The problem wasn't the funnel

The problem wasn't the funnel

A diagnostic case study in cross-functional service design.

A diagnostic case study in cross-functional service design.

coach-call conversion
in the tested landing page cohort

13 → 5 min

time to book first session

at a glance.

at a glance.

My Role

Product Designer (research, UX, and cross-functional alignment)

Timeline

Jan-Aug 2023

Team

Product, Marketing, Sales, Coaching, Engineering, Data

Focus

UX Research, Funnel Analysis, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Cross-Functional Alignment

The Opportunity

Randstad RiseSmart's Worklife Coaching product connects enterprise employees with career coaches through 1:1 sessions. Coach-call conversion sat at 22% after a year in market, and enterprise clients were beginning to question renewals. The product needed to prove that employees would actually use the service.

Randstad RiseSmart's Worklife Coaching product connects enterprise employees with career coaches through 1:1 sessions. Coach-call conversion sat at 22% after a year in market, and enterprise clients were beginning to question renewals. The product needed to prove that employees would actually use the service.

The Ask

Map the onboarding funnel, find where users dropped, and recommend fixes. The charter was narrow: tighten the flow and lift conversion.

Map the onboarding funnel, find where users dropped, and recommend fixes. The charter was narrow: tighten the flow and lift conversion.

The Process

I started by researching the funnel to understand where users were dropping. My first hypothesis was that the flow was too long, and that pulling coach-call scheduling into onboarding would lift conversion. It didn't. In some smaller enterprise funnels, it made conversion drop.

Moving upstream revealed the actual problem: RiseSmart offered several career services, and coaching often got lost in the bundle, especially for clients who also bought resume writing. Each department understood coaching's value internally, but with little communication between Product, Marketing, and Sales, no one was aligned on how to frame it for users. The work expanded from funnel optimization to establishing a shared definition of coaching across every team that touched a user, and to building the cross-team communication that hadn't existed before.

I started by researching the funnel to understand where users were dropping. My first hypothesis was that the flow was too long, and that pulling coach-call scheduling into onboarding would lift conversion. It didn't. In some smaller enterprise funnels, it made conversion drop.

Moving upstream revealed the actual problem: RiseSmart offered several career services, and coaching often got lost in the bundle, especially for clients who also bought resume writing. Each department understood coaching's value internally, but with little communication between Product, Marketing, and Sales, no one was aligned on how to frame it for users. The work expanded from funnel optimization to establishing a shared definition of coaching across every team that touched a user, and to building the cross-team communication that hadn't existed before.

The Outcome

Coach-call conversion roughly doubled, from 22% to 47% in the tested landing page cohort

Time to book a first session dropped from 13 minutes to under 5

New enterprise cohorts activated at notably higher rates than the prior year

The project established a regular working rhythm between Product and Marketing that continued after it wrapped, keeping the two teams aligned on framing and future initiatives

Coach-call conversion roughly doubled, from 22% to 47% in the tested landing page cohort

Time to book a first session dropped from 13 minutes to under 5

New enterprise cohorts activated at notably higher rates than the prior year

The project established a regular working rhythm between Product and Marketing that continued after it wrapped, keeping the two teams aligned on framing and future initiatives

overview.

overview.

Randstad RiseSmart delivers career transition and workforce services to enterprise clients. Worklife Coaching connects employees with career coaches through 1:1 sessions, and enterprise contracts depended on employees actually engaging with the service.

The product was a year old and coach-call conversion sat at 22%. My initial charter was narrow: map the onboarding funnel, find where users dropped, and recommend fixes. It became a much larger question about what the service was and who was responsible for making that clear.

Randstad RiseSmart delivers career transition and workforce services to enterprise clients. Worklife Coaching connects employees with career coaches through 1:1 sessions, and enterprise contracts depended on employees actually engaging with the service.

The product was a year old and coach-call conversion sat at 22%. My initial charter was narrow: map the onboarding funnel, find where users dropped, and recommend fixes. It became a much larger question about what the service was and who was responsible for making that clear.

starting with the obvious answer.

starting with the obvious answer.

When I started, users moved from an enrollment email through 2-3 forms into a dashboard crowded with competing CTAs, and few found their way to scheduling a coach call.

When I started, users moved from an enrollment email through 2-3 forms into a dashboard crowded with competing CTAs, and few found their way to scheduling a coach call.

The dashboard was load-bearing and expensive to refactor, so I started with lower-cost interventions: simplify the forms, give coaching a defined place in the flow, and add context before users entered the product. If those changes worked, we could avoid a costly rebuild. If they didn't, we'd know the problem ran deeper before investing in one.

The dashboard was load-bearing and expensive to refactor, so I started with lower-cost interventions: simplify the forms, give coaching a defined place in the flow, and add context before users entered the product. If those changes worked, we could avoid a costly rebuild. If they didn't, we'd know the problem ran deeper before investing in one.

Consolidating onboarding steps helped at the margins, but conversion barely moved. That result ruled out the obvious answer without committing to a rebuild.

If tightening the funnel wasn't enough, I needed to look beyond the flow.

Consolidating onboarding steps helped at the margins, but conversion barely moved. That result ruled out the obvious answer without committing to a rebuild.

If tightening the funnel wasn't enough, I needed to look beyond the flow.

following the evidence.

following the evidence.

01

Moving upstream of the funnel

The problem started even earlier: users went from an email invite directly into Terms of Service, with no explanation of what coaching was. Analytics showed most users dropping off before reaching the coach list at all.

The problem started even earlier: users went from an email invite directly into Terms of Service, with no explanation of what coaching was. Analytics showed most users dropping off before reaching the coach list at all.

Marketing built a landing page to add that context, but FullStory showed users searching for information it didn't provide.

Marketing built a landing page to add that context, but FullStory showed users searching for information it didn't provide.

I tested a low-fidelity alternative with a look-a-like audience focused on plain-language explanations of the service, cost, and what to expect. Rather than clicks, I measured comprehension. The alternative performed measurably better on comprehension, giving Product the evidence to change the page and initiate more collaboration with marketing.

I tested a low-fidelity alternative with a look-a-like audience focused on plain-language explanations of the service, cost, and what to expect. Rather than clicks, I measured comprehension. The alternative performed measurably better on comprehension, giving Product the evidence to change the page and initiate more collaboration with marketing.

what it revealed

Clearer framing helped users understand the service, but conversion remained low. Something further downstream was still breaking.

02

Testing whether coach choice was the barrier

Hundreds of session recordings exposed two failures on the way to booking. (1) Users abandoned while choosing between coaches without a basis for deciding, and (2) those who did choose often reached calendars with no available times.

The availability problem had a no-design fix: stop surfacing coaches with no upcoming availability. I worked with Engineering to address the dead end at the data layer rather than designing an error state around it.

That left coach selection. A Randstad affiliate offered a useful comparison: its users were assigned a coach who reached out directly, bypassing formal onboarding. Interviews suggested the introduction reduced selection pressure and made the service feel more personal before users ever touched the product.

That left coach selection. A Randstad affiliate offered a useful comparison: its users were assigned a coach who reached out directly, bypassing formal onboarding. Interviews suggested the introduction reduced selection pressure and made the service feel more personal before users ever touched the product.

We A/B tested auto-assignment against coach selection. I designed the auto-assign experience, which Marketing polished. It helped, but only modestly, and that modest result was the signal that mattered: removing coach selection almost entirely still didn't fix conversion. Interviews also showed that without enough context, being handed a coach could feel confusing or suspicious.

We A/B tested auto-assignment against coach selection. I designed the auto-assign experience, which Marketing polished. It helped, but only modestly, and that modest result was the signal that mattered: removing coach selection almost entirely still didn't fix conversion. Interviews also showed that without enough context, being handed a coach could feel confusing or suspicious.

~28%

Users choose their own coach

~30%

Users are assigned a coach

what it revealed

Removing coach selection wasn't enough; Coach choice was part of the problem, but not the root cause. Users needed to understand what coaching was and why it was relevant before they would commit to it

the breakthrough.

the breakthrough.

Users didn't understand
the service.

The earlier research earned me access to employees at one of our largest enterprise clients, something Sales tightly controlled. Those interviews exposed what funnel analytics couldn't: users were entering the product with fundamentally different ideas about what RiseSmart and coaching were.

The earlier research earned me access to employees at one of our largest enterprise clients, something Sales tightly controlled. Those interviews exposed what funnel analytics couldn't: users were entering the product with fundamentally different ideas about what RiseSmart and coaching were.

“What would I even talk about?”

Many users couldn't picture what happened in a coaching session or what they were supposed to bring to one. Many assumed that the coaching service was a pre-requisite for other service offerings like Resume Writing.

Many users couldn't picture what happened in a coaching session or what they were supposed to bring to one. Many assumed that the coaching service was a pre-requisite for other service offerings like Resume Writing.

“The first thing I started thinking was, what do I tell the coach? What relevant information do I need to give her to get the right feedback?”

“RiseSmart is for leaving my company.”

RiseSmart's legacy was outplacement, so in interviews some employees read coaching through that legacy, assuming it was for people leaving their jobs rather than developing within them.

RiseSmart's legacy was outplacement, so in interviews some employees read coaching through that legacy, assuming it was for people leaving their jobs rather than developing within them.

“My perception of RiseSmart is outplacement services, so I didn't use it because I wasn't looking to leave my company.”

“Which service comes first?”

For clients that bundled coaching with resume services, the offerings blurred together. In interviews, we heard users who believed they had to complete their resume before talking to a coach, and others who believed coaching had to happen first. Neither was true.

For clients that bundled coaching with resume services, the offerings blurred together. In interviews, we heard users who believed they had to complete their resume before talking to a coach, and others who believed coaching had to happen first. Neither was true.

“I started using the portal…and then there was a section to complete your profile…so that was the part I was a little stuck on because then you have to find your resume and upload the information, so it was a little more time consuming than it would be to schedule the call.”

The problem I'd been chasing through the funnel
lived outside the funnel.

The clearest evidence came during a screenshare: one client's benefits portal described RiseSmart as resume writing.
Users were arriving with the wrong expectation before our product ever loaded.

At one enterprise client, the benefits portal's resume link opened the coaching page, and the coaching link was broken. The two bundled services were crossed and broken before our product ever loaded.

designing for service legibility.

designing for service legibility.

The research pointed to two levels of intervention: make coaching easier to understand inside the experience, then address the inconsistent framing creating confusion upstream.

The research pointed to two levels of intervention: make coaching easier to understand inside the experience, then address the inconsistent framing creating confusion upstream.

01

Make coaching concrete

To close the “what would I even talk about?” gap, the VP of Product initiated a coaching library organized around topics coaches could help with, each supported by a short video from a real coach.

To close the “what would I even talk about?” gap, the VP of Product initiated a coaching library organized around topics coaches could help with, each supported by a short video from a real coach.

The interview findings helped shape the topics, and I owned the library UI and interactive elements. Users could explore coaching through concrete scenarios before committing to a session, while reassurance about cost and confidentiality appeared at the moments those concerns were most likely to arise.

The interview findings helped shape the topics, and I owned the library UI and interactive elements. Users could explore coaching through concrete scenarios before committing to a session, while reassurance about cost and confidentiality appeared at the moments those concerns were most likely to arise.

My team also took ownership of the landing page, allowing me to continue iterating on how the service was explained before users entered onboarding.

My team also took ownership of the landing page, allowing me to continue iterating on how the service was explained before users entered onboarding.

But clarity inside the product could only go so far while the framing outside it remained inconsistent.

But clarity inside the product could only go so far while the framing outside it remained inconsistent.

02

Fixing the problem beyond the product

Interviews showed that Sales, Marketing, Product, and Coaching each held a different working definition of what coaching was, who it served, and what to promise. Users arrived with expectations shaped by whichever team or client communication reached them first.

I brought that evidence to the wider organization and proposed cross-functional alignment as a design priority. At Randstad's scale, teams needed material proof before acting, so each research presentation became a tool for earning the next level of access and buy-in.

My design manager facilitated workshops across all four teams to establish a shared definition of the service, something that hadn't been done at the RiseSmart and Randstad level. That definition became the basis for revised onboarding messaging and a regular cross-team review that continued after the project.

The landing page, coaching library, and auto-assignment improved clarity inside the product. The alignment work addressed the source of the confusion so those improvements could hold.

Interviews showed that Sales, Marketing, Product, and Coaching each held a different working definition of what coaching was, who it served, and what to promise. Users arrived with expectations shaped by whichever team or client communication reached them first.

I brought that evidence to the wider organization and proposed cross-functional alignment as a design priority. At Randstad's scale, teams needed material proof before acting, so each research presentation became a tool for earning the next level of access and buy-in.

My design manager facilitated workshops across all four teams to establish a shared definition of the service, something that hadn't been done at the RiseSmart and Randstad level. That definition became the basis for revised onboarding messaging and a regular cross-team review that continued after the project.

The landing page, coaching library, and auto-assignment improved clarity inside the product. The alignment work addressed the source of the confusion so those improvements could hold.

outcomes.

outcomes.

Coach-call conversion roughly doubled, from 22% to 47% in the tested landing page cohort.

When I started in January 2023, coach-call conversion for the broader user base sat at 22%. By late July, one month after the reframed landing page shipped and cross-team messaging aligned, the tested release measured 47%. The gains were cumulative: no single change produced them. Auto-assignment, the coaching library, clearer landing-page copy, and consistent cross-team messaging each contributed as they compounded.

Time to book a first session: 13 min → 5 min

The restructured flow more than halved the time it took a user to move from entry to booking a call.

New enterprise cohorts activated at higher rates.

Enterprise cohorts onboarded after the alignment work with Coaching and Sales activated at notably higher rates than the prior year.

A regular Product and Marketing rhythm continued after the project.

The working rhythm we established during the project expanded into a broader cross-team review with Sales and Coaching, and it kept those four teams aligned on framing and future initiatives well past project wrap.

Qualitatively, users reported understanding coaching's value before their first session, coaches reported participants arriving more prepared and goal-oriented, and inbound questions about cost, confidentiality, and coach choice dropped.

attribution.

What I owned

Funnel research and analysis, pre-landing-page onboarding UX and flow optimization, the comprehension A/B test and winning copy, coaching library UI and interactions, every iteration of the landing page once my team took it over, and the stakeholder research presentations that unlocked deeper access at each stage.

What I contributed to

The coaching library, a concept the VP of Product originated and staffed with a coaching content team, with topics shaped by my interview findings; and the cross-team alignment workshops, which I proposed and my design manager facilitated.

What others owned

Sales owned access to enterprise cohorts and determined how deeply we could research client organizations. Marketing owned branding and the first landing page. Coaching produced the video content. Engineering owned scheduling and availability infrastructure.

key learnings.

key learnings.

A modest result can be the most useful one.

Auto-assignment improved conversion but didn't solve it. That result ruled out coach selection as the root cause and pointed the diagnosis toward comprehension.

For bundled services, legibility is part of the product.

When coaching shipped alongside resume and outplacement services, users couldn't tell the offerings apart or how they related. Making the service understandable mattered more than optimizing any single screen.

Cross-functional alignment is a product problem.

Inconsistent framing across Sales, Marketing, Product, and Coaching directly undermined activation. Sustainable improvement required fixing both the experience and the system shaping expectations around it.