Customer onboarding is a critical aspect of business development, especially for a B2B SaaS company. However, the one thing that the executives miss out on is that it can even come in handy with salesforce.  

89% of customers reportedly say they would pay more for companies that provide a better customer onboarding experience.  

No doubt, highly engaged customers buy more than unengaged customers. And onboarding is one of the best ways to attract user attention. Customer onboarding, when done efficiently, attracts user interest. It keeps users invested in the products and builds loyalty.

With the help of an efficient customer onboarding process, you can develop a loyal customer base. In this write-up, we will look at the different ways you can take your customer onboarding a notch ahead with digitized workflows. 

Different types of customer onboarding 

Customers, once onboard, need to use the product in the best way possible. Customer onboarding takes the customer from the initial product sign-up to activation and full use. This will help deliver value early and ensure the ‘aha’ moment is realized soon. Here are the different types of customer onboarding.

1. On-site customer onboarding 

On-site customer onboarding is the traditional way of onboarding. In this type of customer onboarding, the customer approaches the store, office, shop, or branch in a physical capacity. The customer must provide proof of identity, purchase, and other documents. This ensures verification, and also the turnaround time is high. In the post-pandemic world, this method has reduced usage. This is because the world has moved to remote onboarding, digital customer success, and other forms of onboarding.

2. Hybrid customer onboarding 

The hybrid customer onboarding method is when companies use digital documents for customers. These forms are filled out online, printed out, and then submitted at allocated branches or offices. This is partially helpful for customers. Many customers may live in another geographical time zone, which can get cumbersome for them. This can be inconvenient to certain customers.

3. Digital onboarding 

Digital onboarding is one where the customer onboarding is completely online. Any customer can come on board in a simple manner. They do not need to visit an office or branch. The entire process can be completed from their place of choice. The onboarding does not change the guarantee of the product or its credibility. Remote onboarding has become the new normal format of customer onboarding with COVID-19.

Challenges of digital onboarding 

With new advancements in technology, digital onboarding has become widely accepted. The process is faster and more secure than others. However, there are some challenges of digital onboarding. They include-

• Moving from physical to digital onboarding may be tough for some companies
• Reducing friction in the process of moving
• Changes in plans, regulations, procedures
• Avoiding technological roadblocks
• Managing data and customer information

Customers from older generations might find it tough to process and understand digital onboarding. It may get tough to transition from a known physical format to an unknown remote and online customer onboarding. This can be a challenge for new customers.

Benefits of optimized digital onboarding 

Digital customer onboarding has some major benefits. Some of them include-

• Decreased Turn Around Time- With digital customer onboarding, the processing time is considerably reduced. This will help companies and costumes both greatly.
• Minimal friction for processing- You can eliminate friction and reduce unnecessary steps and procedures with digitized workflows.
• Improved compliance with regulations- With optimized digital onboarding, rapidly changing regulatory guidelines are no longer a problem. Digital customer onboarding is effective and highly beneficial for technology companies.
• Enhanced Data Security- Customer digital onboarding helps secure customer data with high-end AI (Artificial Intelligence), protocols, safety, and data management.

Tips to successfully enhance your onboarding process using digitized workflows 

1. Standardize and document your processes; however, enable flexibility 

Digital customer onboarding helps standardize the process. There is a specific way things are done and a workflow that tells you when activities are completed. You can ensure customers know about the product, have seen the explainers, and know the stakeholders. Users are free to choose parts of the onboarding. They can go over particular strips of content and onboarding if they need help. In case you have questions, it is simple to ask the customer. Match gaps with processes and align them accordingly. Some steps will work for every company. Some steps will not work for all. This flexibility will support long-term growth.

2. Look out for opportunities to add a personal touch 

Another great tip is to add a personal touch. You can improve customer onboarding by customizing elements of the onboarding. For example- You can greet customers in their native language or thank them in their language. This will increase opportunities to keep customers engaged and involved. You can use these customer insights to send marketing communication and messaging tailored for them. This lays the foundation for improved groundwork- customer retention, enhanced relationships, and reduced customer churn.

3. Build measurement points into the process 

Digitized customer onboarding is about keeping the customer first. You can map and build checkpoints that will ensure customer onboarding journey is measured. You can add short quiz features and solicit feedback accordingly. These checkpoints will help track customer metrics and allow customer success managers to reach out in case of any difficulties.

Final Words 

Once you standardize and formalize your onboarding steps, it will help you deliver a consistent experience to new customers. It will also ensure that you set up the relationship for success. Digitized onboarding helps ensure better customer outcomes, improving customer success, and ensure better retention. Good customer onboarding helps the customer feel independent and self-reliant. Digitization is the cornerstone for the robust, modern onboarding process of the future! 

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