Remote Onboarding - My Showpad Start

I have been heads-down over the last 2 weeks following my start here at Showpad and I wanted to share my experience

First of all, you might be wondering how on-boarding is being handled given the lack of travel where normally all the European new hires would go to the headquarters in beautiful Ghent.  

Of course this has been done remotely, with my "new office" being delivered, ready to start first thing with IT setting up VPN, email, application access and so on. Once we were set-up we had a thorough session on Security and Privacy - I was impressed by how seriously Showpad take this responsibility.

Enablement Platform

Then we moved into Showpad University - an experience that the enablement team have built out using, you guessed it, Showpad.  It delivers learning paths that guide me through recordings, demo's and presentations that are designed to orientate us to the company, the mission, and the offerings.

I really like the self-paced nature of this method - it meant that I could pause or rewind to make sure that I really understood what was being delivered. And given the hands-on nature of my role, it meant that I could follow along and try things out myself in my own sandbox.  

Applying The Learning

One of the great capabilities of Showpad that I benefited from is PitchIQ - this tested my understanding AND my ability to apply that knowledge by requiring me to record myself giving a pitch, which can then be reviewed by my peers, managers and coaches. The ability to hone my spiel in a safe place means that I can spot all the "ums," "you knows," and "likes" that creep in, as well as ensuring that I am actually delivering the right message.

PitchIQ - makes sure that your sellers aren't practicing on their prospects

This is supplemented by MeetingIQ, our conversational intelligence solution, that records Zoom meetings (with consent, of course) allowing me to virtually shadow actual calls so that I learn how the team approach initial calls, discovery calls, presentations, demo's etc. This has allowed me to see the the product/messaging/skills that I have learned about put into actual practice, and has been really helpful.

Staying Connected

Of course, the downside of remote on-boarding is that you don't get the same opportunity to get to know your new colleagues - whether that's the cohort that are joining with you, or the people that you are going to work with. But Showpad have a great, open culture that fully embrace tools like Zoom and make time to connect with each other - that has made the whole process much more welcoming and supportive.

The Showpad Advantage!

Now that I am half-way in to my official on-boarding journey, I am comfortable reporting that not only is it possible to have a successful and engaging remote on-boarding experience, there are many advantages IF it's done the right way - and Showpad is definitely the right way.