Features · Onboarding
Every new hire starts with a plan, not a “just ask if you need anything”
When someone joins, Tessa messages them with who's who, key clients and projects, recent processes and decisions, the tools to connect and their welcome checklist. Then she sticks around to answer questions.
A new hire's first week depends on how busy their team is
Small companies rarely have a people team preparing onboarding. Day one means an email account, a round of introductions and “ask us anything”. The knowledge exists, but it's spread across everyone's heads.
The result is a week of questions that interrupt everyone else and a constant feeling of not knowing where anything is. And every onboarding gets improvised from scratch.
How it works with Tessa
- 1
An admin sets up the welcome
Customize the welcome checklist and add a personal message. Do it once and it works for every new hire.
- 2
Tessa spots the newcomer
When someone joins the company space, Tessa messages them once in the app, on Slack and as a phone notification.
- 3
She provides context
Who's who by department, key clients and projects, recent processes and decisions from wiki pages they can see, and which tools to connect.
- 4
Then stays to help
The newcomer ticks off their checklist and can ask Tessa anything: “how do I request a day off?”, “who handles Kirai?”.
What you get
- Fewer interruptionsTessa answers the basics using company knowledge.
- Consistently goodEvery new hire gets the same starting point, even when the team is slammed.
- Living contentProcesses and decisions come from the wiki, which updates itself.
- Private progressThe newcomer tracks their own checklist and nobody else sees it.
- No AI costThe welcome message is built from a template and doesn't use credits.
What to put on the checklist (example)
A starting list many small teams adapt:
- Connect your Google and Slack under “My connections”.
- Read your area's processes in the wiki.
- Introduce yourself in the general channel.
- A 30-minute chat with each person on your team.
- Review the clients or projects you'll be handling.
Privacy, too
The welcome only includes what that person can already see: wiki pages within their audience, not pages from private channels they aren't in. No manager gets reports on anyone's individual checklist progress.
Remote and hybrid teams
When people don't share an office, the small questions that would normally get answered at the next desk go unasked. Having Tessa available in Slack and in the app gives new hires a low-pressure place to ask, without worrying about bothering a busy colleague.
What Tessa reads for each person stays private, your data is stored in the EU and nothing goes out without your approval.
Frequently asked questions
When does the new hire get the message?
Shortly after they join the company space during their first week. It's sent once, and never to the person who founded the organization or to external guests.
What can an admin customize?
The welcome checklist and a personal message that accompanies Tessa's.
Can managers see a new hire's progress?
No. Each person tracks their own progress and nobody else sees it. Tessa follows the work, not the people.
Does it work if we don't have a wiki?
Yes. The message always includes who's who and the checklist. As the wiki fills up from meetings and channels, the welcome gets richer on its own.
Is there an onboarding template?
Yes. Our employee onboarding guide includes a full checklist for small businesses that you can use with or without Tessera.
Keep reading
- FeaturesYour company wiki, written while you workDecisions, processes and “how we do things here” pulled from meetings and channels, with sources and the right permissions. Try it free today.
- FeaturesAn assistant for everyone on the team, in ten minutesInvite your team by email: each person connects Google and Slack in one click and Tessa works for them, with their data kept private. Free for 3.
- FeaturesApplications sorted, interviews booked, and the decision stays yoursTessa summarizes each application against the role with sensitive data stripped out, and books the interview in one click. A person always decides.
- GuidesEmployee onboarding in a small business: the complete checklistAn onboarding checklist for small businesses: what to prepare before day one, in the first week and in the first month, with a template to copy.
- IntegrationsA Slack AI assistant that reads the channels for youMention @Tessa to create tasks, summarise threads or ask what was agreed. Requests aimed at you land in your inbox and close themselves once you reply.
What does your team look like?
Same AI for both. Where you start is what changes.
Startups
5 to 30 people
Grow without losing the thread
Tasks from email and Slack, follow-ups, sales and investors, without everything landing on the founders.
Companies
30 to 250 people
What gets decided gets done
Minutes and tasks from every meeting, commitments that get followed up and a pulse per team, without watching anyone.
Set up the welcome once and give every new hire a good start.
Start freeFree plan for teams of up to 3 people. Anything that leaves the company waits for your approval.