Becoming a Kinnovis Customer: Insights from our IT Project Manager
For the past year, Fabian has been our IT Project Manager, assisting new and existing Kinnovis customers make the most out of our self-storage software.
Can you walk us through the typical onboarding process for a new Kinnovis customer?
No two Kinnovis customers are ever exactly the same, but our onboarding process consists of three major steps for everyone:
1. Setting up your invoicing and billing: We prefer to kick things off by getting the financial side up and running. We’ll walk you through setting up your payment gateway, ensuring it’s properly integrated with our system. This bit’s crucial for customer transactions and keeping your finances in order. If you have existing customers, we don’t want any payments to be missed. We’ll also make sure you’re comfortable with how it all works too.
2. Importing your data: Next up, we’ll tackle the import of your data. We’ll help you bring over all your existing customer information, if you’re already open, along with product details and any historical data you’ve got.
We’ll make sure everything’s in the right place and ready to go in your new Kinnovis setup.
3. Manager Setup: Lastly, we’ll get your Manager account sorted. We’ll set up the necessary permissions, show you how to navigate the system, and make sure you’re ready to hit the ground running. We’ll cover all the key features you’ll need day-to-day, so you can get off to the best possible start.
How do you ensure a smooth transition for new customers getting to grips with our self-storage software?
If their self-storage business is already open, I try to get as much information as possible about the current software they’re using. I will ask questions about billing cycles, when invoices get sent out, whether there are any pre-existing direct debits and what access lock provider they have.
I also try to gather as much information as possible about the payment methods, to ensure you can continue taking payments as you have done up until now. Once I’ve collected all the information, I assign the customer to one of the seven tier groups we use internally to determine what the next steps need to be.
With customers in lots of different countries and with different requirements, how do you manage everyone's account at the same time?
I work in flows which consist of gates and stages. In order to progress to the next stage, all the checkboxes of the gate (checklist) need to be ticked. In that way, I can make sure that nothing is forgotten. I also use different tools, such as Notion and Hubspot, to document all the progress already made, keep track of communication with the customer and provide updates for my colleagues.
What happens when a customer has a particular technical requirement?
Again, I try to gather all the information and learn what it is that they’re trying to achieve. Once that has been defined and the next steps are clear, I’ll discuss with my colleagues what’s required and how we can find a solution. As I work very closely with the tech team, they are aware of what our customers need from us and know their responsibilities once I bring them into a task.
Can you describe your approach to building and maintaining strong relationships with clients?
I think the most important impression that needs to be given to the customer is that we’ll be taking them by the hand throughout the onboarding process, they won’t have to scramble around in the dark.
As part of our onboarding support package, we offer 4 hours of video calls are included. I try to divide those four hours into 8, 30 minute meetings to assist the customer with everything as best as I can and not overload someone with all the information in one go! In that way, I can make sure that the customer is not only aware of their tasks and responsibilities but also really knows what they need to do.
How do you work with the sales team to develop effective account strategies?
We have defined a clear handover when sales pass on the project to myself. The Sales team is aware of all the requirements from my side and all the information I need in advance.
Once a project has been handed over, I usually have a quick meeting with the Sales Rep who had been working with a customer, this allows me to get a better sense of the project and how the customer prefers to communicate. As we work with Hubspot, all our calls, emails and messages are already logged automatically and we can add notes to the account. This means nothing gets lost and everyone in the team can check on the status of a particular project at a glance.
What do you think is the most crucial aspect of your role in ensuring every Kinnovis customer is satisfied?
To make sure every customer has the same outcome. It’s like a railway system, there are multiple entry points but there’s only one final destination – going live. I would say that my main responsibility is to manage those entry points, bring our new customers onto the right track in time and make sure that there are no delays with their arrival!
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