If you’re running customer onboarding for a B2B company, you know the drill: every week, you’re asked how things are going, where customers get stuck, and whether onboarding is actually working. But most tools drown you in numbers that don’t mean much. Here’s how to cut through the noise and actually analyze onboarding performance metrics that matter—using Arrows.
Whether you’re in customer success, operations, or own the onboarding process, this guide is for you. I’ll walk through which metrics to track, how to get them in Arrows, what’s worth your attention (and what’s not), and how to turn data into action.
Why Onboarding Metrics Matter (But Not All of Them)
Onboarding is where you win or lose customer loyalty. A smooth process gets customers to value faster—and keeps them around. But too many teams only look at the basics: “How many customers finished onboarding?” or “How long did it take?” Those are fine, but they don’t tell you why customers get stuck, or what to fix.
The right metrics: - Show you bottlenecks, not just outcomes - Help you coach your team, not just report up - Actually tie to customer retention and expansion
Skip: - Fluffy stats that look good on slides but don’t drive action (“Number of logins,” “Average checklist items per user,” etc.) - Vanity metrics that don’t tie to your goals
Step 1: Pick Metrics That Actually Matter
Before you log into Arrows, decide what you actually care about. Here are the metrics that usually matter for B2B onboarding:
1. Time to Value (TTV)
How long from kickoff to the first moment the customer gets what they paid for? This isn’t always “completed onboarding.” Define value for your product, then measure how fast you deliver it.
2. Onboarding Completion Rate
What percent of customers finish onboarding, by your standards? Don’t fudge this—if “done” means having all the right integrations, stick to it.
3. Step Drop-off Rate
Where do most customers fall off? This tells you which steps are too confusing, tedious, or unnecessary.
4. Stalled Onboardings
How many onboardings are “in progress” but haven’t moved in X days? (Pick a number that makes sense for your business—often 7, 14, or 30 days.)
5. Cycle Time by Segment
Break down completion times by customer type, size, or CSM. This shows if a certain segment is consistently slower or needs more handholding.
6. Team Performance
How are individual CSMs or onboarding managers doing? Who’s crushing it, and who needs help?
Pro Tip: Don’t try to track everything. Start with two or three metrics you can actually act on.
Step 2: Set Up Your Customer Journeys in Arrows
Arrows is built for B2B onboarding, so it’s less about checklists and more about real customer journeys. Before you can analyze, you need to make sure your Arrows setup matches your real process.
Map Out the Onboarding Flow
- List every key step a customer must complete (kickoff call, integration, training, etc.)
- Order them logically—don’t overcomplicate it with “nice to have” steps.
- Assign owners to each step (your team or the customer).
Define “Done”
- Agree internally on when onboarding is truly complete.
- Set this as the endpoint in Arrows, so you’re not counting half-finished projects as successes.
Use Templates
- Arrows lets you create templates for common onboarding flows.
- Use them to standardize, but tweak for key customer segments.
What to Ignore: Don’t obsess over customizing every tiny detail for each customer. Templates keep things consistent, which makes your metrics reliable.
Step 3: Pull the Right Reports in Arrows
Now you’re ready to look at numbers. Here’s how to get the data you actually need from Arrows.
1. Onboarding Dashboard
- Use the main dashboard to see all active, completed, and stalled onboardings at a glance.
- Filter by date range, segment, or owner.
2. Step Analytics
- View which steps take the longest, and where customers drop off.
- Export this if you want to dig deeper in Excel or Google Sheets.
3. Time to Value/Completion
- Use Arrows’ built-in reporting to pull average cycle times.
- Segment by customer type, product, or region.
4. Stalled Onboardings
- Set up views or alerts for onboardings that haven’t moved in your chosen “stalled” window.
- See which steps are repeat offenders for causing delays.
5. Team Performance
- Check individual team member stats: completion rates, average times, number of active onboardings.
- Use this to spot coaching opportunities—not just to call people out.
Step 4: Interpret the Data (Don’t Just Admire It)
Metrics don’t fix themselves. Here’s how to turn numbers into action.
Spot Bottlenecks
- If 60% of customers get stuck at “Integration Setup,” that’s not a customer problem—it’s a process problem.
- Look for steps with high drop-off or long durations.
Compare Segments
- Are enterprise customers slower to onboard? Maybe your flow is too SMB-focused.
- Is one CSM consistently faster? What are they doing differently?
Look for Patterns Over Time
- Did changes to the process (new training, different kickoff call) actually improve things?
- Don’t panic over one bad month—look for trends.
Ignore the Noise
- Don’t chase every minor fluctuation.
- If you’re drowning in data, go back to your top 2–3 metrics.
Pro Tip: Share only the metrics that matter with your team and leadership. Nobody needs a 20-slide deck of charts.
Step 5: Take Action and Test Changes
This is where most teams stall out. You’ve spotted issues—now fix them, and see if things improve.
Fix the Real Problems
- If customers stall at a certain step, ask why. Is it unclear? Too technical? Too much back-and-forth?
- Simplify or split up steps that take too long.
Coach the Team
- If one CSM is a standout, have them share their approach.
- Pair up team members for shadowing or process reviews.
Test Changes, One at a Time
- Make one change (e.g., clarify integration instructions), then watch the metric for a couple of weeks.
- Don’t overhaul everything at once—you won’t know what worked.
Close the Loop
- Regularly review metrics with the team.
- Celebrate improvements, but be honest when something flops.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
Works: - Focusing on real bottlenecks, not just “completion percentages” - Talking to customers who get stuck - Sharing data with the team—not just managers
Doesn’t: - Tracking “engagement” for its own sake (e.g., how often people log in to Arrows) - Over-engineering your onboarding flow - Setting targets you can’t influence (like “100% of customers finish in 7 days” if your product requires a six-week integration)
Ignore: - Fluffy metrics that sound good but don’t tie to revenue or retention - One-off outliers—focus on patterns - Features in Arrows you don’t need (stick to what helps you move the needle)
Keep It Simple, Keep Improving
You don’t need a PhD in data science to analyze onboarding performance in Arrows. Stick to a few meaningful metrics, look for real patterns, and make small, testable changes. If you keep it simple and focus on what actually helps customers get value, you’ll see better results—and have fewer headaches.
Keep your process lean, your metrics honest, and don’t let “what looks good in a dashboard” distract you from what matters. Onboarding isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress.