Part of our mini-series on onboarding success. Check out the next article in our series: "5 Steps to Create Your Onboarding Strategy of Your Customers' Dreams".
Every experienced businessperson knows that the time and resource investment associated with retaining loyal customers is more than worthwhile, especially considering the sometimes herculean effort and massive costs associated with acquiring new clients. Contrary to popular belief, customer retention doesn't start after you've delivered your product to the customer. Instead, it begins with the very first step in the lifecycle for converted clients: onboarding. Onboarding plays a pivotal role in ensuring that customers who begin a journey with your brand stick around for the long haul.
Companies' inattention to onboarding as a part of user or customer experience is evident. The statistics don't lie- surveys say only 40% of companies provide their clients with a satisfactory onboarding experience. If first impressions count, then why are the majority of businesses leaving their new clients out to dry? While we can't answer that definitively, here are ways a well-structured onboarding process can help YOUR company create lasting customer loyalty and retention:
Setting the Stage for Success
Effective onboarding starts with understanding customer needs and tailoring the process to meet those needs. When customers feel that a service is customized for them, they are more likely to engage deeply and remain committed. The onboarding process should guide customers to their first "aha moment," where the value of the product or service becomes crystal clear. This can be achieved through means such as personalized product tours, proactive customer support, and providing immediate value.
Building a Foundation for Long-Term Relationships
A thoughtfully designed onboarding experience helps build trust and rapport, which are fundamental components of any long-term relationship. Customers who are onboarded effectively tend to understand and utilize the product better, leading to higher satisfaction rates and lower churn. For instance, utilizing tools like CRM systems during onboarding can help maintain your new relationship by providing continuous insights and tailored communication strategies for each customer segment; or by simply being a storehouse of customer information accessible by people at multiple levels throughout your organization.
"Onboarding should be seen as an ongoing process, rather than a one-time event"
Onboard Continuously, Reap the Benefits
Onboarding should be seen as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. Continuous onboarding, or perpetual onboarding, responds to customers' evolving needs, providing them with relevant information and support as they grow and their needs change. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also significantly reduces churn by keeping the product or service top-of-mind and integral to the customer's operations.
Tailoring the Experience

Gone are the days where every customer is onboarded via the same predefined step-by-step process. Recognizing the diversity in customer types and preferences is key to successful onboarding. Different customers require different approaches; for instance, tech-savvy users might prefer a low-touch, tech-driven onboarding process, while others might benefit more from a high-touch, personalized approach. Offering a combination of both, depending on the customer’s familiarity and comfort with your company's product, can lead to better outcomes in terms of customer engagement and retention.
Leveraging Feedback for Continuous Improvement
Collecting and acting on customer feedback during and after the onboarding process is essential for continuous improvement. Feedback helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of your onboarding strategy, allowing for timely adjustments. Implementing changes based on customer input demonstrates commitment to their satisfaction and fosters a sense of being valued, further enhancing loyalty and reducing the likelihood of churn.
Set The Stage For Customer Loyalty
An efficient onboarding process not only enhances immediate customer satisfaction but sets the stage for long-term loyalty. By ensuring that each customer's introduction to your product is as informative, personalized, and supportive as possible, you lay down the groundwork for a fruitful relationship that can significantly boost your business’s retention rates and overall success.
Want help with onboarding strategy or any other business strategy? Do you want to see your business transform beyond its current limits? MBC is not only your partner in helping you create pathways to success, but we proudly help businesses implement and adapt strategy as well. Get in touch with us to learn more.
by George, MBC Staff
photo credits:
Title Photo: Dall-E. Prompt: "business illustration, landscape orientation, someone getting onboard a modern, luxurious yacht with two or three people onboard already. In the style of famous artist winslow homer."
Tailor Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-tailor-measuring-his-client-using-a-tape-measure-6765658/