When it comes to onboarding, especially for those involved in Software as a Service and related industries, you may think it’s a once-and-done process. But onboarding is a very delicate process and can form the basis of an opinion as to whether or not a customer will ultimately continue with your company or go elsewhere.
That’s a tall order to fill for having just successfully won a customer’s business!
The fact is, onboarding can be your customer retention “secret sauce”, but it’s imperative that you do it right. Here’s how to make sure you and your team are making your onboarding process as smooth and streamlined as it can be:
Provide Continuous Training
Some users will take to your software or service instantly. They’ll go through it thoroughly and may even help pinpoint issues you weren’t aware of. Others will take more time to go through it and need more of a step-by-step approach. How can you serve both through the same system?
Segment the training based on their behavior. Offer a way to go through the process quickly and efficiently, with context menus or live chat on hand to ask questions. This gives your target audience the ability to not only learn at their pace but learn according to their personal style. As a result, you’re able to retain their attention longer than you would if you insisted on one way or the other.
Communicate Across Multiple Channels
Some people prefer to read a tutorial in a knowledge base. Others want to watch it in a video. Others might want to download an app and work through it on their mobile phone. It’s all about how the user is most comfortable. Comfortable users use your product more often, recommend it to others and become more loyal as a result.
Illustrate the Process
Users like the feeling of winning, and gamifying the onboarding process can be a great way to show them how easy it can be to win at using your service. By illustrating the steps until completion, and giving them a special something for reaching it (say, a 10% discount off their next month, or some other benefit), they’ll be much more likely to complete it. Remember, they chose your product out of all of the options out there, reward them for recognizing that they chose the best!
Focus on the Relationship
Onboarding isn’t a top-down process where you dump a bunch of information into the customers’ lap and then hope they muddle through it. It’s also a great opportunity for you to get to know them personally – their goals, their interactions with your product, what they have problems with and what they really love. Use this information to customize their experience and make sure that every interaction they have with your business, onboarding and beyond, is one that’s designed to delight them!
Ready to take the next steps to make your onboarding process better for all of your customers? It all starts with the right content. New clients are going to have lots of questions. Trust the experts at Workdom to help you launch a strategy that educates as well as attracts and retains. Contact us today to learn more!
