Every relationship with your customer starts somewhere. For some businesses, they may reach new customers on social media, others may get new customers through online advertising, while other companies may use more traditional strategies to get new customers (i.e. radio ads or billboards).
No matter what strategies you use to find new customers, that’s only half the battle. Because once you get new customers or clients, the real fun begins. Now it’s time to help them get the results they’re looking for.
Why? Because your customers come to you for a reason and they believe you can help them solve their problems. And when you help your customers solve their problems, you keep them happy. And when your customers are happy, they refer more people to your business which makes you happy!
If you can’t get your clients and customers results, then you have no business!
You can’t just release them into your world and hope for the best. You have to provide your customers with a proven path to help them get results. So what’s the best way to do this?
By setting up an onboarding process that allows you to keep your customers happy, you and your customers can have a smooth and happy relationship starting from day one.
Let’s dive in…
What is onboarding and why is it important
"Onboarding" refers to the process in which new customers are integrated, or brought, into your business. In this process, your customers are introduced to your business's expectations, behaviors, and culture... And they also begin to understand how they fit into all of it.
Having a proper onboarding process for your customers can positively impact your bottom line because it helps build loyalty with your customers and clients. The stronger that loyalty is, the stronger the chances are for your customer to stick around longer.
Onboarding begins before Day 1 and continues throughout the customer’s last experience with your business. So in essence, onboarding encompasses the entire customer journey from beginning to end.
Can you see why this would be important for the health and success of your business?
The benefits of a smooth onboarding process
Now that you understand what onboarding is, it’s time to understand the benefits your customers get from having a smooth onboarding process.
Here are a few reasons why having a smooth onboarding process is beneficial to your customers:
- There will be a stronger customer experience
- You’ll have higher customer engagement
- You’ll have better customer retention
- You’ll have an easier time attracting new customers
- You’ll develop a stronger relationship and more trust with your customers
- And your customers will have more results to show
When you help your customers get results, they’re going to be happy. And when your customers are happy, you’re happy. Why? Because your customers will be referring you to other people and your bottom line will thank you for it.
Bonus, happy customers tend to share their positive experience, meaning when you have happy customers, you’re creating fantastic advocates for your business.
How to make the most of your customers' first few days with you
The most important time of a new relationship is in the first few days. This is when a relationship either “makes it” or “breaks it”. Why? Because this is the time when you build strong foundations that will either hold your relationship up or cause it to come tumbling down.
More attention may be necessary at the beginning of a new relationship because trust and loyalty may be at it's lowest. This means the faster you can get your customer results, the quicker your relationship with your customers will develop.
So aim to help your customers get set up and get results as quickly as possible. Plus, most people are skeptical these days, so the faster you can prove to them that your company can get them results, the quicker they’ll trust you. And that’s what you want, right?
For example, the Dyson airwrap has a how-to guide when you buy it, but people don’t read it, which means it’s a bad onboarding strategy.
But having an engaging demo video like
this TikTok video shows people how to use it quickly and effectively, which makes it a good onboarding strategy.
Dyson is a company with high credibility so people will buy, but without a good onboarding strategy, their product may be returned or deemed ‘not worth the price.
Why customer retention matters more than ever before
There is so much competition these days and people are more skeptical than ever before. Part of the reason is that we’re constantly being bombarded with advertising.
According to
Forbes, “Digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day.” That’s insanity! If we’re seeing up to 10,000 ads per day, that means we’re seeing up to 3.65 Million ads per year!
There’s more business competition than ever before, which means customer retention matters more than ever before, too!
And the last thing you want is to cause your customer to leave and find another company to solve their problems. Your customers chose you for a reason, so now you have to deliver on your promises. Without your customers, you have no business.
Tips for making sure your customers are happy from day one
You should be thinking about ways to keep your customers happy from day one during the onboarding process. Why? Because they're the ones keeping you in business.
To help, here are some tips to keep your customers happy:
Make your customers feel important.
A great way to keep your customers happy is to make them feel important. You can do this by calling them by their first name, asking about their families, and acknowledging their accomplishments.
Listen and ask your customers what they want.
Listen carefully to your customers and ask questions to find out what they want. Constantly ask your customers what you can do for them and how you can do it better. After you ask, try to give them what they want and keep them informed of the process along the way. Why? Because this will lead to your success!
Keep your promises and stay true to your word.
When you tell your customer you are going to do something, follow up as quickly as possible and do it. Trust is very important, so you don't want to break it by not sticking to your promises.
Don’t waste your customers’ time.
Everyone is busy. Time is one of the most valuable assets. And nothing will frustrate a customer more than feeling like their time has been wasted.
Reward your loyal customers.
Look for ways to go the extra mile for your loyal customers. When possible, throw in a little something extra, waive a fee, or send a small gift. Show them that they’re special to you and that you’re thankful for their business.
Thank your customers every chance you get.
Sincerely thank your customers anytime the opportunity arises. Thank them for calling, paying, or just being a customer.
The importance of understanding your customers’ needs and goals on an individual level
Not all customers are alike. Each customer has individual needs and concerns. By identifying your customers' needs, you can provide faster and more effective support. You can also improve your products & services!
How? Because when you understand your customers’ needs and goals, you can fully understand the motives behind the buying process. You can learn about the areas you are missing out on and create an effective Unique Selling Proposition for your customers.
For example, you could learn that your customers love being able to contact your support team at any time of the day. But you don’t have a way for them to do that right now. So you could hire a calling service that answers your phones 24/7 and keeps your customers informed and happy.
Now What?
I know this is probably a lot to take in…
But you should know that your onboarding process doesn’t have to be as complicated as all this sounds!
Your onboarding can just be sending out a simple email each day for the first 7 days your customer signed up for your business.
And luckily for you,
Wavoto makes sending out emails to your customers simply because you can do it all from one place… and your emails can be automated!
Which means you just set up your emails once and you can automatically run your inbox through your
Back Office in Wavoto. And you’ll be able to manage your leads and contacts with built-in Customer Management tools.