Step-by-Step: Creating a Personalized Onboarding Workflow for New Hires in Keap
First impressions matter, especially for new hires. A personalized onboarding workflow not only streamlines administrative tasks but also significantly enhances the new employee experience, leading to higher engagement and retention. Leveraging Keap’s powerful automation capabilities, businesses can create a systematic, engaging, and scalable onboarding process that frees up valuable HR time and ensures every new team member feels valued from day one. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to configure such a system, turning a complex process into a seamless journey.
Step 1: Define Your Onboarding Stages and Content Needs
Before diving into Keap, map out the entire new hire journey. Identify key stages, from offer acceptance through their first 90 days. For each stage, determine what information needs to be shared, what actions need to be taken by the new hire or HR, and what resources are essential. Think about welcome emails, benefits information, policy documents, training schedules, team introductions, and check-in points. A clear understanding of these touchpoints will form the backbone of your Keap campaign, ensuring you capture all necessary details and deliver timely, relevant content. This foundational planning is critical for designing an effective and truly personalized workflow.
Step 2: Configure Custom Fields in Keap for New Hire Data
To personalize the onboarding experience, Keap needs to store specific data about each new hire. Navigate to your Keap account settings and create custom fields for information not covered by standard contact fields. Examples include Start Date, Department, Manager’s Name, Job Title, Onboarding Buddy, Equipment Needs, or even their preferred coffee order. These custom fields will allow you to dynamically insert personalized details into emails, assign tasks to specific managers, or trigger conditional content based on their role or department. Thoughtful custom field creation is the bedrock of a truly tailored automation.
Step 3: Design Your Keap Campaign Structure
In Keap, go to “Campaigns” and start a new campaign. Begin by dragging a “Web Form” or “API Goal” onto the canvas as the entry point, which will be triggered when a new hire is added to your system (e.g., via an integration from your ATS or manually). From there, visually lay out your onboarding journey using “Sequences.” Each sequence represents a stage or a set of related actions within the onboarding process. Connect these sequences with “Goals” that indicate completion or trigger the next stage. A well-structured campaign is intuitive to manage and provides a clear overview of the entire workflow, simplifying future modifications.
Step 4: Create Engaging Onboarding Content Within Sequences
Populate each sequence with the specific communications and tasks identified in Step 1. Utilize Keap’s email builder to craft engaging welcome messages, share important documents (linking to external resources or file storage), and introduce key team members. Use merge fields extensively to pull in the custom data from Step 2, ensuring each communication feels uniquely tailored. Beyond emails, incorporate “Internal Forms” for HR data collection, “Tasks” for managers (e.g., set up desk, introduce to team), and “Appointment Reminders” for scheduled check-ins. High-quality content is key to a positive new hire experience.
Step 5: Implement Automation Triggers and Conditional Logic
Maximize the power of Keap by setting up automated triggers and conditional logic. Use “Goals” to move new hires from one sequence to the next automatically once a specific action is completed, such as submitting an internal form or clicking a link. Implement “Decision Diamonds” to branch the workflow based on custom field values (e.g., send a different welcome kit based on department or a specific training module for sales roles). This intelligence ensures that the right information reaches the right person at the right time, minimizing manual intervention and adapting the journey to individual needs. Smart automation here is the path to true efficiency.
Step 6: Test Your Entire Workflow Thoroughly
Before activating your personalized onboarding campaign, rigorous testing is absolutely crucial. Pretend to be a new hire and run through the entire workflow yourself, or use a test contact. Verify that emails are sent correctly, merge fields populate accurately, links are functional, tasks are assigned to the right people, and conditional logic guides the new hire down the intended path. Pay close attention to timing and potential delays. Identify any broken links, missing information, or confusing instructions. Thorough testing ensures a smooth, professional experience for every new employee and prevents frustrating hiccups down the line.
Step 7: Monitor, Optimize, and Iterate for Continuous Improvement
Once your personalized onboarding workflow is live, the work doesn’t stop. Continuously monitor its performance and gather feedback from new hires and managers. Are there common questions that could be addressed earlier? Are certain steps causing delays? Is the content still relevant and engaging? Use Keap’s reporting to track engagement rates with your communications. Be prepared to make iterative improvements based on this feedback and data. A truly optimized onboarding process is never static; it evolves with your organization’s needs and new employee experiences, ensuring it remains an invaluable asset to your HR strategy.
If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Keap Marketing Automation for HR & Recruiting: Build Your Automated Talent Acquisition Machine
