Onboarding new customers quickly and effectively is crucial for B2B SaaS companies aiming to reduce churn, increase adoption, and boost customer satisfaction.
Below are seven key levers (or metrics) to evaluate your customer onboarding process and ultimately reduce the time it takes for customers to reach their first value:
1. The # of hours your Implementation Team spends on 1:1 phone calls
This metric tracks the time your implementation specialists spend on personalized customer calls. While 1:1 engagements can be valuable, excessive time may indicate inefficiencies or inadequate resources. Reducing hours spent here can free up your team to focus on high-impact activities while encouraging the use of scalable onboarding methods.
2. The # of days it takes to onboard customers on average
How long does it take your customers to move from initial setup to being fully onboarded? This metric reflects the speed and efficiency of your onboarding process. Reducing this time accelerates time-to-value, driving customer satisfaction and quicker ROI for your users.
3. The % of customers who interact with digital resources in onboarding
Digital resources like knowledge bases, videos, or tutorials can scale your onboarding efforts. This metric tracks the percentage of customers engaging with these assets. High engagement can signify effective resource usage, while low engagement might point to gaps in content relevance or visibility.
4. The % of customers who fully complete implementation
The success of your onboarding process can be gauged by the percentage of customers who fully implement your solution. This metric highlights your ability to guide users through key milestones, signaling a strong foundation for long-term product adoption and success.
5. The % of customers who complete onboarding without talking to an Implementation Specialist/Manager
Ideally, your onboarding experience is intuitive enough that customers can achieve success without heavy human intervention. A high percentage here indicates a frictionless process, while a low percentage might highlight areas needing improvement in user experience or self-service resources.
6. The % of support tickets that are simple how-to questions during implementation
This metric helps pinpoint how often your customers need help navigating or understanding the platform. Reducing the volume of “how-to” support tickets suggests a more intuitive onboarding flow, better training materials, or improved customer self-service options.
7. Account capacity for Implementation Specialists/Managers
Knowing how many accounts each implementation specialist can handle helps you assess resource utilization and team capacity. Increasing this capacity through efficient processes and scalable solutions means more customers receive effective onboarding without straining your team.
Strive for faster onboarding to drive first value
The goal of reducing the time it takes to onboard customers and get them to their first value is central to B2B SaaS success. Tracking and optimizing these metrics will help you identify gaps, refine your processes, and ultimately deliver a stellar onboarding experience. This not only accelerates customer satisfaction but also increases retention, expansion, and advocacy over time.
BrainStorm simplifies customer onboarding by providing easy-to-use training that helps customers quickly get up to speed with new products. With BrainStorm, you can create on-demand customer onboarding journey's that deliver value from day one, allowing time for you to focus on more high-impact activities. Learn more here.
Customer Success
