How do users experience your Software as a Service (SaaS) product for the first time? The answer to this question determines the bond they build with your brand and how often they interact with your product in the future. User onboarding determines whether prospective users become real fans and your tool becomes their new everyday tool.

What is user onboarding? 

The user onboarding process is particularly crucial because a good user experience requires a sense of achievement. On the other hand, it would be disadvantageous if users do not know how to use the tool or do not understand the full functionality of the software. If there is no "aha" moment, they will soon lose the motivation to use the tool and establish it in their everyday lives.

Nowadays, users have more options than ever - and there are already many tools with similar functions from which they can freely choose. What's more, our attention spans are shorter than ever and the next possible experience is just a click away. That's why it's so important to convince your users quickly and keep their attention on your software.

The onboarding process is the kickstart for a long-term subscription. 

As a rule, SaaS companies work with a subscription model. This means that as long as a person uses the tool in question, they pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. Unlike a one-off purchase, it is therefore crucial for sales how long someone enjoys and benefits from the software.

Advantages of well thought-out user onboarding

Before we go into specific measures that explain what a good onboarding process could look like, we would like to explain its benefits in detail so that we can properly assess its importance.

You increase your conversion rate

Many SaaS tools work with a free trial phase or a freemium model, where users can use the functions to a limited extent but have to pay to purchase extras. 

Your user onboarding can become a decisive factor here, as it significantly influences whether users understand the tool in its entirety and use it sensibly for their challenges - and also how easy it is for them to do so. The easier it is to use, the more likely users are to enjoy it and achieve what they set out to do when they registered.

You relieve your customer support

With a good user onboarding process, many of your users' questions will answer themselves - and instead of having to ask your customer support for help, they can focus on getting results with your tool. 

This not only prevents your users from becoming frustrated, but also takes the pressure off your support team. This saves you resources that can be used for the further development of your product. 

You increase users' trust in your product

People are more likely to trust you if they understand what you are offering them - and user onboarding helps with exactly that. If this is clearly understandable, detailed and professionally prepared, it increases the perceived seriousness of your company. It also strengthens the belief that the tool has a future and will be constantly available and developed further.

You lower the churn rate

Those who understand your product, know how to use it and achieve results will be satisfied with it - and those who are satisfied are likely to remain customers. The more it becomes part of users' everyday work, the less likely customers are to unsubscribe. And the key to understanding your SaaS tool is user onboarding. 

You increase the recommendation rate

Increasing satisfaction also increases the chance that users will recommend your tool to others. During onboarding, they get to know features that they know could also help friends or business partners with their processes. And since everyone wants to be the one to make a good recommendation, user onboarding can work wonders.

What makes for good user onboarding? 

Now that we know how important user onboarding can be for your company, let's look at the following question: How can such onboarding look like in order to turn prospects into long-term users?

Website

One thing is clear: three short sliders that explain the core functions of your tool are not enough. But they are a good start. In the first step, it is advisable to name the unique selling proposition (USP) of your product and clearly state which problem it actually solves. If readers feel addressed at that moment, they will continue to listen to you attentively and you can initiate the next phases of your onboarding.

All of this happens on your website before readers register. Use concise information, illustrations and clear call-to-actions to guide them through the registration process. Screenshots of your SaaS create additional trust. 

Registration

Finally, registration should be as simple as possible and only ask for the data that is actually required. At the same time, you can ask for voluntary information regarding the use of the tool at this point. 

For example, what challenge they are facing that the tool can solve. With this information, you can of course further optimize the future user experience by learning more and more about your users' problems. 

On the other hand, you also have the option of making the subsequent user dashboard dependent on the answers to their questions - and highlighting the key functions. This makes it easier for your users to use your tool, increases their satisfaction and enables them to achieve even better results even more easily. 

First e-mail

After successful registration, you should automatically send new users an email that describes the next steps and contains direct call-to-actions that encourage users to interact directly with your tool. At the same time, you can refer to possible documentation or other resources in your email that can help users get to know your product.

First login

A call-to-action in your email should lead the recipient to log in. The key here is that first impressions count! Keep the screen after the first login simple, visually appealing and give your users the opportunity to decide for themselves what to do next. For example, whether they want to watch a video that explains the product or start using it straight away.

Product tour

And if someone wants to start using it straight away, you can explain the individual functions in the dashboard with tool tips. For example, by displaying corresponding information about what the various buttons and icons on your software mean and do. This allows users to get to know the functions of your site in a playful way and use them directly. 

In this product tour, it is also advisable to include a checklist that users can work through to complete the onboarding process. In this way, it can be suggested to them that they are ready to use the tool to its full extent after completing this list.

Further tips for successful user onboarding

In addition, there are various other ways to take your users by the hand after the initial use and thus ensure that they continue to work with your tool in the long term. 

3 tips for ongoing user onboarding:

• Emails: Send your users emails at certain intervals to draw their attention to different functions of your tool. Invite them to invite their team members, send them new case studies or draw their attention to new features. Pay attention to the open rates of your emails and adjust the frequency accordingly.

• Documentation: While many users only work with your tool superficially, there are others who want to go into more detail - you should provide detailed documentation for these users. This will increase their satisfaction and relieve your support team at the same time. You can also use public documentation to boost your SEO rankings.

• Onboarding call: Everyone is different. Some like to watch videos for onboarding, others prefer to read and still others would like to receive a telephone introduction. Give your users the chance to arrange an onboarding call with your team in which they explain the functions of the tool.

Once you have set up a good user onboarding process, keep an eye on it and measure user behavior. You can use various metrics to see which measures work how well. This is particularly interesting with regard to test phases or freemium models in order to monitor which part of the process ultimately leads to turning users into paying customers.

Conclusion

User onboarding is a key factor in determining the level of your sales. Accordingly, you should attach great importance to it. There are various ways to optimize the first impression a person has of your product.

The more your users feel understood, the more willing they will be to become and remain customers. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for your users to achieve results with your product. The user onboarding process lays the foundation for this.