Customer onboarding is one of the most critical stages in any customer lifecycle. Whether you're running a fintech app, an online shop, a SACCO portal, a healthcare system, or a learning platform, the way you welcome and guide new users determines whether they stay, convert, or churn.

Many Kenyan businesses invest heavily in attracting new customers — but silently lose them because new users get stuck, confused, or disengaged before taking their first meaningful action.

ChatSasa, SMSLeopard’s conversational automation platform, solves this problem by enabling businesses to design automated onboarding flows that guide new users step-by-step from signup to activation.

This blog explains exactly how to use ChatSasa to create onboarding journeys that welcome, educate, and convert every new customer.

Why Onboarding Matters in Kenya’s Digital Business Landscape

More Kenyan consumers are using digital products — from banking apps to e-learning portals and e-commerce platforms. But:

Most users drop off within the first 24–72 hours
Many don’t know how to get started
Others forget to come back
Some need help but don’t know where to find it

Effective onboarding solves these issues by ensuring:

✔ New users feel welcomed ✔ They understand the value of your product ✔ They know what to do next ✔ They learn through conversational guidance ✔ They receive timely nudges toward key actions

ChatSasa allows you to do all these automatically across SMS, WhatsApp, and Web Chat.

How ChatSasa Onboarding Works

ChatSasa onboarding flows are designed using three components:

1. Triggers

What event kicks off the onboarding flow? Examples:

New user created in your system
Form submission
Keyword message (“START”, “JOIN”, “REGISTER”)
API event from your app or website

2. Automations

The actual onboarding steps:

Welcome message
Product tour
Help menu
Step-by-step guidance
Collecting additional user info
Nudges & reminders
Activation prompts

3. Channels

ChatSasa lets you onboard customers via:

SMS
WhatsApp
Facebook Messenger
Web widgets
API integrations

This multi-channel onboarding ensures you meet customers where they already are.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating an Onboarding Flow on ChatSasa

Let’s walk through a practical example of building your first onboarding journey.

Step 1: Define Your Onboarding Goal

Before creating the flow, identify your main onboarding action. Examples:

A banking customer must complete KYC
A shopping app user must make their first order
A school portal user must upload documents
A SACCO member must activate mobile banking
A marketplace seller must upload their first product

This determines your messages, branches, and nudges.

Step 2: Set Up the Onboarding Trigger

Go to ChatSasa → Automations → Create Flow → New Trigger.

Common triggers:

A. API Trigger (most common)

When a new user signs up in your system, your backend sends a request to ChatSasa to start a flow.

B. Keyword Trigger

User sends “JOIN”, “HELLO”, or “START” to your shortcode or WhatsApp number.

C. Scheduled Trigger

Useful for batch onboarding (e.g., new students admitted to a school).

Select your trigger, name your flow, and proceed.

Step 3: Create the Welcome Message

This message sets the tone. It needs to be friendly, simple, and helpful.

Example:

“Hi {name}! 👋 Welcome to BrightPay. Here’s your quick start guide. Reply 1 to see how to use the app, 2 to complete your profile, or 3 to talk to an agent.”

ChatSasa automatically personalizes the name from your contact attributes.

Step 4: Build a Guided Walkthrough

Use ChatSasa’s decision-tree builder to support different user needs.

Option 1: Product Tour

Walk users through the main features:

How to navigate the dashboard
How to complete their first key action
How to access help

Example messages:

“Great! Let’s get you started with your first step.”
“Step 1: Log in to your dashboard using the link below.”
“Step 2: Click ‘My Profile’ and confirm your details.”

Step 5: Collect Additional Information (Optional)

ChatSasa lets you ask structured questions:

ID number
Preferred language
Location
Service category
Branch
Interests

These values can be automatically saved to the user's profile using Tags or Attributes, unlocking even better segmentation later.

Step 6: Add Activation Nudges

Many users don’t complete onboarding in one sitting. Use automated reminders like:

After 4 hours:
“Hi {name}, you still haven’t completed your profile. Need help? Reply HELP.”
After 24 hours:
“Your account is almost ready! Tap here to finish setup: {link}.”
After 48 hours:
“Still stuck? Reply AGENT to chat with our support team.”

These nudges drastically increase completion rates.

Step 7: Assign Agents for Escalations (Optional)

If a user types “HELP”, “AGENT”, or similar, the flow can automatically:

✔ Open a ticket ✔ Assign to an agent ✔ Notify your team ✔ Redirect to WhatsApp Support

ChatSasa turns onboarding from a one-way push to a two-way customer support system.

Step 8: Track Onboarding Performance

Inside ChatSasa Analytics, review:

Flow completion rate
Drop-off points
Message click-through
User replies
Time-to-activation
Channel performance (SMS vs WhatsApp)

Use this data to refine your onboarding and remove bottlenecks.

What a Full ChatSasa Onboarding Flow Looks Like (Example)

Here is an example for a fintech onboarding flow:

Trigger: API (new user registered)
Welcome message
Menu options
Branches for each option
Step-by-step guidance
Profile completion questions
Reminder automation
Escalation to human agent
Completion confirmation

Why ChatSasa Is the Best Tool for Customer Onboarding in Kenya

1. Multi-channel onboarding (SMS, WhatsApp, Web Chat)

Reach users on the channel they prefer.

2. No coding required

Drag-and-drop interface.

3. Personalized flows

Pull dynamic attributes like {name}, {branch}, {plan}, etc.

4. API integrations for automation

Perfect for modern digital platforms.

5. Real-time analytics

Know exactly where users get stuck.

6. Built for Kenyan businesses

Works perfectly with local customer behavior, mobile-first users, and high SMS/WhatsApp usage.

Industries That Benefit Most from ChatSasa Onboarding

Fintech & Banking
SACCOs & Microfinance
E-commerce & Retail
Schools & EdTech
Healthcare Platforms
Government Portals
Ride-hailing & Delivery Apps
Hospitality & Travel Platforms

Any business with new user signups can automate onboarding.

Conclusion: Onboarding Doesn’t Have to Be Manual or Messy

With ChatSasa by SMSLeopard, Kenyan businesses can guide users from signup to first action smoothly, efficiently, and automatically.

You reduce drop-offs. You increase conversions. You boost customer satisfaction.

And best of all — you scale onboarding without scaling your support team.

Ready to Build Your First Onboarding Flow?

Log into your dashboard and navigate to:

➡ ChatSasa → Automations → Create Flow ➡ Choose your onboarding trigger ➡ Build your guided journey ➡ Activate and start converting every new user

How to Use ChatSasa for Customer Onboarding: From Signup to First Action.