Customer onboarding automation should be a top priority for every intelligent business owner. You may save time and effort while increasing the lifetime value of your customers. By considering the value and importance of customer onboarding and how smoothly the journey can be through automation, you’ll be equipped with the information to implement customer onboarding automation for your product.
What is a customer onboarding process?
Customer onboarding is when new users are set up and begin using your product. It takes you through the entire process, from first signup to product activation and first use. Customer onboarding seeks to give value to your customer as early as possible.
Overall, customer onboarding significantly impacts whether a customer uses your product for a long time or after only a few months. When done correctly, it sets your customers to succeed while demonstrating your product’s value. If done incorrectly, customers would wonder why they signed up in the first place.
It’s vital to remember that customer onboarding is a continuous process. It is not only essential to getting your new customers up and running; it is also crucial to create trust and loyalty with them over time.
Why is customer onboarding important?
Customer onboarding is critical since it establishes the tone for your customer’s continuous interaction with your product. A robust onboarding process, for example, will keep your customers engaged. Helping customers grasp and experience the value they’ll receive from your product will result in them starting to use it successfully. Still, more importantly, it will offer them a reason to come back and use your product multiple times.
Moreover, a good onboarding process will also increase trial conversion rates. Customer onboarding is when your trial users get to see the value of your product if you offer a free or reduced product trial. If you can provide actual value during the onboarding process right from the start of their trial, you’ll increase the likelihood that they’ll convert to paid customers.
What are the elements of customer onboarding?
Consider your clientele while developing a strategy for customer onboarding. Some customers prefer that the brand complete the task for them. Other customers want to accomplish their objectives independently, with little assistance from the provider. Implement self-learning customer onboarding if your customers require additional assistance. Ensure your support personnel is constantly available whenever a consumer has a query or needs help. If your customers want to learn independently, go for the guided and interactive walkthroughs.
Certain aspects of customer onboarding are appropriate for all businesses. And remember to keep the following in mind:
Be user friendly
The experience should be centered on the user and demonstrate how to acquire what they want from the product. So, educate them and don’t confuse them.
Inform
It would be best if you understood the user’s success and how to provide the best value for their money. Conduct preliminary research to provide the most informative experience possible.
It’s an ongoing process.
Customer onboarding support should always be accessible to help your customers with any challenges.
How to automate and optimize customer onboarding?
Customer onboarding automation is required to transition from a primarily manual to a more automated, less labor-intensive onboarding process. Creating automated flows and sequences that assist consumers through various actions during their journey is characteristic of excellent customer onboarding. This helps customers learn how to get the most out of your product without high support fees.
We established how customer onboarding is essential. How can you deconstruct the process and determine where automation is feasible?
Registration
Let’s begin with the registration process. Several businesses still require manual verification of signups since their present infrastructure does not permit automated account creation. Any delay in establishing an account causes unnecessary friction. Many people will forget, give up, or attempt an alternative if they must wait.
Welcome
Initial impressions are essential. Why waste a chance to improve the customer experience by leaving your welcome screen empty? Consider implementing simple automation. You could include a personalized message using data acquired from signup or asking a few click-through questions to understand customer needs better.
Get going
This is where users genuinely begin to discover value. What incentive do customers have to use your product unless they actively use it and see it address their problems? They don’t have time to wait for an introductory call, so automation can help them get there faster. Engage customers with interactive walkthroughs, automated video guides, and dynamic checklists.
Milestones
Are there any significant process milestones customers need help to accomplish before leaving? Consider making the process as smooth as possible by automating it. Minimize friction, improve customer success, and raise retention. Often, the right kind of automation might help turn someone about to abandon your product into a super user.
Communication
Onboarding is not a one-time event. Your automated onboarding process should evolve in tandem with your product. It would be best to use automated prompts, hints, and tooltips to communicate value along the journey.
Conclusion
Now you know everything you need about customer onboarding and the critical elements of automating the process. Once you put your customer at the focus and learn their needs, implementing automation will be a piece of cake.
