Be an expert on your software: 5 Tips from an onboarding specialist

The first post in this series discussed things to consider when choosing business management software. Next we talked how to get the most out of software demos. Today we'll talk about how to use the onboarding process to set your business up for success. 

When you choose software to help you manage your business operations, you’re making an investment in your business that sets you up for long-term growth. So it’s important that you have a deep understanding of how the software works. That’s where onboarding comes in.

What is onboarding?

Once you’ve signed the contract for your new business software, you’ll be put into the software onboarding process. This is usually the first 30, 60 or 90 days after you’ve signed a contract when you work with the company to get the software set up for your business. You might have a dedicated onboarding specialist–it’s the service part of software as a service.

It’s a mistake to  just assume that you can figure out the software on your own. Even the most intuitive software will have special tricks that make using it easier–and your onboarding specialist can tell you about them. They’ll help you learn the software so you can focus more on other things, like your clients.

Start taking advantage of onboarding as soon as you sign a contract and get setup right the first time.

How to take advantage of your software onboarding process

Our Pike13 onboarding specialists spend their days helping new Pike13 customers configure their software to their business needs. They have worked with hundreds of businesses, and they know that the customers who have the most success are the ones who have prepared and who are transparent about their business needs.

These are the 5 biggest pieces of advice the Pike13 onboarding specialists have for customers in the onboarding process:

1. Start engaging with the software right away

Familiarize yourself with the software as soon as you sign the contract. If you learn the basics yourself, you can dive deeper into the software with your onboarding specialist. It will also help you figure out which parts of the software you might want to spend a little more time getting help with.

2. Show up to your onboarding appointments

This seems like a no-brainer, but if you have an appointment set up with your onboarding specialist then make sure you show up for it. They can’t help you if you aren’t there. If you try to figure out the software on your own, you’ll likely end up frustrated with it.

3. Be transparent about your business

Your onboarding specialist can best help you set up your software if they understand how you’ll be using it. Talk about your processes and how you’d like them to work. Express your concerns and frustrations that you’ve had with business administration in the past. The more your onboarding specialist knows about your business, the better they can customize the software for you.

4. Listen to your onboarding specialist

Your onboarding specialist is there to help, not do everything for you. Often they can’t move on to the next step of setup until the previous one has been completed. If they need you to upload information into your site, make sure you do it before your next appointment. Onboarding homework isn’t meant to drive you crazy; it’s meant to get your business up and running as quickly as possible. And isn’t that what you want?

5. If you have questions, speak up!

You should never feel afraid to ask a question. Ask questions until you understand how your software works. Onboarding is meant help you set up and run your business more effectively, so you’ll spend less time asking questions down the road.

Set your business up for success

Onboarding is a critical time for you and your new software. If you don’t take the time to understand how it works, you won’t get the full value out of it. But listen to your onboarding specialist, and you’ll become an expert at using the software to manage your business and make your life easier.

And don’t worry, SaaS service doesn’t stop at onboarding. You’ll have an account manager to help keep things running smoothly. The best software companies also have stellar customer support teams who are invested in your success. When you pick the right SaaS company, you’ll never feel like you’re alone.