The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new reality, at least temporarily, for businesses and individuals around the world. The long-term effects of this new reality remain to be seen. For now, what is undeniable is that “business as usual” has been disrupted.
At Registria, we are grateful to continue working with our partner brands to strengthen one of their most valuable assets, their current product owners. The more brands can identify their owners and forge mutually beneficial relationships with them, the better positioned they will be on the other side of all this through customer satisfaction and loyalty. In fact, we hosted a virtual event recently to share best practices that brands can use to connect and establish relationships with their product owners.
In the webinar, we recommended brands use three simple Call to Action tactics to encourage new product owners to initiate and complete the onboarding process. Simply put, keep it Visible, Valuable and Easy.
What does that mean exactly and how can brands put it into action? First, review the real-life #OXStories below that demonstrate how new product owners react to onboarding experiences that are inVisible, unValuable and not Easy. (Note: we cultivate these from Twitter but generalize them to protect the consumer and the brand alike.)
#OX Oops #1: No Clear Call to Action
A surprising number of new product owners struggle with the first step in the onboarding process – how to connect with the brand. It seems too simple to overlook, but if the onboarding instructions are not apparent, are unclear, or not even present, it leads to consumer frustration.
The fix?
Make it Visible. Have a clear and compelling Call to Action that is prominently placed on the product packaging, the inserts, or on the product itself. In addition to placement, carefully consider the message itself and make it as simple and direct as possible. If the message is too complex to cover all the bases, look at how you can simplify your process – the less friction in the experience the better.
#OX Oops #2: Offering Little Value or Incentive
A visible and direct call to action is the first step to connecting with new product owners. However, not every person will heed the call without understanding what they will get in return from the brand.
The fix?
Make it Valuable. As we shared in our last OXstories post, it’s key to prioritize the onboarding experience. The days of “set it and forget it” no longer apply. In addition to modernizing and streamlining the process, it’s important to track onboarding metrics so you can adjust as needed. Equally important is to make registration Valuable to your owners by making it clear what they will get in return for providing their data and completing the onboarding process.
#OX Oops #3: Too Much Friction!
Many of the consumer complaints on social media involve customers being unable to find the required information, such as a model or serial number. Anyone who has ever had to uninstall an appliance or turn over a large piece of furniture to find the needed information can relate. A similar issue is requiring many different types of information, such as a model number, a serial number, and a product key.
The fix?
Make it Easy. As with onboarding instructions, place the required information in an easily accessible spot on the product and make sure the information requested matches the information on the product (e.g., don’t use Product Number and Model Number if they mean the same thing). Take “easy” to the next level by prepopulating model number and serial number for the customer during the onboarding process by using Photoregister℠. This not only makes it easier for owners, it eliminates typos and incorrect product information, cleaning your customer data of user input errors.
Why Owner Identification is Imperative to improve Customer Lifetime Value
In this uncertain time, it’s more important than ever to be able to identify and connect with your product owners to maximize customer lifetime value and ensure your brand’s longevity. It may also be the perfect time for you to review your onboarding process. Put yourself in your product owner's shoes. Imagine you just bought your brand's most popular product. What is the onboarding experience like? You may realize there’s more friction and less value for consumers than you think.
When you understand how your product’s unboxing experience works currently, you can create a plan to improve it using best practices (hint: we can help). Remember that one size may not fit all, even among your brand's various products.