Growth Funnel Framework

Step 11: The start of a new relationship

How to ensure new customers feel recognised and welcome.

In the previous marketing funnel phase, we discovered how to manage the transaction process seamlessly to offer a positive buyer experience, including assistance after they have finalised the transaction.

The Buyer Onboarding stage that follows is all about smoothly easing new customers into using your solution and understanding its features and benefits. A positive onboarding experience can create the foundation for a lifelong customer journey by fostering engagement and satisfaction from the start. 

A traveller who books a vacation package online and subsequently receives personalised recommendations for activities and attractions at their destination will feel reassured that they have made the correct decision. Similarly, the Buyer Onboarding stage guides new customers through personalised journeys tailored to their specific needs and preferences.

In the next marketing funnel phase, we will explore how to provide post-purchase support and assistance to new customers to address issues or concerns they may have.

Key benefits of the effective Buyer Onboarding stage

  • Increased customer engagement and satisfaction thanks to personalised onboarding journeys.
  • Enhanced product understanding and proficiency among new customers, leading to faster time-to-value.
  • Strengthened brand perception and advocacy as satisfied customers share their positive onboarding experiences.
  • Reduced churn rates and support enquiries due to proactive support and guidance during onboarding.

Setting Growth Targets

In the Buyer Onboarding stage, objectives and key results (OKRs) can help to ensure a smooth transition for new customers into using your solution effectively. Objectives could focus on enhancing onboarding experiences or improving user satisfaction, while key results, such as reducing time-to-value for customers, provide measurable benchmarks for achieving these objectives. 

Objective: 

Ensure a seamless onboarding experience for new customers to maximise engagement and satisfaction.

Key Results:

Achieve a 20% increase in customer engagement metrics within the first month of onboarding.

Attain a 90% completion rate for personalised onboarding journeys tailored to customer segments.

Enhance brand advocacy by generating at least 100 positive testimonials from satisfied customers who completed onboarding.

Encountering Obstacles

The opportunity is in the obstacle

Inspired Business Design believes in identifying and addressing any obstacles that may impede the buyer onboarding process. By continuously acknowledging and mitigating obstacles, organisations can strengthen customer relationships, drive repeat business and fuel long-term growth.

In our experience, obstacles at this stage of the buyer journey tend to fall into one of the following categories:

Processes: 
A lack of standardised onboarding processes may lead to inconsistency and confusion.

Tools & technologies:
Inefficient onboarding platforms or tools could detract from personalised guidance and tracking.

Resources: 
There may be limited manpower or expertise for developing and maintaining onboarding resources.

Hidden [psychological] obstacles: 
Customer anxiety or resistance to change may affect engagement during onboarding.

External market Issues: 
Competitive pressure or industry trends could impact the effectiveness of onboarding strategies.

Building a Growth System

Inspired Business Design advocates a systematic onboarding approach that accelerates user adoption and cultivates a positive first impression, laying the groundwork for long-term engagement. This system includes the following components:

7 essential components to implement in the Buyer Onboarding stage

1) Onboarding Strategy Development:
Develop a comprehensive strategy for guiding new customers through the onboarding process, setting clear expectations and objectives.

2) Personalised Onboarding Journeys:
Design personalised onboarding journeys tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each customer segment.

3) Onboarding Resource Creation:
Develop educational resources such as tutorials, guides and FAQs to empower customers with the knowledge and skills needed to use the solution effectively.

4) Interactive Onboarding Modules:
Implement interactive onboarding modules and quizzes to facilitate hands-on learning and reinforce key concepts and best practices.

5) Onboarding Progress Tracking:
Use tracking mechanisms to monitor customer progress through the onboarding process and identify areas where additional support or guidance is needed.

6) Onboarding Feedback Collection:
Gather feedback from customers about their onboarding experience to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

7) Onboarding Performance Metrics Monitoring:
Monitor key performance metrics, such as time to onboard, completion rates and customer satisfaction scores, to evaluate the effectiveness of the onboarding process.

Strategies to Accelerate Growth

Allocating resources to the Buyer Onboarding stage ensures that customers receive the guidance and support they need to use your solution effectively, leading to higher satisfaction and customer retention rates.

Allocating Resources for Growth

Here a few resources that may be helpful during this phase:

  • Onboarding specialists or customer success managers to provide personalised guidance and support.
  • An onboarding platform or software for creating interactive onboarding modules and tracking customer progress.
  • Educational resources such as tutorials, guides and FAQs for empowering customers with knowledge.
  • Feedback collection mechanisms for gathering insights on the onboarding experience.
  • Collaboration tools for cross-functional teams to develop and optimise onboarding processes.
  • Customer journey mapping tools for visualising and optimising the onboarding experience.

Challenges and Opportunities

The opportunities presented by this stage include personalised onboarding journeys and interactive modules, but possible challenges include effective progress tracking and the collection of feedback for continuous improvement.

Challenges

  • Risk of inconsistency and confusion in the absence of standardised onboarding processes.
  • Challenge of delivering personalised guidance and tracking without efficient onboarding technologies.
  • Potential resource constraints could impact the development and maintenance of onboarding resources.
  • Difficulty in overcoming customer anxiety or resistance to change during the onboarding process.
  • Risk of competitive pressure or industry trends affecting the effectiveness of onboarding strategies.

Opportunities

  • Opportunity to enhance customer engagement and satisfaction through personalised onboarding journeys.
  • Potential for higher adoption rates and faster time-to-value thanks to clear guidance and educational resources.
  • Ability to improve customer retention and loyalty through positive onboarding experiences.
  • Chance to strengthen brand perception and advocacy as satisfied customers share positive experiences.
  • Opportunity to reduce churn rates and support enquiries via proactive support during onboarding.

Our Services

Inspired Business Design’s specialised Buyer Onboarding services ensure that every new customer transitions smoothly into using your solution, understanding its features and realising its benefits. We can empower your team to deliver exceptional onboarding experiences that lay the foundation for long-term success. Here is an overview of our services:

Marketing Consulting

INSPIRED’s consulting services focus on marketing strategies and customer relationships. We deliver data-driven, personalised solutions that optimise your marketing funnel, enhance customer journeys, and drive sustainable growth through innovative automation-focused approaches.

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Marketing Software

INSPIRED offers cutting-edge automation-based software solutions that seamlessly integrate marketing, sales, and CRM processes. Our scalable platforms optimise operations, enhance customer engagement, and provide actionable insights for data-driven decision-making and exponential growth.

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Marketing Services

INSPIRED delivers comprehensive, results-driven marketing services that transform strategies into measurable success. Our team expertly designs, implements, and analyses multi-channel campaigns, leveraging advanced technologies to ensure maximum efficiency, effectiveness, and ROI across all marketing initiatives.

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Funnel Framework
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