New Team Members? Don’t Just Throw Them In – Onboard Them Right!
If you're bringing on new staff for tax season, handing them a login and hoping for the best is not enough. You need a structured onboarding process that sets them up for success, saving you time, stress, and costly mistakes. Here’s how to create a smooth onboarding experience for your new tax pros, VAs, or admin team: Step 1: Prepare Before They Start Set up their software access (Tax software, CRM, email, portals). Create an onboarding packet or welcome folder with everything they need: Job expectations Team calendar Training guides & login credentials Communication channels Step 2: First Week = Foundation Use their first week to: Walk them through your company's mission, goals, and culture. Explain your client process from lead to filed return. Assign them a mentor or team lead they can go to with questions. Schedule short daily check-ins to answer questions and build confidence. Step 3: Train, Test, Repeat Provide hands-on training with your software, client scripts, and workflow. Give them real tasks (with supervision) so they learn by doing. Test their knowledge and provide feedback early and often. Use tools like Google Drive, Loom videos, or ClickUp to organize training materials and track their progress. A strong onboarding process builds confidence, reduces turnover, and keeps your office running smoothly during peak season. Building a team next season and not sure where to start? Let us know in the comments section, and we’ll share some onboarding tips that have worked wonders for us!