Customers ghosting you during onboarding comes up from time to time… you’ve probably experienced it yourself.
Someone said that when this happens they kick it back to Sales since they have the relationship with the customer.
This is unfortunately a common solution… but it also underscores one of the big problems in so many customer Onboarding scenarios:
Sales STILL holds the keys to the relationship with the customer!
Let’s get into this, shall we?
100% of the time, customers Ghosting you during Onboarding is the result of a poorly designed (or, let’s be honest… a not-designed-at-all) Sales Handoff process, one that doesn’t include in a systematic way:
- Actual discovery turnover
- Properly managing expectations with the customer
- Orchestration to overcome change management issues on their end
- Management, Direction, and Incentives
- Real introductions between the customer and whomever takes over after the sale (Customer Success, Account Management, etc.)
What about situations where Sales must stay in the relationship for expansion or upsells?
Well, they – like many others across the customer’s lifetime – will cycle in and out.
That does NOT change the need to properly setup the customer and those who’ll they’ll work with next to be successful.
In fact, because the relationship with Sales “continues,” it makes a properly orchestrated handoff even more critical.
If you’ve failed in the Sales Handoff process, gimmicks and tricks to try to “un-ghost” a brand new customer with whom you’ve never really had a relationship aren’t going to work. Real talk.
Your only option may be to “send it back to Sales” for them to track the customer down… but then what?
Are they going to do a proper handoff this time?
Do they even have a reason to do this (the sale already closed and commission paid)?
In a high-touch sales process, the sales handoff makes or breaks Onboarding.
And if you have a self-service buying process, the transition will obviously look very different from that of a high-touch sales process, but it’s JUST as critical to build a bridge from marketing promises to the realistic, in-app experience.
BTW, none of what I’ve said is specific to any type of business / revenue / operating / engagement model.
This applies across the board, just as it will to your unique situation, so you can properly Onboard customers and set everyone up to thrive.
About Lincoln Murphy
