Kickoff scheduling
Kickoff meeting scheduling that sets the date for the whole plan
Kickoff meeting scheduling in OnboardingCustomers replaces the back and forth. Your team publishes available slots, the customer champion picks one in their portal, everyone receives a calendar file and a confirmation with the meeting link, and every due date in the onboarding plan is counted from that kickoff.
Kickoff with the Northwind implementation team
Times shown in your time zone, Central Time
Tue Oct 21
Wed Oct 22
Thu Oct 23
You get a calendar file and the meeting link by email right after confirming.
The ten email problem
Setting up a kickoff by email usually takes a week. The account executive introduces the implementation manager, the champion needs to check with IT, IT is out on Friday, and the proposed times expire before anyone replies.
By email
- Introduction email after the deal closes
- Implementation manager proposes three times
- Champion forwards to IT and finance
- Two times no longer work, new ones proposed
- Invite sent manually, agenda attached separately
- Plan dates edited after the meeting is fixed
In the portal
- Portal opens with booking as the first task
- Champion sees live open slots from your team
- One click books it for both sides
- Calendar file, link and agenda sent together
- Every plan date counted from the booked kickoff
- Unbooked kickoff gets an automatic nudge
Why kickoff timing matters for the rest of onboarding
Days to kickoff is the first number in any onboarding. Every day between closed-won and the kickoff is a day the customer has paid and is getting nothing, and it is also the period when buyer enthusiasm is highest. A customer who waits two weeks for a first meeting starts the project already doubting the decision.
Kickoff meeting scheduling in the portal shortens that gap because it removes the coordination, not the meeting. The champion at Northwind Logistics receives the portal link the hour the deal closes, sees five slots across the next week and picks Tuesday morning. Their IT lead and operations manager are added as attendees from the stakeholder list the AI read from the SOW.
Because templates use due dates relative to kickoff, booking Tuesday also dates the plan. Discovery tasks fall due the following week, the intake form is due two days before the discovery workshop, and the target go-live from the SOW shows whether the schedule has room or is tight from day one.
Rescheduling follows the same logic. When the champion at Kestrel Payroll moves the kickoff by three days because their controller is traveling, the new slot is picked in the portal, a fresh calendar file goes to every attendee, and the dependent dates in the plan move by three days as well. Nobody on your team edits a single row, and the CRM deal shows the updated kickoff date.
This is one of the steps that most directly shortens time to value, and it is measured in the progress reports as days to kickoff.
Availability settings
- Meeting length
- 60 minutes
- Buffer between meetings
- 15 minutes
- Booking window
- Next 10 business days
- Minimum notice
- 1 business day
- Who is offered
- Assigned implementation manager
Example settings for a mid-market SaaS onboarding team.
Arrive at the kickoff already prepared
The booking is only half of a good kickoff. The rest is what both teams know when they join.
Agenda in the invite
Attach your standard agenda to the booking so the customer knows what will be decided. Our project kickoff agenda is a good starting point.
Intake answers in hand
Request the intake form before the kickoff so the meeting confirms details instead of collecting them.
The right people invited
Stakeholders named in the SOW are suggested as attendees, so the IT lead is not missing from the first call.
Use the project kickoff agenda as the attachment and request intake forms in the same portal visit. Kickoff scheduling is included on every plan, starting with Startup at $49 per month billed yearly.
Frequently asked questions
Still deciding? Write to [email protected] and a person on our team answers.
Where do the available slots come from?
What does the customer receive after booking?
What if the customer does not book a slot?
Why are plan dates tied to the kickoff?
Can we reschedule after the slot is booked?
Let your next customer pick their kickoff slot
Create an account, set your team availability and send the next customer a portal where booking the kickoff is step one.