Onboarding project | Netcore Cloud - Making Ecommerce Seamless

Meet Sarah - A Seasoned Growth marketer at GrowthCart, lets begin this onboarding journey through her eyes...

🎯 "We did everything right. Or at least I thought we did."

Sarah, the founder of GrowthCart, has been on a thrilling three-year journey, transforming her startup into a recognized D2C fashion brand with a proud milestone of 100,000 customers. But behind the celebration lies sleepless nights spent staring at unsettling numbers:

💔 CAC shot up 40% last quarter.
💔 Cart abandonment rates climbed to 75%.
💔 Customer retention plummeted below 20%.
💔 Channels multiplied, but the view of customers stayed fragmented.
💔 Manual campaign creation was eating up her team’s time—and sanity.

Morning Meetings with No Answers
Every morning, Sarah’s team would gather around the table, eyes heavy with worry:

• Which customers should we target today?
• Why are they dropping off?
• What campaign worked yesterday?
• How do we personalize at this scale?

They weren’t just questions—they were SOS signals.

All Roads Led to Frustration
In their scramble to regain control, Sarah’s team tried it all:

✔️ Hired two data analysts (but Excel sheets don’t drive growth).
✔️ Bought three different marketing tools (that never seemed to talk to each other).
✔️ Manually created segments (outdated by the time they were used).
✔️ Blasted generic email campaigns (with open rates sinking like the Titanic).

The harder they worked, the more the results stagnated.

💡 The Breaking Point
At last week’s executive meeting, the CEO’s question pierced the silence:

"What’s our CLV:CAC ratio?"

Sarah admitted with a heavy heart: “Barely maintaining 2:1.” The room fell quiet—a silence louder than any critique.

That night, Sarah found herself typing into Google: “How to automate e-commerce customer engagement.”

🚀 The Discovery - Sarah’s First Step to Turning Things Around

One LinkedIn post caught her eye:

"Stop guessing. Start growing."

The post described how another e-commerce brand like GrowthCart turned their struggles into success with Netcore Cloud. Curious (and desperate), Sarah clicked through to NetcoreCloud.com.

Within minutes, she was reading case studies from brands just like hers. The promise was simple yet mind-blowing:

One line of code to unify her data, analyze drop-offs, automate campaigns, and grow customer engagement.

Could it really be that easy?

✨ Understanding Sarah (and Many Like Her)

ICP - B2B Table:

1. Parameters to Identify ICPs

To ensure strategic alignment, prioritize ICPs based on the following parameters:

• MRR Average: 4-5L or higher
• MAU: 300,000+
• Revenue Range: ₹750-1,000 Cr

These parameters act as a baseline to filter users and identify the ICPs most relevant for driving growth and scalability.

2. ICP Evaluation Criteria

3. Key Insights and Prioritization

ICP 2 (Upper Mid):

• Alignment: Fits the MRR average, MAU, and revenue range parameters.
• Strengths:
• • High TAM and adoption.
  • High appetite to pay and strong distribution potential.
• Challenges: Competitive landscape and demand for strong engagement.

ICP 1 (Mid):

• Alignment: Matches MRR and MAU thresholds but sits at the lower end of the revenue range.
• Strengths:
• • Reliable adoption curve and use case frequency.
  • Good distribution potential.
• Challenges: Smaller TAM compared to ICP 2.

ICP 3 (Large):

• Alignment: Exceeds revenue parameters but doesn’t fully align with MRR and MAU.
• Strengths:
• • High payment capacity and strategic branding value.
• Challenges: Medium TAM and slower adoption curve.

ICP 4 (SMBs):

• Alignment: Falls below the MRR and MAU parameters.
• Strengths:
• • Large TAM for long-term growth.
• Challenges:
• • Limited payment capacity and low adoption curve.

🎯 Sarah’s Leap of Faith: A JTBD-Driven Transformation

"I just need something that works!"

That was Sarah’s desperate plea as she wrapped up yet another exhausting team meeting. GrowthCart, her once-thriving brand, was tangled in a mess of fragmented tools, uninspired campaigns, and unpredictable customer behavior. 💔 Sleepless nights and mounting pressure made one thing clear: it was time for bold action.

💡 The Lightbulb Moment: A Framework That Clicked

As Sarah explored Netcore’s capabilities, something shifted. ✨ This wasn’t just another tool—it was a solution that spoke directly to her challenges.

For the first time, Sarah felt her struggles were understood and solvable. Netcore addressed her Jobs to Be Done (JTBD):

• 🚀 Primary Goal: Grow revenue by engaging and retaining customers across channels—automatically.
• 🛠️ Secondary Goal: Empower her marketing team to scale campaigns without depending on IT.

Her journey boiled down to these four truths:

• 🔑 Primary: Make more money.
• 🤖 How: Automate customer engagement.
• ⏰ When: At the right moments in the customer journey.
• 📈 Why: Because manual engagement doesn’t scale.

🎯 User Goals: Connecting JTBD to ICPs

Sarah wasn’t alone in her journey. Conversations with other brands revealed that businesses, regardless of size, share common struggles and goals. Here’s how they mapped out:

🏢 Enterprise ICPs (e.g., Nykaa, Thomas Cook India)

For large organizations, the stakes—and demands—are higher:

• 🌐 Drive omnichannel revenue growth at scale.
• 🛡️ Ensure consistent brand messaging across touchpoints.
• 🏗️ Seamlessly integrate with complex legacy systems.
• 📊 Accurately measure and attribute revenue impact across channels.

📈 Growth Stage ICPs (e.g., IGP, Forest Essentials, OZ Hair & Beauty)

These brands aim to scale quickly while keeping operations lean:

• ⚡ Manage high-volume seasonal campaigns seamlessly.
• 🌍 Expand to new markets without disruptions.
• 💡 Automate repetitive marketing tasks to save time.
• 💰 Boost customer retention and lifetime value.

🌱 Early Stage ICPs (e.g., SoulTree, DrapeStory)

Emerging brands need tools that simplify engagement and show clear ROI:

• 🤝 Automate basic customer engagement flows like welcome journeys.
• 🕒 Reduce manual workload for lean teams.
• 🎯 Deliver clear, immediate ROI to validate their investment.

📌 Common Goals Across All Segments

While their stages differ, these businesses align on their objectives:

• 💵 Revenue Growth: Improve retention, conversions, and repeat purchases.
• ⚙️ Marketing Efficiency: Enable quick, scalable campaigns without technical bottlenecks.
• 🛍️ Customer Experience: Deliver timely, personalized, and consistent engagement.
• 👩‍💻 Team Enablement: Minimize manual work and foster collaboration.
• 🔐 Technical Needs: Ensure seamless integrations, scalability, and secure data handling.

Myriad of Customer Interviews - Here's what we learned.

Sarah’s Onboarding Transformation: From Manual Marathon to Automated Excellence

When I first discovered Netcore, I was desperate. GrowthCart was growing fast, but our processes weren’t keeping up. Every campaign, every workflow—it felt like we were running a manual marathon with no finish line in sight.

What I wanted was simple:

1. Grow revenue by automating customer engagement.
2. Empower my team to work smarter, not harder.

What I got was a 189-day onboarding process that tested my patience and resolve.

Meet Our Cast

- Sarah: E-commerce Marketing Head at GrowthCart

- Raj: Netcore Sales Representative

- Priya: Pre-Sales Specialist (PSS)

- Anita: Onboarding Manager

- Dev: Technical Integration Engineer

- Maya: Customer Success Manager

Phase 1: The Starting Line – Sales Qualification (Days 1–75)

It all began with a Google search: “best e-commerce customer engagement platform.” That’s how I stumbled upon Netcore. Within hours, Raj, their Sales Representative, reached out. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and quick to qualify GrowthCart as a perfect fit for their platform.

I was intrigued. Netcore seemed like the answer to so many of our problems. But as the days stretched into weeks, and then into months, I realized something: this was going to be far from easy.

The First Hurdle: Convincing Myself

Raj did a great job of walking me through the basics—platform features, use cases, success stories. But let’s be real: a tool like this doesn’t come cheap. It wasn’t just about seeing the potential; I had to be absolutely sure that this was the right move for GrowthCart.

• Questions on my mind:
• • Will this actually solve our problems, or just add more complexity?
  • How quickly can we see results?
  • Is the cost justified, especially with our tight budgets?

The Bigger Challenge: Convincing My Team

Deciding for myself was one thing. Getting everyone else on board was a whole different ball game.

• CEO: “How will this impact the bottom line?”
• CFO: “What’s the ROI, and how soon can we see it?”
• CMO: “Does this align with our overall strategy?”
• Tech Team: “How much integration effort will this require?”
• Marketing Team: “Will this actually make our lives easier, or add more work?”

I spent weeks pulling together presentations, hosting meetings, and fielding questions from every corner of the company. Each conversation felt like another obstacle in a race that just wouldn’t end.

The External Validation Spiral

As if internal approvals weren’t enough, I also felt the need to validate my decision externally. I reached out to colleagues in the industry—people I trusted who were already using Netcore.

• Some raved about it: “The automation is a game-changer!”
• Others had concerns: “Make sure you have a strong onboarding team, or you’ll get stuck.”

Every opinion added another layer of doubt, another round of back-and-forth with my team.

The Negotiations That Dragged On

By the time we reached contract talks, I was exhausted. Raj was patient, answering every question and addressing every concern. But every number on that proposal had to be scrutinized:

• Annual pricing: “What’s the true cost of ownership over three years?”
• Usage limits: “What happens if we exceed our Monthly Active User (MAU) limit?”
• Support costs: “Are we paying extra for technical assistance?”

It felt like I was negotiating a merger, not buying a tool.

Why Did It Take 75 Days?

Looking back, here’s why:

1. The stakes were high. This wasn’t a small investment; it was a strategic decision that could make or break our customer engagement strategy.
2. The internal alignment was tough. Getting buy-in from multiple stakeholders is no small feat.
3. The process felt overly complex. For a tool that promised simplicity, the journey to get started was anything but.

What I Learned

Here’s the irony: the tool I was trying to buy promised to simplify my life, but the process of buying it was one of the most complicated I’ve faced.

• If I could change one thing? I’d want a faster, more intuitive decision-making process. Maybe a pricing calculator or ROI simulator to help me build my case without endless meetings.
• What kept me going? The belief that Netcore could transform GrowthCart—and that belief, thankfully, turned out to be right.

By Day 75, we finally had a signed Purchase Order. But instead of feeling relief, I was bracing myself for the next phase. If buying the tool was this hard, what would onboarding be like?

Phase 2: Pre-Sales Engagement (Days 75–97): A Test of Patience

By the time Priya from the PSS team joined, I was already feeling restless. It had been 75 days since I first discovered Netcore, and while the demos and initial conversations were promising, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were moving way too slowly.

"How hard can it be to get started?" I wondered. Little did I know, we were just getting started with the details.

1. Technical Discovery & Demo: The Deep Dive

Priya was thorough—painstakingly thorough. She wanted to understand everything about GrowthCart:

• The Demo: She showed us how Netcore worked, but at this point, I was tired of watching shiny screens. I wanted results.
• Use Case Discussions: These were helpful, but every conversation seemed to end with, “Let me include this in the plan and get back to you.”
• Tech Stack Analysis: Priya dove into our Shopify setup, Google Analytics integration, and CRM configurations. I appreciated the diligence, but every deep dive felt like another delay.
• Panel Requirements: We spent hours defining dashboards and metrics, but all I could think was: Can we skip to the part where it’s actually live?

2. The Business Requirement Document (BRD): A Necessary Evil

The BRD, Priya explained, was critical to ensure a smooth onboarding process. But to me, it felt like another mountain to climb before seeing any value.

What We Had to Provide:

• Website Platform Details: Shopify setup specifics.
• Primary Key for Panel: How data would flow.
• Infrastructure Details: Compatibility checks with existing tools.

What Priya Documented:

• Transaction vs. Revenue Focus: We clarified our goal of increasing LTV, but why did it need to take so long to get here?
• Use Case Scenarios: Cart recovery, churn reduction, and cross-selling workflows—again, valuable but still just talk.
• Metrics & Events: What behavioral data to track and how we’d measure success.

By Day 97, Priya finally completed the BRD. And while it was a thorough, well-constructed document, I couldn’t help but feel drained.

The Growing Frustration: A 97-Day Wait

Here’s the thing: I understand the need for details. But waiting three months just to finalize requirements? That was tough to swallow.

• Every meeting felt like we were inching forward, but never fast enough.
• The BRD was helpful, but at this point, I was more interested in action than paperwork.
• I started questioning if the time we spent documenting every detail would actually translate into results.

What I Needed vs. What I Got

What I needed:

• A tool that could get started in weeks, not months.
• A partner that could move at my pace—not slow me down with endless back-and-forth.

What I got:

• A detailed plan that left me impatient, wondering if the investment would ever pay off.

By the time we moved into the implementation phase, my patience was hanging by a thread. I needed to see real progress—fast.

If there’s one lesson I learned during this phase, it’s this: You can’t rush a good foundation, but you can absolutely lose a client’s confidence if it takes too long to lay.

Phase 3: Implementation Planning (Days 97–99): The Calm Before the Storm

By Day 97, Priya’s detailed BRD (Business Requirement Document) was handed off to Anita, the Onboarding Manager. I was cautiously optimistic—finally, we were moving into action.

Anita took charge, methodically turning the BRD into a Statement of Implementation (SOI) that outlined how Netcore would come to life for GrowthCart.

SOI Development (Days 97–99): Planning the Playbook

Here’s what Anita tackled in just three days:

1. Billing Criteria: Calculating costs based on Monthly Active Users (MAU).
2. Specific Use Cases: Defining what would be implemented first—cart recovery, churn reduction, and upsell workflows.
3. Behavioral Events: Identifying key actions to track, like product views, cart abandons, and purchases.
4. Implementation Timeline: Laying out a step-by-step plan to get us live.

By Day 99, we had a finalized SOI. It looked great on paper, but I couldn’t shake the question: How quickly will this actually translate into results?

Phase 4: Technical Integration & Implementation (Days 99–189): Where the Real Work Begins

Here’s the deal: the SOI promised a 45-day onboarding process. But as we soon learned, the gap between ideal and reality can be... significant.

Ideal Scenario: Onboarding in 45 Days

1. Integration Phase (Days 99–109):
2. • 7–10 days to integrate Netcore with our Shopify platform.
   • Base JavaScript injection and event tracking setup.
   • 3 days for testing and debugging.
3. Use Case Implementation (Days 109–123):
4. • 2 weeks to deploy workflows for cart recovery, personalized email campaigns, and churn reduction.
   • Journey creation, template setup, and channel configuration.
5. Monitoring & Handover (Days 123–144):
6. • 2 weeks of performance monitoring and optimization.
   • Final handover to Maya, our Customer Success Manager (CSM).

This was the timeline I was sold on. I even circled Day 144 on my calendar.

Current Reality: The 90-Day Marathon

1. Extended Integration (Days 99–129):
   What should’ve been a 10-day process stretched to 30. Why?
2. • Client Availability: Coordinating schedules with our tech team was a nightmare.
   • Call Cancellations: Meetings got rescheduled more times than I can count.
   • Technical Complications: Event tracking didn’t sync as smoothly as expected.
   • Event Integration Issues: Debugging and validation felt endless.
3. Use Case Implementation (Days 129–159):
   With integration complete, we moved into deploying use cases. But progress was slower than molasses.
4. • Creative Development: Templates took forever to finalize.
   • Approval Loops: Every campaign needed sign-off from multiple stakeholders.
   • Decision-Making Delays: Internal discussions dragged on.
   • Resource Constraints: Our team was juggling this alongside a busy Q4 marketing calendar.
5. Performance Review & Handover (Days 159–189):
   By the time we got to the performance monitoring stage, I was just relieved we’d made it this far.
6. • We spent weeks analyzing journey performance, tweaking campaigns, and reviewing revenue impact.
   • Finally, Maya, our CSM, took the reins on Day 189.

What Went Wrong?

Looking back, the delays boiled down to three key issues:

1. Integration Bottlenecks:
2. • Manual processes made panel creation and event tracking overly complicated.
   • Testing required multiple iterations, which slowed us down.
3. Creative Development Delays:
4. • Template creation was hampered by limited resources and constant back-and-forth approvals.
   • Aligning campaigns with brand guidelines became a time sink.
5. Decision Fatigue:
6. • Every decision felt like it required input from half the company.
   • Internal delays on our side compounded Netcore’s challenges.

The Bright Side: What Worked

Despite the frustration, there were silver linings:

• Detailed Planning: Anita’s SOI kept us aligned, even when things went off track.
• Thorough Testing: While slow, the integration was seamless by the end.
• Initial Wins: By Day 189, we had cart recovery flows live, churn rates dropping, and templates ready for future campaigns.

Key Challenges in Current Process

1. Integration Bottlenecks

- Manual panel creation

- Complex event tracking setup

- Client technical team availability

- Multiple rounds of testing

2. Creative Development Issues

- Delayed template creation

- Multiple approval layers

- Brand guideline compliance

- Resource constraints

3. Training & Adoption

- Mandatory certification completion

- Training video requirements

- Multiple stakeholder training

- Documentation reviews

Enters Noyonika: Redefining Onboarding with a Transformation Roadmap

Just when onboarding felt like an uphill climb, Noyonika, Netcore’s new Onboarding and Implementation Head, arrived with a fresh perspective and a roadmap that promised to turn chaos into clarity. Her plan wasn’t about incremental tweaks—it was about reimagining onboarding from the ground up.

Phase 1: Foundation – “Self-Service Discovery & Basic Automation”

The first phase focused on empowering clients with tools to simplify the early stages of onboarding.

1. Digital Lead-to-Demo Experience

No more endless meetings and repetitive demos. Instead:

• Interactive Product Demo Platform: A hands-on way for clients to explore the platform.
• Self-Guided Product Tour: Let clients discover features at their own pace.
• Live Journey Builder Simulation: See potential workflows in action.
• Revenue Impact Calculator: Show clients the ROI before they commit.
• Use Case Visualization Tool: Help clients envision solutions tailored to their needs.
• Self-Sign-Up: Reduce friction and get started faster.

2. Digital Documentation System

Documenting client requirements becomes effortless with:

• Smart BRD Generator:
• • Automated requirement collection forms.
  • Tech stack assessment tools.
  • A recommendation engine for use cases.
  • Automated resource planning to streamline the process.
• Automated SOI Creation:
• • Convert BRDs into implementation-ready SOIs with a click.
  • Integrated digital approval workflows.
  • Timelines and resource allocation mapped automatically.

3. Basic Integration Portal

Integration that doesn’t overwhelm:

• Pre-Built Connectors: Seamless setup with existing tools.
• Event Testing Framework:
• • Automated validation of events.
  • Real-time debugging tools for quick fixes.
  • Integration health monitoring to ensure smooth operations.

3. Basic Integration Portal

- Pre-built Connectors

- Event Testing Framework

• • Automated event validation
  • Real-time debugging tools
  • Integration health monitor
  • Basic error resolution

Phase 2: Automation

Theme: "Intelligent Workflows & Advanced Integration"

1. Advanced Integration Suite

- No-Code Integration Builder

• • Visual event mapper
  • Custom event creator
  • Automated validation
  • Real-time testing

- Intelligent Event Management

• • Event dependency mapper
  • Automated event injection
  • Performance monitoring
  • Error prediction

2. Journey Automation

Building campaigns becomes a breeze:

• Template Library: Ready-to-use, industry-specific templates.
• Channel Optimization Tool: Automate the process of choosing the best channels for engagement.
• A/B Testing Automation: Test and optimize campaigns without manual effort.
• Creative Automation:
• • Brand guidelines enforcement.
  • Multi-channel content generation.
  • Automated approval workflows to speed up creative processes.

3. Training Automation

Onboarding your team while onboarding the tool:

• Digital Learning Platform:
• • Interactive tutorials tailored to roles.
  • Progress tracking for accountability.
  • Automated certifications to ensure readiness.

Phase 3: Intelligence – “AI-Driven Optimization & Predictive Success”

The final phase brings AI into the mix to optimize every aspect of onboarding and beyond.

1. AI Implementation Advisor

Let AI take the guesswork out of onboarding:

• Smart recommendations for use cases and workflows.
• Resource allocation based on historical data.
• Predictive analytics to identify risks and forecast success.

2. Autonomous Optimization

Journeys that improve themselves:

• Self-optimizing workflows powered by AI.
• Real-time monitoring and adjustments for maximum impact.
• Send-time and channel optimization to boost engagement.
• AI-driven content recommendations to keep messaging relevant.

3. Client Success Automation

Ongoing success powered by automation:

• Milestone tracking to measure progress.
• Health scoring to identify potential issues early.
• Early warning systems to prevent churn.

Product Teardown

Truth Be Told: The Work is Still in Progress : As much as I’d like to say the onboarding roadmap is complete, the reality is that I couldn’t finalize the improved designs for all three phases. There are still gaps to address and ideas to refine.

The Pain Points: Where Onboarding Fell Short

Through this teardown, I pinpointed exactly where onboarding was breaking down:

1. Overly Manual Processes

• Too much reliance on manual data entry during integration.
• Event tracking setup required constant back-and-forth between clients and engineers.
• Creative workflows were bogged down by approval loops and resource bottlenecks.

2. Lack of Automation

• No automated validation for events, leading to delays in testing and debugging.
• Workflow creation required multiple steps that could’ve been streamlined with a no-code solution.

3. Disjointed Client Experience

• Clients like Sarah had to juggle between multiple Netcore teams (sales, onboarding, and success) without a unified view.
• The platform lacked self-service tools, forcing clients to rely on us for even basic tasks.

4. Unrealistic Timelines

• The “ideal” onboarding plan assumed perfect conditions, which rarely exist.
• Delays in creative approvals, client availability, and technical challenges stretched timelines to nearly double.

Netcore product teardown.pdf

1. Simplified Core Narrative

🌟 Core Value Proposition:
Drive business growth through personalized, AI-powered customer engagement and seamless omnichannel marketing automation.

🚩 Problem Statement: Most businesses face challenges like:

• Complex and lengthy integration setups.
• Juggling multiple disconnected tools.
• Unlocking customer data’s true potential to fuel revenue growth.

💡 Solution: Netcore provides:

• Unified marketing automation with seamless integrations.
• AI-driven insights to boost conversions and retention.
• A platform designed for quick wins and scalable success.

2. Hypothesized Activation Metrics

To drive retention, referrals, and higher LTV, success hinges on achieving early, tangible ROI and solving ICP-specific challenges.

3. Activation Metric: Campaign Creation Framework

🎯 Goal: "Customer executes 10 campaigns within 30 days, achieving a 2% revenue uplift."

Milestone 1: Audience Creation

📊 Success Metric: Create 3 active audience segments.

• Segments: Basic (all users), behavior-based (e.g., cart abandoners), value-based (e.g., high-value customers).

🔑 Why Critical:

• Lays the foundation for targeted campaigns.
• Validates data flow and customer understanding.
• Enables personalized communication.

Milestone 2: Content Creation

📋 Success Metric: Build templates for 3 primary channels.

• Channels: Email with dynamic content, SMS with personalization, push notifications.

🔑 Why Critical:

• Demonstrates understanding of platform features.
• Ensures creative and brand consistency.
• Accelerates campaign deployment.

Milestone 3: Campaign Setup

⚙️ Success Metric: Configure complete campaign settings.

• Steps: Channel selection, audience mapping, A/B testing, scheduling.

🔑 Why Critical:

• Highlights technical and strategic expertise.
• Ensures campaigns are effective and goal-oriented.

Milestone 4: Campaign Deployment

🚀 Success Metric: Successfully launch and monitor campaigns.

• Checklist: UTM parameters, analytics tracking, A/B tests, and dashboards.

🔑 Why Critical:

• Demonstrates end-to-end platform mastery.
• Provides measurable results for ROI tracking.

4. ICP-Specific Customization

5. Metrics Aligned with Retention, Referrals, and LTV

The Big Picture: What Makes This Blueprint Work?

1. 🚀 Tangible Wins: Early ROI builds trust and platform stickiness.
2. 🤖 Scalable Success: From SMBs to enterprises, milestones are tailored to grow with the business.
3. 💡 Comprehensive Value: Measurable metrics ensure alignment with retention, referrals, and LTV growth.