So - what is #whathappensnext?
It is a simple approach to make sure that your business processes are the best they can be. By asking #whathappensnext at each step of a process, you immediately uncover bottlenecks or money-pits. You also reveal opportunity - better customer experience, do things more quickly (eg automations), focus on what matters at that point.
Here's an example - We spend so much energy chasing the sale that, when it finally lands, the room goes oddly quiet. Nobody has planned for the moment the customer is most excited - when they’re ready for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work and deliver what we promised.
So after the contract is signed, or the product bought… what happens next?
By asking this question at the point of conversion, we can see that project documents must be sent out, selected and personalised onboarding, a project team needs to be assigned. It follows then, what information is needed to do all this and who's going to do it? You need a great CRM to manage all this - and one powerful and adaptable enough to cope with any business process eco-system.
And don't forget to think about data - it's an important part of #whathappensnext; do we have the info? How do we get the info? Should we get that kind of info earlier in the process?
#whathappensnext has three little helpers which you'll be introduced to when we start working together!
So after the contract is signed, or the product bought… what happens next?
By asking this question at the point of conversion, we can see that project documents must be sent out, selected and personalised onboarding, a project team needs to be assigned. It follows then, what information is needed to do all this and who's going to do it? You need a great CRM to manage all this - and one powerful and adaptable enough to cope with any business process eco-system.
And don't forget to think about data - it's an important part of #whathappensnext; do we have the info? How do we get the info? Should we get that kind of info earlier in the process?
#whathappensnext has three little helpers which you'll be introduced to when we start working together!
FYI
Proof that “what happens next” pays
Systems pay back
$8.71 back for every $1 spent - When CRM is implemented properly, it delivers strong returns — because follow-up and delivery become repeatable.
Source: Nucleus Research ROI analysis
Source: Nucleus Research ROI analysis
8.7x ROI
The Retention Engine
+5% retention → +25% to +95% profit
A small improvement in retention can have an outsized impact on profit — because lifecycle value compounds.
Source: HBR (Reichheld/Bain research)
A small improvement in retention can have an outsized impact on profit — because lifecycle value compounds.
Source: HBR (Reichheld/Bain research)
95%
One bad experience
More than half of consumers will switch to a competitor after only one bad experience. Obvi-us focuses on “what happens next” because that’s where small failures become lost customers.
Source: Zendesk Benchmark data
Source: Zendesk Benchmark data
50%+
Dropped leads
30%+ of leads never get contacted
Obvi-us fixes this by turning follow-up into a system (triggers, ownership, next actions) - so your results move in line with what top-performing teams operationalise.
Source: InsideSales/XANT lead response findings.
Obvi-us fixes this by turning follow-up into a system (triggers, ownership, next actions) - so your results move in line with what top-performing teams operationalise.
Source: InsideSales/XANT lead response findings.
30%
FAQs
Some quick answers to quick questions...
Both! It’s a simple question that acts like a framework.
Ask it at every step of a process and you quickly spot bottlenecks, missed handovers, duplicated effort - and the moments that are quietly costing you money.
Ask it at every step of a process and you quickly spot bottlenecks, missed handovers, duplicated effort - and the moments that are quietly costing you money.
Right after the yes.
A lead converts, the customer is excited… and then things go quiet because nobody has designed what happens after the contract is signed or the product is bought. That’s where trust is won or lost.
A lead converts, the customer is excited… and then things go quiet because nobody has designed what happens after the contract is signed or the product is bought. That’s where trust is won or lost.
It creates momentum and consistency.
Instead of relying on memory (or someone’s inbox), you build a repeatable flow: the right docs go out, onboarding happens properly, tasks get assigned, and delivery starts cleanly.
Instead of relying on memory (or someone’s inbox), you build a repeatable flow: the right docs go out, onboarding happens properly, tasks get assigned, and delivery starts cleanly.
If you want it to run without you micromanaging it - yes.
Because once you’ve mapped what happens next, you need somewhere for the tasks, data, ownership, and timing to live (and ideally… to automate).
Because once you’ve mapped what happens next, you need somewhere for the tasks, data, ownership, and timing to live (and ideally… to automate).
Every step has an information cost.
Do we have what we need to deliver the next step properly? If not: where does it come from, who collects it, and should we be collecting it earlier so the process doesn’t stall?
Do we have what we need to deliver the next step properly? If not: where does it come from, who collects it, and should we be collecting it earlier so the process doesn’t stall?