CRM 101

The Onboarding journey refers to the process of integrating and familiarising new customers with your company through a series of communications. The journey usually consists of educational content designed to help new customers get the most out of your company and support in building meaningful relationships with them.

When a customer has made their first purchase with your company, we know that the customer values your brand and believes in your product/service. Now, your mission is to nurture your customers and exceed their expectations.

Fear not, as this article will outline the essential practices to achieve a stellar Onboarding experience.

Define your Onboarding Strategy and Success Metrics

Before building the journey, you should define your Onboarding strategy and success metrics. What are you trying to achieve with the journey, and what conversion events will measure the performance? Depending on what business you are in, the goal of the Onboarding journey may differ. To help you get started, we have compiled a few examples of potential Onboarding success metrics:

• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

• Average Order Value (AOV)

• Conversion Rate

• Retention Rate

• Engagement Rate

Key Onboarding Topics

Your Onboarding journey is a canvas with endless possibilities. Here are some of the key topics to help you smash it out of the park:

Welcome Email

The welcome email should be sent soon after the customer's first purchase. Given that the Welcome email represents one of the initial interactions a customer has with your company, setting a positive tone is crucial, as initial impressions carry significant weight. Gratitude the customer for engaging with your brand, and make the customer feel valued and appreciated for choosing your product or service.

Educational Content

Later on, it is important to educate customers on how your product or service works. Here, you can for example highlight specific features of your app and guide them on how to manage their accounts.

Relational Content

Build a relationship with your customers to make them connect with your brand on a personal level. Present your company’s values, share tips and tricks, blog posts, or introduce the company's employees for a more personal touch. Another example of creating an even deeper relationship with your customers is inviting them to your community. This could be achieved by inviting customers to a test group where customers can try out new products before launch, or invite them to exclusive events.

Cross-Sell

Beyond the initial purchase, guide customers through your diverse product range, showcasing complementary items or upgrades that enhance their experience. Craft engaging content that highlights the value of these additional offerings, creating a seamless journey for customers to discover more about your brand.

Loyalty Rewards

Show appreciation to dedicated customers by acknowledging specific milestones with exclusive rewards, personalised discounts, or early access to new releases. Cultivate a sense of belonging and make every engagement a celebration of their loyalty.

Elevate Your Onboarding Journey

Do you already have these key topics in place for your Onboarding Journey? That means it's time to take it up a notch. Here are some great tips & tricks to further improve your Onboarding:

Personalisation

Tailor the Onboarding experience based on customer segments or preferences to make your messaging more appealing to the customer.

Multi-Channel Approach

Engage customers through various channels for a seamless Onboarding experience.

Cadence

Deliver information gradually to enhance retention and understanding.

A/B Testing

Stay adaptable, continuously test, and refine based on what content, timings and channels perform best.

Conclusion

The Onboarding journey in CRM is a holistic and customer-centric process aimed at seamlessly integrating new users into a product or service, fostering a positive initial experience, and laying the foundation for long-term customer satisfaction and loyalty.