The problem

Client onboarding stretched across multiple teams, systems, and handoffs, with more than 10 employees involved in a typical case. Poor coordination and limited visibility could add four to six weeks to onboarding — while the platform reflected internal operations rather than the people trying to move a client through them.

The strategic shift

Research showed that the problem wasn’t simply an outdated interface — it was a fragmented operating model. I worked backward from how onboarding teams actually coordinated work, then redesigned the experience around shared progress, clearer ownership, and the information each role needed to move a client forward.

Key decisions

• Reframe COLT around the end-to-end onboarding journey rather than internal system structure

• Create role-based experiences for employees with different responsibilities and information needs

• Make ownership, status, dependencies, and next steps visible across teams

• Simplify complex workflows while preserving the flexibility needed for exceptions and corrections

• Standardize language, guidance, and error handling across the onboarding experience

Outcome

The redesigned experience reduced unnecessary coordination and made onboarding progress easier to understand across teams. Post-launch research showed improvements in setup, completion, and multi-contact workflows, while the platform established a foundation for continued modernization of the client onboarding experience.