How smooth is your onboarding experience? Key questions to ask

Digital account opening isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential to winning new customers and staying competitive. Yet many banks struggle with onboarding processes that fail to meet expectations, leading to high abandonment rates and lost opportunities.

Not sure how your digital onboarding measures up? Use this checklist to self-assess your current process and uncover areas for improvement.

Your digital onboarding self-assessment checklist

1. Are completion times too long?

Abandonment rates skyrocket when onboarding takes more than 10 minutes. Customers expect a quick and seamless process that respects their time.

• How long does your process take? Audit each step to see where you can streamline. Eliminate redundancies and focus on delivering only what’s necessary.
• Are forms intuitive and easy to complete? Overcomplicated or poorly structured forms frustrate customers. Use smart forms that adapt based on customer inputs to reduce unnecessary fields.
• What causes delays? Look for bottlenecks, like unnecessary data entry fields, manual verifications, or poorly optimized workflows.

Pro tip: Break the process into smaller steps with progress indicators to keep customers motivated and informed about what’s ahead.

2. Are drop-off rates high?

If many customers start the journey but don’t finish, it’s a clear signal that something’s going wrong.

• Where are users dropping off? Analytics can help pinpoint specific steps where customers abandon the process. Common culprits include long forms, confusing instructions, or unclear next steps.
• Why are they leaving? Conduct usability tests with real customers to uncover the “why” behind the numbers.

Quick fix: Simplify forms by using dynamic fields that adapt to customer responses, reducing irrelevant or redundant questions.

3. Are mobile conversions low?

Mobile is the go-to platform for many customers. If your onboarding process isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re losing out on a significant portion of potential customers.

• Is your experience mobile-friendly? Test your process across various devices to identify usability issues. Slow-loading pages, small buttons, or poorly formatted text can frustrate users.
• Does it match user expectations? Customers expect a seamless, app-like experience on their phones, so ensure navigation and input fields are intuitive.

Quick fix: Focus on responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and supports touch-friendly navigation.

4. Are customer complaints common?

Negative feedback is one of the clearest indicators of an onboarding process that needs improvement.

• What are customers saying? Review feedback from support teams, social media, and customer surveys. Recurring complaints can highlight areas of friction or confusion.
• How do you respond? Use real-time support like live chat or chatbots to address customer questions and frustrations during the process.

Quick fix: Regularly test your process with actual users to uncover hidden issues and make iterative improvements based on feedback.

Why this matters

Each of these issues—long completion times, high drop-offs, low mobile conversions, and customer complaints—represents a barrier between your bank and a potential lifelong customer. By addressing these areas, you can:

• Reduce abandonment rates and increase conversions.
• Improve customer satisfaction and trust.
• Strengthen your competitive position in an increasingly digital-first market.

Take the next step

Improving your digital onboarding doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start by addressing the most critical issues this checklist reveals, then refine and optimize your process step by step.

For a deeper dive into transforming your onboarding experience, download our comprehensive guide to increasing digital account openings. This guide offers actionable insights, proven strategies, and real-world examples to help you reduce friction, improve conversions, and delight your customers.