So you’re setting up onboarding projects in GuideCX, and you want them to actually work for your team—not just look good in a demo. Maybe you’re in customer success, project management, or operations. Either way, you want real steps, not vague advice. Here’s how to build onboarding projects that save time, make sense, and don’t drive your clients (or your team) nuts.
Step 1: Understand What GuideCX Can (and Can’t) Do
First, a reality check. GuideCX is built for onboarding workflows—think checklists, task assignments, and project templates. It’s not a full-blown CRM or a magic bullet. If you expect it to handle all your client communications, document storage, or complex automations, you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you need to keep onboarding steps consistent and visible, it’s solid.
What works: - Laying out repeatable onboarding steps for different products or services. - Assigning tasks to internal teams and clients. - Tracking progress with clear dashboards.
What doesn’t: - Deep customization of visuals or branding (it’s limited). - Handling all client communication (email sync is basic). - Replacing your main project management tool for non-onboarding work.
Step 2: Map Out Your Onboarding Process First
Don’t jump into GuideCX yet. Seriously—grab a whiteboard, a doc, or a napkin. Map out the steps your clients actually go through, from kickoff to “done.” This is where most teams go wrong: they build fancy templates before they know what really happens.
Questions to ask: - What steps never change? - Where do clients get stuck? - Who owns each step (your team or theirs)? - What info do you need from clients, and when?
Pro tip: Keep it simple. Every extra task or dependency is another thing to babysit.
Step 3: Create a Project Template in GuideCX
Now you’re ready to build in GuideCX. Templates are where you bake in your best practices, so you’re not reinventing the wheel for every new client.
How to make a template:
- Go to “Templates” in GuideCX.
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This is usually under the Projects or Settings menu.
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Click “New Template” (or similar).
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Give it a clear, specific name. No one needs another “Onboarding Template 1.”
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Add Phases (the big chunks).
- Examples: Kickoff, Implementation, Training, Go-Live.
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Don’t overdo it—3 to 5 phases is plenty for most onboarding.
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Add Tasks within each phase.
- Be specific. “Send welcome email” beats “Communicate with client.”
- Assign owners: your team, the client, or both.
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Set default durations (GuideCX will auto-calculate timelines).
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Set up dependencies.
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Only add dependencies where they actually matter. Too many will just slow things down.
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Add instructions and attachments.
- Use task descriptions for templates, links, or short how-tos.
- Don’t paste your entire playbook here—just what someone needs at that step.
What to ignore: Don’t get sucked into customizing every notification or adding tasks for the sake of it. Start lean—you can always add later.
Step 4: Customize for Your Real-World Clients
Templates are a starting point. Every client will want something a little different (and if they say they don’t, just wait). Here’s how to customize without losing your mind.
When launching a new project:
- Use your template to start a new project.
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This pulls in all your standard phases and tasks.
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Edit project details.
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Client name, kickoff date, etc.
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Trim or add tasks as needed.
- Delete anything irrelevant for this client.
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Add extra steps if they have unique requirements.
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Adjust task owners.
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If you have different people on this project, assign accordingly.
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Set new due dates based on real calendars.
- GuideCX can auto-calculate, but adjust for vacations, holidays, or client delays.
Pro tip: Resist the urge to tweak your template for every one-off scenario. Only update templates if a change applies to most clients.
Step 5: Add Client Users (But Keep It Simple)
Inviting your clients into GuideCX can be great—they see progress, get reminders, and know what’s next. But if you overload them with tasks or make it feel like homework, they’ll tune out.
Best practices: - Only invite the client users who actually need to act. - Assign tasks to clients only if you need them to do something (not just FYI). - Keep instructions short and clear. Assume they skim.
What to watch for: Some clients hate logging into new tools. GuideCX tries to make it easy with email-based tasks, but you’ll still need to nudge people sometimes.
Step 6: Set Up Notifications (Without Spamming Everyone)
GuideCX sends out a lot of emails by default. That’s fine—until your clients start ignoring them. Here’s how to make notifications useful, not annoying.
- Adjust notification settings in your project or template.
- Limit task reminders to the essentials.
- Use the “digest” option for clients who don’t want a flood of emails.
Pro tip: Ask your clients how they want to be notified at kickoff. Some want everything, some just want a weekly summary.
Step 7: Track Progress and Tweak as You Go
You’ll want to keep an eye on how projects are moving along—not just for your clients, but for your own sanity.
- Use GuideCX dashboards to spot bottlenecks.
- Check which tasks are always late (that’s a sign your template needs work).
- Don’t be afraid to skip or reassign tasks mid-project. The tool lets you do this for a reason.
What works: The visual timelines and percent-complete bars are clear and simple. Use them to have honest conversations with clients about what’s stuck.
Step 8: Iterate—Don’t Try to Nail It All at Once
You’ll never get your onboarding process perfect the first time. That’s fine. The real value in GuideCX comes from improving as you go.
- After every project, ask your team what worked and what didn’t.
- Update your templates with changes that help most clients—not just edge cases.
- Archive or delete old templates if they’re not being used. Clutter is the enemy.
What to ignore: Fancy features you don’t understand. Stick to the basics until you actually need more.
Getting onboarding right in GuideCX isn’t about mastering every feature. It’s about building a process that’s clear, consistent, and easy for both your team and your clients. Start simple, avoid over-complicating things, and treat every project as a chance to make your process a little better. The less time you spend fighting your tools, the more you can focus on helping your clients get value—fast.