The first weeks at a company are the highest-leverage period for employee experience, and the existing model was underdelivering. Critical information like compliance deadlines, benefits enrollment, and platform access was fragmented across emails, scattered documents, and calendar invites. The onboarding team was manually tracking readiness in a shared Google Sheet, individually emailing managers to remind them about outstanding tasks (assign a buddy, complete outreach, build a 30/60/90 day plan), and manually checking whether each item was done before Day 1.
For each cohort, sometimes 10+ starters at once across multiple offices, this meant dozens of manual check-ins and last-minute scrambles when items fell through the cracks. New starters had no single destination for their onboarding information. The experience depended on someone actively holding it together, not a system that worked by design. As the company scaled, the manual coordination model was breaking.
Using Claude, the team built a full-stack onboarding platform as a Google Apps Script web app connected directly to the existing tracker spreadsheet. The system serves two distinct, personalized dashboards from a single URL, plus an automated email system that replaced all manual follow-ups.
A personalized portal that surfaces on Day 1 showing their start date, department, location, manager, assigned buddy, and 30/60/90 day plan link. Below that, a Day 1 session checklist and a self-serve content section guide them through their first week with async session recordings (with completion checkboxes that persist), location-specific slide decks, and orientation feedback submission. Everything a new starter needs in one branded destination.
A readiness dashboard showing each of the manager's upcoming new starters with inline forms to assign a buddy, mark outreach as complete, link a 30/60/90 day plan, and confirm desk assignment. Every action writes directly back to the source spreadsheet in real time and automatically reflects on the new starter's dashboard. Edit buttons allow corrections without contacting the onboarding team. The dashboard is designed to eliminate the need for managers to open the tracker spreadsheet at all.
A daily trigger fires manager reminder emails at 14 days and 7 days before each starter's first day, but only when items are still outstanding. Each email includes a summary of pending actions, the full checklist, and direct links to the dashboard and resource guides. A separate trigger alerts the onboarding team if any starter is arriving the next day with incomplete items, so manual intervention only happens as a last resort.
Welcome to Rokt, Jamie 👋
Starting May 12, 2026
Day 1 — Sessions
People Team Orientation
Welcome to the company — culture, values, and how we work.
View slides →
Security 101
Security fundamentals and best practices.
View slides →
Tech Setup
Getting your laptop, accounts, and tools up and running.
View setup guide →
This Week — Watch in Your Own Time
Benefits Overview
Your benefits package and enrollment guidance.
Watch recording → View slides →
AI Readiness
How the company approaches AI — tools, principles, and how to get started.
Watch recording → View slides →
Product Deep Dive
Deep dive into the value proposition, products, and platform.
Watch recording → View slides →
Share Your Feedback
How was your orientation experience? Please take a few minutes to share your feedback by the end of the week.
New Starter view — personalized dashboard with Day 1 sessions, async materials, and feedback. Visuals are representative mockups built with anonymized data to protect employee privacy.
Hi Sarah 👋
You have 2 new starters arriving soon
Your New Starters — Action Checklist
Jamie Rodriguez
Starts May 12, 2026Engineering · New York City
Assign Onboarding Buddy
This will be visible to Jamie on their dashboard
Complete New Starter Outreach
Build and link 30/60/90 day plan
Once saved, Jamie will see a direct link on their dashboard
Assign preferred desk
Resources
Manager view — action checklist with inline forms that write back to the tracker. Visuals are representative mockups built with anonymized data to protect employee privacy.
Google Apps Script (Code.gs + Index.html), deployed as a web app authenticated via Google SSO
Google Sheets as source of truth, with migration path to HRIS API
GmailApp with HTML body, branded templates with inline logo, direct dashboard links, and resource guides
Google SSO (automatic via Apps Script), permission-scoped writes so managers can only edit their own starters
Two time-based daily triggers (manager reminders at 14/7 days, plus day-before alert to onboarding team) — emails only send when items are outstanding
The New Starter Hub eliminated the manual coordination loop entirely. Managers now complete onboarding readiness tasks from a single dashboard without ever opening the tracker spreadsheet. Every change syncs back automatically and reflects on the new starter's dashboard in real time. The automated email cadence replaced individual follow-up messages and manual reminders. Outstanding items surface automatically, and the onboarding team only intervenes when the day-before alert flags something still open.
For new starters, Day 1 went from "here are 8 links in an email" to a single branded dashboard with everything they need, personalized to their location and cohort. The first pilot ran in March 2026, with full rollout to all cohorts targeted by end of Q2.
Starters managed
Auto email touchpoints
Manual follow-ups needed
Spreadsheet access for managers