We talk about “Customer Onboarding” in the web services or app market to define the first point of contact with the consumer, when, for example, they test a service or register to a website for the first time, even in free form.
Customer Onboarding therefore represents one of the most delicate phases of the customer journey, the initial one, deputed to setting up the relationship with the user.
It is at this stage that the consumer begins to create an opinion of the brand that, inevitably, will also influence all future interactions.
When Customer Onboarding takes place online, it is more important than ever to take care of every step of this process down to the smallest detail. In fact, it is crucial to devise strategies and activities that enhance the customer’s own experience in order to spur the customer to move forward in the company’s interaction journey, getting the best out of the product/service they are interacting with.
Customer Onboarding thus involves the use of various tools, such as:
- welcome and educational emails;
- tutorials (videos or articles);
- form;
- live chat;
- calls and customer care activities;
- help and support during the first login.
Very often we think that once a user has registered for one of our services, he or she is already an acquired customer, but, unfortunately, this is not the case.
From registration to the actual perception of the value of the product/service being tried there is a real gap, within which, many users tend to get lost and choose not to continue.
A Customer Onboarding strategy comes into play precisely at this stage and takes the form of a whole series of activities aimed at accompanying the user from registration and/or free trial of the product/service to his or her choice.
As can be easily guessed, Customer Onboarding is not only about new potential customers, but also about those who have chosen the free product/service solution and need to be accompanied towards the choice of a paid solution.
