Onboarding at Watermelon: how does it work?

It will come as no surprise that customer satisfaction ranks high with us. In our industry everything revolves around high customer satisfaction. Companies come to us because they are looking for a faster, more efficient, friendlier way of dealing with the consumer of 2021. Our platform lends a hand with that. And when our customer is happy about it, so are we.

To make sure the customer enjoys the benefits of the chatbot, we have set up an onboarding process. Through this onboarding we make sure the Watermelon platform is set up optimally and works as expected. Together we make sure the channels are integrated, the chatbot achieves its goals, and the customer's customer is dealt with properly. The onboarding makes sure the technology really works for the customer.

Where to begin?

“Without onboarding, building a chatbot can be quite a challenge”, says Guido, Customer Service Manager at Watermelon. “We noticed that when customers started on their chatbot they actually had no idea where to begin, or how best to approach building it. Many companies have years of experience in optimising websites or setting up marketing campaigns, for instance, but a chatbot is something new. Although the Watermelon platform is experienced as user-friendly, setting up a chatbot can be a challenge for many organisations. They have little experience with it yet; fortunately we can help them with that. To get the customer up and running as well (and as fast) as possible, we brought the onboarding process into being.”

What makes the onboarding successful?

“The most important aspect of the onboarding is that customers are shown their way around the platform, so that they can work with it independently”, says Evelien, Onboarding Specialist at Watermelon. “There are different onboarding tracks, so that there is a suitable one for every new customer. As an onboarding specialist I guide the customer through the process. Together we make the decisions. We start with a crucial kick-off: what are the chatbot's goals? How do you want the bot to look? On that basis we can make a project plan. For our customers who choose the Communicate package, which does not include a chatbot, there is a short onboarding track. In it we make sure all channels are connected, everything is set up properly, and the customer can get started in the platform at lightning speed.”

Because the onboarding specialists also share their experience with (building) chatbots, customers do not have to reinvent the wheel themselves. “During the onboarding we explain the platform in detail”, explains Bas, Customer Success Specialist. “We give the customer a push in the right direction when it comes to making conversation flows. How do you approach that properly?”

The versatility of onboarding

From customer service to game host, from HR employee to recruiter: a chatbot can take on various roles in an organisation. Evelien: “At the moment I am also guiding an estate agency through their onboarding. They have chosen several chatbots, all working in a different department. There is a chatbot for new-build, commercial property, financial advice; these different departments have varying questions, and different departments a question is linked to. The onboarding is then crucial; during it you determine which question goes to which chatbot and how the chatbots should be linked to one another. Even so, it is important that unity is created in the chatbot's personality. That can be quite a puzzle, and it is tremendous fun to keep the planning of this project on track!”

“You really can personalise a lot in that chatbot!”

“Many customers are very surprised when they discover how much can be personalised in the chatbot”, says Evelien. “Thanks to the free fields function you can personalise a great deal. Think of a first name, email address, surname, telephone number; you can create free fields for all sorts of things. On top of that you can really give the chatbot a personality. That makes it even more interesting for customers to talk to the bot.”

The onboarding process in 4 steps

In weekly meetings we work through the onboarding in four steps. Evelien: “In these meetings we look at where things stand, and what still needs polishing. I look on with the organisation and at what is needed for a successful chatbot.”

We advise our customers to have at least one member of staff work on the chatbot structurally, on a weekly basis. That way the bot comes together as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Step 1: Set goals

In the kick-off you think about the chatbot's goals, determine the chatbot's persona and think about conversation trees. The onboarding specialists give the customer handy tools at this stage for shaping the digital colleague. “This morning I had a kick-off with a large team where everyone had different expectations of the chatbot”, says Evelien. “During the kick-off we brought these expectations together and made a step-by-step plan.”

Step 2: Building the chatbot

Once the blueprint of the chatbot is finished, the best part follows: bringing the digital colleague to life! During this phase the onboarding specialists are on hand for questions about the platform or question variations through weekly meetings, depending on the customer's needs. There are also various resources available that can help the customer further if they run into something, such as our help centre.

Step 3: Training the chatbot

Before the chatbot goes live on the customer's channels, it still has to be tested. During testing the chatbot is checked for spelling mistakes, or wrong referrals between conversations. The support department or onboarding specialists can also create a test environment for the customer, so that they can see how the chatbot will look on the website.

Step 4: Live!

Then it is time to put the digital colleague online, ready for the wider public. The bot can be online within a single minute! At this stage the onboarding specialists also give tips for extra publicity around your chatbot, so that the bot gets a kickstart straight away!

Not finished reading?

Read on in our whitepaper: "Benefits of chatbots".