Yanina RohovskaOnboarding isn't just a kickoff call—it's your fastest route to ROI. At TeqBlaze, we've redefined onboarding as a growth engine led by someone who knows exactly how to get clients from platform setup to profit. I sat down with Strategic Onboarding Manager Kateryna Kostina—to talk about what clients get wrong, what it takes to scale, and why onboarding is anything but plug-and-play.
This interview reflects a significant change at TeqBlaze, where we have strengthened the Client Service Team by dividing it into three distinct departments. Strategic onboarding is the beginning of everything, an effort that continues over the years of partnership.
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Yanina: Kate, can you tell us a bit about your background? Where did you start, and how did you become the Strategic Onboarding Manager?
Kate: When I joined the company in 2021 as an Account Manager, I was immediately thrown into the deep end, figuring out the complexities of RTB, Ad Exchanges, SSPs, DSPs, and integrations while managing client communications. It was a steep learning curve, but nothing felt more rewarding with time than seeing how my guidance helped clients reach their most ambitious programmatic goals.
At the beginning of 2024, I was offered to head the onboarding process as someone who already knew the product and processes inside out.
Now, I am responsible for ensuring that each new client clearly understands where to start, what and how to set up, and what needs to be done to launch their business and become lucrative as soon as possible. My role is about support, structure, and confidence from the get-go: think a GPS and a pit crew in one.
So, how do you support clients now?
I see myself as a bridge between the client and our internal teams. My job is to fully understand the client, their business model, their partners, and what they want to achieve. From there, I guide them through onboarding and help adapt our platform to fit their unique needs. I also work closely with our Delivery Coordinator to ensure we're always aligned and on schedule.
What are the most common misconceptions about launching a programmatic platform, especially among newcomers to AdTech, and how does onboarding address them?
Many assume it's a plug-and-play process—install the tech and let it run. In reality, it takes planning, business logic, and ongoing optimization. That's why structured onboarding matters. We help clients make smart decisions from the beginning, saving time and resources later.
The client receives personalized support from an experienced manager, who is vital for successful development, especially if the client has little or no experience in RTB. The client gets complete visibility into the process, with me overseeing everything from deployment to launch and beyond. I break things down, share actionable insights, and keep the momentum going—so their business doesn't just launch; it grows fast.
What kind of teams or roles do you usually work with on the client side during onboarding?
Depending on how their team is structured, I usually interact with several client-side roles during onboarding. Most often, it is:
A technical team responsible for partner integration, tracker setup, parameter transfer, cookie sync, ads.txt, etc. We often work very closely with these guys at the start.
A sales team that looks for partners, manages traffic, and negotiates deals. I invite them to demos and training to ensure they understand the platform's functionality.
Decision-makers are usually actively involved initially, especially in strategic goals, KPIs, pricing models, and launching the first partners. How quickly everything moves forward largely depends on their engagement.
Sometimes, I also work with marketing team to negotiate product promotion details and data analysts if the company already has a more structured approach to data management. We can discuss reports, monitoring, and optimization.
I follow the client's structure and involve the people contributing to the launch process. The ideal case is when all the key roles are engaged from the beginning, so the adoption is much faster and more efficient.
Where do most onboarding efforts fall apart—and how is yours different?
Clear guidance and hands-on support. Most onboarding efforts fail because they throw clients into complex setups without context or real help. I do the opposite—I stay in the weeds with you. We live the launch together. I don't disappear after the setup; I stick around to ensure things work in your favor.
Please walk us through the typical onboarding journey. What key milestones show that a client is truly ready to scale?
Usually, it all starts with an intro call, where I get to know the client on a personal (and professional) level, including their experience in RTB, business model, partners, and ad formats they plan to work with. We also discuss technical details such as QPS capacity and server regions and whether they need the basic version of the platform or have ideas for custom features that should be implemented from the start.
Next, I explain the deployment timeline: what the process consists of, how long each stage takes, what depends on us, and what depends on the client. After the deployment, I hold a detailed demo where we go through all the functionality together so the client can start confidently.
Then, I continue the client's support: I monitor partner connections and help with integrations, including third-party ones. If there are ideas for new functionality, we shape and solve requests with the technical team and business analysts.
Once the initial onboarding and setup stages are complete, the client transitions to the care of a Technical Support Specialist and a Client Growth Manager. At this point, we start evaluating their readiness for scaling—keeping in mind that this process varies case by case and includes both evident and subtle nuances.
Some common signals that a client may be ready to grow include:
Confident platform usage: The client can independently create inventory, add endpoints, analyze metrics, and optimize performance.
The technical setup is finalized: Core elements like ads.txt, sellers.json, schain, cookie sync, and TCF compliance are in place.
Initial integrations are working: Key partners are connected, traffic is stable, and the first financial outcomes are visible.
Clear business model understanding: The client knows where their revenue comes from, their expenses, and how to reach their profitability targets.
Shift focus to growth: Instead of asking setup-related questions, clients begin asking about strategies—how to scale, bring in more partners, or fine-tune performance.
Important note: These are common indicators but not a checklist. Every platform has its own path, and readiness for scaling always depends on context.
How do you balance customization with best practices during onboarding?
Yes, that fine line between specific customizations and proven setups is what it's all about. In short, customization is welcome—but only when it adds value and doesn't delay the client's ability to launch, scale, and succeed. When custom development is needed from the outset and goes beyond onboarding, a business analyst and a dedicated product team step in to work directly with the client.
When a client comes in with a strong vision or experience from other platforms, I see it as a strength, not a roadblock. It means they're thinking strategically, and I'm here to help shape the platform around that vision.
But my role here is also to help find the perfect balance between flexibility and efficiency. I always explain that the more custom functionality from day one, the longer the onboarding, the greater the risk of delays, and the harder it is to scale later (since even the basic things haven't launched yet). That is why I always suggest starting with the core functionality and checking all processes, integrations, traffic, and partners before customizing. This way, the client instantly sees the result, launches the business faster, and better understands which features are necessary and are just "nice to have."
Sometimes, the things the client wants to change or customize conflict with traffic management or optimization best practices. Then, I explain why it might not work or even be harmful and offer an alternative already tested in practice.
In short, I always favor customization only when it adds value, not when it makes it harder to get started or reduces efficiency.
What's something about onboarding that most people underestimate?
Communication and empathy. You can have all the technical knowledge in the world. Still, the onboarding will fall short if you're not listening to your client, making them feel supported, and adjusting your approach to match their pace. This role is as much about people as it is about tech.
I've worked with clients who didn't know what an endpoint was, and within weeks, they're optimizing QPS and generating revenue. It's impressive to see that transformation—one of the most rewarding parts of my job. It proves that anyone can enter the programmatic space and thrive with the proper guidance.
What’s a common ‘aha!’ moment clients experience during onboarding?
Oh, so many! One of the most common is when we review trading traffic with the client using the platform's built-in tools. The client sees why the partner doesn't launch: there is a mandatory parameter missing somewhere in the request, the request crashes due to a 404 error from the partner's server, and somewhere, the DSP is timing out. And this is precisely what clients often lack in other ad exchanges—high-quality analytical tools. With our built-in solutions, clients don't have to write dozens of messages to their account manager or guess the reason themselves because they can identify many integration problems on their own in minutes and communicate them with partners. This is when the platform turns from a "black box" into a transparent, controlled tool.
Another point that often surprises clients is the effectiveness of the existing features. Many people start with ideas for custom development: to change, add, or optimize something. However, when beginning to work with tools such as Query Volume Optimizer, Traffic Shaping Tool, SPO Toolkit, or Adaptive Margin, the clients see how far they can already influence profit, scale, and efficiency without additional development.
These moments click—when it's not just about figuring out buttons but fully owning the platform. That shift is decisive, and I love playing my part in it.
How do you see the onboarding process evolving as TeqBlaze scales and brings on more diverse clients?
As the company grows and the client portfolio expands, onboarding must become more tailored. Some clients come in with hands-on experience, and others are brand new, so how we guide them has to reflect that. Developing the educational part—more ready-made materials, guides, and videos—will also be essential so the client can go through part of the process independently. We can focus more on providing personalized support and strategy.
Another step is moving towards partial automation (for example, introducing the ability to track a client's onboarding status automatically), which would help us eliminate at least some of the manual work and allow us to work with more clients without sacrificing quality.
But the main thing is to maintain that human touch. We want every client to feel supported and confident at the start, regardless of size or experience.
Is there a particular client success story that stands out to you and made you feel especially proud of your role?
Definitely—one client's story really stuck with me. It was right after I stepped into the strategic onboarding manager role, and honestly, it felt like my first real test.
A client joined us on a Starter Pack—entirely from scratch, without any experience with our platform. We quickly gathered all the necessary data, agreed on the launch, and held a demo. Within the first month, the client made a profit, fully paid off the platform, and started earning.
In the second month, they switched to Unlimited Premium Pack support because their volumes multiplied: more than $150,000 in DSP spend and more than $60,000 in net profit. This was one of the fastest launches I'd seen back then—just in two months.
For me, these are not just numbers—they prove that the right approach to adoption, a clear plan, solid collaboration, and constant communication can turn beginners into high performers in record time. And—yes—it felt great knowing I played a key role in that transformation.
Before we wrap things up, let's get a little personal. What keeps you inspired—or just entertained—outside the world of RTB?
In my free time, I love going to the ceramics studio and working with clay—it's hands-on, a bit chaotic, and precisely the kind of creative break I need after a structured day.
I also play piano and always have music around me—it helps me stay in flow and brings the right kind of energy, whether working or winding down. These little things keep me balanced, inspired, and ready for whatever comes next!
Thanks for this touching piece! Finally, what advice would you give companies starting their programmatic journey with TeqBlaze?
My advice would be not to be afraid to dive into the product and ask many questions from the start. We have a flexible and powerful platform, but to unlock its full potential, you need to not just "install and run" but actively interact, understand your profit model, and not hesitate to ask for guidance or customized features.
Another essential tip is not to try to embrace everything at once. Start with the basics: the first partners, traffic, and the basic settings. Once you have a stable base, you can scale, optimize, and customize.
The last thing is to consider us more than a technical provider. We are interested in making your business grow. It works better when we work closely, looking for solutions, discussing ideas, and testing approaches. The result is not long in coming.
