Client onboarding should make it as easy as possible for new users to get to know your product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why is customer onboarding important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Customers might have viewed your ads. Or maybe they browsed your product page or read a glowing testimonial. Either way, they\u2019re going to have certain expectations. It\u2019s your job to meet these expectations. You must also ensure customers realize the advertised benefits as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This proves to users that your product can do everything you\u2019ve promised. That reduces the chances of getting a negative review because a user can\u2019t figure out your product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
User onboarding also helps to speed up product adoption and boosts customer satisfaction. A new customer who can make full use of a product is more likely to recommend it to others. Plus, those who like a product from the start are more likely to become repeat customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A customer onboarding experience sets the tone for your relationship with a new user. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Onboard them onto your product and keep lines of communication open. This shows that you care about their experience. It also lays the foundations for a positive relationship brimming with customer satisfaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Successful customer onboarding can reduce customer churn<\/a>. Positive onboarding can reduce customer churn. And it can also increase customer lifetime value. Customers tend to trust companies who care about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every business should try to foster a positive relationship with their customers. This encourages customer retention and leads to long-term loyalty. Effective user onboarding is a vital step to securing customer loyalty. It should form a key part of your customer success strategy. But how do you develop an effective customer onboarding process? But how do you develop a customer onboarding process that works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n An onboarding strategy provides a clear goal to work towards. It will guide your efforts as you build your customer onboarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The process will differ depending on your business and product. But, there are a few key touch points. Building your strategy around these is a great place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find a customer onboarding template<\/a> online. These templates make it easier to craft emails for each stage of the onboarding process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you know the cornerstones of a strategy, let\u2019s go into more depth. Here are six tactics to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve mentioned, a welcome email is a great start. They have the added benefit of boasting high open and click-through rates. According to GetResponse\u2019s report<\/a>, welcome emails have average open rates of 83% and click-through rates of 16%. It might not sound like much. <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n An introductory survey is another helpful tool when onboarding customers. You can use this to capture key information about your customer. This helps to personalize their onboarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you can ask them about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Query them about the product too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answers can help you create a positive experience that aligns with individual customers\u2019 preferences, wants, and needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The answers can help you create experiences that align with individual customers\u2019 preferences, wants, and needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, don\u2019t overwhelm your users with too many questions. Be strategic about what you\u2019re asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n User segmentation is the practice of dividing your customer base into smaller sections. It can be based on demographics, location, behavior, and many other factors. <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take geographical segmentation as an example. In your segmented emails, you can adjust your email copy. This might include local spellings, words, and phrases for that specific place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, you can offer location-based content and discounts to encourage engagement. Don\u2019t forget to link to your local domains, too. This could be your .uk domain for UK customers and your .sg domain<\/a> for Singapore customers for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Segmenting your users allows you to provide a more personalized onboarding experience. This way you can create content relevant to specific audiences and share it accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many customers today love staying up to date with the latest tech. These users will receive all news-related content. Meanwhile, those who don\u2019t aren\u2019t subjected to these emails. This increases the chances of them sticking around long-term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Doing this ensures every customer receives a high-value onboarding experience. They\u2019ll be able to move through the process at a speed that\u2019s right for them. Plus, they\u2019ll be following instructions and prompts that let them get the most out of your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Break your onboarding process into smaller chunks. This makes it more digestible for your customers. Forget about long-term, time-consuming to-dos. Instead, send customers a series of small tasks that can be easily completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, it\u2019s a great way to keep things organized. You can both see the progress they\u2019ve made and what they\u2019ve got left to tackle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to check off tasks on a checklist adds a gamification element to onboarding. This helps to keep the process fun and lighthearted, keeping your customers engaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example of Canny\u2019s onboarding checklist (custom-built by the Canny team).<\/p>\n\n\n Stripo<\/a> boosted seasonal open and click-through rates using email gamification. They created a gamified newsletter with a word search that, once successfully completed, led to a promotional code. This boosted engagement as well as increased registrations and ebook downloads. So look into it to improve your email marketing and customer onboarding strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You might have provided a product tour or demo as part of your sales process. Now that your lead is a paying customer, it\u2019s time to go into more depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interactive walkthrough is a great way to achieve this, because it educates customers on how to use product\u2019s features and make the most out of them. By the end, customers should understand how they can use your product successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walkthroughs are an engaging way to get your customers started with your product. Plus, they can refer to them again and again. That means they don\u2019t have to call your live support team. This can be frustrating and inconvenient for customers. Instead, they can refer to your interactive walkthrough and get the answers they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we mentioned before, make sure you\u2019re not being intrusive. The last thing a user wants is to have their workflow interrupted. So be careful and strategic with your walkthroughs. Test them and be ready to turn them off if you see little to no engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interactive walkthroughs may help reduce call volumes. But they won\u2019t eliminate them. After all, nothing works how we want it to 100% of the time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a good idea to have product support available to your customers when these issues crop up. The faster you can resolve their issues, the faster they can get back to using your product. And the happier they\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to think about the different types of questions and support customers will need. For example, maintaining call center efficiency<\/a> can be vital when it comes to the onboarding experience. This is because new customers are likely to have numerous questions. They want to have access to robust support with a human touch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, another great resource is a knowledge base, as they help customers carry out self-serve support. This allows them to solve simple issues in their own time, at their own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chatbots that use conversational AI<\/a> are another great resource for providing customer support. They can use knowledge bases and FAQs to provide customer support on simple queries. This gives agents more time to focus on complex problems. Overall, this creates a better customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDeveloping a customer onboarding process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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6 customer onboarding strategies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Welcome your customer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-05-at-1.48.10\u202fPM.png\")
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2. Put in place user segmentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/types-of-user-segmentation.jpg\")
3. Create an onboarding checklist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-05-at-1.51.18\u202fPM.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n4. Provide interactive customer walkthroughs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Provide support<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Canny's](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Screenshot-2023-11-24-at-11.34.30\u202fAM.png\")
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