Customer onboarding automation for an Australian consumer electronics brand
SSDL helped an Australian consumer electronics brand automate its new trade customer onboarding process, connecting website enquiries, sales handovers, trade reference requests, finance approvals and customer account updates.
For a business supplying products to trade customers, onboarding is an important part of establishing a new commercial relationship. Before an account can become active, the business needs to collect customer information, assess the application, obtain trade references and approve the appropriate trading arrangements.
Our customer had a defined process, but managing it involved substantial repetitive administration. Each application required staff to send emails, chase responses, complete forms, update systems and coordinate the next step between sales and finance.
The brand approached SSDL to reduce this manual workload and create a more consistent onboarding experience.
The challenge: one application, multiple teams and repeated administration
The existing process began when a prospective customer submitted an enquiry through the website. The sales team assessed the enquiry and, where appropriate, invited the customer to apply for a trade account.
From there, the application moved through several stages:
The customer supplied business details and trade references.
Sales completed the internal account request information.
Finance collected references and completed the required credit assessment.
Credit limits and payment terms were reviewed and approved.
Customer records were created or updated in the relevant business systems.
Sales received the outcome and arranged the customer’s welcome communication.
Although the steps were familiar, each new application created another round of manual work.
Staff needed to keep track of outstanding references, remember when to follow up and ensure the right information reached the next person. Customer details also needed to move between forms, emails and business systems.
An application could be waiting for a reference, an internal response or an approval. Keeping it moving required someone to check its progress and take action.
The business wanted to automate these routine tasks across the complete onboarding journey.
SSDL’s approach: understand the process before building the automation
SSDL worked with the customer’s sales and finance teams to map the process from the first website enquiry through to account approval and customer communication.
We reviewed what triggered each stage, which information was required, who needed to act and what should happen next. This included the different paths an application could take depending on the outcome of the reference checks and finance assessment.
Understanding these dependencies was essential. Sending an automated email would only address one task. The broader opportunity was to connect the entire process so that information, requests and notifications moved between the customer, their references and the internal teams.
The workflow incorporated the business’s existing assessment and approval requirements, with automation handling the administration around those decisions.
The solution: a connected customer onboarding workflow
SSDL created a new webform and automated the steps linking customer applications, sales activity, trade references, finance review and system updates.
Structured online customer applications
The new webform gave prospective customers a structured way to provide the information needed for onboarding.
Capturing business details and trade reference contacts at the application stage provided a consistent starting point for the workflow. That information could then be used in subsequent requests and system updates, reducing repeated data entry.
Automated sales handovers
The workflow directed application information and internal requests to the appropriate sales team member.
This connected the customer-facing application with the internal sales information required for the next stage. Staff no longer needed to manually coordinate every handover through a separate email.
Automated trade reference requests
Collecting trade references had been a repetitive part of the process. For each application, someone needed to contact the nominated references and follow up on outstanding responses.
SSDL automated the sending of trade reference requests to the contacts supplied by the applicant. Reference information then flowed into the onboarding process for finance review.
This removed the need to prepare and send each request manually and helped keep reference collection connected to the relevant application.
Reminders and follow-up actions
Automated reminders supported outstanding responses and internal actions.
Instead of relying on staff to remember every follow-up, the workflow prompted the next required action. This reduced the administrative effort involved in keeping applications moving between stages.
Finance assessment and approval routing
The process brought customer details, sales information and trade reference responses into the finance review stage.
Credit assessments, requested credit limits and payment terms remained part of the business’s approval process. Automation supported the routing of information and communication of outcomes, including applications that were approved and those that did not proceed.
CRM and customer account updates
Customer information flowed through to the relevant CRM and account systems as the application progressed.
Connecting system updates with the onboarding workflow reduced the need for staff to transfer the same information repeatedly. It also linked account setup with the application’s progress and approval outcome.
Outcome notifications and welcome communication
The final stages connected the onboarding outcome with sales notifications and customer communication.
Approved applications progressed through account setup and the welcome stage. Applications that did not proceed followed the relevant outcome communication path.
This completed the workflow from the initial enquiry through to the final customer response.
The outcome: less repetitive work across sales and finance
The business moved from a process requiring repeated manual coordination to a connected, automated onboarding workflow.
Routine reference requests, reminders, handovers and system updates became part of the process rather than separate tasks for staff to manage each time.
The practical benefits included:
Less repetitive administration: Staff spent less time preparing routine emails, chasing actions and transferring information.
More consistent processing: Applications followed a defined workflow with the required information and approval stages.
Better coordination between teams: Sales and finance received the information and notifications needed for their part of the process.
Reduced dependence on individual follow-up: Reminders and workflow triggers supported outstanding actions.
A more consistent customer experience: Application requests, follow-ups and outcome communications formed part of one connected journey.
With more of the administration automated, the team could focus on assessing applications, making commercial decisions and supporting new customers.
What other Australian businesses can learn from this project
Customer onboarding is a strong candidate for business process automation when the same tasks occur for every new application.
Common signs include repeated data entry, standard email requests, multiple internal handovers and staff spending time checking who needs to act next.
This case study demonstrates how automation can connect those tasks into a complete workflow. The opportunity extends beyond the application form to include reference collection, reminders, approval routing, CRM updates and customer communication.
The starting point is understanding the business process: what information is required, where decisions happen and how each stage connects to the next.
Talk to SSDL about business process automation
SSDL is a Melbourne-based IT services provider supporting Australian businesses. We work with your team to understand how your business operates and identify practical ways technology can reduce administration and improve productivity.
If customer onboarding, internal approvals or repeated data entry are taking up your team’s time, we can help you explore an automated workflow suited to your business through our IT consulting services.
Contact SSDL to discuss customer onboarding and business process automation.