Use case · new customer
New customer onboarding: how to support new customers properly in their first 60 days
After signing, the customer is curious – and uncertain. The PBM Campaign Platform guides them step by step: with a welcome from their personal adviser, help exactly where they get stuck and a follow-up question before frustration sets in.
Regionalbank Musterstadt eG
Adviser: Christina Reuter
Definition
What is new customer onboarding?
New customer onboarding is the planned support of a customer in the first weeks after signing a contract. The aim is for them to actively use their product and build a relationship with the provider. Unlike a single welcome email, an onboarding journey responds to what the customer does – or does not do.
Typical mistakes
Why do welcome series fail so often?
Most welcome series are rigid schedules. They send regardless of what the customer does. We see four mistakes again and again:
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01
Everything on day 1.
A package with five topics is overwhelming. The customer reads none of them.
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02
No attention to behaviour.
Customers who have long been using online banking still receive the instructions.
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03
No negative path.
If the customer has a problem, the promotional series simply carries on.
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04
Only one channel.
Without email consent, many new customers receive nothing at all.
Sample journey · example
What does a good onboarding journey look like?
The example shows a welcome series for new current account customers of the fictional Regionalbank Musterstadt eG. Waiting times and thresholds are example values – you set them yourself.
Profile · Current account welcome series
- Trigger
Event “account opened” from the core banking system via API. The journey starts on the same day (always-on campaign).
- Segment
New current account customers, opened in the last 7 days, no objection to advertising.
- Priority
high – onboarding takes precedence over newsletters and promotions.
- Sender
the responsible adviser, set on entry.
Steps · Current account welcome series
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Four checks before entry.
Matching journey, complete data and consent per channel, no previous run, no more important campaign.
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Entry
Event: account opened
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Gate
Consent per channel
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Channel branch
Email
Welcome
Letter
Welcome
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Wait for event
Online banking activated (7 days)
- Timeout
- 7 days
- Event
- from core banking system
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No
Reminder
Reminder
Task
Adviser C. Reuter
Yes
Wait
14 days
Example · demo dataJourney Builder: waiting for the event “online banking activated” is highlighted – timeout 7 days, event from the core banking system. Without activation, a reminder and a task for the adviser follow. Fictional example data. -
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Welcome (email or letter).
If email consent has been given, an email is sent. Otherwise, a letter is sent automatically. The sender is Christina Reuter, with photo. The link leads to the personal landing page “Your first steps”.
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Wait for event: online banking activated (up to 7 days).
Yes → continue with step 5. No → step 4.
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Reminder: “Do you need help getting started?”
A short email or a second letter with step-by-step help. If activation still has not happened after a further 7 days, the adviser receives a task: support the customer in getting started, via a contact channel for which consent has been given.
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Quiet period (14 days).
No contact. The contact frequency rules apply across all campaigns.
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“Three things your account can do”.
A rule selects the content: customers who have not yet used the card read about that first. Those who use it learn more about the app.
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Start check on the landing page.
One question: “How was your start?”
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Offer of an introductory meeting.
Appointment link to the adviser on the landing page.
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Wait for event: appointment arranged (up to 10 days).
Yes → macro goal achieved. No → journey ends normally.
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Entry
Event: account opened
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Gate
Consent per channel
-
Channel branch
Email
Welcome
Letter
Welcome
-
Wait for event
Online banking activated (7 days)
- Timeout
- 7 days
- Event
- from core banking system
-
No
Reminder
Reminder
Task
Adviser C. Reuter
Yes
Wait
14 days
Goals
Micro goals: landing page visited · online banking activated · start check answered. Primary macro goal: introductory meeting arranged.
Exit paths (exactly one reason per exit)
- Converted: appointment arranged – the journey ends immediately.
- Completed: series completed without an appointment – the customer can take part in campaigns for existing customers later.
- Negative outcome: complaint or “there were problems” – advertising stops, the adviser takes over.
- Left segment: account closed again during the trial period – automatic exit.
- Withdrawal: immediately stops all of the customer’s journeys.
Variants
How does onboarding differ by industry?
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Banks & cooperative banking groups
View the journey for banksTrigger: account opening. Focus on online banking, card, personal adviser. Macro goal: introductory meeting.
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Insurers
View onboarding for insurersTrigger: policy issuance. Focus on a welcome from the agency, consent per channel, app and customer portal. Macro goal: portal registration.
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Energy suppliers & municipal utilities
Energy suppliers & municipal utilitiesTrigger: start of supply. Focus on meter reading, instalment payment, customer portal. Macro goal: customer portal registration. A good opportunity to obtain email consent.
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Statutory health insurers & healthcare
Statutory health insurers & healthcareTrigger: start of membership. Focus on health insurance card, online branch office, bonus programme. Personalisation without health data – only master and contract data.
Personalisation
What can be controlled individually in onboarding?
‘Individual for every recipient – but only with data approved for that purpose.’
- Sender: responsible adviser with name and photo
- Channel: email, letter or SMS depending on consent
- Timing: based on behaviour, not the calendar
- Content: help only with what is still missing
- Landing page: personal start page with the next steps
- Brand: each branch or subsidiary brand in its own corporate identity
Measure
How can you tell whether your onboarding is working?
Measure behaviour, not just opens. The platform provides these metrics per campaign, brand and channel:
| KPI | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Activation rate (micro goal) | How many new customers actually use the product |
| Time to activation | Whether help comes early enough |
| Share of reminder path | Where the start gets stuck |
| Start check “problems” | Early warning for service and product |
| Macro goal: introductory meeting | Building the relationship with the adviser |
| Exit reasons | Why customers leave the journey |
| Channel comparison email vs. letter | Which channel works for which group |
You set the target values yourself. We do not quote industry benchmarks without evidence.
Campaign Current account welcome series
- Brand All
- Channel All
- Period 30 days
- New customers640
- Online banking activated512
- Start check answered288
- Introductory meeting96
Preparation
What should you prepare for an onboarding journey?
Data
- Opening or start date
- Product
- responsible adviser
- Email address, postal address, mobile number
- Consent per channel
- Attribute “online access activated” (from your core system)
Interface
- Event “contract opened” via API or daily import – a re-import never deletes contacts
Consents
- When the contract is signed, ask for email consent or provide the objection notice for advertising to existing customers
Content
- Welcome text
- Adviser photos
- Help content
- Landing page
- Letter template
- Mandatory texts per brand
Rules
- Priority over other campaigns
- Contact limits
- Re-entry (usually: only once per customer)
Frequently asked questions about new customer onboarding
How long should an onboarding journey last?
For most products, 45 to 90 days makes sense. What matters is not the duration but that the journey responds to behaviour. Customers who already actively use their product skip the help steps. Those who get stuck receive support. In the PBM Campaign Platform, you set waiting times and steps yourself.
What happens if the new customer has not given email consent?
Then the journey automatically switches to a letter. The PBM Campaign Platform checks consent per channel before every send. The letter is generated for each contact as a personalised PDF and handed over to your lettershop. The customer reaches the landing page via a personal access code in the letter.
Can the adviser appear as the sender?
Yes. The responsible adviser is set when the contact enters the journey and appears as the sender with name and photo. If they leave, a substitution rule applies. If no adviser can be assigned, the contact is not written to rather than being contacted with the wrong sender.
How do I prevent new customers from receiving advertising from other campaigns at the same time?
Give onboarding a high priority. If a new customer enters another campaign, the one with lower priority pauses until onboarding ends. Contact limits and minimum intervals also apply across all channels.
How does the journey know whether the customer is already using their product?
Through events from your core system, for example “online banking activated”. They are reported via API or import. A “wait for event” step waits for a set time and then branches: event received or not.