⭐ Gold Tier Customer Onboarding – Internal SOP | Search Atlas

To outline the internal process for transitioning new Gold-tier customers from Sales to Customer Success, ensuring a seamless onboarding experience and long-term success.

🧩 Phase 1: Sales to CSM Handoff

📥 Required Handoff Items (from Hubspot form)

✅ Signed Contract
✅ Pricing & Plan details
✅ Applied Discounts
✅ Customer Goal, Primary Pain Points, Growth Plans
✅ Primary contacts and decision-makers (Hubspot Contacts)
✅ Timeline expectations (launch dates, deadlines)

✉️ Action

Sales sends a warm handoff email to both the customer and the assigned CSM.

🚀 Phase 2: Kick-Off Meeting

During the initial meeting:

👋 Introduce all team members and define roles
🎯 Clarify client goals
📬 Set support expectations (Slack or email)
🔗 Set up Slack channel (or email plan if Slack is unavailable)
📚 Share resources for self-learning
🗺️ Create the roadmap to reach stated goals
📆 Schedule follow-up meetings aligned to goals

💬 Phase 3: Welcome & Introduction Message

Send a welcome message via Slack or email:

Welcome to Search Atlas! We're excited to support you with a premium experience. You now have access to:

A dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM)
Direct Slack channel support
Dedicated SAG support
Priority access to resources and trainings

This Canvas contains all the onboarding resources. Our Slack business hours are Mon–Fri, 8AM–5PM EST. For urgent issues after hours, please use the chat inside the Search Atlas dashboard.

👥 Phase 4: Client Roster & Access Verification

Confirm with the client:

✅ Who are the current users? (names, emails, roles)
⏳ Who still needs invites? (pending user access)

📅 Phase 5: Meeting Cadence & Check-Ins

Recommended types of meetings:

Kick-Off
Onboarding
Usage Review
Goal Review
Incident Follow Up
Quarterly Business Review (QBR)
Feedback Check-Up
Health Check
Post-Mortem
Win-Back

Suggested cadence:

🔁 Quarterly or bi-monthly strategy calls
📆 Monthly health checks (optional, based on account activity)

🤝 Phase 6: Relationship Journey

Ongoing responsibilities of the CSM:

🎉 Celebrate wins (traffic, rank, feature usage)
📢 Share product updates and releases proactively
🎓 Invite to webinars, trainings, and special events
✍️ Identify case study or testimonial opportunities
🔍 Monitor Slack activity and re-engage if engagement drops
📈 Acknowledge growth milestones (e.g., adding more clients)

This SOP ensures a smooth and consistent experience for every Gold-tier customer. CSMs play a pivotal role in driving strategic success by creating value, maintaining engagement, and aligning every action with client goals. Follow these steps carefully to deliver excellence from day one.