Your sales cycle has ended, now what happens?

Your  new customer signs their name on the dotted line and you send them off into the sunset. This out-dated method won’t serve your company well, or help you build long lasting customer relationships.

Unfortunately many Account Executives agree they're not too happy about their current onboarding process.

In a recent survey we conducted across Account Executives and Revenue leaders, only 18% of agreed that their onboarding process was ‘excellent’ and 48% of AE’s stated that they had at least one deal drop off when handing over to Customer Success

Yikes!

So, It’s time to improve your buyer experience with more seamless process.

But why?

Well, your retention rates will dip and your customers won’t feel appreciated which could spell disaster in the long-term.

If you’re not on top of handovers yet, all is not lost!

There are a handful of things that can be done to completely streamline the sales process to customer success handover, many of which are very easy to implement. You can make improvements right away, so let’s get it done!

Here’s Why The Handover Matters

A quality handover benefits your company in a multifaceted way. 

With smooth handoffs you’ll have:

• Heighten customer happiness
• Better customer retention
• Higher referral rates
• A positive brand reputation

This all sounds great, but let’s see how this can actually be achieved.

4 Top tips for a smooth handover

Facilitating a seamless handover? It’s easy when you know how - just implement them right away!

1. Stakeholder mapping

Stakeholder mapping spots the key players in your customer's team.

It tells the CSM:

1. who is the champion, 
2. who is actually using the product
3. who needs to be looped in on those bigger

The CSM can then cater to each person’s need like:

What do they care about? 

What information is relevant for them? 

Basically, no vital info gets lost in the shuffle.

Stakeholder mapping = Your CS team get a clear view of the internal setup, which will help them 👇

✅ Create personalised onboarding plans

✅ Tackle any key pain points raised by specific people in the buying team

✅ Spot any upsell chances

✅ Get up to speed fast (aka happier customers)

👉 A good stakeholder map cuts down on churn risk.

2. Know the agreed KPIs

It's also useful to pass on details like customer goals and pain points so that communication can be personalised from day one.

What's been agreed?

Did the customer express any specific goals they'd like to reach within a certain timeframe?

Knowing this information means as a CSM you can plot out a clear progress plan.

And will have complete clarity on their goals for using your product.

So when it comes to renewal, you'll not be totally blindsided by their decision.

Because these conversations have already been taking place over the past 6-12 months.

3. Use a centralised workspace

Using a centralised space is the key to a smoother process - once you try it, you’ll never go back.

It’s a no brainer that the sales to customer success handover will be better when everything is in one place. Digital Sales Rooms such as trumpet offer just this and customer success teams are reaping the rewards. 

Clear overviews of every discussion can be handed over in this safe space, and it’s a platform that the customer is already familiar and comfortable with. 

Within this type of digital sales room the CSM can also add an “onboarding” tab, where this process will happen. Training videos and shared action plans regarding the onboarding journey can also be added, in fact booking platform Eola cut their customer onboarding time down by 78% after adding a digital sales room into the mix.

Talking to the customers inside the digital sales room is also possible via live chat or Huddles.

No more excessive attachments or links via email. A digital sales room is the go-to safe space to share training and onboarding content after a successful sale!

Check out a live onboarding Pod from trumpet in action

4. Jump on meeting crossovers

Hosting a cross-over meeting is a quick and effective way to pass on important information.

Trumpet top tip - this is especially effective if you’re selling more complex products as there will be more finer details to cover.

This would involve introducing your new customer to the support representative they’ll be working with. Not only does this make them feel more comfortable, but it also contributes to a smoother transition process.

When the stakeholder feels comfortable, their experience is instantly improved.

Hosting regular check-ins should also be part of the process so that both departments are always on the same page.

Improved Customer Experience

Smooth transitions and strong handoffs equal happy customers.

As well as retaining more customers, it will also boost referrals too, which is a double win.

Not to mention, there will be improved motivation internally as all departments will feel in sync and aligned with each other.

When you implement the tips shared above, you’ll experience a smooth sales to customer success hand over every single time.

With detailed documentation, a centralised space, excellent communication and carefully gathered customer data, you’ll have everything you need to ensure customers are happy and quotas are always reached.