If you’re tired of writing the same canned onboarding emails or setting up clunky webinars for every new customer, you’re not alone. Most guides out there are either too generic or way too complicated. This walkthrough is for folks who want to make customer onboarding smoother and more personal—without spending hours editing videos or buying fancy gear. If you’re curious whether Loom is actually up to the job, keep reading.
Why Use Loom for Customer Onboarding?
Let’s get the basics out of the way. Loom is a dead-simple tool for recording quick videos of your screen, your webcam, or both—no editing suite needed. It’s popular because:
- It’s fast: Hit record, talk, send the link. Done.
- It’s personal: People see your face (if you want), not just another wall of text.
- It’s easy to share: No uploading or file conversions—just a link.
But here’s the honest truth: Loom videos work best for short, focused walkthroughs. If you’re trying to make a slick, ten-step training series, Loom isn’t a replacement for proper tutorial videos. But for quick, personalized intros or feature tours? It nails it.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Your Customers Actually Need
Before you even touch Loom, figure out what your customers are struggling with in onboarding. Don’t just assume—they might not care about the features you think are cool.
How to find out: - Skim recent support tickets or feedback. - Ask your sales or customer success team what the most common “new user” questions are. - If you have time, ask a new user directly: “What tripped you up when you started?”
Pro tip:
Don’t try to cover everything in one video. A single, focused walkthrough (2–5 minutes max) for each key step is way more effective than a 20-minute kitchen sink tour.
Step 2: Plan Your Walkthroughs (But Don’t Script Yourself to Death)
You don’t need a Hollywood script, but wandering through your app with no plan is a recipe for rambling.
What works: - Jot down 3–5 bullet points: What does the user need to do in this step? What’s the “aha” moment? - Decide if you want to show your face, your screen, or both. (Face helps with trust, screen helps with clarity.) - Keep it short. If you can’t explain it in under five minutes, break it into more videos.
What to ignore: - Fancy intros, music, or branded slides. People just want to know what button to click. - Overly detailed “if this, then that” scenarios. Stick to the main path.
Step 3: Set Up Loom for Recording
Loom works as a browser extension, desktop app, or mobile app. For onboarding walkthroughs, the browser extension or desktop app is usually best.
Quick setup checklist: - Install the Loom extension for Chrome, or download the desktop app. - Test your mic and (if you want) your webcam. Your laptop mic is probably fine—just sit somewhere quiet. - Close any apps or browser tabs you don’t want to accidentally share. (We’ve all been there.)
Pro tip:
If you’re demoing a web app, use a dummy account with sample data. You don’t want to broadcast private info or Slack messages mid-recording.
Step 4: Record Your Walkthrough
Now for the main event. Don’t stress about perfection. A natural, “here’s what I’d show you if we were on a call” style works best.
Recording tips: - Start with a quick hello. (“Hey Sarah, welcome aboard! Just wanted to show you how to set up your dashboard.”) - Share your screen. Show, don’t just tell. - Narrate as you go. Point out where to click, what to expect, and common pitfalls. - If you mess up, keep going—minor stumbles make you more relatable. If you totally lose your place, just stop and re-record. It takes less time than heavy editing. - When you’re done, hit stop. Loom will automatically upload your video and give you a shareable link.
What to skip: - Don’t apologize for “not being a video person.” Customers care about clarity, not your production values. - No need for a formal sign-off. A simple, “That’s it—let me know if you have questions!” does the trick.
Step 5: Personalize (But Don’t Overthink It)
Personalization doesn’t mean recording a totally unique video for every single customer. Here’s how to keep it manageable:
- Semi-personalized: Record one video for each key user type or use case (“Here’s how marketers use our reporting tool,” “Here’s the setup for engineers”).
- Light personalization: Record a quick intro (30 seconds) with the customer’s name and their specific use case, then splice in your main walkthrough. Loom lets you trim and stitch videos together if you want, but don’t go overboard.
- Truly personal: For high-touch accounts, record a totally custom video. For everyone else, use your best general walkthrough.
If you’re sending a standard walkthrough, at least mention the customer’s name in your email. Don’t pretend a generic video is “just for you”—people can spot that a mile away.
Step 6: Share and Track
Once Loom finishes uploading, you’ll get a shareable link. You can:
- Email it directly to the customer.
- Drop it in a chat or support ticket.
- Add it to your onboarding emails or knowledge base.
Loom notifies you when your video is viewed (unless the viewer is incognito or blocks trackers). It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough to see who’s engaging.
Pro tip:
If you’re onboarding lots of users, keep a spreadsheet of which walkthrough links you’ve sent to whom. Don’t trust your memory—especially if you’re iterating on your videos.
Step 7: Collect Feedback and Iterate
Don’t assume your video did the job—ask. A one-line follow-up like, “Did the walkthrough help? Anything confusing or missing?” is worth its weight in gold.
- If people keep asking the same follow-up questions, update your video or make a new one.
- If nobody watches your videos, ask why. Are they too long? Too generic? Wrong timing?
Loom videos are easy to re-record. Don’t be precious—just update as you go.
What Works (and What Doesn’t) with Loom
What works: - Fast, genuine walkthroughs for real customers. - Making onboarding less faceless—people can see who’s helping them. - Explaining “tricky” parts of your app that don’t come across in screenshots.
What doesn’t: - Long, polished training series (use a real video editor for those). - Anything requiring deep editing or fancy branding—Loom is basic, by design. - Relying only on video—some users prefer written steps or need accessibility options.
Stuff to ignore: - Loom’s built-in call-to-action buttons are fine, but don’t expect a huge bump in conversion just because you added one. - Don’t stress about background music or fancy animations. Focus on clarity.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Stay Human
Loom isn’t magic, but it’s a solid way to make your onboarding less robotic. Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with one or two key walkthroughs, keep them short, and talk like you would to an actual person. Update your videos when you learn something new. That’s really it. The best onboarding is the one that actually gets watched—so keep it simple, and keep improving.