Image: Pexels
4 Steps to Easier New Employee IT Onboarding for Your SMB
By Dave Warner, Systems Engineer at Cenetric
Onboarding a new employee doesn’t have to be chaotic, at least when it comes to their tech. Bringing on a new team member is a big change, and working with the right managed services provider can smooth out the IT part of the process.
At Cenetric, we’ve developed a clear, easy procedure for onboarding our clients’ new employees and getting them set up so that waiting for software or system log-ins doesn’t slow down what they’re there to do.
Step 1: HR fills out a quick form
We have an onboarding form for each client, customized to their unique business. The company fills out this form to provide us with the essentials like the employee’s name, job title, contact info and start date. They also share the access and permissions the new hire will need and any specific software, hardware or tools they’ll require to do their work.
Why it makes a difference: Preparing for a new hire is a big job, and many smaller companies don’t have a dedicated HR professional or team to guide the process. We make it easy to provide the information needed and take the tech setup off your to-do list, so you can focus on the rest of the onboarding duties.
Step 2: Cenetric handles the tech purchases
Once we receive the form, the client’s Cenetric account manager handles any necessary hardware or software purchases while the provisioning team gets their accounts set up well in advance of the start date.
Why it makes a difference: Letting our team handle the purchasing prevents wasted tech spend ensures your new employee has the proper tools right from the start (often at a better price through Cenetric). And letting us take care of setting up accounts and setting permissions makes sure your new hire gets access to everything they need — and nothing they don’t.)
Step 3: We handle all the prep work (securely)
Once hardware arrives, the provisioning team makes sure all the new employee’s hardware is fully configured and ready to go. This includes loading any software they’ll need, installing remote management tools (so we can manage your network and devices for you), hardening security and logging the equipment in our asset tracking systems.
Why it makes a difference: Physically unpacking and manually setting up devices, installing security tools, and loading up software isn’t a good use of your team’s time, but we can do it in a flash. The last thing you want is an IT issue keeping your new hire from getting settled in — or for your existing staff to abandon their tasks to help their new team member get on the Wi-Fi or connect to a printer. We make sure that’s all ready to go with no stress for you.
Step 4: We get your new hire settled in with their technology
Once everything’s ready to go, we either ship any devices to the end user (if they’re a remote worker) with instructions for their first login, or we arrange to meet the user at your location here in the Kansas City area and hand it off.
In either case, the final step is a 30-60 minute conversation with the end user to make sure they can get into everything, walk them through accessing systems, and show them through how to engage us for ongoing support. Struggling with unfamiliar systems and new technology creates an unwelcoming, confusing environment for new hires, so we help your SMB make them feel at home faster.
Why it makes a difference: Onboarding an employee has a long to-do list, and the tech portion is a sticking point for many smaller businesses. With help from the Cenetric pros, your new employees will be able to sit down and get to work, feeling prepared and comfortable — all without you or your team having to lift a finger.
Cenetric helps your SMB get new users ready to work faster
Bringing on a new team member should be exciting, not create a bunch of IT hassles. Let Cenetric help you figure out what you need, get it set up and start your employee out on the right foot with proper new user onboarding.
Need a helping hand with your IT for new users (or your existing team)? Cenetric has the experience and availability you need to stay running smoothly 24/7. Talk to us about your needs and we’ll be in touch quickly.