"Freshdesk's onboarding feels like you're walking through a wilderness, and there's a guide who's making sure that you don't step in mud, a snake pit, or something dangerous. "
Experience
When teaching someone something new, the most effective approach isn’t just “show or tell”—it’s guiding them through the process step-by-step.
Great mentors and teachers use this hands-on, interactive method so learners can truly understand and internalize the process. (Read: this is how they make things “stick”.)
Freshdesk, a customer support platform, exemplifies this philosophy in its onboarding experience.
We wanted to learn more! So, we chatted with their Customer Success Manager, Courtney Jamison, and dug into what makes their learn-by-doing onboarding experience so impactful.
1. Celebrate user milestones. 🥳
Freshdesk uses the power of positive reinforcement by incorporating elements like confetti to celebrate user achievements. It’s a great way to give digital kudos to a user while also motivating them to take the next step.
As Courtney notes:
"I love that we are seeing a celebration for the user. They added in some fun confetti. It’s a great way to motivate users to the next step in the journey.”
2. Guide users to learn by doing ➡️
Instead of overwhelming users with too much information, Freshdesk keeps its intuitive step-by-step walkthrough focused. You’re expertly guided through opening, replying to, and closing a support ticket without any confusion or fuss.
Ramli John, Appcues’ Content Programming Director, uses a metaphor to explain why this works:
"It feels like you're walking through a wilderness, and there's a guide who's making sure that you don't step in mud, a snake pit, or something dangerous. It's walking you step-by-step through Freshdesk’s happy path.”
3. Give users a space to practice. ✍️
One of Freshdesk's standout features is a risk-free environment where you can practice replying to support tickets with three dummy customer requests. It’s hands-on learning without the pressure.
Courtney says:
"Freshdesk’s approach helps users avoid feeling like they’re about to break something. There’s no pressure to perfect your response. The result is that Freshdesk can focus on how easy and intuitive it is to solve and close a ticket.”
💡 Key Takeaways
There are several key lessons we can learn from Freshdesk's learn-by-doing onboarding approach:
- Celebrate milestones with fun, engaging elements to motivate and encourage users.
- Guide users through core processes step-by-step, allowing them to learn by doing.
- Provide a safe, risk-free environment for users to practice and get comfortable.