take a look at those documents, and download them again.”

Email widget

Process Street features: Email widget
Benefits: Allows for client collaboration & self-service
Stage in process: Setup self-service access

Adam: “Here we have some conditional logic built out to say, ‘are they working with an affiliate? or do we want to bring the client in to self-service and provide these documents and information themselves?’

Then, if we choose ‘Yes’, an email field pops up. This is the email that is going to dynamically assign someone to the following tasks. So, once we type in the customer’s email, they’re gonna get an email themselves in their inbox that says, ‘Hey, you’ve been assigned these tasks’ and they’re gonna say, ‘What’s Process Street?’

So, to really add to the customer experience, we spin up this email to them that goes in addition to that Process Street invitation that says, ‘Hey, here’s what’s happening; here’s what you can expect; and here’s really what you need to do.’ We thought that really was a nice touch and allows us to get our arms around them to guide them through this process as well.”

Comments

Process Street feature: Comments
Benefit: Allows staff to collaborate with clients, if needed, on their process.
Stage in process: Throughout the process

Adam: “As [the client is] going through the process, the salesperson can also see how far they are. They can keep an eye on things and step in if needed to collaborate, either through the comment box or what have you, to make sure that things go smoothly and cut out that back and forth as well.

Approvals

Process Street feature: Approvals
Benefit: Allows for better quality control
Stage in process: Multiple stages throughout the process

Adam: “Here’s where our quality control comes in; we add approval steps for everything.

If everything looks good, we’ll approve, and then we move on to sending our approval notifications. This is another notification that goes to the customer, always keeping them in the loop, and adding to the experience.”

Google Drive integration

Process Street features: Google Drive integration
Benefits: Allows, with one click, to create a folder in Google Drive with a summary form of all the collected information.
Stage in process: Create info form & folder in Google Drive

Adam: “By clicking on this one task, it creates a folder in Google Drive and also a summary form of all the information we collected. It allows us,, with one button, one click, to create a summary form of all that information.

This has been a true game changer for us as well, and really just puts all the information in one place, making things nice and simple.

Also, in that step, when you check that button, it also creates a folder in Google Drive for the new client. So, that’s been fantastic.”

Native Automations

Process Street features: Native Automations
Benefits: Takes all the recorded information and flows it into the next workflow from just completing this step.
Stage in process: Handoff to implementation team

Adam: “Our final step is to hand off to our implementation team.

So, by checking this button, we’re utilizing Process Street’s native Automations to take all this information and flow it into the next workflow from just completing this step here.

It’s also been a game changer for us and really has sped things up quite immensely for us.”

How to start out on the right foot with new clients

Key takeaways:

• Firstly, align with customers on expectations.
• Meet with process expert(s) on Zoom & watch them work through the process.
• Make sure to record Zoom meetings in order to be able to rewatch as you’re building the process.

Adam: “The first thing we wanna do when we meet with a new customer is align on expectations, and understand if we can really add value. Because if you come to me and your needs truly are asking us to build out an entirely new CRM for you and your company, that’s probably not what we’re going to be a great fit for.

But when we look at processes, we always want to work with the internal expert first and say to the client, ‘Give us the person that knows the very most about this process. We’re going to sit with them and watch them work through this process.’ Some people come to us with a process in their head. Some people have something on paper, but we ultimately want to see that expert take us through, because there’s a lot that goes into it that we want to discover.

We start with that on a recorded Zoom session, and then we break that Zoom session down into a process document. We really want to get to the core, cut out the fat of the process, and say what’s really necessary here and what’s not.

And once we get to the core of that process, we then go to Process Street. Now we can take a great process that’s been optimized, and build it into a great software that’ll allow you guys to grow and scale.”

The best way to approach email automation

Key takeaways:

• Automated emails may not always be the best choice.
• Make sure the context makes sense when setting up an automated email. Otherwise, it’s best to write them manually.
• Adam recommends using the email widget within the software.

Adam: “When we built this out, we didn’t want to get too heavy with the automation piece, because when you go that far with automation, you’ve got emails flying that maybe you don’t realize are flying, or might not be the right context for the situation.

So, that’s why we really like to keep the email as the email widget within the software because conversations can ebb and flow. If you send a customer an automated email that says, ‘Hey, it’s great to meet you today,’ but you’ve talked five times in the past, the context doesn’t translate. So, we just like a little bit more control on that front.”

Best practices for robust conditional logic design

Key takeaways:

• Spend your initial steps locking down foolproof conditional logic in order to avoid having to edit in the future.
• Pro-tip: In the fields you want to trigger, I’ll sometimes put an if-statement, so that it’s part of the field itself, so when you’re building your conditional logic, you can search that if-statement and it will come up.
• Pro-tip: Use a plain text field and hide it by default, and then as you’re going in and building out that step, go in and make some notes for yourself, so you have context to look back on in the future.

Adam: “When it comes to how often we update and I think this alludes back to how much time we spend in our first initial steps with the client to really get to that core of the process before we go into Process Street. So, right now we really don’t change our logic hardly ever at all in this process; it’s pretty much set in stone.

But when we do have to go in, we have to get a little surgical with the conditional logic behind the scenes. What we’ve found is that in the fields you want to trigger, I’ll sometimes put an if-statement, so that it’s part of the field itself. So when you’re going through building your conditional logic, you can search that if-statement, and it will pull you straight in, so you can quickly identify on that front.

Another way we found to add some context behind the scenes is to use a plain text field and hide it by default. Then, as you’re going in and building out that step, go in and make some notes for yourself. I think that will help you kind of reorient yourself, if you ever do need to get super intense with some conditional logic surgery.”

How to know when to automate

Key takeaways:

• Make sure you have a process that has been tested and vetted by your team before setting up automations.
• Start basic when it comes to automations.
• Once familiar with the basics, move on to more complex automations.

Adam: “When you approach your automations, you should approach your automations, not first, but secondly. So, first and foremost, make sure you have a process that has been tested and vetted by your team a few times.

Then when it comes to approaching automation, my best advice is to start basic. When I say basic, I mean use the native Automations that Process Street is giving you now, without having to leave the program.

I’d say get familiar with those basic automations, and then move to some of the more complex ones that might involve Zapier, for example, which is a great resource, and go from there once you can wrap your brain around some of the opportunities and possibilities that automations can bring you.”

Supporting customers through change management

Key takeaways:

• Adam built a process in Process Street that trains employees on how to get acclimated with Process Street.
• The process allows them to track and hold people accountable.
• They identify a champion in the company that is going to be the Process Street lead.

Adam: “One of the biggest steps in our process is testing and then implementation, because it’s a big shift and it might be a new piece of technology for somebody that hasn’t been involved in the build-out process up to this point.

So, what we do is we’ve built a process in Process Street that trains employees on how to get acclimated with Process Street.

It walks you through, for example, ‘This is your reporting dashboard’, and then, ‘Be sure to look out for this, this, this, etc.’ It includes a bunch of pro-tips that we’ve found implementing with these customers to say, ‘Let’s walk through the program together. These are the important things we want you to know about this implementation. Then, when we go live with the actual process we built for you, this is how it will look, see, and feel.’

What we love about that is that it allows us to hit the exact points we want to hit especially for training. Then also, it allows us to track and hold people accountable. Another great feature of Process Street, to see who completed their training, and who did not.

Along with that, we identify a champion that is going to be the Process Street lead at the company. So, that person is going to be very well-versed to act as that first line of support.”

What did you think of Adam Schweickert’s Client Onboarding 101 segment? Let us know in the comments below!