What's in It for the Customer? The One Question to Transform Your Saas Onboarding

SaaS onboarding- or signup flow design are crucial both for customer experience and for your bottom line.

Poorly designed onboarding can result in low conversion rates and frustrated customers who are less likely to find your actual product appealing enough to use.

And while there are many facets to onboarding design, one easy way of spoiling the customer experience is to ask too many unnecessary questions at a time where the customer just wants to get started with your product.

The Customer's Gain is Your North Star

We've all been there - adding steps to the onboarding process that serve our interests, not the customer's. You think, "More data equals more insights, right?" Wrong. This approach can backfire. Remember, every extra field or question dilutes the customer's experience. So, before adding anything, ask:

• "Why does the customer care about this?"
• "Does this information immediately enhance their experience?"
• "Is this the right time to ask, or can it wait?"

Asking the customer should be your last resort

Ask yourself how these questions, makes the customer have a better onboarding experience?

• “Please choose your occupation?”
• “What is your role in your company?”
• “Which of the following options match your intended use case?”
• “Are you switching from one of these…?”
• “How did you hear about us?”

Let's take the example of asking for company size or job role. How does this knowledge enhance the user's immediate experience? It doesn't. You're thinking, "It helps me classify leads," but that's not helping your customer right now.

Instead, get creative and do your own homework. Use tools like Clearbit or PeopleDataLabs to enrich your leads behind the scenes. Or look up the company on LinkedIn, it’s not hard and can be fully automated with tools like Zapier or Make.

Keep the onboarding focused on the customer, not your sales pipeline.

Smooth Sailing, Not Questionnaire Quagmire

The goal is simple: get the customer into the product smoothly and swiftly. Every question should be a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. A great onboarding experience feels effortless and intuitive, not like a third-degree interrogation.

Conclusion: It's All About the Customer

Always circle back to this essential question: "What's in it for the customer?" Your onboarding should minimise friction, not create it. By doing so, you enhance the customer experience, increase conversions, and ultimately, boost customer lifetime value. Remember, a streamlined onboarding is your first step to long-term customer success.