The learning process in SaaS organizations is continuous and fluid. While it’s true that every SaaS startup’s initial goal is to address a specific issue, failure is still possible. The best onboarding software solutions come from some companies, while others may suffer huge losses due to unpredictability.
Once you crack the code, this game-changing technology is fantastic. However, many SaaS firms fail due to poor strategy, management, and communication. Understanding these potential roadblocks can equip you to avoid them and confidently move forward.
Here are some of the most common pitfalls or mistakes made throughout the saas onboarding process and how to avoid them.
Failure to conduct sufficient market research:
Before ever releasing your product, you need to be sure you have done the proper market research to prevent making errors. Launching into a market where there is no need for your service or when another provider is already meeting the demand is troublesome.
Data gleaned from such a study would be sufficient for developing the structure of your product and determining its initial price. Before releasing a product, it is crucial to ensure its need.
Once we get to the phase after the launch, things may become much more complex. The first law of competition is always to know what they’re doing. When things are going well and you’re making progress after a launch, it’s still essential to maintain vigilance.
Considering additional benefits rather than the core ones:
When designing a product, it can be tempting to want to show off all the great things about it to the customer right away during the SaaS onboarding process. It’s easy to see why you would want this—your product’s features are impressive, and you care deeply about each one.
Yet, despite your impatience, you should not rush. Signup flows that provide too much information may be overwhelming to the user.
Instead, take a more artistic approach to achieve your onboarding objectives by enticing a customer with the value that led them to seek out your product in the first place. Customers are more inclined to consider your product the best option if it helps them quickly achieve even a modest objective.
Treating users as customers:
It’s important to distinguish between users and customers. They aren’t in search of something similar. People who use your product are generally less enthusiastic about doing so. That’s why they’re eager to learn more about it, evaluate it to see if it may help their company, and then take appropriate measures.
The product has already found success with customers. They have a vested interest and may need more of your time and consideration. It’s crucial to remember that once a potential customer signs up for a free trial, we must get them to abandon their old habits instead of trying something new and hopefully better.
Insufficient familiarity with the SaaS Model:
The business complexity of SaaS is not to be underestimated. This role means accountability for the product’s enabling infrastructure, including databases, servers, software, and plans. A user can opt to utilize the product, a cloud-based software, on any device with an internet connection.
Users can combine different plans to find one that suits them the best, thanks to the SaaS product architecture. Recurring monthly or annual payments provide a steady source of income. Maintaining a profitable SaaS business depends on ensuring the continued satisfaction of both current and former customers.
The risks of neglecting UX design principles:
Involvement with user experience is unavoidable when your product is a tool, platform, or piece of software. Keep the user’s or visitor’s wants and needs in mind when building your product or website. This is because winning over customers in a world with flawless user interfaces and user experiences is increasingly challenging.
The breaking point can be a designed user experience. Customer service is also essential, so let’s pay attention to it. The nerves of a potential buyer are often quite fragile. If your website takes longer than 5 seconds to load, most of your users will abandon it regardless of whether you’re using a platform or software.
Underestimation:
This is the point at which you execute onboarding as a residual only because “that’s what they advise us to do” and not because you believe this is the best action to take. As a result, the onboarding process is often designed hastily, without considering all the features your user needs to become familiar with.
It’s obvious, though, that we will only get far if we put in an honest effort and deliberate steps. Planning onboarding for each feature as it is developed is the best approach to avoid this oversight.
Make a hub for your content; write all the required material at once, and include all the required layout recommendations. Such minute considerations and incremental actions are the foundation of a successful customer onboarding journey.
Introducing all the functions of your product to brand-new users:
Introducing a new user to your product should be different from touring a house with a realtor. The investment we are making now is hardly the single largest of our lives. It’s an expenditure, to be sure, but you won’t need “hand-holding” during the process.
An in-depth tutorial for first-time users slows everything down. They can’t handle it and become overwhelmed. Too much time is wasted on it. It may make the onboarding process so tricky that the new customer decides not to use the service.
Refusing to Consider Consumer Feedback:
Not paying attention to what your customers say is a common failing of the SaaS industry. Feedback from customers helps businesses refine their offerings, tells customers they are heard, increases customer loyalty, and boosts consumer satisfaction. You can use client feedback to improve your SaaS product if it falls below expectations.
Given that your ultimate objective is to assist clients in accomplishing their objectives, you must take into account the suggestions they may have. The only way to avoid this situation is to implement suggestions consistently.
Monthly or quarterly surveys, regular customer contact, and a focus on the customer experience are all crucial to achieving this goal. To provide room for feedback requests, using and monitoring different communication channels is essential.
Conclusion
Saas onboarding is an art that requires skill and complexity. We hope you found this article informative and thought-provoking; it will help you develop SaaS onboarding that ensures the long-term viability of your digital product and lays the framework for retaining your customers.
