Purpose
This article provides Bold Group staff with standardized best practices for managing **Stages onboarding projects**.
It captures common risks, customer responsibilities, and internal processes to improve customer outcomes and reduce escalations.
Scope
- Applies to: All Bold Group employees engaged in Stages onboarding projects (Customer Success, Implementation, Professional Services, Support).
- Does not include: Customer-facing instructions (see Stages Knowledge Base).
Overview
Stages onboarding follows a structured path:
- Kickoff & Discovery – Align on goals, assign internal and customer roles.
- Data Mapping & Conversion – Customer-prepared data scrub and mapping into staging documents.
- Training & Validation – Customer completes assigned training, replicates key workflows in Stages.
- Go-Live & Transition – Final conversion, checklist validation, support handoff.
Each phase has critical internal checkpoints that prevent downstream issues.
Responsibilities
Customer:
- Prepare and scrub data prior to staging (duplicates removed, formats standardized).
- Complete required training before 1:1 sessions are scheduled.
- Assign internal Implementation Lead and Data Owner.
- Actively participate in weekly status calls.
Bold Group:
- CSM: Own customer relationship post-kickoff, monitor adoption, ensure success plan is documented.
- PM: Drive project timeline, track milestones, escalate blockers.
- Support: Accept handoff post-go-live, provide SLAs for case handling.
- Product: Provide roadmap transparency when customer expectations exceed current functionality.
Common Risks & Pitfalls
- Data not scrubbed → Incorrect/incomplete staging, delays in conversion.
- Training incomplete → Customer unprepared at go-live, higher case volume.
- Unclear ownership → Customers bypass PM/CSM, causing miscommunication.
- Resource constraints → Delays in escalations, longer response times.
Best Practices
- Provide customer with a formal onboarding checklist during kickoff.
- Reinforce early: Stages offers extensive customization through Sequences and workflows. However, these must align with industry best practices and Bold-supported functionality. Requests for custom development outside of standard features must be reviewed with Product.
- Set expectations that data prep is customer-owned. Offer templates/examples, but do not perform the cleanup.
- Conduct at least two test conversions (C1, C2) before go-live.
- Schedule a warm handoff call to Support to introduce portal, SLAs, and escalation process.
- CSM to schedule a post-go-live pulse check (30/60/90-day cadence).
Internal Escalation Points
- Sales → CSM: If scope misalignment is discovered at kickoff.
- CSM → Product: If customer expectations exceed delivered functionality.
- PM → Support Lead: If case resolution times exceed agreed SLAs.
Related Articles
- Customer Journey Map – Stages (internal reference)
- How to Submit a Case in Support Portal (download as a PDF)
- CSM Handoff Checklist Template (internal KB)
Planned Customer-Facing Resource
A customer-facing Stages Onboarding Guide is currently in development.
- This will mirror the structure of existing onboarding guides for Managely and Manitou.
- The guide will provide customers with step-by-step instructions, role expectations, data prep requirements, and FAQs.
- Once published, this internal article should be updated with a direct link.
