What steps are involved in onboarding at Mavlers for a dedicated model association?

So, you are a brand/agency owner with a consistent inflow of digital marketing work that needs to be outsourced to focus on your core business processes effectively. 

In your endeavor to circle in on the right-fit partner agency, you have been scouring the internet and reviewing sites, looking for the one that will best meet your needs at affordable rates. 

You might have encountered Mavlers at some point and discovered that engaging with Mavlers comes with the option of three different models that are built to suit different client needs. 

So, you have an expected volume of work that amounts to a minimum of eighty hours of tasks per month and extends for at least 6 to 12 months, and the dedicated model fits you like a glove! 

Now, you have decided to hire a dedicated resource from Mavlers’ pool of professionals. What next?

Today in the house, we have Dharti Joshi, our Assistant Manager (Managed Services), who will guide you through the details of the onboarding process and what to expect for a dedicated model engagement with Mavlers.

Pre-onboarding preparation

• Requirement gathering questionnaire
• Requirement understanding call
• Pricing/quotation
• Execution team analysis & allocation/replacement
• Getting the contracts signed 
• Sharing the date of commencement of the contract with the client

Onboarding process overview

• Introducing the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and members of the Execution Team (dedicated resource/s) to the client
• Kick-off meeting with the client

Frequently asked questions

Towards the end of this blog, you will have gained clarity on everything that comes after signing the contracts and getting the allocated dedicated resources for your firm before the execution begins. You will also gain clarity on the pre-onboarding process at Mavlers. 

Let’s set the ball rolling, people!

Source

Pre-onboarding preparation

To give you an overview of the pre-onboarding process before diving into the details, we get on a call with you to understand the following:

• Nature and industry niche of your end clients
• Since when have you been associated with your end clients
• Your expectations with the results and deliverables
• If you already have a marketing team in place or not
• The nature of the job you want us to execute 
• Your preferred communication channels (Skype, Slack, Gmail, etc.) for coordinating internally with the allocated resources
• Your preferred or internal project management system (PMS), if any
• If you’d like your dedicated talent/resource to communicate with your end client or not

The aim of clarifying all these concerns is to help us engage with and serve you better. Let’s now check out the actual steps involved in the pre-onboarding process.

Requirement gathering questionnaire

When you reach out to Mavlers either by filling out a form on our website for a specific service or by contacting us directly through email or phone, our sales team professionals will send you a pre-sales questionnaire to help us understand your needs better. 

You can check out the sample questionnaire links for the following services here;

• SEO
• SEM

Requirement understanding call

Once you fill out the questionnaire and send it to us, we will schedule a call with you to gain a deeper, more detailed understanding of your business and requirements. 

On this call, you can expect your dedicated Account Manager (AM) and Subject Matter Expert (SME) to ask probing questions to understand your exact requirements and decide the right engagement model for you.

Pricing/quotation

Once both parties agree on the dedicated association, we share our Master Rate Card to give you a tentative idea of the pricing of the different services we offer at Mavlers. 

Please note that the final prices will depend on the scope of work (SOW) you share. 

Execution team analysis & allocation/replacement

Once you are comfortable with the pricing, the SME begins the process of matching the right talent from the team to meet your unique requirements. 

While the SME takes utmost care in offering the best-suited dedicated resource, we also have processes in place to cater to replacement requests. 

We request a month to cater to replacement requests from you or the allocated team members.

If the resource(Platform/bench) is not performing well, we share feedback with them for two months to discuss the scope of improvement. Even after that, if they don’t improve, SMEs need to replace the talent.

Getting the contracts signed

Once you are satisfied with the allocated resource/s and the pricing, we begin the process of getting the contracts signed.

The Account Manager (AM) sends you copies of the requisite legal documents (Non-Disclosure Agreement, Non-Solicitation Agreement, Scope of Work, and Service Level Agreement).

Please note that the execution of the tasks highlighted in the SOW will begin after you sign the shared contracts. 

Sharing the date of commencement of the contract with the client

Once the legalities are resolved, the subject matter expert will disclose the contract’s commencement date by considering the execution team’s (resource’s) availability.

Onboarding process overview

We will now look into the steps involved in the onboarding process.

Introducing the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and members of the Execution Team (dedicated resource/s) to the client

The allocated resources responsible for execution and the subject matter expert will get on a call with you to ease into the process seamlessly.

Kick-off meeting with you (the client)

The AM will be accountable for scheduling a kick-off call with you at least one day before the contract start date. 

The SME and execution team members (allocated resources) will understand your brief properly and will ask the right questions on the kick-off call in case of any doubts. 

Frequently asked questions

Let’s now get down to answering frequently asked questions regarding the dedicated model association with Mavlers. With this comprehensive list, we hope to quell some or most of your concerns!

Q1. How can I know for sure that the allocated resources and the SME are the best fit for me?

We ask you to share your job description to clarify your unique requirements and expected skill set for the resource. 

Based on the shared requirements, the SME begins the process of vetting and identifying the best-suited talent for your needs. 

We will send you the resource’s profile, which will highlight their years of experience, the industries they have worked with, client testimonials, etc. 

Here’s a sneak peek into the matchmaking process followed internally by the SME to give you only the right talent!

• The SME matches the resources’s availability along with their technical skill set in accordance with your unique requirements.
• The shortlisted resource should have good communication skills
• Screen the profiles for the team and choose the best match
• Look at the functional issues to see if we have any
• The resource should have good experience working in the past for other clients
• The SME conducts a quick Q&A session with the talent to understand if they are indeed the best match

This entire process is tailored to match our repertoire of talents with the skill set you desire without you having to go through multiple profiles and interview them individually. 

You can also interact with the allocated resources one-on-one to determine whether they are a good fit for your firm.

Q2. What is the role of the SME?

The SME is responsible for matchmaking the talent from our team, keeping your bill rate in mind.

They are also responsible for ensuring the optimal performance of the execution team and looking into resolving resource replacement requests raised by you or the execution team members. 

The SME will be responsible for sharing the monthly feedback form with you on the 7th of every month to get requisite feedback on your allocated dedicated resource/s. 

In addition to the above, they also have the following roles and responsibilities;

• SMEs must have complete knowledge of your business and your objectives/expectations
• They must schedule daily 15-minute standups with each individual in a team to judge the progress
• They will get on a call with you once a week/biweekly to get feedback on their work
• They are responsible for ensuring the timely completion of the decided KPIs
• They must ensure that each team member follows all the internal and client processes and checklists.
• SMEs have to check hours sheets for all the talents every Monday and ensure that it is updated
• They also have to inform you in case of any inconsistency or error in the ongoing campaigns or accounts. 

Q3. Do you offer any free trial period in which I can test the resources’ compatibility with my business processes?

Yes, we offer a 7-day free trial during which you can check and judge the resources’ execution capabilities and alignment with your business objectives. 

Q4. What if the dedicated talent is not performing as per my expectations?

Though the SME is responsible for selecting and vetting the resource credentials before suggesting them to you, in case of any discontent with the talent’s performance, the SME is your first point of contact. 

If after three or more negative feedback from you and the SME also feels that the resource is not improving tier performance, we replace the talent at no extra cost. 

Q5. What measures are in place to ensure resource efficiency and productivity?

The SME is responsible for ensuring the quality of the submitted deliverables. We also have time monitoring systems to ensure optimal performance and productivity of the hired resource. 

Monthly KPI feedback reports are also maintained and sent to you to ensure alignment between progress and desired results.

Q6. How do you manage the resources’ planned and unplanned leaves? How do you manage hours? What if an urgent task comes up?

Here’s an insight into the leave policy we have at Mavlers for our dedicated resources;

• The appointed Talent(s) will work 8 hours daily, including 30 minutes of break time. 
• The Talent(s) is entitled to 20 paid leaves every year, including regional and public holidays. The Talent will apply for the paid leave on prior notice (7 days prior) and get it approved by the Client. Three or more days of continued leave must be applied 15 days before the commencement of the leave.
• Every year, the Talent is entitled to public holidays as per the Indian Festivals.

Please note that this is a general list of holidays and may not apply to all the assigned talent. Mavlers will inform the client of any change in the talent holiday schedule accordingly. However, if the client requires the Talent to work during these holidays, they need to request a change in public holidays at least one month in advance, and Mavlers shall try to accommodate that by coordinating with the Talent.

We at Mavlers are committed to ensuring the seamless and timely execution of your tasks irrespective of the leaves the dedicated resource applies for. So you can be assured that your needs will be catered to in one way or another, and your timelines will not bear the brunt of it. 

Q7. How are we at Mavlers so confident in selecting the right talent for you?

The reasons behind why we are supremely confident in matching you with the right talent are multi-pronged.

• Our teams and resources hold vast and varied experience in terms of years, clientele served, and industries catered to
• We have multiple profiles to choose from with diverse achievements and experience. This helps us cross-verify the different profiles
• We maintain a record of every resource’s testimonials, escalations, and achievements

The road ahead

Now that you are familiar with the onboarding process, you might want to understand why the dedicated model is seemingly priced higher than other engagement models at Mavlers.