Let’s set the scene. Your company recently purchased new software.

You turn up to the kick off and training calls, complete the tasks, use the software, get some value, then complete your onboarding.

I actually got a little bored writing that sentence.

Scratch that, let’s try it again.

🎁 You receive a welcome package from your onboarding manager. (Ohh, what’s this?)

Now you turn up to the kick off and training calls with energy. You complete your assigned tasks.

🎁 Then you receive a public shout out in front of your boss for your achievements. (Nice! That made me look good.)

Now you’re motivated to use the software even more. You get value from using it.

🎁 Next you receive a personalised thank you video from their CEO regarding your efforts, participation, and results so far. (This company is really invested in us!)

Finally, you complete onboarding excited for the next phase.

Breaking up the mundane with some well timed elements of delight will make all the difference.

Here’s why and how. ↓

🧠 The Theory: Delight Theory

This idea suggests that just meeting expectations is not enough to guarantee loyalty. If you create unexpectedly positive experiences then it improves overall satisfaction.

The aim is to surprise and delight people by exceeding expectations in memorable ways. The more delightful the experience, the stronger the emotional connection.

In business, it also leads to increased customer loyalty and positive word-of mouth recommendations. It’s most often used as a marketing tactic but there are ways to utilise this theory to improve adoption, satisfaction, and general enthusiasm. All of which are very important in the onboarding phase.

👀 The Example: AirBnB Guests

Would you sleep in an army truck and then shower in a horse box?

It turns out that hundreds do and many are repeat customers.

This unusual getaway on AirBnB is my friend’s place. It’s a fully converted and immaculately designed tiny space.

They consistently get 5 star reviews and I think part of that is because they use Delight Theory exceptionally well.

They leave a personalised note with welcome gifts when people arrive. They have a games box for rainy days. If the weather is good, the hammock is out and the BBQ is prepared. And if it’s a special occasion, then a celebratory bottle is waiting for the guests.

A simple getaway becomes a memorable experience thanks to these little delights.

So you see? Delighting customers doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.

🧪 The Project: Delight Phases

There are plenty of ways to create moments of delight in the onboarding period. I encourage you to get creative and specific to your brand voice and onboarding program.

To get you thinking, here are some suggestions for different phases that will delight your customers.

1. Kick Off Phase: Personalised Video

Whether you are hands on or hands off with your customers, a personalised video will have an impact.

You want to build rapport and show that you understand the customer’s needs. Generic videos don’t have the same level of impact as someone saying a name and highlighting their understanding of specific pain points.

Keep this short and concise. It doesn’t have to be cinematic. Show some personality and get them excited to work with you.

2. Adoption Phase: LinkedIn Spotlight

Create a template to highlight expert users during the adoption phase. This creates a little bit of peer rivalry too.

Users are often different to buyers. So spotlight a user in front of the buyer. This will help the user look good and also reinforce the purchase decision.

You can do the shout out yourself, on a company page, or provide an image for the user to post themselves.

3. Completion Phase: Executive Thank You

You began with a personalised welcome video to start the relationship and build rapport. Now you can complete onboarding with an impactful graduation into their growth and acceleration phase.

For maximum impact, have an executive (CEO, Head of Customer Success etc) create a thank you video for the customer. This should go to the users and any other stakeholders.

Create a short template and fill in the blanks for the executive to quickly record.

You can include things like:

• Gratitude for the users time investment and curiosity in learning the product

• List a couple of specific achievements

• Congratulate them on an exceptional first phase and what to look forward to in the next

• Feedback they provided and how that helps

• Quick ask - complete a survey/provide a testimonial/provide a referral

Here’s an example:

🤓 The Analysis: Put A Bow On It

Delight theory can be simple. It doesn’t need to be part of a marketing budget where you send big surprises to your client’s office. Although, this can work later down the line. (Check out what Mike shared with me on LinkedIn regarding how Stripe do it.)

In the case of the army truck, less is more. Don’t overload your customers with delight - it will lose its impact.

It’s important to make the tasks repeatable and easy to implement. That way you can continue to exceed expectations as you scale.

What to expect by doing this project:

• Increased customer satisfaction

• Stronger initial relationships

• Early willingness to refer and recommend

• Happier customers!