I watched the video on the front page and I still have no idea what this product does, who it is for, or how it works.
Still, it was more than OP's site, which has a big SIGN UP button above the fold, which is insane, because the first time you come across the site you have no idea what it is about, but you have a button there to click on to sign-up. Who is going to click that button? What a waste of prime space. I have no idea what OP's product does, either.
Just out of curiosity, does the text at the top of the current thread not do a good job of explaining it? I edited it from a bunch of materials the founders gave me (this is the standard Launch HN process for YC startups). I thought it made sense; it does to me at least!
Thanks for replying Dan. I'm not surprised I'm getting downvoted for my pithy reply. Honestly, I've worked in web dev for over 25 years. I have no idea what this product is for. I reread the summary at the top of the thread. Is this for SaaS providers having trouble with a badly designed sign-up process? Can't they just use standard analytics to improve their sign-up? Why are these companies using spreadsheets? Are these offline customers? I'm so confused about the whole thing. Maybe I'm getting too old. I'm clearly being dense and missing something as there are several competitors also posting on this thread, so whatever these companies do it must be popular and important. Good luck to them, someone obviously needs whatever service it is that they provide.
Appreciate the enthusiasm and feedback, I will try to clarify what Onboard does, who it's for and why it's important!
One way to think about when "Customer Onboarding or Implementation" happens is generally any time a product or software is SOLD. (ex: via online demo, salespeople or signing a contract..)
Most companies that have sales people (Account Executives, "AEs") have a corresponding success people (customer success "CS", onboarding specialists, or account managers).
Of course in SaaS, the focus is often on customer retention and ensuring they have a wonderful experience. The more companies think through the customer journey, the more they realize customers are losing faith in the products & services they use when the onboarding is poor. Sometimes, it can be fixed with product, other times however, it must be addressed by people & process.
The product is for modern customer success teams specifically at SaaS and service companies who are looking to manage, automate & streamline THAT onboarding and implementation process.
Companies are using spreadsheets today because its more organized than post-it notes and email. They are trying to make it easy for customers to receive value from their software/service and the first step is often to configure it so the rest of the buyers can use it effectively.
Sometimes, or even oftentimes, software built for non-technical folks require other teams and departments to assist, integrate or sign-off on this process. It may become painful and disorganized, generally a lack of transparency and visibility lead to delays in configuration, implementation and causes frustration while creating a subpar customer experience and is one of the primary reasons for customer churn.
Because of this, some companies are looking for ways to:
1) Automate the list of tasks (who needs to do WHAT, by WHEN, and HOW) & with notifications to remind folks they have tasks to complete
2) Provide visibility to all stakeholders (internal & external) so everyone can see where the blockers are and stay on track (transparency often creates accountability)
3) Streamline a scalable, repeatable process for an onboarding team can manage hundreds or even thousands of concurrent clients being onboarded at any given time
seconded that your website copy doesnt do a very good job of telling me what it is you guys do. i have no idea who to send this to in my company whether its the sales person or customer success or PM or developer. just giving feedback that it needs work. i know this is hard. good luck.
Still, it was more than OP's site, which has a big SIGN UP button above the fold, which is insane, because the first time you come across the site you have no idea what it is about, but you have a button there to click on to sign-up. Who is going to click that button? What a waste of prime space. I have no idea what OP's product does, either.