SaaS User Onboarding: 5 Techniques

A great user onboarding can prove to be the difference between the success and failure of your SaaS company. Although your success does not entirely depend on it, it is like a ‘welcome treat’ for customers. Do it right and your product adoption rates are bound to reach the sky. 

User onboarding not only introduces your users to the product, but it also demonstrates the value they will derive from it. It ensures that the product is truly embraced and retained.

Nearly 40-60% of users that sign up for a free trial of a SaaS program are likely to utilize it only once and then abandon it.

When it comes to client onboarding, the experience must be meticulously matched with giving value right from the start. Customers must reach their ‘Aha!’ moment right from the beginning.

The issue is that each SaaS package is different. For example, demonstrating value for a consumer app like Slack is far easier than demonstrating value for business software that requires a slew of integrations.

So, in this article, we will talk about four SaaS user onboarding techniques that will help you leave a lasting first impression, regardless of the package. 

However, first, let us see why user onboarding is so important.

Why is User Onboarding Important?

Before we jump on to the SaaS user onboarding techniques, let us know why it is so important.

  • Builds a great reputation

Customers who are pleased with your product will tell others about it. 

When it comes to promoting a product or service, word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most popular methods. A solid customer onboarding process will serve as a free marketing tool, boosting your social proof, which is still one of the most essential components in the purchasing decision process.

  • Enhances customer retention

Customers who are pleased with their experience are more likely to return for more. 

Do you know that gaining a new client costs five times as much as keeping an old one? To put it another way, maintaining a high client retention rate will save you a lot of money.

  • Decreases the hassle of customer support

Providing a positive customer onboarding experience means your customer support team will have less work to do, allowing them to focus on fixing real problems rather than trying to explain the product. This will save you money because you won’t have to hire as many customer service personnel when they aren’t required.

SaaS User Onboarding: 5 Techniques Worth Trying

Here are 5 techniques worth trying to give your customers a positive SaaS user onboarding experience. 

  1. Simplify the signup
  2. Send fun first emails
  3. Offer a product tour
  4. Use an onboarding tool
  5. Train your customers

Dive in to read about these techniques in detail.

  • Simplify the signup

    SAAS onboarding. Sign up button.

So, the first thing you should focus on is your signup form. Of course, each business has its own branding, color scheme, and message to convey.

However, there are a few factors to keep in mind.

A signup form, being the first official engagement a user has with your product, should make it apparent that the entire customer onboarding process will be quick and painless. To begin, your signup form should include as few fields as feasible.

Only ask for the information you need from a person to make their account; if you ask for far too much, they’ll most likely close your tab. If more personal information is required, be careful to explain why.

  • Send appreciative emails

    Email campaigns. Thank you notice.

These pre-written emails are familiar to us all. While a welcome email is technically part of a client onboarding program, it is nonetheless important.

The first email you’ll ever send to your clients, like the signup form, is the first official interaction you’ll ever have with them. Don’t just send a boring message with only a link to verify their account. Also, express how much you respect the effort they took to sign up.

Please remember that enticing new users to initiate a discussion is critical when determining what your customer onboarding processes should consist of. If it’s too difficult, make sure customers know how to get the most out of your platform.

  • Offer a product tour

Include a product tour when onboarding new clients to make things easier for those unfamiliar with your SaaS. Regardless of how user-friendly your product is, you must ensure that the average customer signing in for the first time understands exactly what to do.

An interactive product tour appears to be a great idea for onboarding.

However, it must appear to be entertaining, gleaming, intriguing, and, of course, detailed. However, keep in mind that many users prefer to explore new tools on their own, so you should add a ‘skip’ button.

  • Use an onboarding tool

A user onboarding tool is the easiest way to create a great user onboarding process without doing much work.

Click here to learn more about product onboarding tools. These tools offer your everything, from a simple sign-up to a product tour, without any coding.

The best part about it is that you can try most of them for free without spending a single penny.

  • Train your customers

    SAAS development. Image with a table, books and notes.

Providing users with training, mainly video tutorials, is the most prevalent practice employed by most businesses. This sounds like a great approach for people who may require more in-depth training on how to use your SaaS product.

So, why not go one step further and train your new users?

A well-informed consumer is a better customer, and if they understand your goods, they’ll have higher expectations and be willing to pay more to meet them.

In a Nutshell…

That’s all for this article. Hopefully, the techniques mentioned in the article will help you create a great user onboarding process and build a great reputation for your business.

Don’t forget to keep your sign-up simple, send appreciative emails, offer product tools, and train your customers.

However, you can reduce the hassle by simply using a product onboarding tool that will offer you all these and more.

Remember, a great user onboarding can prove to be the difference between the success and failure of your SaaS company. Do it right and see your business reaching the sky.