On day one, a single app can become a roadblock
Email and Teams sign-in require multifactor authentication (MFA), but new hires may not know which app to download or how to configure it. Previously, they relied on verbal explanations, written SOPs or help from HR and Admin. Without knowing whom to ask, they could stop, move to another task and miss a step. CC and Ian of Team 3 wanted to give new hires a clear path through onboarding.
Map the steps first, then add help with questions
The team combined HR and Admin onboarding tasks, documents, emails and app setup into a step-by-step HTML guide. New hires follow the steps in order instead of reading a long SOP and working out what comes next. A chatbot adds explanations of app purposes, common questions and where to get help.
The implementation led the team to a practical sequence: confirm the page content and user journey, build the pages, then handle deployment and chatbot embedding. Each tool now supports the action the new hire needs to complete at that moment.
The last page was reached, but HR never received the email
The original page already included a button to generate a draft email that new hires could send to HR and Admin. In actual use, however, completion emails did not arrive as expected. The team found that new hires often assumed reaching the last page meant they were done, without generating the draft and sending the notification.
The team added an explicit reminder to the final page and a prompt to send the email in chatbot responses. Missing notifications to HR and Admin became a signal to review the workflow. Completion changed from an assumption in the designer's mind to an action visible to the user.
With the guide in use, staff focus on final checks
The HTML guide is now used by new hires. The team estimates that assistance per person fell from about 10–15 minutes to 3–5 minutes. These figures are based on use of the HTML guide, not a formal time study. HR and Admin have shifted from walking people through every step to checking documents and completion notifications. New hires have a self-service reference, and those taking over have clear final checks.
Before and after: how the work changed
Compare the same work steps to see the roles of tools and people.
| Work step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding guidance | HR and Admin explain the process verbally or ask new hires to read a lengthy written SOP. | Onboarding tasks, documents, emails and app setup are combined in a step-by-step HTML guide that new hires follow in order. |
| MFA and app setup | New hires may be unsure of the steps or download the wrong app and need to ask colleagues for help. | Pages provide setup steps; the chatbot explains app purposes and where to get help. The frequency of actual difficulties still needs observation. |
| Completion notification | A draft-generation button existed, but new hires could stop at the last page without sending a notification. | The final page and chatbot explicitly remind users to send the email as part of completion. Whether this reduces missed notifications still needs verification. |
| Staff assistance | HR and Admin guide new hires step by step, taking about 10–15 minutes each. | Staff check documents and completion notifications, taking about 3–5 minutes each. Both figures are team estimates based on use of the HTML version. |
Applying this experience to your own work
The comparison uses assistance-time estimates from the HTML version. Whether reminders reduce missed emails, and the chatbot's separate benefits, still need observation. Other teams can adopt the key practice: make every step and completion condition explicit, then keep improving from signals such as missing items and repeated requests for help.