If you run a SaaS business and want real answers about what users are doing in your product, you probably know that most analytics dashboards are a graveyard of half-baked funnels and vanity metrics. This guide is for SaaS folks who want to actually use FullStory to build funnels that tell you something useful—without wasting your time or tricking you with pretty charts.
I’ll walk you through how to set up robust user funnels in FullStory, what to watch out for, and how to cut through the noise. No fluff, just steps you can follow and pitfalls you can avoid.
1. Know What You Want to Learn (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even log into FullStory, get clear about what you want to measure. Funnels aren’t magic—they just show you how many people make it through a series of steps. If you aren’t sure which steps matter, you’ll end up tracking noise.
Ask yourself: - What actions matter most for activation or conversion? (E.g., signed up, completed onboarding, used a core feature) - What questions are you trying to answer? (“Why do trial users drop off after creating their first project?”) - Who is your audience for these funnels? (Product team? Execs? Customer Success?)
Pro tip: Focus on a single, meaningful outcome per funnel. Don’t try to capture every possible action in one sequence—it muddies the water.
2. Map Your Key Funnel Steps (The “What,” Not the “How”)
Once you know what you’re after, sketch out the actual steps a user takes to get there. This isn’t about clicking around in FullStory yet—just write down the steps.
For example:
Onboarding Funnel: 1. User signs up 2. User verifies email 3. User creates first project 4. User invites a teammate
Ask around or look at your product yourself—don’t trust old docs or assumptions. Product flows change all the time.
What NOT to do: - Don’t add steps just because they're trackable. Only include steps that actually signal meaningful progress. - Don’t skip edge cases—if there are two ways to create a project, note that now.
3. Make Sure FullStory Is Actually Tracking What You Need
Here’s where most SaaS teams get tripped up: FullStory can only report on what it sees. If your key steps aren’t being tracked—because of single-page-app weirdness, shadow DOM, or just missing events—your funnel will be junk.
Action Items:
- Check your FullStory setup: Are you capturing enough custom events? (Out-of-the-box click tracking is rarely enough for SaaS apps.)
- Work with your devs: Make sure you’re tracking meaningful events, not just button clicks. For example, “Project Created” should fire when the backend confirms creation, not just when the user clicks “Create.”
- Name events clearly: Use plain English, not cryptic codes. You’ll thank yourself later.
Pro tip: Use FullStory’s “Event Stream” to sanity-check that the events you care about are actually coming through, with the right properties.
4. Build Your Funnel in FullStory
Now you’re ready to actually create the funnel. Here’s how to do it without getting lost in the weeds.
Step-by-step:
- Go to the Funnels section in FullStory.
- Create a new funnel.
- Add your steps, one by one. For each, choose the event or page view that matches your mapped funnel steps.
- If you’re not seeing the right event, double-check your event naming or talk to your dev.
- Set up filters. Want to see only new users? Only those on a specific plan? Add those filters now.
- Name your funnel something obvious. “Onboarding Drop-Off (Email > Project > Invite)” is much better than “Funnel 1.”
Don’t overcomplicate: - Avoid using too many steps—3–5 is plenty for most SaaS funnels. - Don’t obsess over tiny details like button color or scroll depth in your main funnels. Save that for deeper dives.
5. Validate Your Funnel (Don’t Trust the First Result)
FullStory will spit out a nice-looking chart, but don’t trust it blindly.
Sanity check: - Watch user sessions: FullStory lets you see actual session replays for users who dropped off. Use this to spot bugs, confusing UX, or tracking issues. - Check sample sizes: If your funnel says only 7 people started onboarding last month, something’s probably wrong with your tracking or filters. - Compare to other tools: If you have analytics in Amplitude, Mixpanel, or even your own backend, spot-check the numbers for the same time period.
What to ignore: Don’t get hung up on small drop-offs between steps—SaaS users get distracted all the time. Focus on major leaks (e.g., 40% drop-off after “Create Project”).
6. Iterate and Improve (Funnels Are Never “Done”)
Funnels are living things. Your product changes, your users change, and what you care about will change. Don’t build a funnel and forget it.
Keep it simple: - Review your key funnels every couple of weeks, especially after a product update. - Kill or update funnels that are no longer relevant. - Share insights, not just charts—bring what you learn to your product or growth meetings.
Things to watch out for: - Over-segmentation: Slicing funnels into dozens of user cohorts sounds cool but usually ends up confusing everyone. - Vanity optimization: Don’t waste time nudging a step from 98% to 99%. Fix the big leaks first. - Chasing “perfect” tracking: You’ll never capture every edge case. Good enough is good enough.
7. Bonus: What FullStory Funnels Are Great For (And What They’re Not)
Great for: - Spotting major drop-offs in user journeys (“Why do so many trial users never invite a teammate?”) - Watching user sessions to see what’s broken (instead of guessing) - Collaborating with non-technical teams (FullStory’s UI is pretty approachable)
Not great for: - Super-precise cohort analysis (use a product analytics tool for that) - Custom revenue attribution (FullStory’s focus is on events, not dollars) - Tracking things that aren’t visible in the browser (e.g., backend-only events)
Keep It Simple, Review Often
Building robust funnels in FullStory isn’t about collecting every possible data point—it’s about picking a few key flows, making sure you’re tracking what matters, and actually using what you learn to improve the product.
Don’t get stuck chasing “perfect” funnels or flashy dashboards. Start simple, sanity-check your work, and keep iterating. The best funnels are the ones you actually use.