It’s no secret that for B2B software companies securing a new customer can be difficult and quite a task. Closing a deal requires marketing engagement, demo presentations, multiple calls and ultimately approvals and proposals from a dozen stakeholders in the company to proceed and sign the dotted line.
However, that’s half the work done, and the next step is Customer Onboarding successfully. That’s where unfortunately many companies do not put any effort. After a new customer has been added, many companies move on to their next find. They often forget that new customers expect the same amount and kind of attention during the onboarding process.
Since most well-planned companies have a well-planned customer onboarding process in place, it becomes easier for them to retain, engage and provide value to their customers. This is extremely fruitful in the long run to reduce customer attrition or churn.
What is a Customer Onboarding Process?
Customer Onboarding Process is defined as the steps a business needs to take to familiarize a new customer with one’s services or product. Successful onboarding makes your new customers feel important and valued. It can be a big boost to customer satisfaction.
More so, all B2B SaaS businesses have certain targets and deadlines to meet that coincide with their monetary incentives and thus a successful onboarding is crucial.
This is where the idea of “Customer Success” as a systematized concept comes into place – to help you retain your business.
What must a Successful Onboarding Experience look like?
Simply put, a B2B SaaS customer onboarding must be like how you start fresh with a new team joiner. It has many facets which include training, setting up accounts, implementing the software, training them on configuring integrations and ensuring the product complies with their needs. It is now you can leave the best possible, positive impression on your customer’s success.
Regardless of what you are selling, the right approach to optimizing Customer Success relies on the implementation of three important factors:
- Technology: Analytics are the backbone of customer success
- Real-time monitoring of clients
- Health of the customer: metrics that showcase product usage
Secrets to Successfully Onboard a Customer
1. Start the customer onboarding process with the data you already have
Remember that the faster a customer sets up their account, the more pleased they are. Keep this in mind and maybe, automate some info being populated.
2. Tailormade customer onboarding experiences based on their level of expertise
Different customers have various levels of expertise. If you can make things simple for novices with guides, tutorials or AI-assisted aspects, your work is much easier.
3. Focus on benefits and usage
A great way to let customers know of their purchase is by focussing on the benefits of the product and not its features alone. When they know what exactly they are receiving, it is likely customers will be more pleased.
4. Make it easier for customers to navigate
Note that even a hint of delay in onboarding will make them reconsider their choices. They want their job done and that’s why customer onboarding is important. Add progress bars, have skip button, collect only important information and give them a chance to invite friends or teams.
5. Nudge them gently when needed
When setting up accounts for B2B SaaS products, there are small milestones also known as checkpoints. Help them get past this and proceed. Address their situation, schedule a call or invite them to a free webinar where they’ll be trained.
6. Create content designed to facilitate easy customer onboarding
Kissmetrics once noted that 69% of Millennials ‘feel good’ when they can solve a problem by themselves.
Keeping this in mind, its helps to create content that will help them move on their journey without much handholding.
7. Connect them to the right team
Every relationship relies on human support. Structure your teams so that all are familiar with the strategy, implementation tactics and methods to help customers onboard and succeed with your organisation.
8. Segmented onboarding
While some may argue that 1-1 is the best way to get a customer onboard, other feel multiple people should be involved. For B2B SaaS businesses, its best to onboard them based on the cohorts they’ve chosen.
9. Feedback about the process
If your customer has or has not completed the process, a simple way to keep the company on top of their mind is to genuinely ask for their opinion. Ask for ways they felt it could be better optimised, improved and generally catch up. This shows that the interest lies in their success.
Wrapping up, a successful customer onboarding is the bedrock of a lasting When a customer relationship begins in a fragile state, it makes churn and attrition much easier for them. A customer onboarding process for B2B SaaS companies should be made simple for easy process flow.
Interesting related article: “What is Software?“