Onboarding World 2025 showed just how far the industry has come, and how much further it’s ready to go.
This year’s fully virtual experience delivered bold ideas, real-world insights, and a renewed sense of momentum for everyone shaping the client journey after the sale. From inspiring keynotes to focused breakout sessions, the event was packed with energy, practical takeaways, and fresh perspectives on how to drive greater value and create more connected experiences.
Here are some of the key themes and takeaways from this year’s event.
Onboarding Success Starts With Delivering Value
Kicking off Onboarding World 2025, keynote speaker Donna Weber set the tone for the entire event: Successful onboarding is defined by how quickly and clearly clients experience value.
Weber encouraged teams to focus less on internal tasks and more on the client journey, emphasizing that while product features and technical wins are important, they only have an impact when they translate into tangible outcomes for clients.
Attendees explored how onboarding programs can achieve this by helping clients achieve early “quick wins,” reinforcing trust, and building a structured value journey that maintains strong engagement well beyond the first few weeks.
The key takeaway: When onboarding centers on people and purpose, rather than just process, it lays a foundation for sustained retention and growth.
Driving Value With AI While Keeping the Human Touch
One of the most talked-about sessions at the event was led by Emilia D’Anzica, MBA, PMP, who tackled a topic reshaping the client journey: how to harness automation and agentic AI without losing the human connection clients still deeply value.
In her standout presentation, D’Anzica explored the growing tension between scalability and personalization—and how modern onboarding strategies can achieve both. She advocated for a blended model that combines digital efficiency with intentional, human-centered engagement.
Attendees saw how automation can take on routine updates and repetitive tasks, freeing onboarding teams to focus on relationship-driven moments. This approach enhances capacity while providing clients with more options for engagement, whether through digital or personal touchpoints.
The session also explored how agentic AI can tailor onboarding experiences in real-time, adjusting to client roles, goals, and behaviors through personalized learning paths, timely nudges, and adaptive feedback loops.
The key takeaway: Used thoughtfully, AI becomes a powerful partner in creating seamless and empathetic client journeys.
Delivering Connected Experiences Is Critical
Coray Grove of WagePath drove home a point that resonated across the event: Onboarding doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s part of a continuous client lifecycle that starts with sales and flows through implementation, support, and ongoing success.
Grove shared that while each stage often relies on different systems and teams, the client experience suffers when those systems and people operate in silos. Creating a connected experience means aligning both technology and operations to ensure that clients experience a unified journey.
Attendees uncovered practical ways to achieve this, including establishing consistent communication standards and centralizing documentation, as well as building shared visibility across departments.
Setuply was highlighted as an example of how connected operations can be in action: sales data flows right into onboarding, project updates sync in real-time, and every department, from finance to account management, can see exactly where things stand. Setuply showed what’s possible when alignment isn’t just a goal, but rather a built-in part of your infrastructure.
The key takeaway: When systems communicate and teams align, onboarding becomes a seamless extension of the client relationship.
Investing in Post-Sale Experiences Pays Off
Jake Norrholm, Implementation Director at AllianceHCM, shared an impactful case study on how strengthening post-sale processes can drive measurable business results.
By deeply integrating their CRM with Setuply, AllianceHCM established a two-way flow of information between sales and implementation teams. Instead of starting from scratch after each sale, onboarding teams receive complete client data, from goals and timelines to key contacts, at the moment of handoff.
As projects progress, updates are fed back into the CRM in real-time, keeping all stakeholders informed. The results spoke volumes: faster onboarding, higher implementation throughput, and a significant uptick in overall revenue growth.
The key takeaway: By empowering teams with connected systems and visibility, businesses create smoother client journeys and stronger financial outcomes.
Community Is Still at the Heart of It All
Onboarding World 2025 brought together a vibrant community of professionals who continue to drive innovation.
The event provided an opportunity for attendees to upskill, exchange ideas, and collaborate in sessions designed for open dialogue. From tackling shared challenges to brainstorming new strategies, the collective purpose was clear and energizing.
This ongoing commitment to connection and shared learning is what propels the onboarding profession forward, one conversation at a time.
Wrapping Up: A Thank You and a Look Ahead
As we wrap another incredible Onboarding World, one theme stands out: Onboarding is evolving into something bigger than a process; it’s now a strategic driver of long-term success.
To everyone who joined us this year, thank you. Your insights, engagement, and enthusiasm helped shape two days of meaningful conversation and collective momentum.
We’re already looking ahead to what’s next. Mark your calendar for October 1–2 2026 to save the date as we return with more inspiring stories, fresh strategies, and an ever-growing community of professionals committed to transforming the post-sale experience.
We can’t wait to see you there!