A Little More Conversion, A Little Less Friction, Please
A few thoughts on HR Technology adoption.
Note: This article was originally published as a LinkedIn Newsletter, but I thought it could also be valuable to my
newsletter.Introduction
I was recently involved in conversations with failed clients and prospective clients of various products regarding their challenges when adopting new HR tech products in general, particularly around AI implementations. In various conversations with vendors and consultants, and my own experience in HR leadership, I uncovered some patterns that I feel are worth exploring:
-Prospective clients, overwhelmed about the work that needs to be done upfront to set up the tool and start receiving some value, fall off the funnel.
-vendors overstate the simplicity of the onboarding process, or simply fail to acknowledge the amount of work required on the client’s end, simply because they are so excited and convinced about what the product can do for clients. This frequently results in frustrated clients who cancel the contract at the first opportunity because they never get to appreciate the value.
Notice that this is independent of whether the tool is good or not, and whether the client has a pressing need for what the tool can do. This observation is about the friction of the process, and how to reduce it, while at the same accelerating the process of making the value tangible, getting faster to that “Aha!” moment.
As espoused by the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework, users “hire” a product to do a “job”. The product needs to make it easier to do the job it was hired for, or else it will be fired for poor performance, which is especially likely during the probation period. But sometimes there are obstacles for the client to appreciate the value of the product early enough, and in those cases, we need to get creative.
To better illustrate this, I will use a restaurant analogy.
The best seafood restaurant nobody ever heard of
Imagine you decided to open the best seafood restaurant in the world. You invest in top-of-the-line equipment, assemble the ideal team, secure a beautiful location, and you manage to source the best quality freshly caught products. You are an experienced restaurateur yourself, so everything seems lined up for success.
There’s a little problem, though.
Your awesome location with breathtaking views of the ocean is a 2-hour drive from the main nearby population center.
It’s a long haul for dinner, it better be a darn good restaurant to drive customers all the way there, and a lot of people will be discouraged about the distance, even if they absolutely love seafood. Those who do venture to make the trip are rewarded with the best dishes and environment, an experience to treasure and share on social media. But still, lots of potential clients drop early from the funnel because they can’t be bothered to drive 2 hours to try a new restaurant, and they pass on the opportunity, settling for inferior quality options that are more convenient.
So you start to think about ways to make the experience more enticing.
Maybe you can build more reasons for the client to make that drive:
-you could set up a booth in a high pedestrian transit area, maybe a small kitchen or a food truck with a limited version of your menu, so potential diners get attracted by the delicious smell of your paella and try a sample that opens their appetite for making the drive soon.
Or perhaps you could transform the commute into a carefully crafted experience:
-you could transform the commute into an excursion by offering additional activities and value.
-maybe you could partner with that cute boutique vineyard located en route to your restaurant and offer a shuttle that takes will-be diners on a wine tour before (or after) dropping them at your restaurant.
-maybe you could find a luxury shuttle with gourmet snacks that whet their appetite.
-maybe you can explore ways to make the whole experience “Instagram-worthy” by hiring a photographer to capture the moment.
Examples From Other Industries
Many companies take advantage of this: the product the client is buying is not your product, is the end-to-end sales experience, the unboxing, the proud advocates sharing on social media, etc.
Think of theme parks: clients don’t complain about the long walk between rides because they can see the attractions from far away, hear the excitement, and meet the characters. The anticipation builds with every step.
Think about the IKEA journey: People accept the long store journey because they see inspiring room setups along the way, get small wins (picking up affordable items), and get food breaks.
Think of museum exhibitions: Visitors get a curated journey through increasingly impressive exhibits with interactive elements throughout, where each room provides context for the next.
Think of Apple products’ packaging: The unboxing experience is carefully designed to create anticipation and delight, from the quality of the materials (90% sure you still have the box of one old Apple product, even if you don’t have the product anymore), the tactile experience of the packaging, the way the products fit snugly in the box, etc. This is carefully crafted using the Apple Marketing Philosophy, as defined by the original angel investor of Apple, Mike Markkula:
Empathy: Understand the client’s needs better than any other company.
Focus: To focus on being the best at what you do, eliminate the unimportant, distracting opportunities.
Impute: People DO judge a book by its cover. The best, most useful, highest quality product should be presented in a creative, professional manner that imputes the desired qualities.
OK, But How Does This Apply To The Software Product?
You have a great product, and you are convinced that your product will create value for your client. At the same time, you are convinced that for the client to capture real value, a complex and careful setup is required. Anything less than that would diminish the value your product can deliver to them, even making them risky if not set up properly. Good things take time…
But your client doesn’t have the time, nor the internal technical expertise, and their data is not clean or even existing. They are fighting very hard to defend the budget to buy a product that will make their lives easier. They are struggling to convince their manager to approve the funds in an era of shrinking budgets and headcounts, and they will need to show immediate ROI to defend their decision, with their professional reputation on the line.
And, above all, they are already busy, understaffed, and burned out. They want a solution, not another project to work on. They need a smooth journey to value, not a bumpy ride back to square one.
Here are some ideas to make the client journey more engaging
The Food Truck: Interactive Previews & Value Demonstration
Develop lightweight demo versions: if your product allows it, this can be combined with a “freemium” approach.
Create interactive previews with sample data and show "teaser" dashboards illustrating potential outcomes: this allows you to give your potential client a sneak peek at a finalized installation.
Offer guided walkthroughs: a well-designed simulation makes the effort feel more predictable and less overwhelming.
Use sample data relevant to the user's industry: understandably, you cannot create the client input, but perhaps you can give them templates and examples that make the data cleaning much easier.
The Excursion and the Yelp Reviews: Dual-Purpose Incentives & Community Pull
Showcase a strong, active user community sharing tips and experiences: your best clients are your happiest clients, and help them become vocal ambassadors of your product.
Highlight customer success stories directly tied to setup completion
Offer setup perks unrelated to the product itself (free training, exclusive templates)
The Luxury Shuttle Service And The Tour Guide: Simplified Onboarding Approaches
Create templates and pre-configured options, tailored to the client industry, if possible, to reduce customization time and accelerate Time-To-Value (TTV)
Provide a white-glove concierge setup service that helps the client navigate the process
The Snacks Along the Way: Early Wins & Engagement Strategies
Create micro-success moments to celebrate together with the client during the setup
Show preliminary insights from partial data uploads
Implement setup gamification with visible progress bars, milestone rewards, engaging interactive elements
The Progressive Complexity Approach
Start with a lightweight, minimal-setup version, gradually unlocking more advanced features
Allow users to experience basic functionality quickly
Create a smooth path from simple to advanced usage
The Limo Shuttle: Journey Transformation Techniques
Make the setup process educational and interesting
Create engaging tutorial content, certification badges, and/or a user academy
Provide "behind the scenes" materials during installation
Split setup into smaller, rewarding milestones
Ensure each step provides evident, immediate value to the business
Turn configuration into an interactive, personalized experience
The Instagram-Worthy Moments: Social and Visual Appeal
Add social sharing features for setup moments
Create social media interface experiences
Optimize visual design for aesthetic appeal
Enable users to share setup achievements
Make the configuration process itself an enjoyable experience
All through the process, you need to measure how well you’re doing that “job your product was hired to do”, defining the right combination of leading -not just lagging- indicators to ensure you have a good handle on the situation. Remember that any latency in your product data can make your compass harder to read, and make your data-informed decisions too slow -or not slow enough.
Conclusion
Your product's true value is defined by the client experience—from the first moment of discovery to ongoing engagement. Making this journey easier, more intuitive, and genuinely enjoyable requires deeply understanding your clients' context and transforming every interaction into a memorable experience.
By mapping the client journey, identifying and removing friction points, and creating intentional moments of delight, you can dramatically accelerate Time-To-Value (TTV). This approach doesn't just improve initial conversion—it builds lasting relationships that turn satisfied clients into passionate advocates who naturally extend your product's reach.
The goal is simple: design an experience so smooth and compelling that clients can't help but see the value, engage fully, and want to share their success with others.
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