How should I organize onboarding on Vome?

How should I organize onboarding on Vome?

Overview

Onboarding on Vome starts after someone submits an application form. From there they are placed into a sequence, which is the step-by-step process that carries them from applicant to ready to work.

There are three ways someone lands in a sequence:

  • A question-level automation, triggered by a specific answer on the form.
  • A form-level automation, triggered by the submission itself.
  • A manual assignment by an administrator.

Which one you use depends on how much screening you do before letting someone through.

Please note: because the application already happened, the first step of a sequence is normally not the application. Start the sequence at whatever comes next.

1. What should I decide before building?

Four questions:

  • Will everyone follow the same onboarding path, or do different groups need different ones?
  • Which steps should the person see, and which are internal to your team?
  • Where do you genuinely need an administrator to review before someone continues?
  • Where can people move themselves forward without waiting on you?

These four answers determine your steps, your notifications and your automation settings. Deciding them first saves rebuilding later.

2. What can a step do?

Every step either gives information, collects information, or both. Vome offers twelve types:

Step typeUse it to
File UploadCollect a document: a signed agreement, a certification, proof of eligibility.
InterviewExplain an interview, or let someone book one.
OrientationDeliver orientation information or track an orientation requirement.
TrainingDeliver training content, often with guides or handouts attached.
Fillable PDFHave someone complete a PDF in Vome. You upload a blank PDF and design the fields.
Fillable FormRun an existing Vome form inside the sequence.
VideoShare a welcome video, policy overview or recording. Vome can track whether it was watched.
ChecklistGroup several smaller items as sub-steps, each with its own status plus a master status.
CourseRun a published course from the Courses module, with progress, results, pass or fail, certificates and credential expiry tracked automatically. Requires Enterprise or Ultimate.
CustomAnything the other types do not fit.
Background CheckScreen through the Sterling Volunteers integration.
E-LearningConnect your LMS through SCORM Cloud and sync completion back to Vome.

For the detail on configuring any of these, see How do Sequences work on Vome?

3. Which steps should people see?

Each step is separately visible or hidden, and using both kinds well is the difference between a tidy sequence and a confusing one.

Visible steps are for anything the person has to do: read something, watch something, upload a document, complete a form, book an interview.

Internal steps are for your team: reviewing a submission, confirming eligibility, verifying a document, or any manual checkpoint before someone moves on.

When somebody is sitting on an internal step, they do not see its contents. They see a placeholder telling them there is nothing to do and that they will be notified when the next step is ready. So you can add as many internal checkpoints as your process needs without cluttering their view.

4. Should steps advance automatically or wait for review?

Both, depending on the step. That is the point of configuring them individually.

Per step you can allow someone to complete the task themselves, have the step mark itself complete, and have the sequence move them to the next step automatically. Or you can require an administrator to review and advance it by hand.

The practical gain is fewer emails. A typical loop looks like this:

  1. Someone uploads a document.
  2. An administrator is notified to review that step.
  3. The administrator marks it complete.
  4. The person is moved to the next step and notified it is ready.

Nobody had to write a message.

5. One sequence or several?

Most organizations start with one and grow into several.

Use one sequence whenUse several when
Everyone follows the same path, the same steps apply to all, and the process is simple.Different groups need different steps: adults and minors, different regions or locations, different roles or programs.

A common shape is one sequence for adults, one for minors, and one per location where the requirements genuinely differ.

6. Can someone go through more than one sequence?

Yes, and this is where sequences earn their keep beyond onboarding.

Somebody might complete general onboarding, then later be assigned a second sequence for a specific opportunity, then later again a third for an extra qualification or a renewal.

A sequence is really a process management tool. It is not limited to the start of someone's time with you. Assign one whenever you need to walk a person through a defined set of steps: qualification for an opportunity, post-approval requirements, role-specific training, annual renewals.

Summary

  • Onboarding begins after the application form, not with it.
  • People reach a sequence by question-level automation, form-level automation, or manual assignment.
  • Give every step one clear purpose.
  • Separate what the person does from what your team does, using visible and internal steps.
  • Require review only where it matters, and let the rest advance on its own.
  • Split into several sequences when groups genuinely differ, not by default.
  • Sequences work at any stage, not just the beginning.

Where to go next