How Sellsy Uses Tandem to Drive +18% Activation Lift and Transform User Onboarding

Tandem helps Europe's leading CRM platform guide 22,000 companies through complex onboarding flows, turning small business users into activated customers without human intervention

The Challenge: Making Complex CRM Onboarding Self-Serve

Sellsy, the all-in-one CRM platform serving 22,000 companies, needed users to complete multiple critical actions to see value: email connection, signature setup, calendar sync, and template creation. But for their small business customers, the economics didn't support human onboarding.

"We had already invested in automated onboarding tools, but wanted to do even better," explains Marie Odile Carrus, Team Lead of Acquisition and Growth at Sellsy. "Our users needed guidance through complex workflows, but traditional approaches weren't delivering the results we wanted."

The stakes were clear: every percentage point improvement in activation directly impacted revenue. Sidney Ouarzazi, VP of Marketing, challenged the team to dramatically improve activation rates using their existing resources.

Impact Summary

• +18% increase in user activation compared to previous automated solution (A/B tested)
• Thousands of users successfully self-onboarded
• <1 week implementation with minimal engineering support
• 40% faster time-to-first-value for new users
• 3-10x higher engagement than traditional onboarding tools

The Solution: AI Guidance That Appears at the Perfect Moment

Sellsy implemented Tandem in under a week. The AI agent guides users through their critical onboarding sequence, but what makes it special is its timing and contextual awareness.

"Tandem understands when users actually need help," says Carrus. "It's not about forcing users through flows—it's about being there at the exact moment they're ready to take action."

Use Case: The "Guide + Recapture" Formula That Actually Works

Most onboarding tools fail because they force users through flows at the wrong time. Tandem discovered a simple but powerful formula:

Guide when users are ready + Recapture when they show intent = Successful activation

Traditional onboarding forces users through rigid flows at signup. Tandem's approach combines two key elements:

1. Guidance: AI that helps users complete actions step-by-step 2. Recapture: Smart timing that re-engages users when they're actually trying to use a feature

Here's how it works in practice:

The Tandem Flow:

1. New user signs up → Tandem offers optional AI-guided onboarding
2. User accepts → Tandem guides through email connection, signature setup, calendar sync
3. User drops off mid-flow → Tandem quietly disappears
4. User later tries to send an email → Tandem reappears: "I notice you haven't set up your email signature yet. Would you like me to help you set it up now? It only takes 30 seconds."
5. User completes setup in context → Activation achieved

This contextual approach means users get help when they actually want it, not when the software decides they need it.

Why the Guide + Recapture formula works:

• Users aren't forced through flows when they're not ready
• Help appears exactly when users demonstrate intent (trying to use a feature)
• Questions get answered in context, making guidance more relevant
• No frustration from intrusive popups or forced tutorials

Real user interactions with Tandem:

• "What is a variable?" (when creating email templates)
• "Why do I need to connect my calendar?"
• "Can you help me create my first email template?"

Tandem answers these questions in real-time while guiding users through each step.

Results: Growth Team Achieves Record Activation Rates

Sellsy ran a comprehensive A/B test comparing Tandem to their existing solution:

Week 1: Setup and configuration (just 5 days!)

Week 2-5: A/B test with 50/50 traffic split

Results: Tandem cohort showed +18% higher activation

"We went from good automation to great automation," notes Carrus. "Tandem transformed onboarding into a genuine competitive advantage. Our users actually thank us for the onboarding experience now."

Beyond the numbers, the growth team saw unexpected benefits:

• Support tickets for onboarding issues dropped significantly
• Users completed setup flows 40% faster
• The growth team could focus on optimization rather than troubleshooting

Looking Forward: Expanding AI-Guided Experiences

With onboarding transformed, Sellsy is expanding Tandem across their product:

Next initiatives with Christophe Pecquerie, CPO:

• Feature discovery campaigns to increase retention
• Revenue expansion through timely upgrade prompts
• Proactive support deflection

"We believe in this approach of detecting user intent and offering help at the perfect moment," says Pecquerie. "It's the future of how software should work—intelligent, helpful, but never intrusive."

About Sellsy

Sellsy provides an all-in-one CRM platform for small and medium businesses, combining sales, marketing, and invoicing tools in a single solution.

Industry: CRM/Sales Software

Headquarters: La Rochelle, France

Founded: 2009

Customers: 22,000 companies

Website: sellsy.com