If you're a sales enablement professional, you likely already know how important it is to have a clear structure when onboarding new salespeople. To develop and retain the best talent, it's essential that they have a smooth onboarding process and that they quickly feel a sense of belonging in their new organization.
But what if your company isn't set up in a way that makes this process easy?
If your onboarding process involves multiple departments, it is important that there is documentation that outlines onboarding tasks and responsibilities. That's where a RACI matrix can come in to solve for this problem.
It can be difficult to get everyone on board with the idea of RACIs, especially if there aren't any other departments doing them successfully. To help clarify what exactly a RACI is, why you need one for your sales onboarding program, and how to use them effectively, please read on!
What is a RACI?
RACI is a project management tool that helps you manage your project. It's used to assign roles and responsibilities to the team, so everyone knows who should take the lead at each stage of the process.
The R stands for Responsible, meaning someone is ultimately responsible for getting things done.
The A stands for Accountable: anyone who needs to be held accountable by others to make sure they complete their task successfully.
The C stands for Consulted: people who need information or expertise from another member of the team before they can complete their task (i.e., "consulted with" them).
And lastly, the I stands for Informed: people who have been informed about what needs doing and provided with all necessary resources (i.e., "informed").
RACI is a simple but effective tool that can ensure that everyone in your organization understands their role and is held accountable when onboarding a new employee.
They are instrumental in sales onboarding because they create a straightforward process for roles, responsibilities, actions, and timelines.
How to build a RACI matrix for your onboarding program
Start by creating a list of tasks associated with onboarding a new hire. These tasks can be organized based on timelines or duties. Once created, assign a stakeholder to each of the functions.
Here are a few general rules that should be kept in mind when creating a RACI matrix:
Responsible and Accountable stakeholders are required for each task.
Assign only 1 Accountable stakeholder per task (They should have the authority to ensure task completion)
Try to assign no more than one role per stakeholder per task.
Keep your RACI matrix in a centralized location for all stakeholders to reference
Review the RACI matrix at least bi-annually to ensure it is up to date
Conclusion
It’s important to consider the value of RACIs in the sales onboarding process. Without them, it can be difficult to establish clear roles and responsibilities for the departments and contributors involved.
Creating specific RACI roles will create a more efficient onboarding process that allows everyone involved to perform their job successfully.
Need help getting started? Download our free Sales Onboarding RACI template from our template store.