Introduction
An effective onboarding process is critical for new user retention and long-term engagement in SaaS products. In-app surveys can be utilized to gather immediate feedback from new users about their onboarding experience, providing insights that can be used to refine and personalize the onboarding sequence.
Objective
This article is designed for Product and Customer Success Managers in SaaS companies looking to enhance their onboarding processes based on direct feedback from new users.
You can find more information on implementing UserGuiding Surveys in this article.
Designing an Onboarding Feedback Survey
Identify Key Onboarding Stages: Choose specific stages or aspects of the onboarding process you want feedback on, such as Guide clarity, initial feature exposure, or overall ease of getting started.
Survey Question Formulation: Develop questions that assess the effectiveness and user-friendliness of these stages, like “How helpful did you find the initial tutorial?” or “What could we do to make getting started easier for you?”
Targeting New Users for Feedback
Strategic Timing: Deploy the survey at logical points throughout the onboarding sequence, such as after completing an initial tutorial or a first key action within the app.
Focus on Recent Sign-Ups: Direct the survey specifically to users who have recently signed up and are in the midst of the onboarding process. You can easily send these attributes to UserGuiding and start segmenting your users according to their activity. Once you are done with creating your segments, you can easily assign the correct segment to the Survey through the Configure tab.
💡Pro tip: Feel free to check this article if you are not sure which attributes to send to UserGuiding for your specific use case.
Integrating the Survey into the Onboarding Flow
Seamless Integration: Ensure that the survey is a natural part of the onboarding experience without causing disruption or confusion. It is important for your users to still receive value as you collect inputs from them, so make sure they've passed important milestones during the onboarding process before displaying the Survey.
Encourage Participation: Make the survey brief and clearly explain its purpose in enhancing the onboarding experience.
Analyzing Feedback to Refine Onboarding
Gather Actionable Insights: Analyze the responses to understand how new users are experiencing the onboarding process and identify areas for improvement.
Look for Patterns and Trends: Pay attention to common feedback themes that can inform adjustments in the onboarding sequence.
💡Pro tip: Combine these insights with the data that you obtain through Step Analytics of each individual Guide to effectively refine the onboarding sequences at each step.
Implementing Onboarding Improvements
Iterative Onboarding Enhancements: Apply changes to the onboarding process based on user feedback, such as simplifying steps, adding more informative content, or personalizing the experience.
Measure and Adjust: Continuously monitor how changes impact user engagement and retention, using ongoing feedback for further refinements.
Click on the image to see how Unico used UserGuiding to collect feedback and refine their onboarding processes:
Conclusion
Utilizing in-app surveys to gather feedback on the onboarding process is crucial for SaaS products. It ensures that the first experiences of new users are positive and engaging, leading to higher retention and satisfaction. By continuously refining onboarding based on user feedback, SaaS companies can create more effective and user-friendly onboarding experiences.