Addressing Customer Concerns During Onboarding

Your first 90 days with a customer can make or break the entire relationship. I've seen it happen too many times: - Great sales process - Solid product demo - Strong contract value - Excited stakeholders Then onboarding happens. And everything falls apart. Why? Most companies treat onboarding like a checklist: - Setup call ✓ - Product training ✓ - Technical integration ✓ - Documentation shared ✓ But here's the truth about onboarding: It's not about your process. It's about their success. After managing hundreds of onboarding sessions, here's what I've learned: The best onboarding isn't standard. It's personalized. Think about it: - Every customer has different goals - Every team has different challenges - Every organization has different paces - Every stakeholder has different priorities Your onboarding needs to reflect this. Here's what works: 1. Start with clear expectations - Define success metrics upfront - Set realistic timelines - Map out key milestones - Align on responsibilities 2. Build a dedicated team - Assign specialists who understand their industry - Create cross-functional support - Have clear escalation paths - Enable quick problem-solving 3. Monitor health signals - Track early usage patterns - Watch engagement levels - Note stakeholder participation - Measure progress velocity 4. Automate the right things - Regular check-in reminders - Progress updates - Resource sharing - Usage alerts But here's where most companies fail: They don't plan for challenges: - Low customer engagement - Complex technical integrations - Unclear success metrics - Resource constraints - Scalability issues The solution? Build feedback loops: - Collect input at every stage - Adjust plans based on signals - Iterate on materials - Improve processes continuously Remember: Onboarding isn't about getting customers to use your product. It's about helping them achieve their goals through your product. The first 90 days set the tone for everything that follows. Make them count. What's your approach to customer onboarding? What challenges have you faced? ------------------ ▶️ Want to see more content like this and also connect with other CS & SaaS enthusiasts? You should join Tidbits. We do short round-ups a few times a week to help you learn what it takes to be a top-notch customer success professional. Join 1993+ community members! 💥 [link in the comments section]

A customer once told me: 'We're not just buying your product —we're betting on your ability to help us succeed and grow over time.'" That comment challenged me to think differently, and it still does each today. It came up during one of my regular customer check-ins. The kind where we’re not solving fires — but stepping back and asking, “What's working well? What's not? What’s next for you?” And the answer surprised me (but shouldn't have!) They of course had some concerns about today’s pain points. But more importantly, with how fast the world is changing and the level of embedded uncertainty, they were even more thinking 6–12 months ahead: ➡ How will our strategy evolve? ➡ What help do we need today that sets us up for more wins in the future? ➡ What will we need from you then that we’re not even asking for now? It was a wake-up call and a great reminder of that quote from years ago. Our current onboarding (and broader post-sales motion) focused too much on narrow current needs — not on future ones. And in today’s pace of change, that’s not enough. So we shifted: ✅ Start every engagement (for more customer segments) by co-creating a future-state vision ✅ Build our roadmap around where they’re going, not just where they are ✅ Check in on that vision — regularly The impact? Stronger partnerships. Stickier outcomes. More trust. How are you helping your customers grow into the future, not just succeed in the present?

Why Understanding Client Concerns is Crucial for Exceptional Results Whenever I onboard a new client, one of my first steps is to understand their previous experiences. I always ask:  → What challenges did you face?  → What were your concerns with your last personal branding partner (if any)? Knowing these details helps me tailor my approach to address specific issues and deliver outstanding results. Recently when I did the same with a new client, the client shared two main concerns: 🔸lack of communication 🔸not acting on his feedback This is why I always prioritize: 📌 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - Touchwood majority of my clients till now have given me creative freedom, but that doesn't mean I will misuse it. I keep my clients informed with regular updates, ensuring they’re always in the loop about their branding progress. After all, it’s their profile, and they have every right to know what’s happening. 📌 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - Constructive feedback is invaluable. Whether positive or negative, I listen carefully and address concerns. It’s crucial for building trust and improving my service. I apply these same principles with my team too. – I encourage my team to communicate their working experience if they are facing any blockers or why they are not able to deliver a particular work. This transparency helps identify potential issues early and builds a collaborative environment. – No matter where the feedback comes from. Listening to feedback, whether it's constructive or critical, helps us understand different perspectives and improve our processes. This approach not only strengthens client relationships but also enhances teamwork and overall success. What are the questions that you make sure to ask your client during the onboarding process? #clientsatisfaction #teamwork #communication #feedback #personalbrandingstrategist 

Think your onboarding process is smooth and simple? Here’s what it actually feels like from the customer’s side. This is a real-life example I'm currently in the middle of: ✅ Sign up for new service we're really excited about and are eager to get started with quickly. ✅ Receive email with 9 "simple" steps to get started. Looks easy enough at a glance! ✅ Carve out time in the afternoon to work through them. 🚧 Immediately hit a wall: I can't proceed until Daniel Zarick signs the contract. Stuck until that gets done. ✅ Contract finally signed! Okay, I'll work through the next steps later this afternoon after my calls. 🚧 Next step is granting access to some tools. But which email address should I grant access to? Ping the team to ask and wait for a reply. 🚧 Need to provide "a few voice of customer examples." We've got thousands. Unclear what they're looking for. Ping them again to ask for clarity. 🚧 Need to schedule a kickoff call. No meeting link provided. Should I be reaching out to find time? Will they let me know when they're ready for me to schedule? I set aside an hour to tackle this list. The result? I completed ONE out of NINE tasks. 😲 And just like that, we're delayed by a day. At least. What looks like a "simple list of things to do" on paper quickly becomes a complex web of dependencies, permissions, and unclear expectations. To truly enable your customers from the get-go: ✅ Provide all necessary context upfront—don’t make them ask for clarity ✅ Clearly define each step: what's needed, who’s responsible, and by when ✅ Give them the tools and instructions to actually complete the steps in one go Remember: Every moment of customer confusion is a loss of momentum and a potential delay in your onboarding timeline. And that's why we built Arrows: https://lnkd.in/guZwtrNS

Churn hits hard. It’s not just about losing revenue - it feels personal. Someone came to you, believed in your product, and then left because you didn’t meet their expectations. A year ago, at SmartReach.io, we faced this head-on. Users would sign up, try the platform, and then quietly leave. It wasn’t because the product didn’t work. It was because we weren’t showing them how it could work for them. [Btw, SmartReach.io is a sales engagement platform to automate cold outreach to a list of prospects via email, LinkedIn, calls or WhatsApp] It wasn’t an easy fix, but we made two key changes that turned things around. 1. Onboarding = First wins Onboarding is more than a tour. It’s the moment to help users win with your product - And quickly. At SmartReach.io, we saw a pattern; users who didn’t launch their first outreach campaign within the first week were more likely to churn. Why? They didn’t see the value fast enough. What we did? We ditched generic onboarding and started reaching out personally to new users. A quick one-on-one Zoom call to understand their outreach goals worked wonders. We redesigned the setup flow to help them create their first multichannel outreach campaign in less than 10 minutes. What changed? Users who got their first win during onboarding were 3x more likely to stick with us. They didn’t just try the product - they saw it work. The takeaway? Your product’s value isn’t what you say—it’s what your users experience. 2. Talking to Users after they start We realized something important; churn often happens after users try the product. Not because they don’t like it but because they stop seeing it as their solution. That’s where ‘Defining Success Calls’ came in. What we did? After users launched their first campaigns, we called them to check in. What were they hoping to achieve? Were they seeing the results they wanted? These calls weren’t about selling—they were about helping. Sometimes we’d coach users on campaign strategies; other times, we’d point out features they hadn’t discovered yet. For select enterprise Users, we even assist in data migration from their prior cold email software. What changed? Users who joined these calls were 40% less likely to churn. Why? Because they felt heard, and they started to see how the product fit into their long-term goals. Here’s the truth - Churn isn’t just a numbers game. It’s about trust. If your users don’t see value quickly or feel like you’re there to help, they’ll leave—even if your product is great. These two strategies didn’t just help us lower churn at SmartReach.io. They gave us something even better - loyal customers who stuck around, got results, and became advocates. What about you? Have you found ways to fight churn in your business? Let’s share ideas—I’d love to hear what’s worked for you! If you plan to add demand generation (generate sales qualified leads) as a marketing strategy then do give me a shout. We could walk your team through the hoops.

Your onboarding feels fine to you. To new clients, it screams disorganization. 𝟲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝟭/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 Intake form asks for their goals. Kickoff call asks for their goals again. First email asks for their goals a third time. Message received: you don't read what they send. → Consolidate information requests into one place. 𝟮/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 Contract says "starts in 5 business days." Welcome email says "starts next week." Kickoff invite is scheduled for 10 days out. Inconsistent timelines signal unreliable delivery. → One timeline. Stick to it. Update it everywhere. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 Email comes from Sarah. Contract is signed with John. Kickoff meeting is with Maria. They don't know who their actual point of contact is. → Introduce the team structure upfront. One clear owner. 𝟰/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 Email says "upload files to Dropbox." Portal says "attach files here." Phone call mentions Google Drive. Conflicting instructions make them question everything else. → Audit every touchpoint. Use one system consistently. 𝟱/ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 Welcome packet is 47 pages. Critical deadlines are on page 31. Login credentials are in paragraph 12. They miss key details because you overwhelmed them. → Put critical info first. Make it impossible to miss. 𝟲/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 They sign the contract Tuesday. Hear nothing until the following Monday. No confirmation, no next steps, no timeline. Radio silence after commitment feels like buyer's remorse. → Immediate next step email after signature. No gaps. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: "If onboarding is this confusing, what's the actual work going to be like?" First impressions set expectations for everything after. Smooth onboarding signals smooth operations. Messy onboarding signals future problems. Small confusions compound into big doubts. By week two, they're already questioning their decision. Not because your work is bad. Because your process made them feel lost. Your process might make sense to you. But you've done it 100 times. They're doing it for the first time. And they're judging your competence by it. ♻️ Repost if onboarding reveals operations. ➕ Follow me, Louis Shulman, for more tactics to stay top of mind and beat the competition. 📧 Join our weekly marketing newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYGzEeTb

People don’t need more options. They need fewer. Stay with me. I recently stumbled across a study showing that when consumers were bombarded with too many options, conversion rates dropped. Shocking? Not really. Ever been to Cheesecake Factory? Exactly. This hit differently when I heard that Starbucks is trimming down its menu after a dip in sales. Now, I’m not saying Starbucks’ sales slump is because of the endless menu (but seriously, who needs 87 variations of a latte?). Still, fewer options = faster decisions. As someone who gets overwhelmed trying to pick between a flat white and a cold brew, I appreciate simplicity. Probably why I choose to make my tea or coffee at home - that and I love my mugs. During the sales process, we’re all about possibilities. Limitless potential. (“The limit does not exist.” Mean Girls fans, IYKYK.) But when it comes to customer onboarding? It’s the exact opposite. If you hand your customer a blank slate and say, “What do you want to do first?” expect: Crickets. Overwhelm kills momentum. Your job? Make the path forward obvious and easy. Here’s How to Make Onboarding Effortless (and Effective): 1️⃣ Start with Their "Why" Don’t skip this. Align on the customer’s goals from day one. When you know what they want, you can show them how you get them there. 2️⃣ Serve Up Curated Choices Offer 2-3 clear options to reach their objectives. That’s it. No “choose your own adventure” nonsense. 3️⃣ Map Out the Journey If they pick Option B, boom—here’s the roadmap. Simple. Direct. Bonus points if you walk it with them. 4️⃣ Show Progress Early Customers need wins to stay motivated. Highlight progress and build confidence. Small victories = big momentum. The onboarding phase isn’t the time for infinite possibilities. It’s time for precision and guidance. Why? Because decision fatigue is real—especially for customers who already made the biggest decision when they chose your product. So, simplify. Streamline. Guide. They’ll thank you for it—with renewals. What’s your take? Do fewer options actually drive faster customer success? Or do some customers still want all the bells and whistles from day one? (Also, drop your go-to Starbucks order—curious if fewer options would save your sanity too.) ________________ 📣 If you liked my post, you’ll love my newsletter. Every week I share learnings, advice and strategies from my experience going from CSM to CCO. Join 12k+ subscribers of The Journey and turn insights into action. Sign up on my profile.

You’ve probably heard your team say it: "Customers are tired of surveys." They’re not. They’re tired of surveys that go nowhere. DHL gets nearly 60% response rates in the US. 80% in the UK. One well-known CPG company had 27 people receive DHL’s survey last quarter. All 27 responded. DHL doesn’t bolt the survey onto the relationship as an afterthought. They build it in from day one. At onboarding, they sit down with the customer and co-create a dashboard. They identify four or five things that matter most. They commit to reviewing it every quarter. And when the customer fills out the survey, DHL calls them back within two days to discuss the feedback. If someone on the DHL team misses that two-day window, their name goes to the CEO. Your customers don’t have survey fatigue. They have inaction fatigue. Fix that, and your response rates will fix themselves.

In Customer Success, always front-load your pain. Customer problems don’t naturally get better over time. They get worse. This is true for every stage of the customer journey. That slight misalignment in pre-sale? It’s not going away. It’s growing. That unclear goal? That missing data? That under-purchased solution? If you don’t address it early, it will blow up later. When I get on a kickoff call, I try to surface every potential problem that could explode in the next 30 days. Not because I like "creating problems" but because my best chance of correcting issues is when the customer is engaged and fresh of making a decision. That might mean: 👉 Educating the customer that they didn’t purchase enough to succeed. 👉 Looping in sales right away to fix the scope. 👉 Addressing data readiness before onboarding proceeds. It’s uncomfortable in the moment. But it’s far more painful to deal with five months of frustration, finger-pointing, and escalations later. A five-minute uncomfortable conversation now can save you five hours of damage control later. So don’t wait. Don’t hope the problem disappears. Front-load your pain. It’s the only way to build trust, drive results, and protect both you and your customer from unnecessary chaos. #customersuccess

This might sound counterintuitive, but you might be making a subtle onboarding mistake: Treating launch like a win. It is, right? Yes. It is. To *us.* But what do our customers often say? Hell naw. Uncertainty spikes, perceived risk goes up, confidence drops. And right as that happens… teams pull back. There's a solve. I'll explain: Getting customers to launch is the obvious goal of onboarding. What happens the day after launch is where I see CS teams go quiet. But not their customers. Launch is when support spikes. It's often highly predictable. And if you don't control that narrative with the customer, the customer writes it for you -- usually as a story about a rocky rollout. THIS THING IS BROKEN NOT WHAT OUR SALESPERSON SOLD US WE WANT A REFUND Hypercare and Graduation playbooks help flip that. Right after launch, you lean in: enhanced check-ins, proactive outreach, a defined support window culminating in graduation (save the cap and gown). You tell the customer explicitly: this is normal, and we have a protocol for it. That does two things It normalizes the chaos. And it keeps you in the driver's seat toward graduation. Which brings me to something I don't hear talked about enough: Customers don't know when they're done with onboarding. Left to their own devices, they'll stay in "everboarding." Perpetually onboarding. Never quite graduated. Always one more thing to figure out. Your most engaged customers will actually tell you there's so much more they haven't tapped into. And they're right. But that's not a reason to keep them in onboarding -- it's a reason to have CSMs. The fix: define minimum viable graduation criteria. Not "maximum value achieved." Just enough to get them to renew consistently and hand them to the post-onboarding motion. ↳ Graduation checklist ↳ Graduation deck ↳ A clear transition: here's what changes, here's who you'll work with, here's what success looks like from here. It's not glamorous. But it closes the loop in a way that weekly meetings never do. What do hypercare and graduation look like at your company? Let's talk ball 🏈 #customersuccess #onboarding #customerretention #saas #csleadership