EPISODE SUMMARY
Client onboarding sets the tone and expectations of the client to the company. When done right, it can lead to a better understanding of their needs and efficiency in providing the best way to achieve their goals using the product. It is a vital aspect of the sales process that companies sometimes fail to acknowledge.
In this episode of SaaS-Story in the Making, B2B SaaS Sales Coach and host Matt Wolach and GuideCX’s COO, Harris Clarke, talk about the importance of having a proper client onboarding process. It is an essential feature that can make or break the client’s impression and possible conversion. Clarke shares how SaaS companies can provide value to clients and the team through proper onboarding.
PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCE
Podcast: SaaS-Story in the Making
Episode: Episode No. 221, “Guarantee Client Satisfaction Through Proper Onboarding”
Host: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS sales coach, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Guest: Harris Clarke, COO of GuideCX
TOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Build a Great First Impression
The SaaS onboarding process sets the tone of the company-client relationship. It is essential to work hard to build and foster an outstanding client experience because, on the other hand, your clients only want to get value from you and get the most of what they have paid for.
In building a great first impression, you have to show how your product can be of the best help to your clients’ needs. Setting the right first impression puts you in the right position and takes advantage of word of mouth. Clarke said, “if you don’t quickly show value to those customers coming through the door, word spreads much faster than you can outpace with new sales and revenue.” Feedback and word of mouth are highly valued in the market today as they are among the reliable information to buyers. When you learn how to start on the right foot, it can secure the clit and the ones in the future.
Be Transparent
Working with your team or clients demands accountability and transparency with tasks. It gives both parties assurance that things are getting done on each end. However, some companies still struggle with it and have difficulty finding the right platform to enable it.
Clarke said, “‘Please trust that we’re working on X, Y, and Z on our side.’ But to some extent, that’s not cutting it anymore. You know, even if it’s just subconscious, people expect and are used to what they see in their consumer lives.” It is similar to tracking packages and online orders. As the parcel travels, it constantly updates the buyer on the status.
SaaS onboarding should be like this. It must be transparent and be able to inform everyone involved of the current status of the sales process. This way, the team can respond immediately to provide a great customer experience. Transparency lets the managers, the team, and the clients clearly view the process.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Onboarding Should Satisfy & Exceed Expectations
Client onboarding can make or break business-client relationships. As it establishes the tone of the connection throughout the agreement, the business must fulfill it. Clarke said, “In customer experience in general, let alone onboarding, so much satisfaction is derived from having your expectations met.” Clients can be assured of a good experience along the way when all things are laid out smoothly.
Businesses should learn how to give value to clients right from the start and be able to maintain it along the way. Not only can it help your clients, but it can also sell them. Onboarding can be an avenue where your client has complete attention to you and your product. Moreover, they surely want to get value for money. Providing value in this stage can differentiate you from your competitors as you continue to educate your clients on how the process should be.
Being proactive and finding the right ways to give value also gives your business value. It eases your client’s worries immediately while helping your business stand out.
An Antidote to Anxiety or a Reinforcement to Value
When you subscribe to software or tool, fear of gaining real value is a real thing. As a customer, you have worries about the future, the software’s efficiency, and getting your money’s worth. At the beginning of the buyer’s journey, this is how your clients feel that you need to understand and clarify.
Clients need assurance right from the start. Clarke said, “when it comes to onboarding and customer experience, look at your whole process and ask yourself,’ does this part of our process either provide an antidote to anxiety or reinforcement to value.”
Having your process be centered as an antidote to anxiety means you will provide consistency in transparency. It is about knowing your clients’ fears and removing them from using your product. On the other hand, reinforcement to value means that you will showcase a great feature that they will surely love.
Knowing how and where to position your onboarding process is the first step in making a great first impression. It lets you prepare well and do it smoothly. Eventually, you can provide value to your client while assuring them that they are getting their money’s worth.
TOP QUOTES
Harris Clarke
[02:46] “But just as you said, Matt, if you don’t quickly show value to those customers that are coming through the door, word spreads much faster than you can outpace with new sales and new revenue.”
[04:22] “The founder of FedEx famously said one day the information about the package would be as important as the package itself. And that’s bearing true in SaaS, where the information about where you stand and how you’ll be able to use and get the value out of what you paid for is becoming increasingly important in this world.”
[13:54] “In onboarding, it’s critical to have transparency on what is happening right now. What needs to happen next, who’s assigned to those things? And what the payoff is of doing that.”
Matt Wolach
[24:12] “If you can constantly focus on that, and thinking about that, I agree, it’s going to help you post-sales, but pre-sales as well. If you’re thinking about how you will be able to message everything and get everybody to understand what will help them, I think that’s phenomenal.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Harris Clarke and GuideCX, visit: https://www.guidecx.com/.
You can also find Harris Clarke on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harris-clarke-26605946/.
For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/.