If you’ve ever felt that onboarding doesn’t get the attention or budget it deserves, Clare Knight has something to say about that.
Knight has spent over a decade in the SaaS industry, from early-stage startups to global teams and acquisitions, and through it all, one truth has stood out: World-class onboarding is make-or-break. She’s made it her mission to give onboarding the spotlight it deserves, founding The Onboarding Lab to equip SaaS professionals with real-world tactics for driving adoption, retention, and growth through smarter, more intentional onboarding.
In this guest post, she shares her personal journey to becoming a vocal champion of onboarding and what she believes is next for this critical business function.
The Moment I Realized Onboarding Deserved a Seat at the Table
I didn’t set out to specialize in onboarding, but at the second startup I joined, where I was one of only 10 employees at the time, something unusual happened: the founders split out onboarding from customer success right from the start.
That’s rare, even in larger companies, and it gave us space to build, test, and learn as we went.
That’s when it clicked for me. I saw firsthand the long-term impact of onboarding done right. Not just in terms of faster adoption, but on renewals, retention, and upsells—things you only fully appreciate months (or years) later.
It became obvious to me: if you put time, resources, and focus into onboarding, the payoff is big.
Why Onboarding Often Gets the Short End of the Stick
Onboarding just doesn’t get the airtime it deserves.
Sales and marketing are the ones that get the budgets. They go to conferences. They have ongoing development baked into their function. There’s always space, and investment, for continuous improvement. And I get it: those teams are seen as the drivers of growth.
From my experience, onboarding is a foundational step in the process, but it doesn’t get the same visibility or support. Teams are rarely given the time or resources to experiment, iterate, or evolve their approach.
Too often, onboarding gets overlooked not because it lacks impact, but because that impact doesn’t show up immediately.
The Hidden ROI of Doing Onboarding Right
That’s the challenge with onboarding. The ROI isn’t always obvious.
If you’re working with annual contracts, you might not see the true effect of onboarding until renewal—12 months later. That delay makes it harder to connect onboarding directly to revenue, especially compared to teams like sales or CS, where performance is measured in clear, short-term wins.
It’s not black and white. You don’t have a binary: “Did we hit the target or not?” Instead, onboarding is about laying the groundwork, planting the seeds. And because those results are long-term, it’s easy for companies to de-prioritize the work in the short term.
It’s foundational—even if it doesn’t look flashy upfront.
When onboarding is done well, with the right structure and enough breathing room, it shapes everything that follows: better retention, smoother expansions, stronger relationships, more informed feedback. It creates momentum that continues to build long after the go-live date.
That’s why I started The Onboarding Lab. That’s why I speak out. Because onboarding needs championing.
I want to tell people, “Please pay attention to this. It matters more than you think.”
Why Great Onboarding Is Inherently Human
There's been a lot of talk lately about AI replacing roles like onboarding. I disagree with this.
Yes, technology will and should take over repetitive tasks. It should enable us to work faster and smarter, but the real power of onboarding lies in the human connection. It’s about knowing how to ask the right questions, reading between the lines, and helping clients articulate the value they’re seeking—even when they can’t quite put it into words themselves.
That’s not something a chatbot can do.
Especially in B2B, we’re dealing with people who are using your product to solve real problems. They want to save time, reduce costs, or drive revenue. They need someone who understands that nuance and who knows how to guide them through the change.
Think of AI as an augmentation layer: one that empowers onboarding professionals to focus more on strategy, client relationships, and problem-solving.
What’s Next: A More Integrated Onboarding Future
Alongside AI and automation that empower onboarding teams, I see another big shift coming: Onboarding will get more ecosystem-aware.
We’re moving beyond just activating users in a vacuum. Clients have complex tech stacks. Your product is one part of a larger puzzle. The next evolution of onboarding will include deeper knowledge of customer workflows, integrations with partner tools, and collaboration across platforms.
When your product fits seamlessly into their world, it becomes that much harder to rip out.
At Setuply, we see onboarding as a strategic lever for long-term growth. Clare exemplifies the kind of bold, future-focused thinking this function needs: empathetic, experience-rich, unafraid to challenge the status quo.
We're grateful to Clare for sharing her journey and vision with us. As the founder of The Onboarding Lab, she elevates the conversation around onboarding and reminds us that this phase, when done right, is where the real magic begins.