Getting a new customer up and running shouldn’t feel like herding cats. If your onboarding process is slow, clunky, or just confusing, you risk losing hard-won customers before you’ve even started. This guide is for teams who want to actually improve onboarding—not just tick a box. We’ll dig into how to size up Rocketlane against other B2B go-to-market software, without getting lost in the sales pitches or flashy features.
Let’s get real about what matters, what’s optional, and what to watch out for when choosing the right onboarding platform for your business.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Real Needs (Not Just a Wishlist)
Before you even open a single pricing page, get honest about what you actually need. Here’s how to cut through internal confusion:
- Map your onboarding process: Write down each step, who’s involved, what gets stuck, and how long it all takes.
- Identify the real pain points: Is it tracking tasks, handoffs between teams, customer communication, or reporting? Don’t just list “collaboration”—everyone says that.
- Decide what’s non-negotiable: For example, “We must have customer-facing project timelines,” or “We need integrations with Salesforce.”
- Flag nice-to-haves: Things like automation, white-labeling, or advanced analytics are great, but don’t let them distract from your core problems.
Pro tip: Talk to the people actually doing the onboarding—not just managers. You’ll hear about the real headaches.
Step 2: Build a Shortlist Based on What Actually Solves Your Problems
There are a lot of tools out there claiming to “transform onboarding.” Here’s how to separate signal from noise:
- Start with Rocketlane: It's built specifically for customer onboarding, not just generic project management. Think of it as a purpose-built tool, not a Frankensteined spreadsheet.
- List other contenders: Common alternatives include Asana, Monday.com, GuideCX, and Gainsight. Some are general project tools, some are onboarding-specific.
- Don’t get wowed by brand names: Big names don’t always mean better fit. If a tool is “top-rated” but doesn’t match your must-haves, move on.
- Ignore the “everything but the kitchen sink” platforms: More features ≠ better outcomes. You’ll end up paying for stuff you’ll never use.
- Check for B2B focus: Some tools are built for B2C or internal projects, not complex B2B onboarding.
Pro tip: Filter out any tool that can’t show you a real onboarding use case similar to yours.
Step 3: Compare Features—But Only the Ones That Matter
It’s easy to get lost in feature checklists. Focus on what actually impacts your onboarding success:
Core Features to Check
- Customer-facing project plans: Can you share timelines and progress with customers without giving them access to your whole system?
- Templates and repeatability: Does it let you create and reuse onboarding templates so you’re not reinventing the wheel?
- Task tracking and accountability: Can you see who’s doing what, and where things are stuck?
- Automated reminders and nudges: Will the system chase customers for you, or is that still your job?
- Collaboration tools: Is it easy to communicate—comments, file sharing, status updates—inside the tool?
- Reporting and insights: Can you pull reports that actually help you improve, not just pretty dashboards?
- Integrations: Does it plug into your CRM, support system, or Slack? If not, you’ll have data silos.
Rocketlane: Where It Stands Out (and Where It Doesn’t)
- Purpose-built for onboarding: Rocketlane isn’t just a re-skinned project management tool. Its templates, customer portals, and automated reminders are actually useful for onboarding—not just generic task tracking.
- Customer visibility: Customers get a clear view of their onboarding without the mess. You control what they see.
- Strong templates: You can spin up repeatable, standardized processes fast.
- Integrations: Good Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack support, but check if your exact tools are covered.
- Reporting: Honest take—Rocketlane’s reporting is solid, but not as deep as some enterprise analytics tools.
Common Weak Spots in Other Tools
- Project management tools (Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp): Great for internal work, but customer-facing views are clunky or missing.
- Onboarding platforms (GuideCX, Gainsight CS): Some have strong customer visibility, but may feel rigid or overkill if your process isn’t complex.
- Generic platforms: They’ll promise “customization,” but you’ll end up spending weeks hacking together basic workflows.
Step 4: Test for Real-World Usability (Not Just Demos)
A slick sales demo is not the same as actually using the tool day-to-day. Here’s what to do:
- Run a pilot: Set up a real onboarding project in each tool, with your own data and team.
- Invite a test customer: If possible, see how a real customer interacts with the portal or shared plan.
- Watch for friction: Are people confused? Are there too many clicks to update a task? Is it easy for customers to find what they need?
- Check notifications: Does the tool send helpful reminders, or just spam?
- Mobile and email experience: Not every customer wants to log into a portal. Can they interact via email? Does the mobile view make sense?
Pro tip: Time how long it takes to go from “new customer signed” to “onboarding project live.” If it’s more than a few minutes, that’s a red flag.
Step 5: Dig Into Pricing (And Hidden Costs)
Sticker shock is real. Here’s how to avoid surprises:
- Transparent pricing: Can you actually see the price on their website, or do you need to book a call?
- User types: Do you pay for each internal user, each customer, or both?
- Features behind paywalls: Are reporting, integrations, or templates extra?
- Implementation fees: Some platforms charge a setup fee, even if you’re doing the work.
- Long-term contracts: Be wary of platforms that lock you in for a year before you’ve even piloted.
Reality check: Rocketlane’s pricing is pretty transparent and includes customer users for free. Some competitors nickel-and-dime for every external collaborator.
Step 6: Evaluate Support and Community
You’re going to have questions. Here’s how to see if a vendor will actually help:
- Onboarding support: Do they offer guided setup, or just send you to the help docs?
- Responsiveness: How fast do they answer support tickets or live chats?
- User community: Is there an active forum or Slack group? You’ll get better answers from real users than from marketing.
- Ongoing updates: Are they shipping real improvements, or just hyping “AI” and new logos?
Pro tip: Search for real user reviews on G2 or Reddit, not just testimonials on the vendor’s site.
Step 7: Ignore the Hype—Focus on Outcomes
Vendors will promise “delightful onboarding experiences” and “seamless collaboration.” Here’s what matters:
- Will it actually speed up onboarding? Watch out for tools that add process but don’t remove friction.
- Will it reduce customer confusion and churn? If customers still email you for updates, the tool isn’t working.
- Can you measure improvement? If you can’t track time to value or project bottlenecks, it’s not helping.
Keep It Simple—And Iterate
Don’t waste months chasing the “perfect” tool. Start with what solves your biggest pain, run a real-world test, and see how it feels after a couple of onboarding cycles. If Rocketlane fits, great. If another tool makes your life easier, use that. The best onboarding software is the one you’ll actually use—and that your customers don’t hate.
Keep it simple, stay focused, and remember: no tool can fix a broken process. But the right one makes a good process run a whole lot smoother.