Customer Retention Strategies During The Solution Adoption Stage
The solution adoption stage is a critical phase in the buyer journey, marking the transition from prospect to customer. It is the first time the customer begins to utilise the solution, products, or services they have invested in, and it is essential to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Research has shown that getting the adoption stage right is key to customer retention and satisfaction.
In this stage, the customer goes through four critical phases: handover, onboarding, time to value, and habitual. Each phase is significant in ensuring that the customer can seamlessly integrate the solution into their daily operations and see the promised value.
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Table of Contents
Understanding the Buyer Journey
The Four Stages of Adoption
The Two Lenses of Solution Adoption
FAQs
Understanding the Buyer Journey
The buyer journey is the process that potential customers go through from the initial awareness of a product or service to making a purchase decision. It consists of several stages, including awareness, consideration, decision, purchase, and adoption.
The Buyer Journey Stages:
Awareness: This is the stage where the customer becomes aware of the existence of a solution or product.
Consideration: At this stage, the customer is considering various options and evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of each solution.
Decision: The decision stage involves the customer making the final choice and deciding to make a purchase.
Purchase: This is the stage where the customer completes the transaction and becomes a paying customer.
Adoption: The adoption stage is the first time the customer starts using the solution and aims to see early signs of the value promised.
We have covered each of these stages in depth. Click the links above if there’s any part of the buyer’s journey you feel could be improved in your solution.
Understanding the buyer journey is crucial for businesses to tailor their strategies and communications to meet the needs of customers at each stage, ultimately leading to successful solution adoption.
The Four Stages of Solution Adoption
The adoption stage consists of four critical phases that a customer goes through to seamlessly integrate a solution into their operations and see the promised value. These stages are:
Handover
Onboarding
Time to Value
Habitual
1. Handover Phase
During the handover phase, the customer transitions from the sales process to the delivery of value. It is essential to minimise customer frustration and ensure a seamless transition. Key steps during this phase include documentation of promises made, understanding existing processes, identifying challenges, and capturing information about desired outcomes.
Clear communication and setting expectations are crucial to facilitate a smooth handover. By documenting the handover process, the organisation can ensure that the customer moves seamlessly into the next phase of their journey.
2. Onboarding Phase
The onboarding phase is a critical part of the adoption stage, where the customer transitions from the handover phase to actively using the solution, products, or services. It is essential to ensure that the customer has the necessary access to systems, people, and support to facilitate a smooth onboarding process. Without proper onboarding, it can be challenging for the customer to start using the solution effectively and see early signs of value.
To ensure successful onboarding, organisations need to focus on providing clear communication, easy access to resources, and support to guide the customer through the process.
By simplifying the onboarding process and removing any friction, the customer's confidence in using the solution will grow, leading to early wins and increased success.
The onboarding phase is an opportunity to inspire and empower the customer, making them feel confident and successful in their decision to invest in the solution. It is a crucial step in setting the stage for the customer's habitual use of the solution in their day-to-day operations.
3. Time to Value Phase
The time to value phase is the stage where the customer begins to see the early signs of the value promised by the solution, products, or services. It is a critical phase in the adoption journey, as it validates the customer's decision to invest in the solution and marks the first win in their relationship with the organisation.
Organisations need to leverage the information gathered from the handover and onboarding phases to ensure that the customer reaches the time to value phase quickly and effortlessly. Whether in a product-led growth organisation or a sales-led organisation, the focus should be on guiding the customer to critical points that indicate they have achieved the value they were expecting.
By highlighting and celebrating the customer's early wins, organisations can reinforce the customer's confidence in their decision and pave the way for further adoption and success. The time to value phase sets the stage for habitual use and lays the foundation for the customer's continued journey towards expansion and renewal.
4. Habitual Phase
The habitual phase is the stage where the customer develops a habit of using the solution in their day-to-day operations and activities. This phase is crucial for ensuring long-term adoption and usage of the solution, products, or services. The goal is to integrate the solution seamlessly into the customer's routine, making it an essential part of their regular workflow.
To facilitate the habitual phase, organisations need to focus on understanding the customer's daily or weekly workflow and how the solution can fit into their existing processes. This may involve customising the solution to align with the customer's specific needs and providing ongoing support to ensure a smooth integration.
By fostering habitual use, organisations can increase customer satisfaction and retention, as well as lay the foundation for future expansion and renewal opportunities.
The habitual phase marks the transition from initial adoption to sustained, long-term usage, driving continued value for the customer and the organisation.
The Two Lenses of Solution Adoption
When it comes to solution adoption, organisations need to view the process through two critical lenses: logic and emotion.
These lenses provide valuable perspectives for understanding and facilitating the adoption journey, ensuring a seamless and successful transition for the customer.
The Logic Lens:
The logic lens focuses on the practical and logistical aspects of solution adoption, providing a structured approach to the four critical phases: handover, onboarding, time to value, and habitual.
By looking through the logic lens, organisations can create a clear roadmap and accountability framework to guide the customer through each phase of adoption.
Creating a customer journey map, setting clear expectations, and holding both the organisation and the customer accountable are key components of the logic lens. This approach ensures predictability, repeatability, and a well-defined path for the customer to follow, ultimately leading to the successful adoption and usage of the solution.
The Emotion Lens:
The emotion lens focuses on inspiring, empowering, and building confidence in the customer throughout the adoption journey.
It aims to create a positive and supportive environment that encourages the customer to feel inspired, confident, and successful in their decision to invest in the solution.
Simplifying processes, removing friction, and celebrating the customer's wins are essential aspects of the emotion lens. By focusing on the emotional impact of the adoption journey, organisations can create a supportive and encouraging experience for the customer, leading to increased confidence, satisfaction, and long-term usage of the solution.
1. Logic Lens
The logic lens provides a structured approach to the adoption journey, ensuring a seamless and successful transition for the customer. By creating a customer journey map and setting clear expectations, organisations can guide the customer through the handover, onboarding, time to value, and habitual phases. Holding both the organisation and the customer accountable is essential for predictability, repeatability, and a well-defined path for successful adoption and usage of the solution.
Creating a Customer Journey Map
Articulating the customer journey provides a logical framework for training and enabling reps to follow the necessary steps. It covers the tools, people, strategy, and processes involved in the adoption journey, setting clear expectations for both the organisation and the customer.
Holding Accountability
Holding customers accountable to the journey outlined in the map ensures that they follow the most successful path for adoption. It involves creating a two-way dialogue and an upfront contract to ensure that customers understand their responsibilities in the adoption process.
Simplifying Processes
Simplifying processes and removing friction helps build customer confidence and empowers them to navigate the adoption journey with ease. Using simple language and documentation, organisations can help customers feel confident and successful in their decision to invest in the solution.
2. Emotion Lens
The emotion lens focuses on inspiring, empowering, and building confidence in the customer throughout the adoption journey. It aims to create a positive and supportive environment that encourages the customer to feel inspired, confident, and successful in their decision to invest in the solution.
Inspiring Customers
Customers want to feel inspired by the opportunity that lies ahead, and organisations should focus on empowering them during the adoption stage to make them feel like they've made the right decision.
Building Confidence
Simplifying processes, removing friction, and celebrating the customer's wins are essential aspects of the emotion lens. By focusing on the emotional impact of the adoption journey, organisations can create a supportive and encouraging experience for the customer, leading to increased confidence, satisfaction, and long-term usage of the solution.
Celebrating Success
Recognising and celebrating the customer's wins contributes to their success and reinforces their confidence in the journey they're on. Whether through product-led growth or sales-led engagement, highlighting customer achievements and small milestones can make them feel celebrated and successful.
FAQs
What is the adoption stage in the buyer journey?
The adoption stage is the phase in the buyer journey where a prospect transitions to a customer and begins to utilise the solution, products, or services they have invested in. It marks the first time the customer starts using the solution and aims to see early signs of the value promised.
Why is the adoption stage important?
The adoption stage is crucial because research has shown that getting this stage right is key to customer retention and satisfaction. It can be the difference between a customer renewing or not renewing a contract, as 55% of people have returned a product because they simply have not understood how to use it.
What are the four stages of adoption?
The four critical phases of adoption are handover, onboarding, time to value, and habitual. Each phase is significant in ensuring that the customer can seamlessly integrate the solution into their daily operations and see the promised value.
How can an organisation facilitate the adoption phase?
Organisations can facilitate the adoption phase by looking through two critical lenses: logic and emotion. The logic lens focuses on practical and logistical aspects, while the emotion lens focuses on inspiring, empowering, and building confidence in the customer throughout the adoption journey.
What is the goal of the habitual phase in the adoption stage?
The goal of the habitual phase is to ensure long-term adoption and usage of the solution, products, or services. It aims to integrate the solution seamlessly into the customer's routine, making it an essential part of their regular workflow.
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