When it comes to onboarding new customers, nine out of 10 customers feel that businesses should do better. That suggests there is room for improvement and only upward movement.
Along with refining existing onboarding processes, the future of customer onboarding allows for technological and customer support innovation.
Let's look at how client onboarding might change in the coming years.
Current Customer Onboarding Trends
Many companies are already experimenting with ways to automate the client onboarding process, harness omnichannel offerings, and streamline the customer experience.
Let's go through these patterns in greater depth because they will likely persist.
Increased reliance on automation
Automation is a significant trend in customer service, including onboarding. Businesses typically utilize automated messages and trigger emails to guide clients through sign-up and onboarding.
An excellent example is a welcome email you receive shortly after signing up for a product or service, such as this one from TikTok.
Aside from welcoming new users, this email contains recommendations to help the consumer tailor their app experience and learn about the many in-app features. Automating customer onboarding saves time and resources.
With 70% of customer service decision-makers aiming to increase automation, it's here to stay and will evolve.
Omni-channel consistency
Omni-channel is another trend that reduces client attrition. Customers may access your products and services on all channels and devices with an omnichannel experience.
Consider Peloton. You can access classes on your phone and bike, as demonstrated below.
Your account is linked across devices, so information is constant.
71% of customers desire a consistent multichannel experience. As more become available, clients will expect you to meet them during onboarding.
Sign-ups simplified
Better to simplify. Canva simplifies client account access. Account sign-up and sign-in are also crucial for customer onboarding.
Many businesses, like Canva, are making it easy for new clients to access their products and services. Examples are sign-ups via numerous channels (e.g., Google, Facebook) and unique password recovery options (e.g., texting/emailing a one-time code for access).
Positive customer experiences increase customer satisfaction by 20%, and making things simple for customers is a vital part of the puzzle. As a result, this tendency will only continue to expand.
To complement the present trends in customer onboarding, let's look at some rising and future trends to anticipate.
Participation in the Metaverse
The metaverse, ah, the metaverse. Customer service has the potential to become the next great thing in the Metaverse. And some of the benefits extend to client onboarding.
As illustrated in the video below, Meta shift by Helpshift is already enabling mobile game customer service teams to give real-time help to users inside augmented reality (AR) experiences.
Biometrics System Improvements
Using biometric identifiers such as Face ID is prevalent in banking apps to make signing in easier for clients. As in the case of Capital One.
More advanced biometrics technology may aid in the future of customer onboarding.
If you can identify a customer using facial or fingerprint recognition, you can reduce the need for identification documentation while increasing consumer data security.
What if voice recognition becomes the new standard for account access? As biometric technology progresses, so will customer onboarding.
Artificial Intelligence Enhancement
Walmart just launched a virtual try-on experience that lets you "be your own model" when shopping for goods online.
You can take a photo of yourself and apply several clothing styles straight on your shape, as shown in the image below.
Customers may now access products and services from the comfort of their homes thanks to AI technologies like these. And AI takes things a step further by allowing individuals to "physically" try on clothes for size (and fit) before purchasing.
The AI application could be helpful for onboarding because it provides clients greater power to make informed decisions as they come to know your business.
Also Might Like: What Is Conversational AI: A Practical Guide for 2023
Customer Onboarding Has a Bright Future
While one customer (out of 10) is pleased with the current level of customer onboarding, the other nine are eager for more.
Depending on your company, industry, and ambition for customer growth, the future of client onboarding will look different. Now is the moment to improve your onboarding methods to ensure that your post-purchase consumers become lifelong brand champions.
Helia Mohammadi
Social Media Specialist