Glossary

Guided Onboarding in Virtual Training

Guided onboarding is a form of structured, hands-on learning designed to help new users get familiar with an environment, product, or service. It supports learners with personalized, interactive step-by-step guidance and resources. This results in a better learner experience, which achieves several goals:

• Higher engagement and shorter time-to-value
• Increased retention, satisfaction, and loyalty
• Reduced support costs

Key Elements of Virtual Guided Onboarding

Generally, every guided onboarding process consists of the same fundamental building blocks. 

Personalization

Personalized content is the core of every successful onboarding experience. For example, a project management app might feature a different welcome message and onboarding guidance based on whether a user is a collaborator or a manager.

This is typically best achieved through adaptive learning. 

Step-By-Step Guidance

This may include: 

• Navigating the software
• Performing basic tasks
• Details on key features and functionality
• Advanced usage

Circling back to the project management app, collaborators might learn how to upload files, respond to feedback, review their task list, and view notifications. Project managers, on the other hand, may be given details on organizing users, creating tasks, and adding collaborators. 

Interactivity

Guided onboarding typically features elements such as hands-on tutorials, in-app prompts, structured scenarios, and even sandboxed environments to explore. This allows new users to essentially “learn by doing,” applying new knowledge as they acquire it. 

Progress Tracking

Most guided onboarding programs feature some kind of progress bar to let users know both how much of their training they’ve completed and how much they still have left to do. 

Additional Resources

These may include video tutorials, an online knowledge base, live chat support, frequently asked questions, or even access to an online community. 

Automatic Follow-Ups

Using software such as a learning experience platform, a guided program may engage users both during and after the onboarding process. 

During training, a user might receive periodic reminders about course completion. This functionality can be especially valuable for self-guided onboarding, as there are no instructors or scheduled sessions to keep people on track.

After training, the user might get a personalized follow-up message with recommended next steps and/or a feedback request. 

Examples of Virtual Guided Client Onboarding

Guided software onboarding often begins with some form of questionnaire or survey to identify who a new user is and how they intend to use an application. This information is then used to personalize the training. 

Beyond that, virtual guided onboarding comes in a few distinct flavors. 

Interactive Walkthroughs

Tutorials that highlight an application’s key features and functionality. Trainees actively use the software while incrementally learning how it works. These sessions may either be self-paced or led by an instructor. 

Grammarly, for instance, provides a brief product tour and then presents new users with a demo document that they can explore to learn more about how the software manages errors and corrections. 

Slack, on the other hand, leverages an onboarding flow directed by a chatbot, starting with basic features and then moving to more advanced functionality. 

Welcome Sequences

These generally take the form of an automated series of emails or messages that provides users with resources and guidance on how to use the software. They’re typically scheduled at set intervals so users have time to digest the information from each message. 

Zapier, for example, sends short checklists to new hires, providing recommendations on what they should do during their first few days. 

Community Tour

Users are directly introduced and walked through the resources associated with an application. These may include discussion boards, resource libraries, and interactive training modules. 

Salesforce starts new hires off with a virtual orientation week, delivered in the form of a program called Discovering Salesforce. The hires are then added to the company’s Slack channels, where they’re encouraged to begin connecting with colleagues. 

Progressive Onboarding

Users are gradually provided with tips and guidance on new features as they engage with the product. Rather than participating in a concrete process, onboarding is baked organically into regular use.

Notion uses this approach — after onboarding, a user is given a minimal workspace, with new features gradually opening up as they continue using the software. 

Note that none of the above examples are mutually exclusive. An effective virtual onboarding program will often incorporate one or more modalities. 

Related Content: Adaptive Learning Programs: Why Tech Companies Need Them