First Five Loans Onboarding
Give live support until users cross the initial learning threshold
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 97%
LendingPad's onboarding policy concentrates human support on a user's first five loans. Yuan starts from the premise that change is hard and that people resist leaving a comfortable system. Training alone is not enough, so users are encouraged to enter live support while handling their first real files. A support person walks through the work shoulder to shoulder, and skill-based routing finds the right expertise when a specialized question appears. The threshold is deliberately concrete: after roughly five loans, LendingPad's observed users generally find the system much easier and can proceed with less help. The approach turns adoption from an abstract software lesson into guided practice on real work, with support strongest when the cost of confusion is highest.
Origin
Extracted from Coffeez for Closers from Yuan's description of LendingPad's transition support for customers switching loan origination systems.
Core principles
- 01Expect resistance because change disrupts comfort
- 02Support users intensively during their first real cases
- 03Route questions to the right expertise quickly
- 04Reduce support as users gain experience and confidence
How to run it
- 1
Prepare for resistance
Recognize that users may fear leaving a familiar system. Explain the transition and open their mindset to learning before live work starts.
Pro tip Treat reluctance as a normal response to change rather than user failure.
Watch out Do not assume a new interface will feel easy immediately.
- 2
Train the basics
Provide foundational training and show users where to get support. Keep the training connected to the files they will actually handle.
Pro tip Use real workflow language familiar to experienced professionals.
Watch out Classroom explanation without live practice may not cross the learning threshold.
- 3
Guide five real cases
Invite the user into live support for each of the first five loans. Have someone answer questions and walk through the file shoulder to shoulder.
Pro tip Concentrate the highest-touch support where early uncertainty is greatest.
Watch out A delayed answer can be costly when a loan file needs to close.
- 4
Route specialist questions
Use skill-based routing to connect each issue with the relevant expertise in real time where possible. Escalate questions that need deeper investigation.
Pro tip Route by the expertise required, not merely by who is available.
Watch out Complex questions may still require a day or two for a correct answer.
- 5
Confirm independence
After the initial loans, check whether the user can operate without intensive support. Keep help available, but let repeated use strengthen confidence and speed.
Pro tip Use the five-loan threshold as a checkpoint rather than an automatic cutoff.
Watch out Different experience levels can produce different adoption speeds.
In the wild
When a mortgage professional moves from another loan origination system, LendingPad provides training and asks the user to join live support for the first five loans. A team member walks through files and routes specialist questions to the right expertise.
→ Yuan says users usually pick up the system after the beginning period and find it easier with continued use.
Common mistakes
Ending support after training
The method depends on guided execution through real files, not training alone.
Using generic support routing
Yuan describes skill-based routing because different file issues require different expertise.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for customer-success teams onboarding professionals onto consequential workflow software.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for simple tools where users do not need to complete real, high-stakes cases to learn the product.
From the transcript
“change is hard you know no one wants to change right so once you're comfortable you don't want to change”
“for the first five loans we want people to jump in life support you know you get someone to answer your call walk you through…”
“internally we have different it's called skill-based routing systems going on you know depends on what what kind of expertise you need”
From the episode
How to be Leader in your Industry ft. CEO Wes Yuan
CEO Wes Yuan