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Yes, it may seem obvious, yet somehow so few companies are missing this crucial part of the process. Before we ask our brilliant Customer Success manager Harriet to delve into the different software available to help achieve onboarding success, we wanted to quickly state the obvious:
Customer onboarding is a critical process for any business, and customer success managers should be well-versed in the different types of customer onboarding software available. With the right software, teams can boost productivity and cut costs while improving customer retention. Different customer onboarding software models are better suited for different business models and customer needs, so it’s important to do your research and find the one that is best for your team. Additionally, customer onboarding should be a team effort, as disjointed processes can make it difficult to properly onboard customers. To ensure customer onboarding is as effective and efficient as possible, customer success managers should make sure all team members are communicating, cooperating, and working together to ensure customer onboarding success.
Now let’s hand this over to Harriet, shall we? She’s the one with the years of experience, and the knowledge of what works best. Us? We just went to marketing school and tried our best to grow ironic facial hair.
Harriet says:
And there go the marketing people. Oh, what I would give to spend my days doing TikTok dances too, but this is my calling. So, let’s first delve into what customer onboarding software actually is.
A good customer onboarding software is the foundation of a positive customer experience. It is the process of introducing customers to a product or service, educating them on how to use it, and ensuring that they are able to get the most out of their experience. This process is a crucial part of the customer life cycle, as it sets the tone for the customer’s engagement with the product. By properly onboarding customers, businesses can help customers understand their value and get them used to the product quickly and effectively. This, in turn, can lead to an increase in customer retention, as customers will be more likely to stay when they are satisfied with the onboarding process. Through good customer onboarding, businesses can give their customers the best possible experience and create a strong link between onboarding and decreased churn.
So, how to choose customer and client onboarding software:
Customer onboarding software provides a comprehensive approach to onboarding customers. It offers both high-touch and low-touch tools to prioritize customer communication and client management, automation and self-service, and new resources at each stage. High-touch onboarding is most suitable for service businesses and mid- to enterprise-level SaaS customers, while low-touch onboarding is more suitable for low-barrier-to-entry SaaS products. Customers can choose an onboarding journey that best fits their needs and take complete control of their onboarding experience with self-service tools. Tech touch can be used to provide personalized customer support and resources, while automation can help minimize the need for one-on-one attention.
Let’s talk about all-in-one tools vs. point solutions.
Customer onboarding is a crucial part of managing customer relationships and all-in-one customer success tools can help to strengthen it. These tools focus on lifecycle management providing various features to oversee the relationship both before and after the customer buys. They can help large CS organizations reduce their tech stack, but may sacrifice depth and functionality during the onboarding process.
By establishing an easy way to communicate with customers early on, good customer success can be achieved. Asking customers which communication platform they prefer, can ensure that there is a quick and efficient way to get in touch when needed. Utilizing more casual forms of communication such as Slack or WhatsApp can help reduce the formality of emails and ensure a more collaborative partnership.
Customer vs internal facing
Customer onboarding tools can be divided into customer-facing and internal-facing software. Customer-facing onboarding tools simplify and manage the experience for end users, with features such as a communication portal and resource distribution.
Internal-facing software improves the backend of the customer onboarding experience, with features such as team communication and collaboration tools, tracking and reporting, or an internal knowledge base. Most tools have both internal and external-facing features but are rarely great for both.
If you need a tool with multiple functionalities and use cases, such as managing external and internal processes, you may be able to find a customizable or integrated tool that meets your unique needs.
High-touch tools
High-touch onboarding tools prioritize collaboration and communication, offering a hands-on approach to onboarding.
- They’re beneficial for complex onboarding processes, highly technical tools, and customers expecting a personalized experience.
- Companies that would benefit include SaaS or tech companies with products that require deep knowledge or intricate setup, Agencies for new clients, SaaS companies with large customer teams, and Companies whose customers need to know the “why.”
- They come in three categories: Customer onboarding portals, Knowledge base software, and Customer success enablement tools.
Onboarding portals:
Onboarding portals are designed to be user-friendly and provide customers with an interactive experience.
- They provide customers with personalized dashboards, resources, and information.
- They help customers stay engaged and make the transition to using a product or service smoother.
- They provide customers with resources and information to understand and use a product.
CS enablement tools:
Customer success enablement tools are a broad category of tools that support your team in delivering value and improving the customer experience.
- They help customer success teams save time and increase efficiency.
- They provide customer success teams with resources for customer engagement, feedback, loyalty, segmentation, analytics, and automation.
- Using customer success enablement tools can improve customer relationships and optimize customer success strategies.
Create amazing onboarding with Aligned
It’s not just because I work here, it’s because I believe. Aligned can be used as a customer success platform to help your tech-touch clients become self-sufficient in their customer success hub. It allows you to scale your customer experience without increasing your team resources, create an automated onboarding process that feels personalized, free your customer teams to focus on high-value tasks like growth and retention, quickly spin up a personalized customer portal to a new customer in minutes, and reduce your onboarding time by half and save dozens of hours spent on emails. Aligned can help your team create an amazing onboarding experience that ensures customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is customer onboarding software and why is it important?
Customer onboarding software is a tool that helps businesses introduce customers to their products or services, educate them on how to use them, and ensure they get the most out of their experience. It plays a crucial role in setting the tone for customer engagement and can lead to increased customer retention and satisfaction.
How do I choose the right customer onboarding software for my business?
Consider your business model and customer needs, determine whether you need high-touch or low-touch onboarding tools, assess the value of all-in-one tools vs. point solutions, decide between customer-facing and internal-facing software, and look for customizable or integrated tools to meet your unique requirements.
What are the differences between high-touch and low-touch onboarding tools?
- High-touch onboarding tools: Prioritize collaboration and communication, offering a hands-on approach and are suitable for complex processes and customers expecting a personalized experience.
- Low-touch onboarding tools: Focus on self-service and automation, making them ideal for low-barrier-to-entry SaaS products.
What are some examples of high-touch onboarding tools and their benefits?
Onboarding portals provide customers with personalized dashboards, resources, and information for a user-friendly and interactive experience. Knowledge base software offers resources and information to help customers understand and use a product effectively. Customer success enablement tools support customer success teams in delivering value and improving the customer experience with various resources for customer engagement, feedback, loyalty, segmentation, analytics, and automation.
What are the key features to look for in customer onboarding software?
Some key features to consider when selecting customer onboarding software include:
- Ease of use and intuitive interface
- Customizable onboarding process and templates
- Integration with existing CRM or customer support systems
- Task management and tracking capabilities
- Reporting and analytics to measure onboarding success and identify areas for improvement
- Scalability to accommodate business growth
- Automation features to streamline processes and reduce manual work
- Collaboration and communication tools for team members and customers
How can customer onboarding software help improve customer retention?
Effective customer onboarding software helps ensure a smooth and positive onboarding experience, enabling customers to quickly understand and utilize the product or service. As a result, customers are more likely to stay satisfied, engaged, and loyal to the business, contributing to improved customer retention rates.
How can I ensure that my team effectively uses customer onboarding software?
To ensure effective use of customer onboarding software, provide proper training for your team members, establish clear communication and collaboration channels, regularly evaluate the onboarding process for improvements, and encourage feedback from both customers and team members to continuously optimize the onboarding experience.
