Transforming Client Success for 250+ Enterprise Accounts

Increased retention by 18%, reduced churn by 20%, and uncovered new growth opportunities through DEIB-informed onboarding, strategic success reviews, and transparent executive engagement.

The Challenge

At Prairie Benefits Solutions, a benefits consulting firm helping small and medium businesses create competitive employee benefits programs, we noticed retention slipping.

While clients valued the brokerage’s industry expertise, onboarding experiences were inconsistent across accounts, and stakeholder engagement varied by relationship manager.

• New clients weren’t always clear on processes, timelines, or escalation paths.
• Key decision-makers often only engaged during renewals or issues, limiting growth opportunities.

What worried me most wasn’t just the churn metrics, it was the missed opportunities to strengthen relationships that could deepen trust and expand the business.

Root Cause Analysis

Through stakeholder interviews, internal reviews, and client feedback sessions, I uncovered three key issues:

• Unclear Onboarding Process: No standardized, transparent process for new clients; quality depended on individual relationship managers.
• Inconsistent Engagement Rhythm: Some accounts received proactive check-ins, others only heard from us at renewal.
• No Centralized Executive Visibility: Leadership lacked a consolidated view of client health or engagement trends across all accounts.

This wasn’t just about processes, it was about trust, consistency, and visibility.

The Turning Point

I convened a Client Experience Task Force — bringing together relationship managers, operations, and leadership.

We ran listening sessions with high-retention accounts to understand what worked well, and with at-risk accounts to pinpoint friction.

• High-retention accounts valued clarity, proactive engagement, and being heard.
• At-risk accounts felt they were “sold to” at the start and left on their own until renewal.

These conversations shaped a transformation plan built on inclusion, active listening, and co-created solutions.

The Implementation

The transformation had three pillars:

1. DEIB-Informed Onboarding
   • Created a standardized onboarding playbook with inclusive language and processes designed to meet diverse client needs.
   • Introduced welcome sessions with both HR and leadership teams to align benefits strategy with organizational goals.
2. Structured Success Reviews
   • Quarterly success reviews tracked KPIs (claims utilization, employee engagement with benefits, satisfaction surveys).
   • Included proactive recommendations based on industry benchmarks to add strategic value.
3. Executive Engagement Dashboards
   • Built dashboards for leadership showing account health, engagement trends, and risk signals.
   • Enabled proactive outreach before renewal conversations.

The Results

• Retention Increased by 18% – Standardized onboarding and ongoing reviews reduced early disengagement.
• Churn Reduced by 20% – Proactive engagement built trust and strengthened long-term relationships.
• New Growth Opportunities Identified – Success reviews uncovered cross-sell opportunities in diverse accounts.

The implementation plan delivered business value because:

• Inclusion built trust : Clients felt the onboarding process reflected their unique contexts.
• Visibility enabled action: Dashboards gave leadership data to intervene early.
• Consistency created stability: Relationship managers had a shared framework to deliver value consistently.

Reflection

This transformation reminded me that systems thinking in client success is about people as much as processes.

By listening deeply, building inclusive frameworks, and creating shared visibility, we didn’t just reduce churn, we rebuilt the foundation for long-term partnerships.

This program is one of the perfect examples for executive decision-making that balances operational structure with emotional intelligence to achieve sustainable growth, because it is only with valued customers, and team that business value can be delivered.