Hit the ground running: Agora delivers a zero-friction onboarding experience

So, you’re considering starting with a new investment management software or switching over from another software solution to Agora. This is undoubtedly a big step, and it’s only natural to have questions and concerns about the process.

Onboarding your operations onto a new platform is a crucial stage. A successful onboarding experience will help you hit the ground running and make the most of the software from day one.

That is why we at Agora put so much emphasis on building our onboarding process, with one goal in mind – getting our customers up and running, ready to enjoy the advantages of the Agora platform as soon as possible. 

We carefully crafted an onboarding process based on three ruling principles: 

• White-glove service. 
• Maximum-convenience.
• Zero-friction.

The onboarding process consists of six parts to ensure your success:

1. Meeting your personal Customer Success Manager. 
2. Completing an onboarding template.
3. Implementation and review.
4. Platform personalization. 
5. Launch.
6. Training. 

This article will guide you through the various stages of the onboarding process and provide a detailed explanation of each step.

Agora’s onboarding process

1. Meet your Customer Success Manager (kick-off call)

The first stage of the onboarding process is scheduling a kick off call with your personal Customer Success Manager (CSM for short). 

Your CSM is a highly trained expert dedicated to accompanying you in every step of the onboarding process. Your CSM will also be your personal point of contact at Agora after the onboarding is over so that you can contact them for assistance at any time. 

In the kick-off call, you will get to know your CSM, and they will learn more about your business, your specific needs, main challenges, investor workflows and more, so they can optimize the onboarding process for your company. 

Your CSM will also take you through the various steps, responsibilities, expectations, and timelines to launch your system and activate the Investor Portal. 

2. Completing the onboarding template

During the onboarding call, your CSM will walk you through filling out the onboarding template.

The template is a smart spreadsheet file where you will be asked to input your data. There are different tabs for each information type: investor information, entity information, commitment data, distributions, and more.

The template helps you concentrate the data in an organized way and ensures the data is recorded accurately: accurate and correct information is marked green, and errors are marked in red, with an explanation for what needs fixing.

If you are switching over from companies like Juniper Square, Syndication Pro, or Appfolio, our team will work with you to import your data from your previous software onto Agora. 

3. Implementation and review

After you’ve filled out the template, your CSM will take it from there and ensure all your data is uploaded to Agora and sorted accurately. This process can take a few days or up to a few weeks – depending on how accurate and organized your existing data is. 

During this stage, there may be some back-and-forth communication between you and your CSM to address any questions they may have about your data, after which you will review the implemented data on the platform.

3. Personalization

Once you’ve reviewed and approved the data, you can personalize the system and the Investor Portal with your logo, branding, and color schemes, as well as upload additional content you want to share with your investors through the portal.

This includes:

• Photos of projects and assets.
• Descriptions of projects and assets.
• Deal-level documents (reports, information about the project, etc.)
• Personal documents (K-1s, subscription agreements, etc.)
• Deal metrics.

Our CSM will guide you through this process. 

5. Launch

Once all of your information is in the system, you are ready to launch! Your CSM will ensure everything is in order one final time before you invite your investors to your portal. Your investors will get an invite link through to their email inbox. 

Once the investors are invited to the portal, you can communicate with them effectively through the Agora platform, from daily communication and requests to sharing documents, quarterly updates, distributions, capital calls, and more.

6. Training and education

Your CSM at Agora will help you learn how to utilize the software in your day-to-day activity and make the most of it. The training process starts with the onboarding, but Agora’s customer success team will continue the training as needed, to ensure you and your team know how to utilize the software.

Additionally, you have access to a rich knowledge center where you can learn about all of the features Agora has to offer. 

We are actively updating our customers about new features and capabilities with bimonthly newsletters, including detailed videos explaining how to use the new features. 

From kick-off to launch

The onboarding process usually takes 6-8 weeks from the kick-off call to launch. Your CSM is with you every step of the way, ensuring your onboarding is as swift and friction-free as possible, so you’ll be ready to start taking advantage of your software to streamline your investment operations, boost your fundraising process, and foster investor relations in no time. 

Agora’s onboarding experience – designed to promote your success

Agora’s onboarding process offers an unparalleled experience to its customers, with the combination of a tailored workflow, expert personnel and a white-glove approach. 

Here’s a small selection of G2 customer reviews addressing the onboarding experience and Agora’s award-winning customer success team: 

• “The onboarding process was very smooth. Agora took care of everything and provided us with ongoing training with a designated account manager which was always available.” 
• “Agora’s customer service has been amazing throughout our onboarding process!” 
• “A Boutique and personalized approach from onboarding through day to day usage”

You can read all G2 reviews here. 

Want to learn more about Agora’s onboarding process?

Author

Hana Gruzman

Hana Gruzman is a Customer Success Manager at Agora and a product onboarding expert.

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