You only have 30 seconds to make the right impression. The onboarding process is the most important part of the product launch. You need to analyze and plan for it for future adaptation and growth. Here are some of the best practices for allowing customers to find value in your product.
Set Expectations & Milestones
It’s important to ask as many questions as possible about your customers in the beginning. But this is important during the first few days and weeks of customer engagement. One important question to ask is, “How can you define success?” When it comes to customer success, the word success should be connected to your goal.
This means determining what you want to get out of the customer engagement. Next, you’ll want to create identify customer’s expectations. This involves coming up with a plan and getting to work. This requires coming up with success milestones, which are known as goal deadlines. Then, measure those milestones and make sure that you set them every time.
Customize the Experience
The key to customizing this process is to consider your customer as your business partner and tailor the experience to fit their needs. This experience should focus on each individual and how you can meet each of his or her expectations. Customizing an individual experience is similar to the principles of UX design. You want to be available, create personal profiles, and understand each of your customers so well that you know exactly what they’re going to ask and provide the right answers before they do.
Practice a People-Focused Approach
One factor of customer success is to tailor your products and services to their needs. If you approach each relationship with your customers the same way, then your customers will know it. Customers are getting smarter these days. A people-focused approach is the key to a successful business.
A people-focused approach involves knowing their concerns, fears, and questions. These are the components to building a relationship in the beginning. Revisit each of these factors that will allow you to address these challenges by writing a detailed plan, setting expectations, or offering a list of quick wins. Ongoing engagement is important, especially during the process.
Prove Your Value Quickly
Once you have built a foundation and you focused on your customer’s goals, it’s time to prove your value as quickly as possible. If your customer wants to see results then prove your value as quickly as possible, present that information at the next check-in. Make sure that the data you’ve presented is accurate. Don’t forget to set checkpoints along the way to celebrate small milestones and to help reach the customer’s end goal in as little time as possible.
Map Out the Buyer’s Journey
A major part of this process includes mapping out the buyer’s journey. This includes creating mini buyer’s personas that address their goals, motivations, messages, and needs that resonate with them. This information can help you craft messages and come up with user flows that guide them through the buyer’s journey. Since each customer needs a different path to make a purchase, create a separate buyer’s persona for each type of customer you’ll come across.
Become a Guide
If your product is difficult to use, then it’ll require an involved onboarding process. Customers need to reach that moment when they discover that they can’t live without your product and need it as soon as possible. But they’ll never reach that moment unless you get them there. Becoming a guide involves creating educational materials that engage with them and teaches them the core features of your product.
The onboarding process should include every aspect of customer engagement. Using these practices will help you build a relationship that’s based on trust. It’ll also build a foundation that will benefit both you and your customer in the long-term. Your sales will improve because of it.
