Onboarding Sequences

---
name: onboarding-sequences
description: >-
  Designs customer onboarding sequences: time-to-first-value targets, activation
  milestones, guided setup, and onboarding emails. Use when the user is building
  onboarding for new customers, reducing time to value, or fixing activation
  drop-off. Triggers on: "onboarding sequence", "customer onboarding", "time to
  value", "activation flow", "new customer setup".
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: lifecycle
  tags: [lifecycle, onboarding, activation, time-to-value, customer-success]
  frameworks:
    - "Lincoln Murphy — Desired Outcome"
    - "Wes Bush — Product-Led Onboarding"
    - "Samuel Hulick — UserOnboard"
---

# Customer Onboarding Sequences

## Overview
Onboarding is the highest-risk period in the customer lifecycle. 40-60% of
churn happens in the first 90 days. A structured onboarding sequence that
drives customers to their first value moment within 7 days reduces churn
by 30-50%. This skill covers design and execution.

## Authoritative Foundations
- **Lincoln Murphy — Desired Outcome** — Onboarding succeeds when the customer reaches their required outcome in the right way; design milestones backward from that outcome.
- **Wes Bush — Product-Led Onboarding** — Remove steps that don't move users toward the first value moment, and measure time to first value.
- **Samuel Hulick — UserOnboard** — Frame onboarding around the user becoming more capable, not around touring features.

## When to Use
- "Build onboarding sequence"
- "Customer onboarding"
- "Reduce time to first value"
- "New customer setup"
- "Activation flow"

## Lifecycle Stage

**Activation** (stage 3). Canonical definitions → `references/gtm-lifecycle-stages.md`.  
Deep dive (TTA benchmarks, audit, anti-patterns) → `references/activation-playbook.md`.  
Metrics & monitoring → `references/lifecycle-metrics-by-stage.md`, the `gtm-metrics` skill (lifecycle-monitoring-dashboard.md).

## Core Principle
> Customers don't churn because your product is bad — they churn because they
> never experienced the value. Your onboarding has one job: get them to the
> "aha moment" as fast as possible.

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Define the Aha Moment
Identify what "value realized" looks like for your product:
- **Data product (LeadMagic, Clearbit):** First successful enrichment or verification
- **CRM:** First deal moved through a pipeline stage
- **Analytics:** First dashboard built
- **Sequencing (Outreach, Smartlead):** First sequence sent
- **General SaaS:** Activation event that correlates with retention (find it in your data)

Measure: users who hit [Aha Moment] within 7 days have 80%+ 90-day retention.
Users who don't have <30% 90-day retention. Goal: 80%+ of new customers hit
Aha Moment in week 1.

### Phase 2: Onboarding Journey Map
- **Day 0 (Pre-launch):** Welcome email. What to expect. How to prepare.
  "Bring your [data/team/credentials] — here's what you'll need."
- **Day 1 (Launch):** Account created. Guided first action. "Do this one thing
  right now and you'll see value in 5 minutes."
- **Day 3 (First value):** Follow-up email. "Did you try [first action]?
  Here's what to do next."
- **Day 7 (Deepen):** Second value moment. "Now that you've [first action],
  here's how to [advanced use case]."
- **Day 14 (Habit):** Usage check-in. "You've used [product] X times.
  Teams like yours typically see [result] by now."
- **Day 30 (Expansion):** "Ready for the next level? Here are 3 features
  power users love."

### Phase 3: Multi-Channel Onboarding
- **In-app:** Guided tours, tooltips, checklists, progress bars. Don't show
  everything — show the 3 steps to the aha moment.
- **Email:** Triggered based on in-app behavior. If they completed step 1,
  email about step 2. If they haven't logged in for 3 days, re-engagement email.
- **SMS/Slack (for high-touch):** "Quick question about your setup — need help?"
- **CSM call (enterprise):** 30-minute kickoff call in week 1. Screen share
  the setup. Answer questions.

### Phase 4: Onboarding Content
- **Quickstart guide:** 1-page PDF. The 3 things to do in your first session.
  Screenshots. 5 minutes to read.
- **Setup video:** 3-5 minute walkthrough. Show, don't tell.
- **Template library:** Pre-built configurations, templates, examples.
  "Start from this template and you'll be live in 10 minutes."
- **FAQ:** "Common setup questions" — answer the 10 things every new user
  asks. Link from onboarding emails.

### Phase 5: Measurement & Optimization
- **Activation rate:** % of new customers who hit Aha Moment within 7 days
- **Time to first value:** Median days from signup to Aha Moment
- **Onboarding completion:** % who complete the full onboarding sequence
- **Onboarding churn:** % who churn during onboarding (first 30 days)
- **A/B test:** Onboarding email sequences, in-app flows, CSM touch points
- **Kill:** Onboarding steps that don't correlate with retention

## Output Format
Onboarding sequence design with: aha moment definition, journey map, multi-channel
plan, content inventory, and optimization framework.



## Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:
- [ ] All required sections are complete
- [ ] Output matches the user's stated need
- [ ] Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
- [ ] No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
- [ ] Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual

## Common Pitfalls

1. **Skipping research.** Building output without understanding the specific context. Fix: always gather required inputs before producing deliverables.
2. **Generic output.** "Improve your process" without concrete steps. Fix: every recommendation must include a specific action, timeline, and owner.
3. **Missing framework citations.** Advice without named authorities. Fix: ground every recommendation in a cited framework from a recognized authority.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — Named frameworks and reference tables
- `templates/output-template.md` — Deliverable shell for agent output
- `scripts/check-output.py` — Lightweight deliverable validator
**Canonical lifecycle:**
- `references/gtm-lifecycle-stages.md` — Stage index (Activation row)
- `references/activation-playbook.md` — First value event, TTA, audit checklist
- `references/lifecycle-metrics-by-stage.md` — Activation metrics + thresholds
- the `gtm-metrics` skill (lifecycle-monitoring-dashboard.md) — Weekly activation panel
- `references/lifecycle-skill-index.md` — Lifecycle cluster router

## Related Skills
- cs-playbooks, churn-prevention, lifecycle-drips, customer-marketing, expansion-selling