Welcome to your BetterUp Launch! We're excited about your transformation journey and have curated a wealth of resources to walk you through each step. Get started by setting an official experience launch date at least 4-weeks out.

• Confirm your BetterUp experience's launch date. The launch data indicate when we'll send activation invitations to your members. Your launch date should match the terms of your contract to ensure that you get full utilization of your licenses! If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to contact your BetterUp Deployment Manager.
• Select a deadline for members to activate their accounts. We recommend ten days after launch day. Within your engagement campaign, it's essential to communicate this deadline to members, letting them know that you will fill their spot with another individual on the waitlist. This can help employees prioritize coaching and evaluate whether it is genuinely the right time to engage with BetterUp.  
• Review your launch timeline, and ensure you know what tasks should be completed by which dates. 
• Create a custom timeline for your specific launch to hold yourself accountable for critical milestones.

Configuring the Manager Dashboard

Our goal is to make sure each person using BetterUp can maximize the value of coaching. Since studies show that coaching is most effective when driven by the person receiving coaching, the decision to include a manager is at the employee's discretion. There are various reasons employees may not choose to involve their manager at onboarding: brand new manager, the employee already receives ample feedback from the manager, the employee wants to experience coaching first, etc. Managers who their members invite will receive an invite to create a BetterUp account with Manager access. They are NOT receiving coaching (unless they already have Member access). 

The 360 Review

Our 360 Review tool allows members to receive quantitative and qualitative feedback from their managers, coworkers, and direct reports. The tool helps members have a deeper context for their strengths and weaknesses, which can aid in coaching conversations. Use the instructions below to take advantage of this feature for your members:

1. If you have an existing 360 assessment, you may consider turning off the BetterUp 360. Otherwise, we recommend including the BetterUp 360 as an option for members, and they can discuss with coaches if and when a BetterUp 360 is appropriate.
2. From there, coaches initiate the 360 review process with an initial discussion and assessment in the BetterUp platform. Upon completion, contributors are sent an email to participate within a given time frame. If the 360 is kept on, then it is initiated by the coach between months one and two after having three to five coaching sessions.

Determining Your Member Program Length

BetterUp's learning methods ultimately strive to change habits and behaviors over time. According to the science of behavior change, it typically takes 6-12 months to transition from learning about new behavior to practicing it to an effortless state of being—where the behavior is automatic. 

• We've seen that allowing employees to reflect on growth areas only leads to high levels of additional growth, which means this isn't an ideal time to interrupt their learning development. For that reason, our program is designed with a personalized recommended 12-month program experience that aids in a continuous learning loop for permanent changes that lead to professional impact. Our science indicates that people who received at least eight months of coaching experienced 23% less burnout and increased their leadership abilities to motivate others by 15%.

Provide your IT team with BetterUp's Firewall Configuration Instructions to ensure your employees can successfully receive BetterUp emails and access the BetterUp platform and resources on launch day. Ensure this has been completed no later than 2 weeks before launch day.

b. Optional SSO Integration

BetterUp offers an optional integration with your Single-Sign-On (SSO) provider. BetterUp supports SSO via SAML 2.0 and requires that customers are using a federated identity provider (IdP), either in-house or third party, in order to enable BetterUp-initiated SSO. Please review the SSO Guide to learn more about setting up this feature.

If interested in setting up SSO, please reach out to your Deployment Manager and include the IT contact that will be responsible for configuring SSO within your organization. There are certain requirements in order to enable SSO, and your Deployment Manager will gather the necessary information to begin the process. 

If your IT team has any questions about this step, feel free to share the SSO Guide with them in the meantime:

Knowing your audience makes it possible to plan your communications effectively. We recommend identifying the following groups to ensure you are including all necessary audiences in your BetterUp communications.

• Internal Stakeholders: employees that should be informed about BetterUp’s upcoming launch (eg. HR Business Partners, Leadership). By creating org-wide awareness for BetterUp, members will be more informed and energized to engage with BetterUp. 

• Champion(s): employee(s) that have been identified as champions of BetterUp because of their informal influence and voice within the organization. Lean on these individuals to help you generate buzz and advocate for the transformative experience that BetterUp offers members and your organization. 

• Executive Sponsor(s): leader(s) acting as sponsor for the BetterUp initiative. This leader can advocate for resources and provide vision for how BetterUp will support ongoing business objectives. 

• Managers: the managers (or direct leaders) of those members in BetterUp. Managers play an important role in member engagement by reinforcing the importance of coaching, celebrating growth, and supporting their employee’s coaching goals. 

Members: those who are participating in the BetterUp engagement directly. 

Member Email List

Once you have identified the members that will participate in BetterUp coaching, create a list of these individual’s  names and email  addresses using the Member List template. You will use this information to invite members to BetterUp via the PAD, by sending activation emails to each member. 

If you don't already have a group of potential members in mind, work with your business line leaders to identify employees who would benefit from this BetterUp experience. 

It is important to finalize your member list no later than 3 Weeks before Launch, so that you can start your engagement campaign on time.

We recommend setting a deadline for members to activate their BetterUp accounts (typically 10 days post-launch) and preparing a Wait List (10% of your total member count). If members do not activate their BetterUp account by the deadline, you can then swap them out for employees on the waitlist! For example, if you are launching 200 members on BetterUp, make sure to include an additional 20 members on the waitlist. 10 days after launch, you can remove any members that did not activate and invite members from the waitlist to replace them. 

Recommendations on Selecting Members:

• Our research shows that employees who demonstrate the following characteristics are typically more engaged and benefit more from coaching:

• Individuals who are going through a life or career transition

• Individuals who want to focus on intrapersonal and interpersonal goals (well-being, focus, leadership, etc.) 

• Individuals with higher level of motivation and desire for change

• Leaders and individual contributors within the following areas of the organization can benefit from coaching:

• Areas of the organization that are experiencing performance challenges or significant changes

• For example, a sales department that isn’t hitting their targets or a business unit going through a restructuring. 

• Areas of the organization that have significant talent gaps. 

• For example, employees that are under-developed like new managers. 

• Areas of the organization that have specific business initiatives that can be supported or enhanced by coaching

• For example, programs with objectives to develop high potentials, women leaders, new parents, etc. With goals to increase retention, engagement and promotion. 

Welcome to BetterUp

Change, growth, renewal— are just a few words to describe the harmonic experience ahead. BetterUp combines personalized 1:1 coaching with curated safe spaces to help people live with greater clarity, purpose, and passion at scale. Because in order to do our best work requires having the right support and the right time. That’s where we come in.

For every unique member profile, our science-backed model populates a customized whole person approach to help people flourish both personally and professionally. This results in organizational-wide cultural transformation where people collectively lead happier lives. What could it look like if your day to day felt meaningful? In this guide, we’ll preview how this experience unfolds at BetterUp and what to expect for your member journey. Bon voyage!

• Coaching vs. Therapy

• The BetterUp Coaching Advantage

• Types of Coaching

• What to Expect in Activating Membership

• Your Coaching Journey: Helpful Tips For Optimal Results

• BetterUp Member Features & Resource Library

• Helpful Resources

Coaching vs. Therapy: Key Differences to Know

You might be wondering how coaching differs from therapy and why we’ve chosen to focus on one. While similar in evidence-based techniques and intentional dialogue as primary tools, coaching focuses primarily on the present and future, while therapy studies past experiences that inform the present, and future. At BetterUp, we intentionally designed our approach around Coaching to focus on personal growth and professional development. 

Please note, BetterUp does not provide therapy on our platform or make any type of mental health diagnosis through our services.

The BetterUp Coaching Advantage

BetterUp sets the gold standard in performance coaching by certifying that every coach is a trained professional with a background in coaching or counseling and experience supporting professionals’ growth and development. Coaches must pass through an extensive interview process, background check, and training program designed by our world-class science board. BetterUp coaches have either:

 A graduate degree in a behavioral sciences field (e.g. clinical psychology, counseling, or organizational psychology) plus at least 1,000 hours of coaching or counseling experience; or a prestigious credential in executive coaching at an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach level or equivalent. Many of our coaches are licensed therapists or psychologists, expert practitioners with doctorates, and highly sought-after executive coaches.

Types of Coaching

BetterUp began with access only to primary coaching - a coach that you build an ongoing relationship with through regular coaching sessions, and with whom you discuss long-term coaching goals. But, sometimes you need to bring in an expert for issues that are beyond your primary coach’s expertise, or you need urgent support from a coach for an upcoming meeting or difficult conversation. For that reason, BetterUp offers a suite of coaching options to meet members where they are in life’s journey.

Dedicated coaching:

Employees meet one-on-one with their coach, focusing on highly personal growth areas — leading to robust and lasting transformation. Our staple 1:1 coaching offering, dedicated coaching provides members with access to a coach on a more long-term basis - allowing the pair to establish a relationship, identify and work towards goals, and embark on the BetterUp journey with. Dedicated coaches include our professional cloud, general memberships extended to high-potential employees and emerging leaders and our Executive Cloud, coaching centered on senior leaders in large organizations (VP+) managing complex and high-pressure decisions.

On-Demand coaching:

Employees who need in-the-moment support can answer a few questions and get matched with a coach for an on-demand session that day. On-Demand coaching is designed to provide members the ability to have impromptu, short-notice sessions with an available primary coach to discuss time-sensitive coaching topics, such as an upcoming difficult conversation or challenging decision to navigate. Sessions can be scheduled within 1 hour of the current time.

Specialist Coaching:

Add expert coaches to your bench to support targeted employee needs like nutrition, sleep, diversity & inclusion, and more. Specialized programs that give members the opportunity to access highly targeted support to help them thrive - inside and outside of the office. Staffed by coaches who are qualified and have expertise in the subject matter. We offer a number of verticals and each program will select which verticals they want their team to have access to.

Coaching Circles: 

Live group sessions led by a coach. Groups meet weekly to build skills and jump-start behavior change with support from their peers. Structured virtual group coaching conversations with fellow employees on a predetermined topic, such as giving and receiving feedback. 

Coaching Labs:

Dive deep on topics in short single sessions that fit member’s busy schedule. An expert coach will lead members through learning, activities, and group discussion. Coaching Labs are designed as drop-in experiences where you log in, see the topics available to you, and make a selection to join a short (e.g., 60 min) session with an unlimited number of your peers. Topics include things such as navigating difficult conversations, digital detox, and building purpose in your life.

What to Expect During Activating Your Membership and Beyond

BetterUp Resource Library:

Explore the AI driven resource library with articles, videos, activities, and more to support you in key areas like resilience, remote working, and stress management.

FAQs on the member experience here

Use the Coach Briefing Template to outline your goals and key information for your BetterUp experience so BetterUp can brief the coaches accordingly and collectively drive toward your unique organizational goals. 

Submit your responses to your BetterUp Deployment Manager. The coaches will be required to review this information before meeting with the members. 

The People Analytics Dashboard (PAD) is your go-to portal for managing your BetterUp experience. The PAD gives you admin privileges to view usage and engagement metrics of your members, add or remove members, and re-send BetterUp invitation emails. Make sure to review the People Analytics Dashboard (PAD) walkthrough video to set yourself and your employees up for success. 

Let the BetterUp  team know the email addresses of any individuals who should have access to the PAD. These individuals will be able to view usage information and behavioral insights once they become available in the PAD. 

How do I login to the PAD?

Your Deployment Manager will invite you to the PAD at least 2 weeks before launch.  

Open your email invitation from BetterUp, set up your partner account, and log in to the PAD. Familiarize yourself with the dashboard so you feel comfortable using it to schedule activation emails.  

If you participated in BetterUp in the past, you will already have a member account set up. In this case, you can simply login to your BetterUp account, and then navigate to the bottom left hand corner to toggle from the “member experience” to the “partner experience.” The Partner Experience is where you will find the PAD. 

If you can’t remember your password for BetterUp, simply click the “Forgot Password” button on the Login Page. 

BetterUp Login Page 

Planning your BetterUp Engagement Campaign section provides you with best practices on planning an effective engagement campaign in the weeks leading up to and immediately following your BetterUp launch day! Your engagement campaign’s goal is to generate excitement within your organization, set expectations, and drive members to activate and engage with BetterUp!

When planning your engagement campaign, you should consider the following: 

• To whom do you want to communicate? Check out the “Identify Important Audiences” below
• What do you want to communicate? Make sure to “Reflect on your BetterUp Objectives” below
• How do you want to communicate? Check out the following sections:
• "Email Communications"
• “Other Communication Channels” 
• “Optional Launch Events”

In the weeks leading up to and following launch, we encourage you to send emails introducing BetterUp to internal stakeholders and members’ managers, as well as driving member engagement and adoption. While other communication channels can be important, email offers you a targeted approach to communicating with your different audiences. 

Download sample email templates and use the sample timeline below for planning a successful engagement campaign with your members.

Host your own internal kick-off call for your BetterUp members and their managers! This is completely optional, but can be a beneficial change management strategy if coaching is new to your organization. This offers you the chance to come together as a group to set expectations, generate excitement, and celebrate this investment in your employees' growth. Here are a few best practices to consider:

• Invite the Executive Sponsor and Champions to say a few words at the beginning. 

• If available, spotlight a peer testimonial. 

• Use this kick-off to celebrate this moment and the fact that the members will have access to amazing coaches. 
• Reinforce why your organization chose BetterUp, how the members were chosen, and what you want the members to gain from BetterUp coaching!

Download these slides to see a sample Agenda and BetterUp product slides to add to your presentation. 

BetterUp Onboarding Calendar Hold

Send members a 20-minute calendar hold to give them protected time to onboard to BetterUp. In the calendar invite, include:

•  A link to the 3 minute onboarding video

• Instructions on using this time to find their BetterUp email, activate their account, take the Whole Person Assessment, and match with their coach!
  
  

Invite members to BetterUp by scheduling BetterUp activation emails via the People Analytics Dashboard (PAD). 

• You will need to login to the PAD and navigate to the Admin Section. 

• Once there, click “Invite” in the upper right hand corner. This is where you can choose the track, type of product subscription, and length of access for your members. 

• Copy and paste the members from your Member Email List. 

• Schedule the activation emails to be sent out on your launch date.

IMPORTANT: If any of your BetterUp members are currently active in another BetterUp experience, you will need the help of your BetterUp team to adjust the member’s access. Reach out to your BetterUp Deployment Manager to support you in scheduling activation emails for active BetterUp members.

All of your hard work has paid off! Launch Day is the day that BetterUp invitation emails will be sent to your members. You should have sent out your Launch Day Announcement email. For a refresher on the member onboarding process, watch this quick video. 

If members cannot locate their BetterUp activation email, you can resend the email to them in the PAD. 

• Login to the PAD, navigate to the “Admin” section, and click “Members” at the top.  

• Search for the member and click the 3 black dots to the right of their name.

• Click “resend invitation”

You can follow these same steps to remove members from BetterUp if needed. 

Members can also reach out to support@betterup.co for any troubleshooting needs. Please take 2 minutes to complete the Launch Feedback Survey. By filling it out, you will help give BetterUp valuable feedback to continue improving on our launch planning resources.

Now that your members have received their BetterUp activation emails, you can drive early activation and engagement using the PAD. Nudge members to activate their accounts using the email templates in the engagement campaign. 

Send Reminder Email Communications

The email templates include post-launch best practices to motivate members to activate their account and schedule their first coaching session. 

Waitlist Utilization

Set a deadline for members  to activate 10 days after launch to drive toward early engagement. On the deadline, send out a last reminder email to members that have not yet activated, letting them know that they will be removed from BetterUp within 24 hours. Use the email template from the engagement campaign. 

Then, swap them out for participants on your waiting list by removing members via the PAD. New members from the waitlist should be invited via the PAD with the same end date as your original cohort.

Monitor the PAD

PAD admins should log into their BetterUp account weekly to monitor member engagement. 

Healthy Program Goals:

• 7 days post launch  = 70% Onboarded
• 14 days post launch = 80% Onboarded
• 21 days post launch = 90% Onboarded

This can be monitored via the Activation Funnel within the PAD. Members should have their first coaching sessions scheduled and completed by 21 days post launch. Utilize the CSV report to monitor ‘first session date.’

What to expect next?

Going forward you should expect to monitor the PAD regularly and continue to nudge members for ongoing engagement. Your account team will schedule regular syncs to monitor cohort progress and outcomes. Topics for account syncs: 

• Learning and Insights Review
• Reflection Point Reminders & Best Practices
• Ongoing BetterUp Management Questions

Don’t forget to take the BetterUp Post Launch Feedback Survey: Launch Feedback Survey.

Reflect on the following questions to identify key information about your partnership with BetterUp and the members that are receiving BetterUp coaching. 

This information will help you identify your “Big Why” and BetterUp goals. You can use this contextual information in your communications to the members in order to tie in your organization’s vision. 

• Why did your organization choose to partner with BetterUp?

• How were the members chosen? 

What are you hoping the members achieve with BetterUp? How will BetterUp help deliver on your organization’s vision and/or challenges?