Guide to Customer Onboarding 

Onboarding acts as a critical juncture in the custom journey, as it not only serves to provide useful information for individuals to efficiently navigate your offerings, but also sets the tone for what will hopefully be a long-term, fruitful relationship for all parties. After all, as they say, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

The customer onboarding process is a prime opportunity for your company to reinforce its brand identity and reassure individuals that they’ve made the right choice by choosing to do business with you. But when it comes to onboarding, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. You’ll need to thoroughly evaluate your unique business objectives and customer needs, and formulate your strategy accordingly.

Join us as we dive into what exactly customer onboarding is and how to craft an approach that best suits the requirements of both your customers and your organization.

What is customer onboarding?

Customer onboarding refers to the process of guiding new customers through the initial stages of using a product or service. It typically involves familiarizing them with key features, setting up their accounts, and ensuring they know how to derive value from your offering. This is often achieved through actions like step-by-step tutorials, product tours, webinars, or one-on-one assistance. 

The primary goal of onboarding is to seamlessly welcome individuals to your brand and help them become confident and competent quickly. This is why having a customer onboarding strategy is so important!

Why is customer onboarding important?

Customer onboarding is important because it lays the groundwork for a successful, long-term relationship between a business and its customers. This process helps new users become familiar with a product or service, verifying they understand how to use it effectively to meet their needs. When individuals are left to navigate an offering on their own, they may become frustrated or confused, leading to early churn. 

Additionally, onboarding is vital for building trust and demonstrating a commitment to customer success. Companies that invest time and resources into helping users get started are signaling that they’re genuinely interested in positive outcomes. This proactive support can lead to higher levels of brand loyalty and advocacy, with customers being more likely to recommend the product to others.

Currently, nearly 60% of organizations say they’re not satisfied with their current onboarding approach, meaning that excelling in this area offers the potential to secure a significant competitive advantage.

How to optimize the customer onboarding process

Optimizing the customer onboarding process is essential for transforming new users into loyal customers who understand and appreciate the value of your product or service. An effective experience here can greatly impact customer satisfaction, retention rates, and overall business growth. 

Some things to keep in mind when implementing your onboarding strategy include:

1. Make signup process easy

To simplify the sign-up process, businesses should aim to minimize the amount of information required upfront. Asking for only the most essential details, such as an email address and password, helps avoid overwhelming potential customers and reduces the risk of abandonment. 

Furthermore, allowing individuals to sign up using social media or single sign-on (SSO) options, such as Google or Facebook, further streamlines the process by eliminating the need for them to create and remember a new login. A clean, intuitive interface with clear prompts and error messages serves to simplify account creation as well, ensuring a seamless experience.

Studies show that 74% of potential customers will abandon onboarding if the process is complicated, suggesting that simplicity is key in this regard.

2. Offer a personalized welcome email

Your initial welcome email should always address the customer by name if possible and reference relevant details, such as the product they signed up for or their preferences. Including a brief, warm welcome message that highlights the value of your offerings and what they can expect from the onboarding process can also build excitement and encourage engagement.

This message can also include tailored tips to help individuals get started, making the onboarding process more relevant to their goals. For instance, if the customer has signed up for a specific service, you can provide direct links to resources that are most applicable to their needs. Moreover, offering a direct line to customer support within the email adds a personal touch, letting the individual know that help is readily available. 

3. Make the most of your first impression

Whether through a welcome email, product walkthrough, or onboarding dashboard, your opening interaction should be designed to engage users immediately. A well-crafted first impression starts by clearly articulating the value proposition and showing customers how your product will meet their needs. By facilitating a smooth experience from the start, you create a positive emotional connection that can influence the entire customer journey.

Beyond functionality, the tone and design of the onboarding experience should reflect your brand’s personality and values. 94% of first impressions are design-related, making your efforts in this arena integral to your overall success. You’ll also need to carefully consider your language—whether you’re aiming for friendly and approachable or professional and efficient, your first communication should be consistent with the customer’s expectations. 

4. Guide the customer through product set up

Guiding individuals through product setup during onboarding is crucial to ensuring they can start successfully using your product immediately. To make this process as smooth as possible, break the setup into clear, manageable steps that are easy to follow. Providing a product tour or interactive walkthrough can help customers navigate key features and complete necessary configurations.

Offering proactive support during product setup can significantly improve the onboarding experience as well. For example, sending automated emails with setup tips or enabling live chat options at critical points can provide real-time help when customers might hit a roadblock.

5. Provide support options and a knowledge base

Throughout the onboarding process, customers often have questions or encounter difficulties, and having multiple support channels available ensures they can find help in a manner that suits their preferences. Offering a responsive support system reassures individuals that they aren’t alone in their journey and that assistance is readily available when needed.

In addition to direct support, creating a comprehensive knowledge base is vital for empowering customers to find answers independently. This repository should include FAQs, step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and troubleshooting articles, all tailored to address common onboarding challenges. Organizing the knowledge base intuitively—by categorizing topics or using a search function—further enables users to easily locate the information they need.

6. Follow up with customer

A well-timed follow-up can take various forms, such as personalized emails, surveys, or scheduled check-ins. These communications should aim to assess how well individuals are adapting to the product, address any lingering questions, and solicit feedback on their onboarding experience. For instance, sending a ‘thank you’ email a week after onboarding can include links to additional resources or tips for getting the most out of the product.

These messages should also focus on nurturing the relationship and encouraging continued use of the product. You might consider setting up automated reminders for customers to explore advanced features or to take advantage of new offerings. Providing opportunities for ongoing education, such as webinars or tutorials, can keep customers engaged and enhance their overall experience as well.

7. Offer rewards

Offering rewards can significantly enhance engagement for new users, helping to create a positive initial experience with your brand. This not only incentivizes customers to interact with the onboarding process, but also showcases the value of your offerings right from the start. By strategically implementing rewards, businesses can encourage individuals to fully explore the wealth of features available to them.

The timing and communication of these rewards are essential for maximizing their impact. Clearly outline the reward structure during the onboarding process, verifying that customers understand what they need to do to earn rewards. Celebrating milestones—such as completing the onboarding process or achieving a specific usage level—can further reinforce positive behavior and strengthen the relationship between the customer and the brand.

Customer onboarding welcome email template

To give you an idea of what a customer onboarding email for your company might look like, let’s break down what a standard template would typically contain. The primary objective here is to make a positive first impression, build excitement, and guide new customers on how to use the platform efficiently. 

Some essential elements it should contain include:

• Subject line: A warm and inviting subject line that grabs attention, such as "Welcome to [your brand]! Let's get started!" or "You're in! Here's how to get the most out of [your brand]".

• Personalized greeting: Address the customer by their first name to make it feel personal. E.g., "Hi [customer name], welcome to [your brand]".

• Welcome message: A brief, enthusiastic welcome message that expresses gratitude for choosing your company and sets the tone for a positive customer experience (CX).

• Introduction to the brand: Share a short summary of who you are, what your business offers, and why customers love shopping with you. Highlight any key selling points like sustainable products, fast shipping, or unique collections.

• Account setup: Guide the user on how to complete their profile or update their preferences. If there’s no formal account setup, point them to the shopping process and any tools that make it easier (e.g., wishlists, personalized recommendations).

• Call-to-action (CTA): Include a clear and prominent CTA button that leads individuals to shop or explore your product catalog (e.g., "Start Shopping" or "Discover Our Bestsellers").

• Benefits and features: Highlight customer perks such as free shipping, rewards programs, or first-time discounts. This section adds value and encourages immediate engagement.

• Support and help resources: Provide a link to customer service or FAQ pages for any questions. Offering assistance early on builds trust. Example: "Need help? Our support team is here for you!"

• Testimonials: Include a brief customer testimonial or mention of how many happy customers have shopped with your brand to reinforce trust.

• Social media links: Add links to your social media pages so users can follow you and stay updated on promotions, new arrivals, and exclusive offers.

• Closing message: End with a friendly note, thanking the customer again and reinforcing that you're excited to have them on board.

• Brand signature and contact information: Include your brand name, email signature, and any contact information so the individual can easily reach you if needed.

Customer onboarding best practices

Onboarding is the first real interaction a new customer has with your company, making it a pivotal moment for shaping their perception of your brand. Done right, onboarding can turn new users into loyal advocates by helping them understand the full potential of your offerings. However, without a thoughtful approach, individuals may feel overwhelmed or disengaged, leading to high churn rates. 

Let’s take a look at some best practices that can help maximize the potential of your onboarding approach:

Assign customer onboarding responsibilities across team

The customer success team often takes the lead in onboarding by ensuring a smooth transition for new customers, providing training, and offering ongoing support. They’re responsible for guiding individuals through product setup, answering questions, and addressing any challenges that arise. The sales team plays a critical role as well, as they’re often tasked with passing on important information and ensuring that the user’s expectations align with the onboarding journey.

Marketing teams may also play a part by providing onboarding resources that assist in educating customers about the product. This content should make it easier for users to self-serve and quickly grasp the value of the product. Lastly, the product team verifies that the offering itself provides an intuitive experience, typically collecting feedback from the onboarding process to inform future product improvements.

Have strong goal set in place

Having clear goals in place is essential to guide the onboarding process and ensure it delivers the desired outcomes. These goals should be aligned with broader business objectives, such as improving customer satisfaction, reducing churn, and driving product adoption. Make sure that benchmarks are unambiguous and measurable, as this helps verify that all team members are on the same page and that progress can be assessed over time.

Having well-defined objectives such as increasing retention rates within the first 90 days or achieving a higher customer activation rate provide benchmarks that teams can track and optimize as they move forward. Strong onboarding goals not only clarify the objectives for internal teams, but also ensure that the customer’s journey is carefully guided toward success.

Have customer onboarding process well laid out

Begin here by mapping out the key steps that individuals should take to become proficient with your offerings, such as product walkthroughs and first-use milestones. You can break this process down into phases (e.g., initial setup, product training, ongoing support) and create a checklist or roadmap that keeps both customers and your team aligned on progress.

Additionally, to ensure your onboarding procedures are effective, they must be flexible enough to cater to different customer segments. Tailoring the onboarding journey based on customer needs, whether they’re new users or enterprise clients, can significantly improve engagement. 

Continually assess customer onboarding process and make changes accordingly

In order to continually refine your onboarding approach over time, you’ll need to regularly collect and analyze feedback from new users about their experience. This can be done through traditional surveys, support ticket analysis, or direct feedback from customer success teams. By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) like time to value (TTV) and onboarding completion rates, businesses can identify areas where the process may be causing friction.

In addition to tracking performance metrics, onboarding should be adjusted in response to product updates, new features, or changing customer segments. As your product evolves, your onboarding materials, tutorials, and support should evolve with it.

Gather feedback and build knowledge base

To effectively collect customer feedback, organizations can employ multiple strategies, such as sending out short, targeted surveys at key points in the onboarding journey (e.g., after account setup or product use). Another approach is monitoring customer support interactions to identify common questions or issues. By actively encouraging individuals to share their experience, companies can gain valuable information that helps refine the onboarding process over time.

Leveraging this feedback, businesses are then able to identify common types of assistance required and questions asked by their customer base, around which they can build their knowledge base. This centralized repository should contain clear, easy-to-follow resources like how-to guides, video tutorials, and FAQs that help users solve problems independently. Integrating your base into the onboarding process empowers individuals to quickly find the information they need, thus improving their overall experience.

Examples of customer onboarding done right

When it comes to customer onboarding, some companies have truly mastered the art of guiding new users toward long-term success. These brands don’t just offer a product or service—they create a seamless, engaging experience from the very first interaction. By anticipating customer needs, offering proactive support, and delivering personalized education, they ensure users quickly realize value.

Let’s take a look at two businesses, Airbnb and Canva, that have found an onboarding blueprint that fits their unique brand identity and sufficiently addresses the needs of their customer base:

Airbnb

Airbnb, a well-known online marketplace for short-term and long-term home rentals, is tasked with the unique responsibility of tailoring its onboarding approach to both the individuals renting out their properties and the ones renting from them. Thus, the company has chosen to employ a flexible video-based approach to onboarding, featuring one of its co-founders, Brian Chesky, speaking to viewers directly from his own house. 

Video has proven to be a worthwhile onboarding strategy, as 97% of individuals believe that a video introduction is an effective way to educate new customers.

Airbnb’s video includes Brian running through the process of listing one of his rooms on Airbnb, while also giving a brief history of the company’s origins and its core values. The space is well-lit and a cheerful, easy-going instrumental plays lightly in the background, reinforcing Airbnb’s brand identity as a reputable platform where users can go to ensure they have a comfortable and relaxing space to build their vacation around.

As the video progresses, Brian brings up some of the potential challenges that hosters may experience when getting started on Airbnb, such as difficulties in setting up an account and the uncertainty of letting strangers into their living space. He then works to alleviate these concerns, explaining how Airbnb is addressing these issues, such as by providing dedicated ‘superhosts’ to guide new users along in listing their first space. Brian also dives into features such as identity verification and the option to only host ‘experienced guests,’ which are available to put the minds of hosters at ease.

Overall, the video is informative and also reinforces Airbnb’s brand identity, reassuring users that they’ve chosen the right platform on which to list their rental property.

Canva

The leading online graphic design platform, Canva, takes a slightly different approach to onboarding, instead focusing on a short, right-to-the-point process that streamlines the entire sign-up experience.

Upon creating an account, individuals are presented with a prompt to determine why they’ll be using Canva. Once they’ve shared whether they’re a non-profit, for-profit, individual, etc., they’ll receive a tailored experience focused on optimizing the platform based on their particular needs. Thus, they can easily find specific templates, designs, and advice personalized to how they plan to use the service.

Since Canava is such an intuitively designed, easy-to-use tool, the standard onboarding process officially ends here. For users who require additional guidance, there are plenty of self-service resources available in the form of educational documents and short-form videos (most are under two minutes) that allow individuals to help themselves at their own convenience as they move along.

Canva’s approach focuses on conciseness while still providing users with pertinent details that can improve their overall experience. This strategy serves to promote the idea that the platform is simple to navigate and doesn’t require advanced technical proficiency to utilize.

Optimize your customer onboarding processes today with Freshchat!

Freshchat is the preferred customer engagement solution for businesses of all different sizes across many different industries. It provides a vast array of tools that can help attract new customers, introduce them to your business, and retain them over time.

Freshchat focuses not only on engaging customers and providing them with useful information from the outset, but also on offering support throughout the entirety of their journey with your brand. For instance, our robust knowledge base is easily navigable and supports rich multimedia attachments, allowing users to help themselves at their own convenience in whichever learning method best suits their preferences. Other self-service tools like our Freddy AI-driven chatbot and community forums are also available to help address any issues that can’t be resolved within your base.

Even more, our handy help widget and automatic suggestions can offer helpful advice tailored to wherever an individual is at in their unique journey, helping nudge them along to wherever they’re trying to get. Other standout tools like feedback mechanisms, custom reports, and Email to Kbase empower companies to assess their performance over time and make the necessary adjustments to improve the CX and keep customers coming back for more.

Ready to experience the power of Freshchat for yourself? Sign up for a free trial or request a demo today!