Creating an Exceptional Onboarding Process for New Employees

Many organizations have recently undergone large changes over the past year. Some companies have adopted new technology while others have shifted business strategies. Employee development has also become a top priority this year. This is not surprising if you consider how quality training can improve major business transitions' success rate.

The development of new employee onboarding programs has been on the rise. Your onboarding process can leave a lasting impression. Onboarding also impacts many aspects of business success, including productivity and employee retention. However, recent events have also impacted the training industry leaving many businesses wondering what an effective onboarding program looks like today.

Infopro Learning has more than 25 years of experience developing custom learning solutions for enterprise organizations in nearly every industry. We recently used our proven strategic process to develop a highly successful onboarding program for an insurance company. This company was going through a large transition. We will share some of the critical steps we took to develop this onboarding program with you.

Solution Highlights

Three stages were critical to the success of this program. We began by assessing the organization's former onboarding process to determine what steps needed to be taken to improve the process. We then focused on aligning the learning objectives with the organization's desired business outcomes. Finally, we mapped out a learning journey and integrated a blend of learning activities to support learners in their journey.

Stage 1: Assessing the Current State of Onboarding

The program development process began with a thorough assessment of the former onboarding plan. Infopro Learning conducted a series of interviews and surveys to identify the gaps and friction points in the former onboarding program. Identifying these key insights was an essential part of the development process.

In the beginning, identifying pain points helped us select the most effective business-aligned objectives for the new program. One of the most common mistakes in the training development process is leaving out this critical step. You can't design a program that solves business challenges if you don't first develop an accurate picture of what they are.

Stage 2: Aligning the Program Objectives with Business Outcomes

The insurance company ran an outbound contact center. There had been changes in the leadership and vision of this branch of the business. The organization needed to upgrade its onboarding program. They also needed more modern training content for onboarding new employees.

The business goals were to increase speed to competency, reduce costs, and provide consistent onboarding experiences for all new hires. The organization also needed a training program that was easy to update and maintain.

Stage 3: Developing the Onboarding Journey

In the third stage, Infopro Learning developed a learning journey to successfully onboard new hires. Several different learning activities were selected to help employees connect with the company in four key areas. These areas included the company, the culture, their craft, and performance.

The program began with employee orientation. The orientation was designed to help familiarize employees with the company and its offerings. Orientation was held twice monthly and took place before the employee's first day. This part of the process included materials such as the employee handbook and an onboarding checklist.

The next set of activities was designed to help new team members develop soft skills needed for a call center environment.

After soft skill development and adapting to the company culture, the curriculum focused heavily on technical skills and processes. Employees learned about the software, daily procedures, and policies they needed to understand to succeed in their new roles. This portion of the training included a deeper dive into the organization's offerings and customers.

The final steps of employee onboarding included activities and courses regarding performance support. This stage included short refresher courses and one on one coaching.

Each step in the journey was designed to help employees feel confident. It was also designed to equip them with the knowledge they needed to succeed in their new roles.

Solution Highlights

After implementation, the organizations tracked and reported significant improvements in several key areas. These areas included employee productivity, satisfaction rates, employee engagement, and new hire retention. The new onboarding process also sped up by 70%, and the cost of training was reduced by 58%.

Feedback from the HR professionals within the organization and participants was also positive. They showed that they felt the employees were receiving an effective onboarding experience that improved competency. Feedback also showed that participating new hires were feeling more comfortable and confident in their new roles.

Learn more about Infopro Learning's process for developing high-quality training and read the case study Developing a Successful Onboarding Program.

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