We have a B2B Saas application which doesn't do any real on boarding - the user signs up, gets an email saying welcome, they enter their company details and then get dropped into the dashboard with no help or guidance other than some automated emails during their trial depending on what they have or have not done (using Intercom).
Obviously this sucks! Our current trial to conversion ratio is ~1.65%.
We have approached CRO experts in the past for help but most are not interested (we assume as we have so much we need to do). So now we have a chicken and egg situation - where do we start?
What are three things we should do first to aid with on boarding new users?
Let assume that you are a patient and you know that your health is not well. To fix your health, you may have tried few medicines that you thought will solve the issue but you found nothing worked.
Now you have 2 options - keep on trying to fix your health or consult with a specialized doctor to fix the problem.
If we consider patient = website and doctor = business analyst and strategist then you can understand you need a business analyst and strategist help to fix your problem.
Before meeting any specialist first try to gather as much information you can gather for your business. This information can be statistical details about your website, or customer behavior or even SWOT analysis data.
Besides these, ask yourself questions. Like:
a. What is your main goal and your current status?
b. What are the main obstacles to achieve the goal?
c. Is the website technically sound (loading time, responsiveness)?
d. What are the most converting marketing channels?
e. What are your customers saying?
Collect information, make a basic plan that you think is effective and then consult with an expert to fine tune it and then implement.
All the best.
Hard to address your specific case without the specifics! However, fumbling forward toward a doorway in the dark, this is what I think you should consider:
Talk to your customers (and non-customer visitors).
Partly, that means asking them for feedback. Ideally 1 person at a time by phone. Surveys are useful. But when someone feels that they're valued as an individual by a company that seeks out their opinion, then theyy will give it more freely and thoroughly. Ask what features of your system were initially unclear or off-putting. Find out which misgivings and misunderstandings remain.
Beyond that, I also think that a website itself ought to emulate that person-to-person conversational feel as much as possible. Maybe that means taking them on a tour of functionality as well as benefits. It isn't enough to have the information posted. We've all had teachers and tour guides who bored us to death or who didn't organize the material intelligibly. Is your website a bad guide or a boring teacher?
It's very important that your landing pages, your emails, your video sales pitches and tutorials – the entire branded package act as an engaging tour guide, a student's favorite instructor. The structure, content, tone, and pacing of your presentation really do make or break you.
So I'd recommend revising your content (whatever it is) and running A/B tests. By cycling through this process iteratively, you'll find out which versions of your funnel work best and which components are the weak links. Experimentation should bring up that conversion rate.
I can help in a few areas: branded copy writing, restructuring the verbiage and flow of information. Basically, I'd help you explain yourself accurately + artfully. Doesn't matter if it's technical. I'll explain the neutron life cycle in fission reactors to a kindergartner.
If you wanted a thorough overhaul and a battery of A/B testing, I have a colleague who is a copy writer and A/B testing specialist. He and/or I could look into your situation in more detail.
But keep things simple for starters. Might be able to identify a few problems and suggest some broad tips during a quick call.
The trial period/on boarding phase is your courtship period, and the best opportunity to convert the user into a paying customer.
Areas of focus
- on boarding communication that includes welcome email, on boarding education of the platform, links to additional material on product/service
- timely communication throughout onboarding period staying engaged with user, reaching out to ask for feedback or answer any questions
- still better if the platform is able to track Usage statistics and contextually do a reach out
- opportunity to A/B test with different communication flows to see if conversion varies across the different methods
It is key to stay engaged with the user optimally without overloading them with too much communication.
I have had success with these methods and would be happy to discuss over a call, once I understand your unique situation
