If you’re still cobbling together onboarding videos by hand—editing clips, swapping logos, re-recording voiceovers—there’s a better way. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of reinventing the wheel every time a new customer signs up. I’ll show you how to use Hourone workflow tools to automate the whole process so your team can focus on real work (and maybe even take a lunch break).
Let’s get right to it.
Why Automate Customer Onboarding Videos?
- It’s repetitive: New customers need the same intro, the same walkthrough, just with their names or logos swapped in.
- Manual editing is a time sink: Even with templates, exporting and customizing videos eats hours.
- Consistency matters: Automated videos are always on-brand and error-free—unlike the “oops, wrong logo” moments you only notice after sending.
Automating onboarding videos makes sense if: - You have more than a handful of customers per month. - Your onboarding process doesn’t change every week. - You want to cut down on boring, manual work.
If you’re onboarding one client a quarter, skip the automation—just record a Loom and call it a day.
What You Need Before You Start
- Your onboarding script (text or PowerPoint is fine).
- Brand assets: logo, fonts, colors.
- Customer-specific data: names, logos, maybe custom URLs.
- A basic understanding of how your onboarding flow works.
You don’t need to be a video pro or know how to code. Hourone is built for regular people.
Step 1: Set Up Your Hourone Account
You’ll need a paid Hourone plan for workflow automation—free trials are great for kicking the tires, but automating at scale isn’t free. If you’re serious about saving time, it’s worth it.
- Sign up and set up your team.
- Upload brand assets (logo, colors, intro/outro clips).
- Pick a default video style—don’t obsess, you can tweak this later.
Pro tip: Don’t waste time on fancy avatars or niche templates at first. Pick something clean and neutral so the customer content stands out.
Step 2: Create a Video Template
Templates are where the magic happens. You want one solid onboarding video that you can reuse, swapping out the bits that change for each customer.
How to Set Up a Good Template:
- Start with your full onboarding script.
- Use Hourone’s scene editor to break it into logical steps (e.g., “Welcome,” “Product Tour,” “Getting Started”).
- Leave placeholders where customer info should go. For example:
- “Welcome, [Customer Name]!”
- Show [Customer Logo] at the start and end.
What works: - Keeping it simple. One video per use case is easier to maintain than a dozen hyper-customized variations. - Using placeholders for anything that could change.
What doesn’t: - Over-customizing. If you make 10 versions of every line for every possible customer type, you’ll drown in templates. - Relying on stock assets that don’t fit your brand. Stay consistent or it’ll look unprofessional.
Step 3: Set Up Hourone Workflows
This is where you automate the boring stuff. Hourone’s workflow tools let you feed in customer data and automatically generate videos.
How to Do It:
- Go to the “Workflows” section in Hourone.
- Choose your template video.
- Map your placeholders:
- Match [Customer Name] to the right field in your data.
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Match [Customer Logo] to the logo you’ll upload or link.
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Import your customer data:
- You can upload a spreadsheet (CSV/Excel) or connect to your CRM via Zapier or API.
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At minimum, you’ll need columns for customer name and logo URL.
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Set up output settings:
- Where do finished videos go? (Email? Direct download? Saved in a folder?)
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Choose your preferred video format.
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Test with a dummy customer before running a big batch.
- Check for spelling, logo sizing, and that names aren’t cut off.
Pro tip: If you’re not techy, start with a CSV upload. Integrations are cool, but nothing beats a spreadsheet for catchable mistakes.
Step 4: Automate the Video Generation
Now for the satisfying part—actually producing the videos.
- Launch the workflow with your real customer data.
- Hourone will generate the videos for each customer, plugging in names, logos, whatever you mapped.
- Download or send the videos automatically.
What’s good:
- You can generate dozens (or hundreds) of videos in minutes.
- No more hunting for the right logo or re-recording intros.
What’s not:
- Hourone’s avatars are decent, but not perfect. If you need an ultra-human touch, AI presenters might not cut it.
- Bulk jobs sometimes have hiccups—logos in weird places, odd pronunciations. Always QA the first few.
Ignore: The temptation to add too many bells and whistles (like background music or fancy transitions) right away. Focus on getting the core message right and working.
Step 5: Deliver the Videos to Your Customers
How you deliver is up to you:
- Manual download: Good for small batches or one-offs.
- Automated emails: Set up via Hourone or with your own email tool using links to the videos.
- Embed in your onboarding app: If you’ve got dev resources, use the Hourone API to deliver videos right in your app or dashboard.
What works: - Keeping delivery simple. Don’t make customers jump through hoops to watch their video. - Including a fallback option (e.g., a PDF guide) in case someone can’t view video.
What doesn’t: - Over-complicating delivery with portals, logins, or extra steps.
Step 6: Maintain and Update Your Workflow
Nothing’s truly “set and forget.” Revisit your template every so often:
- Update your script when onboarding changes.
- Swap in new branding if your company rebrands.
- Prune customer data—remove old records you don’t need.
Pro tip: Keep a changelog of script and template tweaks. If you start getting “why does this say Acme when we’re Beta Corp?” emails, you’ll want to know what changed.
Honest Takes: What Hourone Gets Right (and Where to Watch Out)
What works well: - Fast, reliable video creation once you’re set up. - Easy mapping of customer data to video placeholders. - Simple templates that can be customized without hiring a video editor.
What to watch out for: - Voiceover quality is decent, but can sound robotic. For most onboarding, it’s fine, but don’t expect Oscar-worthy narration. - Avatars/presenters look good at a glance, but in some industries (think luxury or high-touch B2B), you might want a real human. - Complex workflows or highly personalized messages may still need a human touch.
Ignore the hype about “fully personalized, emotionally engaging” AI video. These tools are best for clear, repeatable onboarding—think “Here’s how to log in,” not “Welcome to the family, let’s change the world together.”
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Fast
You don’t need to automate everything on day one. Start with your most common onboarding scenario, build one template, and get it working. Don’t get lost in style tweaks or edge cases. Iterate as you go.
The goal isn’t to make onboarding videos magical—it’s to save your team time and give new customers a smooth, consistent welcome. Once the basics are working, you can always add polish.
And if it turns out automation isn’t saving you time? Go back to Loom and move on. The point is to make life easier, not chase shiny objects.
Ready to give Hourone a try? Start small, keep it honest, and automate only what makes sense for your business.