Onboarding a new user is one of the earliest touchpoints in customer experience, and an integral part of customer support. It is a nurturing process of getting your new user acquainted to your product. Typically, an onboarding program includes step-by-step tutorials, guidance, support, and ensuring the success of the customer using your product.
The user onboarding experience starts even before the customer signs up for your product. It starts with setting expectations as to what they can expect from your product. And it needs to carry over into your onboarding process where you reiterate the value your product offers, the pain points it can address, and reinstill confidence in their decision to have chosen to try your product.
Before you design an onboarding flow, it is important to have clear goals on what you want your new users to be doing and also know what they wish to accomplish with your product. And that will help you design the right user experience. For instance, your onboarding can have specific goals towards converting a new user into a successful user, such as:
Getting your users to use your product on a daily basis
Helping them establish a pattern of usage
Define your own parameter of what a successful user is. It can be based on the pattern of usage across the free-trial period. For instance, if you offer a 30-day trial period, you can look at some factors like:
The number of times an user logs into your tool
Specific high value action, etc.
The primary objective of onboarding a new user is to get them acquainted to all the features of your product and the value it adds in accomplishing their goals. So, the flow of the onboarding process will depend on the user’s need. For example, some customers might not want to watch a welcome video, so compelling them to watch it isn’t a great experience. You can rather empower the user to access the video when they want.
Provide your new user with access to all the necessary resources, so that they can onboard autonomously. But make sure you are also present to resolve any queries they might have on the go.
It’s important to note that your first few interactions with your new customer needs to validate their choice of wanting to evaluate your product. Start your interaction with your customer on a positive note. Congratulate them for choosing to evaluate your product and share your excitement to have them on board.
Here’s a template you can use to welcome them over an email:
Hello <first name>,
As the <job title> of XYZ, I personally wanted to reach out and welcome you. We are absolutely thrilled that you’ve chosen to evaluate XYZ for your <domain/solution area> needs. You've now begun your 30-day trial. We have made some awesome videos <link> which will help you learn about and use XYZ effectively. While you get started, can you tell me what challenges or problems are you trying to solve with XYZ? Your reply will give me and my team all the context to help you achieve it!
Looking forward to a great relationship!
Best,
Your name, <Job title>, XYZ
Company name
Then set up a cadence of emails for their trial period, and share useful information about your product and the potential value of what they can achieve using your product.
In-app messages are slightly different from emails. You can welcome a new user right within your product/ app, A typical in-app welcome message can be used to greet a new user and facilitate them in setting up their account. Use every opportunity to understand the unique goal of the user and try to help them accomplish it using your product.
Make it as easy as possible for the customer. When the new user first onboards your product, the product may not have any data unless already imported. You can replace those placeholders with actionable videos and content explaining a feature or how the user can accomplish the task using a specific feature of your product. For example, it can be an in-app video to explain how to “Create and set up scenario automations” and also suggest related content that the new user can refer to.
To sum up, new user onboarding isn’t just about the process after a customer signs up for your product. It includes every opportunity a prospect comes across your brand. It’s best to have a checklist of the above mentioned points and you can keep referring to it, once in a while. Reach out to your new users proactively and check if they would need any help with respect to your product, because their success with your product is your success.
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