How the Customer Onboarding Process Helps Retain Loyal Customers

Customer onboarding refers to the process of which your customer gets introduced to your brand, product, or service. For example, when you receive a set of headphones from a specific brand and in the box is a manual, that manual is considered as part of the customer onboarding process. It basically teaches the customer how to make the most out of your product.

If you run a business, this should be a part of your customer service. It will make the customer’s experience smoother and keeps them loyal to you. Customers who are dedicated to your brand can be valuable word-of-mouth marketers, and you’re guaranteed to always get a sale out of them.

Here are more reasons why you should have a customer onboarding process to keep loyal customers:

1. It’s Expensive to Get New Customers

You spent all this money getting the attention of your customers. Make that dollar spent count by taking care of them. More often than not, a customer leaves not because the product was bad but because customer service is terrible. And when you lose a customer, that’s potential sales lost and more money than you have to spend advertising for new customers.

2. It Highlights Your Value

Part of making a customer happy is demonstrating the value of your service. You made the sale, now your customer decides whether it was worth choosing you over your competitors. With a good onboarding process, you will make your customers feel special. It shows that you care about their experience with your product. Even if your price may be a bit higher than the other brand, if customers see value, they’ll stick with you.

3. It Answers Pain Points

Customers have pain points. This refers to the problems that they face with businesses. For example, with banks, a pain point would be having to visit the branch just to make a simple transaction. The solution? Online banking.

Another example of a pain point would be having to enter a six-digit pin every time you unlock your phone. There’s now a solution that exists which is biometrics used as identification and security. With just a touch of your thumb, you can open your phone is less than a second.

A customer onboarding process addresses customer pain points ahead of time. If you’re good at knowing your customers, you already know what these common problems are and have a solution ready. However, you can always improve by asking for feedback. You will often find this at the end of a guide or a FAQ where you’re asked if you had a question in mind that was unanswered.

For a really good onboarding process, you always want to get the customer’s feedback. They have an objective view of your business and can spot problems that you may not.

4. It Encourages Brand Advocacy

A customer will often not renew a subscription or contract due to an experience that happened early on in the buyer’s journey. Simply put, they didn’t see the value when they signed up with you. So from the very start, one foot is already out the door.

By having an onboarding process, you demonstrate value and keep your customers longer. You can sell more products and services to them. And if you’re consistent at providing great value, they can become brand advocates. These are your lifelong customers who will recommend you to their family, friends, and coworkers.

We all know how important word-of-mouth is. Customers are more likely to listen to the recommendations of people they know personally than the stud they see on TV. So pay attention to your onboarding process and determine whether it’s providing value to your customer or not.

What benefits have you gotten from having a customer onboarding process? Share your thoughts in the comments below.