Onboarding Therapy

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil sit down with Em Wingrove, Chief Experience Officer at Aptitude 8, to explore how customer success teams can apply a hospitality mindset to improve retention, build trust, and create effortless customer experiences.

Highlights from the Episode:

• Why Customer Success Needs Hospitality – Em breaks down how hospitality principles help create better customer experiences.
• Anticipating Customer Needs – How small, proactive touches make a big impact on retention and engagement.
• The Role of Authenticity in CS – Why curiosity and genuine interactions matter more than rigid playbooks.
• Setting Service Standards – The key to creating consistent, high-quality customer experiences.
• Lessons from Marketing & Hospitality – How customer success teams can borrow from these industries to elevate CX.

Whether you’re a customer success leader or a CSM, this episode is packed with actionable strategies for applying a hospitality approach to CX.

Key Resources:

• Follow Em Wingrove on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Aptitude 8
• Book mentioned: Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more actionable insights and strategies for onboarding and customer success!

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil are joined by Grant, Head of Sales at Arrows, for a candid discussion about the unique dynamics between sales and customer success teams—and why their differences actually make organizations stronger.

Highlights from the Episode:

• Different Personalities, Different Roles: Explore why certain personalities gravitate towards sales vs. CS, and how these differences benefit customers.
• The End-of-Month Reality: Grant shares an honest perspective on quota pressure and how it impacts both teams.
• Building Customer Trust: Learn how early CS involvement in sales can transform skeptical prospects into confident customers.
• Managing Team Dynamics: Practical insights on handling expectation mismatches and maintaining professional unity.

Whether you're in sales or customer success, this episode offers refreshing insights on how different teams can work better together while staying true to their unique strengths.

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In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil talk with Matthew Ruxton about his journey from implementation specialist to RevOps leader, challenging common misconceptions about customer onboarding along the way.

Highlights from the Episode:

• The Overwhelm Myth: Matthew challenges the common fear of overwhelming customers and explains why under-preparing is the real risk.
• Building Scalable Processes: Learn why having a prescriptive onboarding road is crucial, and how to balance structure with flexibility.
• Starting Onboarding Earlier: Discover why successful onboarding begins during the sales process and how to make that transition smooth.
• CRM as Your Secret Weapon: Matthew shares how bringing implementation into your CRM transforms team adoption and customer handoffs.

Whether you're an implementation manager looking to scale your processes or a RevOps leader trying to improve customer handoffs, this episode offers practical insights on building onboarding that actually works.

Key Resources:

• Follow Matthew Ruxton on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Arrows

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more actionable insights and strategies for onboarding and customer success!

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil sit down with Daphne Costa Lopes, Global Director for Strategic Accounts at HubSpot, to explore how AI is reshaping customer success—and why now is the time for teams to adapt.

Highlights from the Episode:

• Why Customer Success Teams Can’t Ignore AI: Daphne explains the risks of falling behind and the opportunities AI offers to forward-thinking teams.
• Practical Use Cases for AI in CS: From summarizing calls to enabling better strategic conversations, learn how CSMs can leverage AI today.
• Overcoming AI Hesitation: Explore why many CS teams are resistant to AI adoption and how leaders can shift the mindset.
• Career Growth in the AI Era: Daphne shares actionable career advice for CSMs looking to excel in an AI-driven industry.

Whether you're a customer success leader or a CSM trying to navigate the evolving landscape, this episode is packed with actionable insights on how AI can empower teams and individuals.

Key Resources:

• Follow Daphne Costa Lopes on LinkedIn
• Check out Daphne's newsletter and podcast: This is Growth
• AI Tools Mentioned: Agency and Hook

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more actionable insights and strategies for onboarding and customer success!

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil challenge the traditional structure of customer success (CS) teams. They discuss whether CS should remain tied to revenue-focused goals or shift closer to product development, potentially evolving into a "product success" function. This thought-provoking discussion dives into the challenges facing modern CS teams, from misaligned incentives to the diminishing value of customer interactions.

Highlights include:

• The difference between valuable customer interactions and superficial check-ins.
• Why product managers often create stronger customer relationships than CSMs.
• The pitfalls of CS teams as “cost centers” and how it affects their impact.
• Strategies for fostering collaboration between product and customer success teams.
• A bold idea: should customer success sit within product teams to align on customer outcomes?

Kim and Shareil share candid experiences as both customers and CS professionals, offering actionable tips to bridge gaps between CS and product teams. They explore how businesses can empower their teams to deliver genuine customer value and rethink traditional CS structures.

👉 Have opinions on this topic? Share your thoughts or reach out if you'd like to join a future episode to discuss product and CS collaboration!

In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil welcome their first guest, onboarding expert and author Ramli John. Together, they dive into the nuances of friction in onboarding and how internal misalignment often becomes the root cause of a disjointed customer experience.

Highlights include:

• Why internal misalignment on onboarding goals and ownership creates friction for customers.
• Common gaps in onboarding programs, including selfish tasks and fragmented responsibilities.
• How to identify and address points of friction in your onboarding process using data and customer feedback.
• The importance of providing multiple learning pathways to cater to diverse customer needs.
• Actionable strategies for building internal collaboration and creating a seamless onboarding experience.

Ramli, Kim, and Shareil share real-world examples and practical advice for reducing friction—starting with your internal processes—to create better outcomes for your customers and teams alike.

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In this episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil dive into a common debate in the onboarding world: Can in-app onboarding replace human-led onboarding? They explore the strengths and limitations of each approach and discuss how combining the two can create a more effective and scalable onboarding experience.

Highlights include:

• Why some leaders believe in-app onboarding can solve all onboarding challenges—and where that belief falls short.
• The importance of understanding diverse learning styles among customers.
• How to leverage in-app tools like guides, pop-ups, and walkthroughs to complement human interaction.
• The ongoing maintenance and iteration required for effective in-app onboarding.
• Why onboarding teams should advocate for collaboration with product and design teams.

Kim and Shareil share stories from their experiences working with onboarding teams and customers, offering actionable insights for finding the right balance between automation and personalization.

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In Episode 2 of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil tackle the critical challenge of securing leadership support for customer onboarding. They share strategies to communicate onboarding’s impact on business goals and offer insights into making the case for better investment and buy-in.

Highlights include:

• Why onboarding is often undervalued by leadership.
• How to connect onboarding efforts to key business metrics like churn and revenue.
• Proving onboarding’s impact using manual tracking, small experiments, and early wins.
• Overcoming the challenge of lagging indicators in onboarding results.
• Practical tips for onboarding leaders to advocate for their teams and secure resources.

Kim and Shareil also discuss their personal experiences in building onboarding programs from scratch, sharing lessons learned from successes and setbacks.

Key Takeaway:
Securing leadership buy-in requires proactive communication, measurable results, and aligning onboarding metrics with the company’s broader goals.

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In the debut episode of Onboarding Therapy, Kim and Shareil explore the challenges of aligning sales and onboarding teams. They discuss common issues like mismatched incentives, misaligned goals, and poor handoff processes, all of which can impact the customer experience.

Highlights include:

• Why sales and onboarding teams often feel at odds with each other.
• The role of internal collaboration in improving customer success.
• Strategies for creating stronger feedback loops between teams.
• Practical ways to leverage tools like mutual action plans and CRM hygiene.

Kim and Shareil share candid stories from their experiences, offering actionable insights to help teams work together and support their customers effectively.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more onboarding insights and practical advice.