High Touch Client Onboarding for SaaS Companies

Too many SaaS providers take the wrong approach when it comes to client onboarding, and the price they pay is increased churn rates and low long-term retention.

The thing is, you have to understand your focus during the onboarding process: getting the client to the point where they understand the value that you're offering them. The point at which the client understands your value is crucially different to their first experience of value - because it's probably going to take longer for that to happen.

Basically, it's the point where a light in your customer's head goes off and they say, "hey, this is what they were talking about during the sales pitch!" Here they're realizing the value potential whilst acknowledging that they probably won't get to see that value until further on down the line - and it's at this point that you should consider a client "onboard".

The focus of this checklist is to make sure that recognition of value is delivered, without overwhelming or neglecting the client's needs. With the mantra of "high tech allows for high touch", this checklist template utilizes automation to deal with many of the manual processes that would typically bog you down during the onboarding process, for a robust and scalable solution to all client scenarios.

Without further adieu, let's get started with the checklist.

Firstly, record the basic details for this process using the form fields below.

Find out how you can automate your client onboarding workflow with Process Street:

Declare the primary communication channels used by your organization in the form field here:

Then, declare whether or not it's necessary to send the client an invite to your communication channels below:

Record the URL invite to your communication channel of choice in the form field below:

To finish up with this section, send an email inviting your new client to your communication channels.

Thankfully, all of the information is ready for you in the email widget below. Simply check everything looks good before sending it out.

One of the first things you can do during the onboarding process is help your client to feel welcome by sending over an email with a curated selection of content.

This is kind of like a "getting started" goodie bag; your aim is to provide value, but try not to overwhelm them.

Use the sub-checklist below for inspiration:

Perhaps you already have a welcome email prepared for situations like this. If that's the case, simply proceed to the next task.

Otherwise, use the form fields below to fill out some content that will go into the welcome email.

Edit the body of the email below to only include relevant information, and then hit the send button when you're ready.

Set up an email integration to automatically send this welcome message whenever you run a new version of this checklist.

Send an email with a link to your scheduling tool of choice to arrange an appointment for the initial intake meeting. 

Simply check the content below and hit send; everything should be prepared for you.

Confirm the date of the kickoff call with the form field below.

Schedule any review meetings by sending an email with the widget in this task.

Simply check the content below and hit send; everything should be prepared for you.

Record dates for each meeting in this task.

If you feel the client doesn't quite understand the full scope of your services, it could be useful to offer an instructional walkthrough for them and their team. 

This will give you an opportunity to showcase the product and further demonstrate the value you could bring to the client. 

Send an email with the widget below to offer a scheduel session. Your scheduling tool is already linked in the body; simply check the content is okay before hitting the send button.

Use the form field to record the date of the instructional demonstration.

During your kickoff call, one of the things you must learn is the client's required outcome. 

This is basically what they intend to achieve, in terms of business goals, in both the short and long term, and how your software fits into that picture.

Discuss this with your client and use the form fields below to record this information. 

If required outcome is the client's business goals, appropriate experience is what you determine to be the best course of action to achieve those goals.

Discuss with your client what you think are some of the best solutions to their current problems, and record your notes below.

It is useful to have the best knowledge possible of the experience the client has had with your product so far. Understanding what they know about the product plus the use cases they want to fulfill will allow you to make strong recommendations to improve their use of your system. 

Discuss this with your client and record information in the form fields below.

For anything else, use the form field below to record any additional notes during the call.

Determine the success milestones for the onboarding process and record them in the form fields of this task.

Determine what steps will need to be taken by both the client and yourself in order to achieve the first success milestone. 

Record the steps in the form field below.

Prepare your customer for advocacy or expansion further on into the onboarding process by leveraging the completion of the first success milestone.

Mention this in advance, so that when they reach their first success milestone you can say to them, "...hey, you reached your first milestone, great! Would you be interested in providing a testimonial for us?"

Or, "...once we hit this milestone, typically our customers go for this option..." etc.

Declare your strategy by selecting an option from the drop-down menu below.

Prepare a list of joint accountability that gives the customer a clear idea of what they need to do to achieve their success milestones. It should also include steps that you need to complete (hence joint accountability) to hammer home that they need you and your services to achieve those goals.

Once you've prepared the list of tasks, upload it here:

Inform your client of the success milestones you established earlier. 

The email below contains all of the data in a pre-prepared template; simply check it over and hit the send button if you think it looks okay.

Make notes during your call using the form fields here.

Based on the most recent review call, prepare guidance for the client on how they could more efficiently be working towards their first success milestone.

Send the guidance you prepared in the previous task to the client using the email widget below.

The email has been filled out for you, so all you need to do is check the information is accurate and hit the send button.

Make notes during your call using the form fields here.

Based on the most recent review call, prepare guidance for the client on how they could more efficiently be working towards their first success milestone.

Send the guidance you prepared in the previous task to the client using the email widget below.

The email has been filled out for you, so all you need to do is check the information is accurate and hit the send button.

Make notes during your call using the form fields here.

Based on the most recent review call, prepare guidance for the client on how they could more efficiently be working towards their first success milestone.

Send the guidance you prepared in the previous task to the client using the email widget below.

The email has been filled out for you, so all you need to do is check the information is accurate and hit the send button.

Make notes during your call using the form fields here.

Based on the most recent review call, prepare guidance for the client on how they could more efficiently be working towards their first success milestone.

Send the guidance you prepared in the previous task to the client using the email widget below.

The email has been filled out for you, so all you need to do is check the information is accurate and hit the send button.

Once the first success milestone is met, confirm by checking this task as complete.

Now that the first success milestone has been reached, it's a prime opportunity for you to request a testimonial from your customer.

Check the contents of the email widget below and hit the send button.

Now that the first success milestone has been met, you can request to work with the client to produce a case study.

The proposal is already in the body of the email below; simply check everything looks okay and hit the send button.

Use this opportunity to suggest an upgrade feature that this client may find useful. Take a soft sell approach; you don't want to scare them off. The suggestion should also be relevant to their needs and current situation. 

Edit the email template below to include a suggestion for one of your upgrade features. Once it's ready, just hit the send button.

With your new client fully onboard, it's time to send over a feedback questionnaire.

The link to your feedback questionnaire is already in the body of the email below; just make sure the information looks correct and send it off.

Once the client has completed the feedback questionnaire, insert a link to it in the form field below.

• What We Learned Analyzing 281 Full Sales Cycles (1,183 Emails & Voicemails)
• BANT Sales Qualification Call Process
• What’s the best onboarding plan for B2B SaaS?
• The Secret to Successful Customer Onboarding
• Complete Guide to Customer Success for SaaS Companies
• https://useriq.com/customer-onboarding-strategies/
• https://twinpeaksresearchllc.com/blog/high-touch-customer-onboarding-saas-customers
• https://www.clientsuccess.com/blog/4-engagement-models-for-customer-success/
• https://sixteenventures.com/self-service-free-trial
• https://sixteenventures.com/elements-customer-success-management

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