A seamless customer onboarding can lay the foundation for a long-term relationship between the business and the customer. It is one of the most crucial stages in the customer life cycle. We live in a digital world where most tasks are accomplished with the help of the internet and online application.
Customer onboarding is no exception, especially when we are facing the worst disaster striking humanity in the form of Covid-19. Instead of performing customer onboarding or employee background screening in houses, businesses can seek the help of companies that offer digital customer onboarding and employment screening services. The advantage of such companies is that they can offer these services at a lesser cost and finish tasks quickly, unlike building an in-house team for the onboarding or hiring process. Let’s understand the complete process using the guide below to Customer Onboarding Services.
Customer Onboarding- Definition
It is a process where a new customer or user is officially given access to a business enterprise’s product or service. It encompasses an entire journey from initial sign-up to a product, access grant and first use. The main goal of businesses to use sophisticated onboarding solutions is to create trust among the customers about the product and make them use it for a long time.
Customer Onboarding- Importance
The customer onboarding process offers many benefits to both businesses and customers. Digital onboarding eases the customer’s journey from sign-up to the first use of the product. It increases Customer LifeTime Value (LTV) and converts new users into loyal ones. For business, it will,
- Increases revenue as more customers will use the product
- Happy customer brings new customers
- Customer retention will reduce acquisition costs
Customer Onboarding- Process
A seamless onboarding solution will help the customer complete the steps without much confusion and quickly. The main objective is to provide all the resources for customers to onboard autonomously. It means you have to incorporate features that will guide the customer from setup to the first use of the product.
1. Welcome with an email
The first step of customer onboarding is to provide a positive welcome email by congratulating them on purchasing your product. Appreciate their purchase and thank them for choosing their service over other options.
2. Greeting Message
It is different from a welcome email, and it greets the customer on their first login and asks them to take the first step towards setting up their account. The best practice is to ask for a password change and show them how it’s done through a short video.
3. Product Setup
A guided tutorial video or setup wizard must be created to allow the customer to use it and run the product setup process step-by-step. These setup guides are only required when multiple steps are required, or steps are to be done in a particular order.
4. Fill empty states
When the customer enters the product portal for the first time, there will be empty states without relevant data. Fill these states with interesting and actionable content that describes the feature and how to use it effectively. Then, encourage the customer to begin the use right away.
5. Feature Callouts
Use tip banners to create awareness among the customers about the important features that ease the use of the product. The banner is an introduction and not a substitute for an actual tutorial video.
6. Interactive Walk-Through
It is the most vital step of customer onboarding, where the customers are taught how to use the product and derive value. The best way is to allow the customers to try the product by themselves and learn to use it effectively with practice.
7. Knowledge Base
It is a resource section provided in the onboarding solution consisting of frequently asked questions that can fix problems quickly and autonomously by the user itself.
8. Routine Check-Ins
It is a best practice rather than a step in the customer onboarding process. The new users should get a feel that you care about their progress and are always there to help in case of bottlenecks. It will ensure the customers enjoy maximum benefits during the usage of the product.
9. Mini Celebrations
Ensure the customer’s success is celebrated at all times, encouraging them to engage with the product with more excitement. In this way, they will feel that you are invested in their success, building more trust and eventually more customers.
Customer onboarding is a crucial process. The above guide will help you understand the nuances of how they help in running a successful business enterprise.