𝗢𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵

I have noticed that many startups invest heavily in developing valuable products and services, as well as in marketing and sales efforts, only to ignore onboarding new customers, which leads to missed long-term opportunities.

Customer onboarding can effectively bridge their initial impression and their long-term engagement.

A weak process can result in early churn, losing future revenues, and potential reputation risks.

On the other hand, a fantastic onboarding experience promotes customer retention, upsells, and referrals, ultimately leading to increased revenues and growth.

“Smart companies have realized that customer loyalty

is the most powerful sales and marketing tool."

- Bill Price

Strong onboarding requires both quality and satisfaction. Let’s grow!

The Onboarding Process

Set Expectations. Define what features, results, and support are provided.

Then, explain what you will not offer. While you (and sales ) may be hesitant, candor builds trust and often prevents future frustrations.

Accelerate Learning. No one ever complained that they got up to speed too fast. To facilitate onboarding, establish multiple learning paths, e.g. videos, diagrams, and live training since we have different ways to process info.

If any concerns or issues occur, promptly address them. Most customers do not expect perfection, but do expect attention.

Install Checkpoints. Schedule recurring ways to gauge customers' feelings, such as surveys, emails, and focus groups.

Ask quantitative questions to track changes and qualitative questions to solicit concerns and get ideas for new offerings.

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁

Recognize Satisfaction. Speak to customer success across the company. Integrate customer enthusiasm into discussion and reports from all teams to encourage accountability and collaboration.

With customers, offer extra value proactively e.g. access to new features, insights, and special reports (e.g. competitor analysis). Put more into a relationship to get more out of it.

Seek Feedback. Learn why customers are using your product. Many companies are surprised by what they discover. Originally a gaming company, Slack employees were so thrilled with their internal communication tool that a new, sellable product was developed.

Ask open-ended questions such as, “If you look forward a year from now and are really happy, what are you saying about us?”

Measure Success. Use metrics to track progress and make informed decisions.

Potential Metrics:

• Onboarding completion time

• Sentiment scores

• Lifetime value over onboarding cost

• Referrals and testimonials

Share your findings in company meetings, finance reports, and performance reviews so the team learns about and values customer delight.

Effective customer onboarding encourages retention, upsells, and referrals, forming a bridge to greater revenues and profitability.

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Photo by Kaique Rocha who can be found here

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