Customer Onboarding Made Easy: Steps to Win Over New Users
What is customer onboarding?
Customer onboarding is helping new customers get set up with your product or service and guiding them to use it. It involves teaching customers the value of your product so they can make the most of it.
Why is customer onboarding important?
Think of it this way: Customer onboarding helps new customers get familiar with your product or service to use it effectively.
This brings along certain advantages, including:
- Faster adoption: Helping customers understand and experience your product's value ensures they start using it successfully. More importantly, it ensures they come back to it again and again.
- Increased customer satisfaction: Customers who understand and value your product or service are more likely to be satisfied with their purchase.
- Higher conversion rates: For customers on free trials or freemium product versions, the satisfaction of a good onboarding process increases their chances of becoming paid users.
- Stronger relationships: A positive onboarding process boosts customer success. This, in turn, helps build trust and loyalty – the building blocks of a long-term relationship.
Ultimately, a great onboarding experience can be the difference between a solid base of loyal customers and abandonment.
Customer onboarding process: Elements & best practices
If you haven't already guessed, customer onboarding is an ongoing process and consists of different elements. In fact, the graphic below captures 9 unique elements that can be involved in the customer onboarding process.
Let's now examine some of them: what they are, but most importantly: how to execute them, and excellent example(s) of their implementation.
1. Sign-up process
Some might argue that the sign-up process is an integral part of customer onboarding.
But think of it as the front door to your product or service. It's the absolute first impression a customer gets after deciding to move ahead with your product. And you simply don't want to blow it.
So, how can you ensure the process is smooth and efficient?
Sign-up process best practices
- Keep it simple: A lengthy sign-up process is a conversion nightmare. So, ask for only the necessary information (not nice-to-knows!) needed to set the customer up. The rest can come later.
- Prioritize speed: Help customers to complete the process quickly. Some ways you can do this include providing clear feedback on form fields, expediting load times, and moving users between steps quickly.
- Offer single sign-on (SSO): SSO services like Google, Slack, and social media enable users to sign up with convenience. So, no more form fields; just one-click sign-on.
- Clear value proposition: This is your last chance to reinforce what users gain from signing up. You can do so with brief testimonials, bullet lists, etc.
Read this article for a more detailed review of sign-up page design practices.
Example: Userpilot's sign-up process
What we like:
- Short, easy-to-fill form requiring only basic information.
- Testimonial reinforcing Userpilot's product value.
- Enterprise SSO option for faster sign-up.
Example: Notion's sign-up page
What we like:
- Only an email is needed to sign up and start using the product.
- Single sign-on options are readily available, including popular options like Google and Apple.
2. Welcome message
Once the new customer signs up, it's time to welcome them. A welcome message is like a warm, friendly handshake offered when someone enters a room.
A good welcome message, therefore, helps you build rapport. It makes the user feel valued and appreciated. But it's also a great time to offer immediate benefits (think discounts!) or guidance to help the user get started.
Welcome message best practices
- Offer a personal greeting: This user has just taken the time to sign up for your product. The least you can do is use their name in a warm greeting.
- Keep it clear: If you're introducing your product on this page, be sure to keep it short and easy to understand.
- Include a call-to-action: Tell the user what to do next. For example, you can invite them to tour the product with an "Explore More" button or enjoin them to accept a discount with "Claim Your Offer."
- Get more information: If there's anything else you'd love to know about your user, the welcome page is a great time to ask.
Example: Kontentino's welcome flow
What we like:
- Kontentino uses the first page of the app to better understand users’ JTBDs with their product.
- On the next screen, they properly welcome you to the product.
- The welcome message is warm and personal, with a human touch.
- Finally, they include a "Let's Start!" button that leads directly to a personalized interactive walkthrough. It’s important to always have a CTA in your welcome message so users are not lost wondering what the next step is.
Example: Sked Social
What we like:
- The modal welcomes you and promptly introduces your first task: adding your first account.
- It provides options for 1-on-1 support or in-app onboarding support.
- There are clear CTA buttons to guide the user's next step.
3. Welcome emails
Welcome emails are just as important as your welcome messages. Not to be confused with annoying verification emails.
This is another avenue to welcome the user and get them to start using the product, so you need to use it wisely.
How can you do that?
Welcome emails best practices
- Be personal: A personal greeting makes your email more impactful. So, address the user by name. You can make it even more personal by acknowledging their sign-up, plan category, etc.
- Share personalized and helpful resources: This may be a product tour video or links to helpful materials, such as help center articles, video tutorials, etc. Make sure they are relevant to the JTBDs you have collected with a welcome survey.
- Keep it clear: Your email should be easy to understand with a clear CTA and next steps.
- Return them to your product: At the end of the day, what you really need is for new customers to use your product. So, your email should get them back in there quickly.
Example: Miro's welcome email
What we like:
- The email is short, clear, and concise.
- The "Get Started" button gets users back into the product immediately.
- A few gamification elements make the email more engaging.
Example: Loom's welcome email
What we like:
- The email is personal, with a warm welcome video from Loom.
- It highlights other ways to get value out of the product.
- It also contains helpful resources to get users started.
- Importantly, despite being fairly lengthy, it's very well organized so that it's easy to read.
4. Product or service set-up
Back in the product or service, the first few moments are crucial to helping the customer set up the product with the needed integrations, data imports, and customizations.
Product or service set-up best practices
- Make it optional: Not every user is interested in set-up integrations, data imports, or colleague invitations. So, leave this option for those who need it only.
- Automate the process: Importing data from one tool to another or integrating a tool into their tech stack shouldn't be too difficult. Instead, you can use automation to remove any sticking points in the process.
- Provide support: Your customer success team should be on hand to guide customers through these customer onboarding processes. You don't want them to get frustrated and abandon your product prematurely.
Example: Sked Social uses a checklist
What we like:
- A checklist guides users through the setup process.
- Clicking on each checklist instruction opens a set-up guide on the appropriate page to educate users.
Example: Groupize's gamified setup process
What we like:
- G.G. is always available to guide users wherever they need help during set-up.
- As seen on the second slide, G.G. pops up at just the right time to tell users what they're doing wrong in a friendly, gamified manner.
5. Onboarding checklists
We talked a bit about onboarding checklists above, so what are they? Well, you can think of them as a roadmap for your new customers.
Checklists provide a step-by-step guide to help users navigate their initial customer journey with your product. This means providing clear, actionable steps to ensure a smooth onboarding process.
Onboarding checklists best practices
- Keep it simple: Your list should be short and targeted to avoid overwhelming users with too many details. This means prioritizing the most important aspects of the product.
- Personalize the list: The best checklist is designed to help each user segment reach the activation point faster. So, identify the most important actions for each segment and customize accordingly.
- Manage expectations and reminders: Use progress bars to show users how far they've come. You can also implement email/in-app notifications to remind them if they abandon the process halfway.
- Offer guidance: Don't just instruct, guide. You can do this by linking list items to walkthroughs so users know exactly what's needed of them. Remember Sked Social's example above?
Onboarding checklist example: Talana
What we like:
- There are only 4 tasks, making it easy to complete.
- By the time the list pops up, some tasks have already been checked off. This is called "endowed progress," a psychological trick that gives customers a sense of progress.
- A progress bar shows users how far they've come, thus increasing their desire to complete key tasks.
6. Interactive walkthrough
As part of your customer onboarding process, interactive walkthrough helps new users understand your product's features and functionalities, not just by showing them what to do, but by getting them to actually do it.
Interactive walkthrough best practices
- Break it down: Divide the walkthrough into small, digestable pieces, and highlight only the most important actions. Speaking of which, you don't need to cover every feature in your first walkthrough.
- Make it skippable: Some users prefer to learn on their own. So make sure to give them that option.
- Make it "reusable": Sometimes, users may not want the walkthrough at the start. However, if they do need it later, they should be able to revisit it easily. Include them in your resource center or checklist.
Interactive walkthrough example: Userpilot
What we like:
- Each point is brief and written with clear language.
- The walkthrough requires user input to move between steps.
- It uses a progress bar indicating how long users will need to spend on the walkthrough.
Interactive walkthrough example: Attention Insight
What we like:
- The walkthroughs are linked to checklist items.
- The instructions are brief and directly linked to the key functionality of the tool.
- The steps require user input helping them learn by doing.
7. Resource center
For some users and more complex products, a walkthrough may not be enough. They might need extra, more detailed information or human guidance to figure things out.
This is what the resource center does! It makes it easy for users to receive on-demand support during onboarding and beyond.
Resource center best practices
- Easily accessible: Your goal with any resource center is to make help easily accessible to users. So, place the resource center in a clear, visible location. You can also use a tooltip to show users where to find additional help.
- Intuitive organization: Organize your resources into clear categories like "Getting Started," "Video Tutorials," "FaQs," etc. You can also include a robust search function to help users find what they need.
- Provide comprehensive, high-quality content: A good resource center covers all aspects of your product. The content should also be detailed but easy to follow.
Example: Talana resource center
What we like:
- Resources are well organized with intuitive icons.
- The center is searchable to ensure users find the needed resources quickly.
- The resource center is also localized to meet its user base’s preferred language.
Learn how Talana improved their customer onboarding with Userpilot:
8. Onboarding surveys
We've discussed welcome messages before, but the welcome screen can also be used for onboarding surveys. These surveys help you get more information from the user so you can personalize their experience.
Customer onboarding surveys best practices
- Keep it simple: As with your sign-up process, simplicity is key. So, only ask questions that are necessary for a successful customer onboarding.
- Prioritize close-ended questions: For this particular survey, you need questions that can help you determine the user's JTBDs. Multiple-choice questions can get you there quickly.
- Use neutral language: Craft questions with neutral wording to avoid biased responses.
Onboarding survey example: Userpilot
What we like:
- The onboarding survey is combined with the welcoming message to quickly get the user to experience value.
- Users can quickly see how many questions they need to answer. And the questions are easy-to-follow with predefined answers.
- Userpilot has added a gamification element to the survey to show users in action how Userpilot functionality works.
How to create a customer onboarding strategy
So, if you've read up to this point, you now know what the customer onboarding process entails. You may even have the formation of an onboarding plan in your head.
Before you jump in, though, let's walk through the ideal process for creating a solid onboarding strategy.
Step 1: Define the goal of your onboarding process
The best place to start is always… goals.
What does customer onboarding success mean to you? You may think that the main goal of the customer onboarding process is to help customers start using your product.
While that's not wrong, there's so much more. Your real goal, in fact, should be to set customers up for long-term success. So, be sure to set SMART goals along those lines.
Step 2: Create an effective onboarding process with the right elements and frameworks
Now you know what you're pinning for, you can begin creating your onboarding elements and frameworks.
Start by creating a map of the customer onboarding journey for different user groups. What features are most important to them? How can you best highlight them?
You also need to determine the best onboarding approach for your product. Here, you have three options:
- Self-service: Customers can onboard themselves with minimal instructions.
- Low-touch: Customers need some guidance, but the product isn't too complex or difficult to set up.
- High-touch: Customers require detailed and personalized onboarding strategies, and may also need 1-on-1 assistance from dedicated customer success teams.
Armed with this information, you can then determine the right onboarding elements to introduce and where/how to utilize them.
Step 3: Use the right customer onboarding software
Once you know what to do, selecting the customer onboarding platform for your needs isn't so difficult.
All you need do is find a tool(s) that's…
- Not too expensive for your budget.
- Fitted with the right features for your needs.
- Scalable in case of future growth.
- Easy to integrate into your tech stack.
See? Not so difficult. If you're unsure where to start looking, we've compiled this comparison of the 9 best onboarding platforms for SaaS companies to help you.
Step 4: Set onboarding performance metrics to track
Remember how you defined your onboarding goals? Well, it's time to put them to work. For this step, you need to define metrics that help you track those goals.
For example, consider the following metrics:
- Customer engagement: Are customers taking the right actions and engaging your core features?
- Time to value: How long does it take for a customer to realize your product's value?
- Conversion rates: Do customers quickly turn from trial users to paid users after completing the onboarding process?
💡Tip: You can use an analytics dashboard to set up your metrics and analyze them in real time. For instance, here is a pre-made dashboard for tracking user activation:
Step 5: Implement analytics to refine your existing onboarding strategy based on insights
The best onboarding strategy is like a living document. This means it is subject to change as new information is found.
However, you need to actively seek out this information. One way you can do that is by using product analytics to determine what's going on.
This can help you see which onboarding elements users interact with, how well they respond to them, and which features are most liked/disliked.
You can also collect user feedback as part of your analytics. For example, you could trigger a survey after the onboarding process to enable users to tell you what they liked/disliked about it.
As you examine the data, look for what's working well and what isn't, then optimize accordingly.
Conclusion
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Customer onboarding is easy if you approach it correctly. So, create a strategy that suits your product, use the right onboarding elements, and be sure to tune it as you progress.
Ready to begin? Book a Userpilot demo right away and we’ll be happy to guide you through Userpilot’s features and how they help you.
FAQs
What is the meaning of customer onboarding?
Customer onboarding is the process of introducing new users to a product or service. It involves guiding them through the initial set-up phase, answering their questions, and leading them to success.
What is required during customer onboarding?
Specific requirements may vary by product or service, but onboarding typically requires:
- Clear communication: Provide clear instructions and answer questions promptly.
- Personalized support: Tailor the onboarding experience to the needs of each customer.
- Effective training: Provide detailed training resources through tutorials, webinars, and in-app walkthroughs.
