Welcome to Gunderson Direct!

How we’ve rethought onboarding our new clients

If you work with agencies, you’ve been there before. The agency principals present the agency, the great work they’ve done, strategic insights on how they’ll drive your business and, of course, an SOW. You get it. Your management is pumped. You sign on the dotted line.

Now the pressure is on for the agency to deliver — and you’re the focal point.

Step one — you get an email from someone you don’t know. Let’s call her Stacy. It starts with “Hi, I’m your AE and I’ll be working on your business….” That big picture SOW is now down to the everyday, and you just got an email from a new point person you’ve never met. What’s it going to be like working everyday with Stacy — and the whole agency service team?

How we made onboarding better

Nothing against account executives named Stacy. AEs named Stacy, Courtney, James and Mike are the backbone of the agency business. But that necessary handoff needs work.

We want our clients to feel great about our company and everyone who touches their business. Getting off to the right start is critical to earning your trust and putting you at ease.

So, we revised step one here at Gunderson Direct. You’ll get a phone call, instead of an email, from one of our talented account execs. Then she’ll send you the Gunderson Direct Client Onboarding Guide.

The first step to great client service

Direct mail is exceptionally process-oriented. It can be perplexing to the uninitiated and that can lead to assumptions on both sides that can cause headaches if we’re not all on the same page. Our onboarding guide provides a high-level explanation of our processes — what we do, why and when. It’s based on years of experience and hundreds of DM projects. More experienced DM clients will also find relief that we’ve got it covered, or come back to us with their preferences. Great service is our goal and always a work in progress. So, when clients or vendors can help us improve, we’re all ears.

You hire us to help you meet your business goals through the mail channel. But, also to make your life easier because you’ve probably got other marketing tasks on your plate (and direct mail can be very time consuming). We recognize that and want to make sure the relationship gets off on the right foot.

Take a look for yourself

Our Onboarding Guide is available to anyone. Why are we making it public? One of our company values is to Seek Good Karma:

“One truth seems universal: the universe is a boomerang and what you put out comes back. Be kind, and kindness will happen to you. Make someone laugh, and you’ll soon find yourself laughing. Make your clients successful, and you’ll become successful yourself.” 

So, in the interest of karma, we’re putting our guide out there for all. Maybe it will give you some insight to help your company’s onboarding process. Maybe you have some ideas for us. We’re interested in what you think, so look it over and let us know.

Finally, if you like it, share it and seek some good karma of your own.

Enjoy!