If you’re managing client onboarding, you know the drill: everybody wants a “personal touch,” but nobody wants a mess of email threads, missed steps, or clients ghosting halfway through. This is for folks who want practical ways to make onboarding feel personal, without burning out your team—or yourself. We’re going deep on how to use Arrows, a tool built for this exact problem, but everything here is grounded in what actually works (and what doesn’t).
Why bother personalizing onboarding at all?
Let’s get real: most clients don’t care about your “journey map.” They want to get up and running fast, with as little friction as possible. Still, some level of personalization does matter. Here’s why:
- Clients feel seen: Even basic tweaks (like using their name, logo, or the steps that match their goals) make onboarding less generic.
- Fewer drop-offs: When clients see tasks they actually care about, they’re more likely to finish.
- You look like you’ve got your act together: Clear, relevant steps = trust.
But don’t confuse “personalized” with “handcrafted from scratch every time.” That’s not scalable—and it’s not necessary.
What is Arrows, and what’s it good for?
Arrows is a SaaS tool designed to help you build step-by-step onboarding plans for clients. Think of it like a checklist, but one that lives outside your inbox and can actually be updated, tracked, and customized for each client.
What Arrows does well: - Lets you create reusable onboarding templates. - Makes it easy to tweak each plan per client (without duplicating everything). - Provides visibility (for you and the client) on progress. - Integrates with HubSpot and a few other tools—helpful if you’re already using them.
What Arrows doesn’t do:
- It won’t write your onboarding process for you.
- It’s not a project management tool like Asana or Monday—don’t try to shoehorn every department’s work in here.
- Not a replacement for real human check-ins.
If you’re hoping Arrows will magically make every client engaged just by sending a fancy checklist, keep dreaming. But if you want to keep onboarding organized, visible, and actually usable for both sides, it’s a solid choice.
Step 1: Map out your “typical” onboarding journey
Don’t open Arrows yet. Seriously. Start with a plain doc or a whiteboard.
Write out: - Every step your team thinks clients need to take, in order. - Where clients tend to get stuck or have questions. - Which steps change, depending on client type, size, or use case.
Pro tip:
Ask a recent client for feedback on what was confusing or unnecessary in their onboarding. You’ll be surprised what you hear.
Ignore:
- The urge to make a 30-step process—focus on what’s essential.
- “Nice to have” tasks that nobody actually completes.
Step 2: Build a flexible onboarding template in Arrows
Now open Arrows and create a new template.
Keep it simple: - Title each step clearly (“Connect your CRM,” not “Leverage Data Integration Capabilities”). - Add short descriptions for each step—aim for two sentences, max. - Attach resources only if they’re genuinely useful (screenshots > 10-page PDFs).
Where to personalize: - Use “variables” for things like client name, their assigned CSM, or a kickoff call link. - Leave space for custom notes or links (you can fill these in per client later). - Tag steps as “optional” for easy removal if they don’t apply to everyone.
What to skip:
Don’t try to account for every weird edge case. You can always tweak a plan for one-off clients as needed.
Step 3: Personalize for each client (without drowning in busywork)
When you get a new client, clone your template and customize just enough to make it feel personal.
What to tweak: - Swap out steps that don’t apply to this client. - Edit any “fill-in-the-blank” sections (e.g., “Upload your company’s logo here” becomes “Upload Acme Corp’s logo here”). - Add any client-specific deadlines or contacts.
Don’t overdo it: - Resist the urge to rewrite every step. Most clients want clarity, not poetry. - If you find yourself customizing the same thing every time, update your template.
Pro tip:
If you’re using HubSpot, take advantage of Arrows’ integration to auto-fill details and trigger onboarding when deals close.
Step 4: Make it dead simple for clients to follow
Fancy onboarding plans are useless if clients don’t actually use them.
Tips: - Send a single, clear link to the onboarding plan right after kickoff. - Set expectations up front: “Here’s where you’ll see every task, deadline, and resource. You’ll get reminders if anything’s overdue.” - Encourage questions—build in a “Contact us” step or clear instructions on who to reach out to.
What not to do: - Don’t bury the onboarding plan in a welcome email with 10 other links. - Don’t rely on clients to “just check it on their own.” Use Arrows’ reminders (but don’t spam people).
Step 5: Track progress and adjust (for real humans)
Just because you can see every client’s progress doesn’t mean you should micromanage. Use Arrows’ dashboard to spot clients who are stuck or behind, and actually reach out (nicely) when they need help.
How to use the data: - See which steps most clients get hung up on—simplify or clarify those. - If clients keep skipping a step, ask yourself if it’s really necessary. - Use completion data to flag who needs a nudge, but don’t automate all follow-ups—sometimes a real email or call is worth it.
Ignore:
- Vanity metrics (like total tasks completed) that don’t mean anything if clients are still confused.
- The temptation to make onboarding ever-more “engaging” with fluff—focus on clarity.
Step 6: Iterate, but don’t overcomplicate
No onboarding process is perfect. The best teams tweak their templates every few months based on real feedback, not just gut feel.
How to keep improving: - After each onboarding, spend 5 minutes jotting down what worked and what didn’t. - If clients ask the same question more than twice, your template probably needs a fix. - Don’t be afraid to remove steps. Less is almost always more.
Pro tip:
Share wins and lessons with your team. Onboarding is a team sport, and nobody notices the stuff that’s actually working.
What not to worry about
A few things that sound nice but rarely matter:
- Hyper-detailed personalization: Using a client’s logo is great. Writing custom prose per step for each client? Usually a waste of time.
- Over-engineering automations: Arrows automates the basics. You don’t need to wire up a Rube Goldberg machine.
- Making it “fun” at all costs: If onboarding is clear and fast, nobody cares if there’s confetti on checkmarks.
Quick checklist: Personalized onboarding with Arrows
- Write out your real onboarding steps (before touching tools).
- Build a clean, flexible template in Arrows.
- Personalize just enough for each client.
- Make it dead simple for clients to follow.
- Track progress and actually help stuck clients.
- Keep tweaking, but don’t make it complicated.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel or chase every shiny feature. Start simple, listen to your clients, and use tools like Arrows to keep onboarding personal—without making it a full-time job. Iterate as you go. Your clients (and your team) will thank you.