Customer Experience Audit and
Engagement Strategy for a Financial Investing Tool

CX | Audit | Research | Strategy

About the Company:

ValueGlance

ValueGlance is a personal investing tool that helps people find high-quality stocks for long-term investing.

Industry:

FinTech (SaaS)

Introduction

ValueGlance is an investing tool designed to assist long-term investors. Many users discovered the tool through the founder’s book, which introduced key investing principles. As a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), ValueGlance had been in the market for a year, gathering valuable user feedback.

As we approached Q1, our primary focus was on adding new features to our stock analysis tool. However, before implementing these updates, we recognized the importance of retaining our existing customers and improving the overall customer experience.

Our early-stage SaaS product presented an opportunity to engage and retain users effectively. Before launching new features, we needed to identify gaps in the end-to-end customer experience, enhance email campaigns, and introduce new tools aligned with team needs.

We realized that proactive customer retention efforts—such as timely outreach, trust-building initiatives, offering one-month free trials, and refining the onboarding experience—would be essential for increasing conversion rates.

My Role

Project Lead
(UX Designer)

Duration

3 weeks
July 2024

Team

Stakeholders: Co-founder, CTO and CMO
Design Team-3 Developers-2

Tools

Data Analysis: AWS, Google Analytics, Stripe
Presentation: Miro, Google Slides
Design: Figma

Business Objective

Timeline

Week 1: Defined the problem statement by conducting three sessions with the CMO. Audited and documented findings to present to stakeholders. Held one session with the CMO to finalize the strategic plan.

Week 2: Presented findings and strategic plans to stakeholders and began implementation.

1) Define the Problem Statement

2) Audit
Customer Interaction touchpoints


1) Present the findings

2) Implement Solutions

Methodology

Data Analysis

Analyzed data from the past 6 months to understand user behavior and pain points. Google Analytics (highlighted weaknesses in acquisition and engagement to identify behavior patterns and drop-off points), over 100 AWS feedback forms (provided insights into customer frustrations and feature requests), 50+ customer support emails (recurring issues and communication gaps), and user cancellations from Stripe.

Customer Touchpoint Audit

Conducted an audit of customer touchpoints to identify friction points, such as a complex signup process or confusing navigation, enabling direct solutions to boost conversion rates. Optimizing key touchpoints, like onboarding or pricing pages, can significantly increase the likelihood of converting potential customers.

AARRR framework

Used the AARRR framework to track and analyze the entire customer lifecycle, from acquisition to revenue generation, helping identify bottlenecks and optimize marketing, sales, and product development for sustainable growth.

Customer Touchpoint Audit - Key Findings

The customer touchpoints audit for the ValueGlance platform aims to identify and improve user interactions to enhance experience and engagement. It will uncover issues affecting usability, consistency, and trust across key stages like sign-in, registration, dashboard, and support. The goal is to provide actionable insights to optimize touchpoints and align them with user expectations, strengthening the brand's customer interactions.

Password Reset Delays

Problem: Delayed password reset emails and lack of support can frustrate customers, leading to lost interest, patience, and potential churn.
Recommendation: 
Test email deliverability and provide accessible support options, such as a help center link or chatbot.

Lack of Dedicated Billing Support Channel

Problem: Users lack a direct support channel for billing issues, such as refunds, payment problems, or plan changes, leading to frustration.
Recommendation: Implement a dedicated email address for billing-related inquiries to streamline support and improve user satisfaction.

Lack of Onboarding for New Users

Problem: New users receive no onboarding video or follow-up email, making it harder to engage with the dashboard.
Recommendation: Add an onboarding video pop-up and a follow-up email to improve user guidance and retention.

Inconsistent Social Media Branding

Problem: Inconsistent logos across social media platforms may cause users to doubt the credibility and freshness of the platform's posts.
Recommendation: Standardize the logo across all social media platforms to enhance brand consistency and user trust.

Identify Gaps - through AARRR framework

To structure our analysis and improve customer engagement, I leveraged the AARRR framework (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue):

  1. Identify Gaps: Understanding weaknesses in acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and revenue at different customer lifecycle stages.

  2. Team Delegation: Assigning responsibilities to dedicated teams for implementing improvements in each area.

Through this analysis, we uncovered significant opportunities we had previously overlooked:

  • Referral Program: A missed opportunity to encourage user referrals.

  • Onboarding Experience: Gaps in onboarding that could have improved user conversion.

  • Email Communication: Lack of structured email communication that could help build early trust with customers.

Prioritization Matrix

I presented my findings to the stakeholders—including the CMO, Designer, Developers, and Co-founder—and collaborated on prioritizing key initiatives for the upcoming Q4. We decided to focus on the following:

  • Win-Back Strategy: Implement email engagement campaigns and offer discounts to users who canceled their subscriptions.

  • Automated Onboarding Emails: Streamlining the onboarding process by automating emails for new users to guide them through key features.

  • Support Email Accessibility: Providing a dedicated support email at various touchpoints across the SaaS platform to enhance user assistance.

Implement Email ‘Win Back’ Strategy Campaign

Steps 1 and 2: Gather Qualitative Data and Categorize Users
:

To re-engage users and improve communication, I gathered data from multiple sources, including Google Analytics, Stripe, Google Form Surveys, and AWS.

Compiled all feedback into a structured Excel sheet, presenting it to stakeholders with categorized insights.

Based on user feedback, we developed tailored email campaigns aimed at improving retention and strengthening customer relationships.

Image: Some user information has been blurred.

Steps 3: Create Email Templates:

“In Progress” Category User’s Feedback Response

“Solved” Category User’s Feedback Response

“Cancelled Subscription” Category User’s Feedback Response

Results

The win-back email campaign successfully reactivated churned subscribers, increasing 20% returning customers and improving retention rates within 6 months.

Reflection

  • Taking the Lead – Stepping into this project was both exciting and a bit daunting. Auditing the customer experience meant more than just identifying gaps—it was about understanding how users feel and interact with our platform.

  • Learning from the CMO – Working closely with the CMO gave me a deeper appreciation of the product vision and how customer experience ties into business success.

  • Exploring CX Strategies – I read articles, spoke with CX experts, and analyzed different strategies to see what truly makes an impact.

  • A Continuous Journey – This project showed me how small changes can make a big difference. I’m excited to keep learning, experimenting, and improving the user experience.