Onboarding new customers shouldn’t feel like herding cats. If you’re in B2B sales and tired of chasing info, sending reminders, and copy-pasting the same emails, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to use Arrows to automate the worst parts of onboarding, keep your team focused, and get your customers off to a good start—without losing the personal touch.
If you’re looking for a magic button that’ll solve everything, stop reading now. But if you want practical steps (and some real talk about what’s worth automating), let’s get into it.
Why automate onboarding tasks in Arrows?
Manual onboarding is a pain for everyone. Sales reps waste time on follow-ups and reminders. Customers get lost in endless email chains. Things slip through the cracks.
Automating onboarding tasks in Arrows means: - Less manual work for your team. - Fewer places for things to fall apart. - A more consistent experience for every customer.
But don’t kid yourself—automation won’t fix a broken process. It just makes a decent process faster. So before you start, make sure your onboarding checklist actually helps customers, not just you.
Step 1: Map your real onboarding process (warts and all)
Before you touch Arrows, get your current onboarding steps out of your head and onto paper (or a whiteboard). This isn’t busywork—it’s the only way to spot what’s worth automating.
What to do: - List every step a customer takes from “signed contract” to “fully onboarded.” - Include the small stuff—reminders, document collection, “just checking in” emails. - Mark which steps are repetitive or prone to human error.
Pro tip:
Talk to your actual customers and CSMs. The steps that annoy them the most are the ones to fix first.
What to skip:
Don’t automate steps you don’t need. If a task doesn’t move the customer forward, cut it.
Step 2: Set up your Arrows workspace
Assuming you’ve signed up for Arrows, log in and poke around. If you haven’t, get started here.
Key setup steps: - Create your workspace and invite your team. - Connect Arrows to your CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce) if you want to sync data. - Decide who owns onboarding in your org—sales, CS, or a mix.
What works:
Arrows’ CRM integrations save a lot of time if you actually keep your CRM up to date. If you don’t, fix your data hygiene first.
Step 3: Build your onboarding template
This is where you turn your mapped-out process into a repeatable plan.
How to build a template: - Go to “Templates” in Arrows. - Start a new template. Name it something obvious (“Standard B2B Onboarding” beats “Project Alpha”). - Add steps for each task in your onboarding process. Think in customer language (“Connect your billing” not “Finance Intake Form”). - Set deadlines or due dates for each step—relative to the start date.
Good to automate: - Document uploads (contracts, logos, etc.) - Form fills (kickoff surveys, technical requirements) - Scheduling calls (let customers pick times) - Automated reminders for overdue steps
Skip automating: - Highly personalized advice or strategy calls—keep these human.
Pitfalls to watch: - Templates that are too long. If you’ve got more than 8-10 steps, rethink what’s actually necessary. - Vague instructions. Be specific about what you need and why.
Step 4: Add automation rules
Arrows lets you set up automation in a few key places. Here’s what’s actually useful:
Triggering tasks and reminders
- Automatic task assignment: Assign tasks to teammates (or customers) based on rules—no more “Who’s doing this?” confusion.
- Reminder emails: Set up automatic nudges when tasks are overdue. Don’t go overboard—too many emails and people start ignoring you.
CRM syncing
- Update CRM fields: When a customer completes a step, auto-update their status in your CRM. This is great for keeping everyone on the same page.
- Create follow-up tasks: When onboarding is done, trigger the next step (like handing off to an account manager).
Conditional logic (advanced)
- Branching steps: If your onboarding changes based on customer type, you can set up different paths. But beware: complex logic gets messy fast. Only use if you really need it.
What’s overrated:
Trying to automate every possible scenario. Keep things simple—if you’re building a flowchart that looks like spaghetti, go back to basics.
Step 5: Test the onboarding flow—like a customer
Run through the process yourself. Or better yet, grab someone from outside your team and have them do it.
Checklist: - Does every step make sense? - Are the instructions clear and specific? - Do reminders go out at the right times (not too early or late)? - Can you easily tell what’s done and what’s left?
What usually breaks: - Email reminders that end up in spam. - Overly generic templates that confuse customers. - Steps that require info only you have—customers get stuck.
Pro tip:
Ask a recent customer for feedback on the new flow. Buy them coffee if you have to.
Step 6: Roll it out (but don’t “set and forget”)
Once you’ve ironed out the kinks, launch your automated onboarding for your next few deals.
Best practices: - Tell your team what’s changing and why—nobody likes surprise process changes. - Check in with customers during onboarding. Automation helps, but don’t disappear. - Watch for bottlenecks. If customers keep stalling on the same step, fix it.
What not to do: - Don’t assume automation covers everything. Someone on your team should own onboarding outcomes. - Don’t wait six months to tweak things. Adjust as you go.
Step 7: Measure, improve, repeat
Automation isn’t a one-and-done project. The goal: fewer dropped balls and happier customers.
Track: - How long onboarding actually takes (not what you hope). - Where customers get stuck or drop off. - How much time your team saves (be honest).
How to improve: - Shorten steps that always get delayed. - Kill steps nobody cares about. - Add clarity where customers ask the same questions.
What to ignore:
Chasing perfect automation. Focus on what moves the needle—speed, clarity, and customer experience.
Real-world pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
Here’s what trips most teams up:
- Too much automation: If your onboarding feels robotic, you’ll miss important context. Keep space for human check-ins.
- Overcomplicated templates: More steps don’t mean more value. Simpler is better.
- Ignoring feedback: Customers will tell you what’s broken—listen and adjust.
- Bad data: If your CRM is a mess, automation just spreads the mess faster.
Keep it simple, fix what matters
Automating onboarding in Arrows isn’t about showing off your tech stack. It’s about making life easier for your team and your customers. Start small. Automate the obvious stuff. Keep talking to your customers and your team. Iterate fast.
And if you ever feel like you’re spending more time building automations than actually onboarding customers, step back. The best onboarding flows are simple, clear, and just automated enough.