If you're running a SaaS product and want users to actually stick around, customer onboarding is where it all starts. But let's be honest: most onboarding is either too generic, too pushy, or just plain confusing. You want to get your users to their first “aha!” moment, not drown them in a sea of emails or make them click through endless tooltips.
This guide is for SaaS founders, product folks, and marketers who want to set up an onboarding workflow in Encharge that actually helps users get value—without overcomplicating things or wasting time on features you don’t need.
Why Encharge? And Where People Go Wrong
Encharge is a marketing automation tool built for SaaS. It lets you trigger emails, assign tasks, segment users, and sync with your app. The good news: it’s flexible and much less clunky than most “marketing clouds.” The bad news: flexibility means it’s easy to overthink things and build a monster workflow nobody understands.
Most teams make these mistakes: - Trying to automate every possible action. You don’t need to. - Sending too many emails. More isn’t better. - Ignoring what users actually do in-app. Onboarding is about behavior, not just a timer.
Let’s walk through a practical approach that gets users up to speed—and keeps your sanity intact.
Step 1: Map Out the Real User Journey (Don’t Start in Encharge Yet)
Before you touch Encharge, sketch out what you want users to do in their first week. Grab a notepad or whiteboard; software comes later.
- What’s the “aha!” moment? The first time users get real value from your app.
- What’s the minimum path to get there? List the 3–5 steps most successful users take.
- Where do people get stuck? Be honest—look at support tickets, churn reasons, or analytics.
Pro Tip
If you can’t answer these without guessing, pause here. Talk to a few new users or review your product analytics. Onboarding is about guiding action, not just sending emails.
Step 2: Decide What to Automate (and What to Leave Alone)
Don’t try to automate everything. Focus on two things:
- Key actions: What’s blocking users from getting value? (e.g., inviting a teammate, setting up their first project)
- Moments of silence: Where do users drop off if they don’t act?
Skip the rest. You’re not Amazon—you don’t need a 20-email drip series.
What’s worth automating?
- Welcome email (with clear next steps)
- Nudge if user hasn’t completed critical setup
- “Congrats!” when they hit a milestone
- Optional: educational tips, but only if they’re tied to real actions
Ignore: - Generic newsletters disguised as onboarding - “Did you know?” fun facts that don’t help users move forward
Step 3: Set Up Your Data and Integrations
Encharge works best when it knows what users are doing. Set up your integrations:
- Product events: Use Segment, API, or native integrations to send user actions (e.g., signed up, created first project).
- User properties: Sync traits like plan type, signup source, or company size.
- CRM or support: Optional, but handy if you want to assign follow-ups to real humans.
Honest Take
If you don’t have product events coming into Encharge, you’re flying blind. Sending onboarding emails on a timer is better than nothing, but it’s way less effective.
Step 4: Build Your Core Onboarding Flow
Now, open Encharge and build your workflow. Here’s a simple-but-effective setup:
1. Welcome Email:
- Trigger: User signs up.
- What it says:
- Thank them.
- One-sentence value prop.
- Clear next action with a big button (e.g., “Create your first project”).
- Support contact (real human, not “no-reply”).
2. Nudge Email:
- Trigger: User hasn’t completed key action after 24–48 hours.
- What it says:
- Friendly reminder.
- Brief tip or link to help article.
- Offer help (not a sales pitch).
3. Activation Email:
- Trigger: User completes key action (e.g., invites teammate, finishes setup).
- What it says:
- Short congrats.
- What to do next—keep the momentum going.
4. Optional: Product Tips
- Trigger: Based on actions or inactivity.
- What to avoid: Don’t send tips nobody asked for. Only send if they’re relevant to what the user just did.
Encharge Workflow Example
- Start: User signs up.
- → Send Welcome Email.
- → Wait 1 day. Check: Did user complete Key Action?
- If yes: Send Activation Email.
- If no: Send Nudge Email.
- Optionally, repeat for secondary actions.
Keep your workflow visual and readable. If you can’t explain it to a coworker in 30 seconds, it’s too complicated.
Step 5: Segment Users for Smarter Messaging
Not all users need the same nudges. Use Encharge’s segmentation to tailor your onboarding.
- By plan: Free vs. paid users might need different guidance.
- By activity: Power users vs. folks who are stuck.
- By source: Did they come from a special campaign or referral?
But don’t over-segment. Two or three useful segments are better than ten you never use.
Step 6: Test, Tweak, and Don’t Trust the Defaults
- Send test emails to yourself first. Check for broken links, typos, or weird formatting.
- Watch real user behavior. Are people opening emails but not taking action? Maybe your copy’s off, or your CTA is buried.
- Don’t assume best practices work for your product. Standard advice (“send 5 emails in 7 days!”) is just a starting point. Cut anything users ignore.
- Review metrics in Encharge: Opens, clicks, and—most important—whether users actually activate.
What to Ignore
- Fancy design templates. Plain text often works better.
- Overly clever subject lines. Clarity beats cute.
- Internal pressure to “add more touchpoints.” If it’s not helping users, skip it.
Step 7: Add Human Touches Where They Matter
Automation is great, but a real human reaching out at the right moment can make all the difference.
- Use Encharge to assign a task or send a Slack alert to your team when a user is stuck.
- Trigger a personal email from a real address (not a marketing alias) for high-value accounts.
- Sometimes just a quick “Hey, noticed you haven’t set up X—need help?” is worth more than 10 automated emails.
Step 8: Maintain, Don’t Set and Forget
Your onboarding isn’t “done” just because the workflow’s live.
- Check in monthly: Is the workflow still aligned with your product?
- Are users getting stuck somewhere new?
- Update copy or steps as your product changes.
Workflows that don’t evolve get stale fast—and users notice.
Keep It Simple: Final Thoughts
You don’t need a 12-step nurture sequence or every bell and whistle Encharge offers. The most effective onboarding workflows are simple, focused, and tied directly to what users need to do next.
Start small. Automate the essentials. Watch what works, and ignore what doesn’t. Iterate as you learn. Your users (and your future self) will thank you.