What does your existing user onboarding process look like? If you’ve clicked on this article, you can probably admit that it needs some improvement.

Onboarding can make all the difference when it comes to converting new users into long-term customers. When you have a good onboarding process, your users will feel comfortable and confident from day one.

This article discusses how you can streamline the onboarding process for your platform.

Keep it Simple and Concise

The first rule of good onboarding is to keep it simple. Your users should be able to get started without a ton of effort, and you should avoid overwhelming them with too much information at once. So, rather than presenting them with an unnecessarily long tutorial, guide them through a few simple steps that introduce them to your tool’s core features.

You’ll need to create a simple walkthrough or interactive guide that highlights important buttons or areas of your platform, making sure it’s as easy to follow as possible. Test your onboarding process with people who know little-to-nothing about your tool to get a good gauge of how simple it is for new users.

Use Visual Cues and Progress Indicators

People love progress indicators because they give they clearly show where they are in the onboarding process. You don’t have to use anything too complicated here—a simple progress bar or a checklist is an effective way to show users how far they’ve come and what’s left to do

Providing visual cues makes the onboarding process less scary and overwhelming, and you can also use them to guide users through the platform. For example, you could use tooltips, arrows or a well placed pop-up to direct your users’ attention to important features or actions.

Implement SMS Verification for Extra Security

A key part of a smooth onboarding process is security. You want your users to feel that their accounts and data are secure, helping build trust from the start.

One easy way that you can add security and improve the onboarding process is by using an SMS verification service. The idea is that when users create an account or log in for the first time, they’ll be asked to enter their phone number for a quick verification step. Sending an SMS code to verify their identity adds a layer of protection against fraudulent activity. When you’re testing this strategy, you can use an online SMS verification service like https://www.smspool.net/ this to check that SMS messages are being sent as they should.

Offer Support and Resources

Even once you’ve set up a simplified onboarding process, some of your users might still need help. Make it easy for them to get support on your website or tool, with live chat support for those with very specific questions, as well as a detailed FAQ section or video tutorials for questions that don’t require a dedicated response.

This extra layer of support should reassure your users that help is available if they need it, increasing customer retention and preventing them from quitting in frustration.

Takeaway

A good onboarding process goes a long way towards making new users of your platform feel comfortable and confident getting to grips with its tools and features.

Follow the tips in this guide and focus on keeping it simple, using visual cues and implementing SMS verification for security. The easier it is for users to get started, the more likely they are to become long-term users of your platform.