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CONSULTING PROJECT · SaaS / Compliance E-learning · Berlin · ~80 employees · ~€15M revenue

Structured onboarding, measurable results

80 hours of consulting work - interviews, team workshop, process design and implementation support. A month after the project ended, the temp worker left - and didn't need replacing. The team handled the same workload without him. And the first positive customer feedback started coming in.

Measurable results
2.6-3.6× Return on Investment
1100+ hours returned to team annually
€29k-€37k annual cost savings

*The ranges for return on investment and annual savings reflect a pessimistic and optimistic estimate - part of the savings is based on qualitative input from the team, not direct measurement.

How it started

The Chief Revenue Officer identified recurring client complaints about delayed course delivery and chronic overload in the onboarding team. He brought in an external perspective to find where the problem actually was. During a three-month audit, I mapped the entire onboarding process - from the first client request to course delivery - and identified two key friction points: an onboarding team working without a shared system, and a content team with no visibility over deadlines. The solution needed no new tools and no new people. Everything the company needed, it already had - it just wasn't using it.

BEFORE
  • Gmail chaos - no shared overviewEvery onboarding lived in its own inbox - handoffs were a gamble.
  • Team lead assigned work manuallyManual task assignment meant the team stalled whenever the lead was out.
  • Team waited when she was awayNo backup coverage slowed down the entire onboarding.
  • Content team without visibilityMissing deadlines caused delays on both sides of the process.
  • Clients were waiting for coursesTo clients, the internal chaos looked like delayed courses.
  • The team couldn't keep up even with a student worker3 full-time, 1 part-time, 1 student worker
AFTER
  • Salesforce dashboard - overview for the whole teamOne shared view - everyone sees the status of every case in real time.
  • Automatic task assignmentA rotation system replaced manual assignment - it works even without the lead.
  • Team runs independently of the leadBackup coverage built into the process, not dependent on one person.
  • Structured requests with deadlinesThe content team receives briefs with clear deadlines and information.
  • Clients felt the change from month 4Positive feedback started coming in from the fourth month of collaboration.
  • Smaller team, same output3 full-time, 1 part-time - student worker left and was not replaced

How I mapped it

1

Interviews

I spoke with leadership and frontline team members. Leadership described the problem differently than the team - and the cause was hiding exactly in that gap.

2

Customer journey mapping

I mapped every onboarding touchpoint visually. The exact friction points - where time is lost and where ownership is missing - became visible.

3

Workshop with team leads

I brought together leads from different teams. It turned out each team understood the same process differently - and no one knew it.

4

Design and implementation

I designed the new workflow, Salesforce dashboard specifications and content tool upgrade. Implementation was carried out by their operations team - the change remained theirs to own.

What was saved - and what's still on the table.

Achieved savings 1100+ hours New sales - fully redesigned process
Additional potential 1200+ hours Other case types - outside the project scope so far

The 1,100+ hour saving applies only to the part of the onboarding process that was fully redesigned within the project scope. Applying the same approach to remaining case types would deliver an estimated additional 1,200+ hours annually.

Similar situation?

In a 30-minute call we'll look together at whether and where I can help.