You only get one chance to make a first impression...Make it count!

When it comes to introducing customers to your SaaS company, onboarding is one of the most important touchpoints. The process helps users familiarise themselves with your product by teaching them how to use it effectively, right from day one.

Apart from demonstrating the value of your solution, your onboarding process will often set the tone for your ongoing relationship with your customer. A 2019 study from Profitwell found:

"people who receive an excellent onboarding experience are more likely to remain loyal to a company" _

This is because the better the onboarding process, and the more information you provide in an accessible and user-friendly way, the more likely the customer is to succeed. And a user who is successful will feel more confident and positive about your software and its abilities.

But communicating potentially complicated subjects isn't always easy and this is where video comes in. In this series of blogs, we'll be looking at the benefits of video content and the part it can play in developing a strong onboarding strategy.

More engaging

Naturally more engaging than lengthy text-based instructions (viewers retain 95% of information from video compared with only 10% through text)_, good instructional or introductory videos can take complex concepts and break them down into bite-size chunks, making them more accessible and easier to digest. 

As a result, customers can get up to speed and start using your product more quickly. The more they engage, learn and realise the benefits, the more confident they will be and the more reliant they'll become on it. This is key, because the more reliant a user is, the less likely they are to churn. More on that in a later blog. 

More efficient

As well as being more engaging, replacing certain parts of the onboarding process with video brings several efficiencies. 

Rather than attending timetabled training sessions, users are empowered to take control of the process, accessing the content in their own time and at their own pace, and giving them the chance to explore the product in their own way. This allows you to direct your energy into follow up activity, tackling specific questions or issues that have arisen. 

By using video alongside face-to-face contact in this way, users receive a more personalised approach which in turn improves satisfaction and retention, bringing us back to a reduction in churn.

HR benefits

Although our focus in this series is mainly on customer onboarding, it's important to note that a good onboarding strategy isn't just relevant for external communications. Just as new users need to be given the tools to succeed with your new product, so employees need to be guided through the early days and given the confidence to achieve. Video can play an important part in this, helping to ensure new hires are familiar with the company processes and developing the skills and knowledge of existing employees.  

Demonstrate value

There are clear benefits to incorporating video into your onboarding strategy whatever stage your SaaS company is at but the best content is developed in conjunction with your end goals and business roadmap.

And whether used to demonstrate scalability, to improve customer retention or boost growth, it's important to commit to both the initial input and investing in ongoing maintenance. 

It's this maintenance that allows you to continually demonstrate value to your users. People forget 90% of what they've learned within a month_ so it's important to keep video content refreshed and up-to-date in order to drive that knowledge and reliance on your product. Delivering additional tips or showcasing new features are both good ways to improve the knowledge and engagement of your users - and it also provides an excuse for you to check-in and ensure they are getting the most from your solution. 

got a project to discuss?

Please get in touch or drop us an email if you'd like to discuss how onboarding content could work for you - we'd love to hear from you.

References
1 Profitwell, 2019
2 https://www.popvideo.com/blog/looking-at-the-facts-why-video-content-has-the-highest-retention-rate
3 https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/what-is-the-forgetting-curve/