How to communicate product value during SaaS customer onboarding
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 5:58 am
Onboarding is an opportunity to tangibly and memorably demonstrate the value of your product to your customer . Effective communication during this period can be the difference between an engaged customer and one who churns because they don’t understand the impact your solution can have on their operations. This process requires clarity, personalization, and the ability to translate technical features into practical benefits.
1. Connect functionalities with specific needs
SaaS customers aren't just interested in technology, they're looking for solutions to direct mail mortgage marketing list specific problems. During onboarding, we need to show how the product's features directly address the customer's needs.
Example: Instead of describing the tool as having “CRM integration,” show how this integration helps reduce data duplication or automate lead follow-up.
Personalization: Base demos and examples on specific customer use cases. For example, a retail customer might need to manage inventory in real time, while a finance customer will be looking for automated reporting.
2. Customer-centric narratives: beyond the technical
Data and statistics are important, but what really connects is a good story. Using narratives that explain how other customers have achieved success can be a powerful tool during onboarding.
Success stories: Share use cases from similar companies that achieved concrete benefits thanks to the product. This helps the customer visualize how they can achieve those results too.
Contextual demos: Design demos that simulate real-life customer scenarios, showing possible steps and outcomes.
Tangible benefits: Beyond talking about “efficiency improvements,” he explains that the product can reduce the time of repetitive tasks by 50% or increase conversion by 30%.
3. Show the value progressively
It is important not to overwhelm the customer at the beginning of onboarding. Instead, take a progressive approach that allows the customer to discover and understand the value of the product gradually.
Prioritize key features: Identify the features that are most relevant to the customer and introduce them first. This ensures that they perceive immediate value without feeling overwhelmed.
Early success moments: Make it easy for the customer to complete simple but meaningful actions within the platform, such as setting up a dashboard or generating a first report. These small achievements reinforce confidence and generate motivation.
Gradual expansion: Once the customer is comfortable with the basic features, introduce more advanced functionalities that may be useful for their operations.
Reducing the time to value increases adoption rates.
4. Use of visual and educational resources
The way the product's value is communicated also plays a role. Visual and educational resources can make complex concepts more accessible and appealing to customers.
Short videos: Create explanatory videos that demonstrate the impact of the product in less than two minutes.
Interactive Guides: Use step-by-step tutorials within the product that guide the customer through using key features.
Custom Dashboards: Showing a dashboard configured with metrics that are relevant to the customer helps them see how the product fits their needs.
5. Build constant and proactive communication
Communicating the value of your product should not be limited to the first interaction. Maintaining constant communication during onboarding helps reinforce the perceived value and resolve questions as they arise.
Proactive Messaging: Send reminders about unused features that could be useful to the customer.
Personalized check-ins: Schedule meetings or calls to make sure the client is moving forward and understand what else they need.
Surveys and feedback: Ask for feedback to adjust the experience and highlight features the customer hasn't yet explored.
Are we making the customer feel valued? If not, it's always a good time to adjust and improve.
I want more information
Conclusions
Let’s think for a moment about how we feel when we start something new: a tool, a job, or even a course. It’s all exciting, but it can also be confusing. The same thing happens to customers when they start using a SaaS product. That’s why customer onboarding isn’t just another step in the process; it’s the perfect opportunity to show them that they made the right decision by choosing us.
1. Connect functionalities with specific needs
SaaS customers aren't just interested in technology, they're looking for solutions to direct mail mortgage marketing list specific problems. During onboarding, we need to show how the product's features directly address the customer's needs.
Example: Instead of describing the tool as having “CRM integration,” show how this integration helps reduce data duplication or automate lead follow-up.
Personalization: Base demos and examples on specific customer use cases. For example, a retail customer might need to manage inventory in real time, while a finance customer will be looking for automated reporting.
2. Customer-centric narratives: beyond the technical
Data and statistics are important, but what really connects is a good story. Using narratives that explain how other customers have achieved success can be a powerful tool during onboarding.
Success stories: Share use cases from similar companies that achieved concrete benefits thanks to the product. This helps the customer visualize how they can achieve those results too.
Contextual demos: Design demos that simulate real-life customer scenarios, showing possible steps and outcomes.
Tangible benefits: Beyond talking about “efficiency improvements,” he explains that the product can reduce the time of repetitive tasks by 50% or increase conversion by 30%.
3. Show the value progressively
It is important not to overwhelm the customer at the beginning of onboarding. Instead, take a progressive approach that allows the customer to discover and understand the value of the product gradually.
Prioritize key features: Identify the features that are most relevant to the customer and introduce them first. This ensures that they perceive immediate value without feeling overwhelmed.
Early success moments: Make it easy for the customer to complete simple but meaningful actions within the platform, such as setting up a dashboard or generating a first report. These small achievements reinforce confidence and generate motivation.
Gradual expansion: Once the customer is comfortable with the basic features, introduce more advanced functionalities that may be useful for their operations.
Reducing the time to value increases adoption rates.
4. Use of visual and educational resources
The way the product's value is communicated also plays a role. Visual and educational resources can make complex concepts more accessible and appealing to customers.
Short videos: Create explanatory videos that demonstrate the impact of the product in less than two minutes.
Interactive Guides: Use step-by-step tutorials within the product that guide the customer through using key features.
Custom Dashboards: Showing a dashboard configured with metrics that are relevant to the customer helps them see how the product fits their needs.
5. Build constant and proactive communication
Communicating the value of your product should not be limited to the first interaction. Maintaining constant communication during onboarding helps reinforce the perceived value and resolve questions as they arise.
Proactive Messaging: Send reminders about unused features that could be useful to the customer.
Personalized check-ins: Schedule meetings or calls to make sure the client is moving forward and understand what else they need.
Surveys and feedback: Ask for feedback to adjust the experience and highlight features the customer hasn't yet explored.
Are we making the customer feel valued? If not, it's always a good time to adjust and improve.
I want more information
Conclusions
Let’s think for a moment about how we feel when we start something new: a tool, a job, or even a course. It’s all exciting, but it can also be confusing. The same thing happens to customers when they start using a SaaS product. That’s why customer onboarding isn’t just another step in the process; it’s the perfect opportunity to show them that they made the right decision by choosing us.