{"id":82276,"date":"2024-07-09T21:49:19","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T20:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/?post_type=pp_glossary&p=82276"},"modified":"2024-07-09T21:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T20:49:20","slug":"product-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"pp_glossary","link":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/glossary\/product-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"Product Onboarding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What is Product Onboarding?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think of product onboarding as the warm welcome your new users get when they first interact with your product. It’s the initial journey you guide them through, making sure they feel at home, understand the lay of the land, and know how to navigate all the cool features you\u2019ve built for them.\u00a0

The journey through product onboarding starts the moment they sign up (either to buy or just to try) and continues until they\u2019re confidently using your product. The goal? To make sure they\u2019ve quickly spotted the value of your product and are sold on the idea of using it more!

It\u2019s a bold (and foolish) Product Team who would let their new users land in their product and leave them entirely to their own devices to work out what\u2019s what. Even the most user-friendly software products can benefit from some extra care and attention being paid to that first visit.\u00a0

Product onboarding is about guiding your users towards success – both for themselves (whatever task they want to get done or feeling they want to have) and for your business (having them buy and continue to pay for your product). That guidance requires signposts, tutorials, hints, tips, rewards, reminders, and gentle nudges.\u00a0

Product onboarding is about leaving less to chance. It\u2019s about doing everything you can to make that initial experience of your product as smooth and as rewarding as you possibly can for your new users.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Product Onboarding Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you get product onboarding wrong, it\u2019s very hard to recover from.\u00a0

You\u2019ve heard the expression \u201cfirst impressions count\u201d right? And the adage that you never get a second chance to make a first impression? Well, that\u2019s why product onboarding is so important.\u00a0

The art of product onboarding is about crafting the best possible first experience with your product. If that first impression is poor, then you\u2019ve blown it. People are busy, attention spans are short – if your product didn\u2019t impress right away, then the chances of that user coming back for a second go are slim.\u00a0

That first product onboarding journey sets the stage for the user\u2019s entire experience with your product. So, you need to make sure you get off on the right foot. If you nail the product onboarding then you\u2019ve started off down the path towards higher customer satisfaction, reduced churn, higher retention, increased usage and more revenue.\u00a0

One of the main goals of product onboarding is to help new users understand the value your product can bring for them. It\u2019s about quickly demonstrating how it can solve their problems and meet their needs. If, after initially using your product, someone comes away without any clear sense of how it benefits them, then why would they want to come back?\u00a0

So, in short, product onboarding is one of the most important aspects of any product strategy. Without a successful product onboarding process, you\u2019re going to struggle to convert any prospective customers to paying users. It doesn\u2019t matter how brilliant your product is as a whole, if the onboarding journey is lacking then no one will ever stick around long enough to find that out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product Onboarding vs User\/Customer Onboarding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Product onboarding isn\u2019t the only type of onboarding you might have heard of. So what are those other types and how do they differ from product onboarding?\u00a0

You\u2019ve probably heard the term customer onboarding or user onboarding during your Product Management travels. You can think of product onboarding as a subset of this broader, more general user onboarding.\u00a0

It might be useful to think of product onboarding as product-led<\/strong> onboarding. It represents one of the ways you can onboard users – namely from within the actual product itself. But it\u2019s not the only way.\u00a0

You see, onboarding customers often encompasses more than just introducing users to your product\u2019s features and functionality. All round customer onboarding can include (especially in the B2B world) introducing them to their Customer Success point of contact, setting up regular account management meetings, capturing their goals and KPIs, possibly even sending them some sort of physical welcome pack!\u00a0\u00a0

Therefore, where user onboarding refers to the general principle of getting your customer successfully established with your product and company, product onboarding specifically refers to the onboarding journey that your users experience within the product itself.\u00a0

Product onboarding focuses on the experience in-app that forms part of the overall customer onboarding.\u00a0

Here\u2019s another way to think of this division\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-service Onboarding vs White Glove Onboarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Product onboarding falls into the first of these two categories. Let us explain\u2026

Self-service onboarding<\/strong> is how you onboard your new users without having to have a human touch-point. You are setting up your onboarding flow in such a way that a new user can work through it all by themselves.

There is no need for a customer to be in direct contact with anyone on your team, because you\u2019ve done the work upfront to clearly signpost what they need to do and help them find their own way. If they get stuck, they have easy access to resources like tutorials, FAQs, and interactive guides.\u00a0

It’s cost-effective and scalable, ideal for products with a large user base, where servicing them all with hands-on human interaction just isn\u2019t practical or profitable.\u00a0

Product onboarding, although not the only way of handling self-service onboarding, is the most common component of this approach. And certainly, even when resources sit outside of the product itself (on a help center website, for example), the links to navigate to that content will often need to be within the product.\u00a0

White Glove Onboarding<\/strong>, on the other hand, is about providing a high-touch, personalized experience. This is where you have a dedicated team assisting users through every step, offering tailored guidance and support.\u00a0

This method of onboarding is often used for highly complex or high-value products where personalized assistance can significantly enhance user experience and success rates. Or where the customer is large, complex and paying a significant amount of money!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product-led Onboarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Product onboarding refers to when the onboarding is led by the product itself rather than Customer Teams or email marketing. This Product-led onboarding involves embedding onboarding elements directly within the product, such as interactive walkthroughs, tooltips, and in-app messaging.\u00a0

Your users can learn by doing, aided by contextual guidance exactly when they need it. Another advantage of this approach is that it allows users to immediately apply what they learn in a real context, rather than having to remember things they\u2019ve been shown on a call or read in a help article.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Different Types of Product Onboarding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So now you\u2019re clear on what is product onboarding as opposed to more general, potentially high-touch customer onboarding, are there any nuances and different approaches to product onboarding?\u00a0

Yep.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annotated Onboarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Annotated onboarding uses on-screen annotations to highlight important features and explain their functionalities. These annotations can be static or interactive, providing users with immediate insights into how different parts of the product work.

Here you are clearly signposting important buttons, modals, features and actions so you can be confident the user has seen and understood them. It\u2019s a great way of ensuring that nothing gets missed. Often you\u2019d add some explanatory copy, making it clear what this is and why they should care about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivered through:<\/strong> Tool tips, guide notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embedded Onboarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With embedded onboarding you are adding more in-depth help resources into the in-product experience. This approach incorporates how-to content into the product’s interface, meaning you\u2019re not pulling the user away from the product to learn more.\u00a0

You might embed videos, tutorials, or help sections that users can access without leaving the product. It’s designed to be intuitive and non-intrusive, allowing users to learn at their own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivered through:<\/strong> Slide outs, modals, popups and banners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dedicated Onboarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, dedicated onboarding involves gathering data from the user at the start, and customizing their onboarding experience accordingly. This approach can be implemented through deep and complex personalization, right through to simple A\/B paths. But what\u2019s important is that you are capturing some data to help you understand the user\u2019s motivation and then sending them towards the onboarding journey that is most relevant.\u00a0

This approach is useful if you have multiple use cases for your product, or a range of different user personas who are likely to interact with your product in different ways. It can also be useful if it\u2019s hard to show-off the value of your product without having some data from the user.\u00a0

Asking questions at the start, and presenting a few fields to be filled in, can be a quick way of ensuring what the user sees next will actually mean something to them and demonstrate what the product can do for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivered through:<\/strong> Signup flows, welcome pages, forms and fields, checklists, questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Types of Products Need Product Onboarding?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alright, so let\u2019s explore which products really need that extra helping hand to make sure users get the most out of them. Spoiler alert: pretty much all products can benefit from some form of product onboarding! But there are some that absolutely thrive with a bit of guided introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SaaS (Software as a Service) products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

SaaS products typically work under a subscription model, and in order for people to keep paying over the long term, these products need to be packed with features and always innovating. That can make them fairly complicated with a ton of functionality and capabilities for a new user to discover.\u00a0

So with large platform products that release new features regularly, clever product onboarding can make the difference between new users getting overwhelmed and completely lost, to realizing the value and breadth of tools and capabilities a SaaS product has to offer, right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical or niche products <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When products cater to very specific industries or tasks they often require a bit more knowledge to use effectively. Think of it like learning to play a musical instrument \u2013 you need some lessons to get started.\u00a0

Detailed understanding and training are key here, and a solid onboarding process ensures users can hit the ground running. It\u2019s all about giving them the confidence to dive deep into the product and make it work for their unique needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B2B products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both of the above products could also be for a B2B (Business-to-Business) audience, as could other types of products. B2B products are typically integral to business operations, and any hiccups in their usage can have significant ripple effects.\u00a0

Imagine a factory assembly line \u2013 if one machine isn\u2019t working properly, it can disrupt the entire process. B2B products can also rely on integrations with other software tools in an organization’s IT infrastructure, so proper product onboarding can be vital to ensure the product smoothly melds into their existing tool stack.\u00a0

With B2B users there are often whole teams to onboard and train, so effective in-product onboarding is a scalable way of getting lots of people up to speed with the least logistical barriers (like booking meetings and preparing materials).\u00a0 After all, if a product is supposed to enhance business productivity, you don\u2019t want to seem inefficient from the get-go!.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consumer apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And let\u2019s not forget consumer apps! In a world where users have countless apps vying for their attention, first impressions matter a lot. Onboarding for consumer apps is all about quickly engaging users and demonstrating value.\u00a0

It\u2019s like hosting a fantastic housewarming party \u2013 you want your guests to feel welcome, show them around, and make sure they\u2019re having a great time. A good onboarding process hooks users right from the start, showing them exactly how the app can make their lives better, whether it\u2019s by helping them stay organized, entertained, or connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Should Good Product Onboarding Achieve?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve already covered why product onboarding is important, but what exactly<\/strong> will it do for your product and organization? How will you know you\u2019ve implemented a successful product onboarding process? What needles should you expect to move?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minimize Your Product’s Time-to-Value<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the primary goal of product onboarding, and the metric that will bring on all the other benefits. You see, the idea of focusing on the initial journey your users have in your product is to get them to your \u2018wow moments<\/a>\u2019 as soon as possible.\u00a0

Those wow moments (also known as aha moments or value moments) are the times when most users realize the value of your product. They are the points of interaction when you expect your users to declare \u2018oooooh I get it!\u2019.\u00a0

Whatever the particular feature or in-app action you\u2019ve identified as the defining \u2018wow moment\u2019 in your product, that is where you need to get your user sooner rather than later.\u00a0

The time it takes to reach that moment – or the period of interaction (if it takes a little longer than a minute) – is referred to as Time to Value<\/a> (TTV). Good product onboarding, in its quest to get people to \u201cwow\u201d in the shortest amount of time, is the primary way you can reduce that TTV and help your users achieve their first success with your product.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increase Your Conversion Rate <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The more successful your product onboarding is at reducing that time to value, the less chance you have of your new users getting bored and ditching on you. In this way, effective product onboarding is vital for converting users into paying customers.\u00a0

Imagine you\u2019re a busy Marketing Manager and you\u2019ve felt for a while like you could do with a better tool to help you plan your campaign calendar and share it with the team. But researching tools and trying different options will take a while, so you keep pushing it down the to-do list in favor of urgent campaign deadlines.\u00a0

Let’s say you\u2019ve had a meeting canceled at the last minute and you now have half an hour to spare. You decide to have a very quick tool at a couple of tools. So you google \u2018Best campaign calendar tools\u2019 and click on the first result you see. There\u2019s a free trial available so you look at the time and decide to sign up – you have 20 minutes left to have a look around.\u00a0

But you find yourself having to fill in multiple forms after that initial sign up form. Then you have to make a bunch of decisions as part of the flow – none of which you have the time to think about. Next you have to set up an integration with your Outlook calendar and next you have to invite team members. But you\u2019re not ready to invite team members – you don\u2019t know if this tool is any good yet! You haven\u2019t even seen the proper interface yet.\u00a0

You look at the clock and you have three minutes until your next meeting. Time is up. You have no idea if the product will help you and you don\u2019t have time to keep looking. So that\u2019s it. That tool will not be getting your business.\u00a0

If that product onboarding had taken you straight to their main UI, showing the calendar view, populated with some example campaign data, nicely categorized and tagged, with checklists and \u2018follow for updates\u2019 CTAs, you\u2019d have had a pretty solid sense of how useful that tool could be for you. You might have been very tempted to put your card details in then and there. Conversion made.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay the Groundwork for Your Adoption Strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If product onboarding is the first date, ongoing adoption is the marriage. Once you\u2019ve nailed that initial onboarding, you need to turn that enthusiasm for your product into sustained and habitual use.\u00a0

Adoption is where the long-term growth and sustainability will come from. Getting your users to really embed your product in their lives is how you will ensure retention, reduce churn and drive expansion revenue.\u00a0

But none of that will be possible without effective product onboarding. It\u2019s the gateway to your long term future with each user. After all, if you users lose interest during their initial onboarding\u00a0 then you won\u2019t have the opportunity to hit them with all the clever tactics and techniques you\u2019ve implemented as part of your adoption strategy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Measure the Success of Product Onboarding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the specific metrics you can use track the results of your product onboarding efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n