Definition: Onboarding
What is onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of welcoming new customers to your business and making sure they are happy with their purchase and how to use it.
Your onboarding process is one of the earliest and most important transactions a customer will have with your brand, so it is vital you get it right. The onboarding process provides a powerful opportunity for brands to demonstrate they are the right choice for the customer and ensures the product or service is optimal.
Common marketing tactics for onboarding new clients or customers include:
- Sending a welcome email or message.
- Offering an incentive or introductory gift.
- Supplying the new customer with case studies or access to an exclusive resource center.
- Delivering a presentation or tutorial to enhance user experience and resolve any issues.
- Conducting a telephone, text, or email consultation to introduce the business and its offerings.
- Including tutorials, call-out banners, or interactive walk-throughs during app usage.
What are the benefits of effective onboarding?
Customer onboarding offers the following benefits for both B2C and B2B marketers:
- It helps you address any user problems or questions before they affect your customers' experience with your product or brand.
- It reduces customer churn.
- You can show the value of your product and make yourself indispensable.
- It helps you understand what elements of your marketing acquisition and conversion strategy are most effective.
- You get a better feel for your customer’s needs and pain points and how you can serve them better.
- You can find out which channels suit your customers best for both presale and postsale marketing activities.
- You can discover ways to improve your products and/or your customer service.
- It helps you measure your customer retention and loyalty performance more effectively.
- It shows you care about delivering a great service and that you value the fact that your customers chose you.
- It helps build trust and ensures your customers know you are with them every step of the way.