Customer onboarding kickoff call process and SOP template
This customer onboarding call process shows how a new B2B customer goes from a signed deal to a working setup and an agreed success plan. It has four lanes, **Sales**, **Customer Success**, **Customer** and **Solutions Engineer**, and one decision: whether technical setup is needed. Below the diagram is a short SOP you can copy. It is for customer success managers and onboarding teams at software and service companies.
Example: Swimlane diagram for a customer onboarding kickoff call: click to open it in the editor and change it.
Lanes and steps in order
- Hand off closed deal (Sales): the account executive passes on goals, stakeholders and promises made.
- Review deal notes & goals (Customer Success): the CSM prepares before contacting the customer.
- Send kickoff invite & questionnaire (Customer Success): the customer gets an invite and a short questionnaire.
- Book a time and Complete questionnaire (Customer): the customer shares users, tools and timelines.
- Run kickoff call (Customer Success): introductions, goals, timeline and roles.
- Agree success plan (Customer Success): the plan names goals, owners and dates.
- Technical setup needed? (Customer Success, decision): Yes goes to the Solutions Engineer. No goes straight to the recap.
- Set up integrations & data import (Solutions Engineer): integrations, SSO or imports are done.
- Send recap & next steps (Customer Success): a written recap within 24 hours.
- Start using the product (Customer), then the 30-day check-in (Customer Success).
Hand-offs and decision points
The Sales to Customer Success hand-off is where most onboarding problems start: promises made in the sales process that the CSM never hears about. A written hand-off with goals and commitments fixes most of them. The questionnaire before the call means the kickoff is spent on decisions, not on collecting facts.
Where this process usually slows down
- Book a time: the customer's champion is busy. Offer times in the invite and follow up after 2 days.
- Set up integrations & data import: waiting on the customer's IT team for access. Ask for it on the kickoff call.
- Hand off closed deal: missing notes. Make the hand-off form required before the deal is marked won.
How to adapt it for your company
- Add a training session step for products that need user training.
- Add a self-serve path for small customers: an onboarding email series instead of a call.
- Add a go-live milestone and a sign-off from the customer before the 30-day check-in.
- Link the success plan to your renewal date so the check-ins lead to the renewal conversation.
Tip: End the kickoff call by reading back the success plan: goals, owners and dates. Send the same words in the recap.
Standard operating procedure
Purpose: Start every new customer with a clear kickoff call, an agreed success plan and a working setup.
Scope: Starts when Sales hands off a closed deal. Ends at the 30-day check-in.
Roles
- Sales: Hands off the deal with notes on goals and stakeholders.
- Customer Success: Runs the kickoff call, owns the success plan and checks in.
- Customer: Books the call, shares information and starts using the product.
- Solutions Engineer: Sets up integrations and imports data.
Procedure
- Sales: Hand off the closed deal within 1 business day, with the customer's goals, stakeholders, promises made and contract dates.
- Customer Success: Review the deal notes and write down the customer's top 3 goals before contacting them.
- Customer Success: Send the kickoff invite with a short questionnaire about users, current tools and timelines.
- Customer: Book a time and complete the questionnaire before the call.
- Customer Success: Run the kickoff call: introductions, goals, timeline, who does what, and how you will measure success.
- Customer Success: Agree the success plan on the call. If integrations or a data import are needed, book the Solutions Engineer.
- Solutions Engineer: Set up integrations and import data, then confirm with Customer Success.
- Customer Success: Send a recap within 24 hours with the success plan, owners and next steps.
- Customer Success: Hold the 30-day check-in and compare progress with the success plan.
Process owner: Head of Customer Success
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Frequently asked questions
What should a customer onboarding kickoff call cover?
Introductions and roles, the customer’s goals and how success will be measured, the timeline, technical setup needs, and the next steps with owners and dates.
Who runs the customer onboarding call?
Usually the customer success manager or onboarding manager, with the account executive joining for continuity and a solutions engineer if technical setup is needed.
What is a customer success plan?
A short shared document listing the customer’s goals, how they will be measured, who owns each task, and the dates for setup, go-live and check-ins.
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