We need an AI tool that can guide new customers through setup and answer onboarding questions in-app

Two jobs, one tool

Guide setup

Here the tool leads. It asks what the customer wants to get done, then takes them to the next step in their own account. It keeps going until setup is done, not just until one answer is given.

Answer onboarding questions

Here the customer leads. In the middle of setup they ask "what does this field mean?" or "why can't I click this?". A good answer uses your help docs and what is on their screen. Then the tool goes back to the setup step.

When guidance and answers sit in two tools, the customer has to leave setup to ask, and often does not come back. For what the agent itself must do, see choosing an AI agent to walk users through setup.

What "in-app" should mean

Ask each vendor how the tool shows up in your product:

• Where it appears. A button, a prompt on a certain screen, or a link in your welcome email.
• Who starts it. The customer, or a trigger such as a new user landing on the setup page.
• What it can see. Only its own chat window, or the customer's screen.
• What your developers do. A script tag, or weeks of work. And who keeps it up to date after launch.
• Whether it works outside your app. Many setup steps happen in another tool, like a CRM or a spreadsheet.

Test it on your own product in a week

Do not judge from a demo on the vendor's product. Run this test instead.

1. Pick three setup tasks. Choose the ones new customers struggle with most.
2. Collect ten real questions. Take them from last month's chats and tickets from new customers.
3. Add one blocker. For example, a missing permission or a file in the wrong format.
4. Run each task as a new customer. Use a fresh test account. See if the tool guides you to the end.
5. Ask the questions mid-task. Check that the answers are right and that the tool brings you back to the step.
6. Ask for a person. See what your team receives and where it lands.
7. Read the report. Check that it shows what was done and where you got stuck.

Score each tool on finished tasks and correct answers, not on how the chat window looks.

How the main tool types handle both jobs

See our reviews of Fin, Pendo and Userpilot. For more on how these types differ, see our guide to AI in-app onboarding assistants.

Where Cor fits

Obi is Cor's AI onboarding agent. A customer starts a live session from a link or from a button inside your product. Obi asks what they want to get done, sees their screen and guides setup step by step. When they ask a question, Obi answers from your help docs and what is on their screen, then carries on with setup. Where you permit it, Obi completes steps on their behalf after the customer confirms.

Your developer adds Obi to your product with a script tag. After that, your team sets where it appears and who sees it, without code. When a customer needs a person, Obi hands over with what they were doing and where they got stuck. After each session, your team gets a report. Teams using Obi see up to 2.5x faster onboarding.

See Obi inside your product

To compare live setup options, see our guide to the best AI onboarding agents.

How to choose

• If customers need help with setup and ask questions along the way, pick a tool that does both jobs, like a live onboarding agent.
• If customers rarely get stuck in setup and mostly ask questions later, a support bot may be enough.
• If your setup is a few simple steps, product tours may be enough.
• If you already use a support bot, keep it for later questions and add an in-app tool for setup.
• Whatever you pick, run the one-week test first.