Digital Product · APAC
Account Opening
From a 9-step paper process to same-day digital onboarding — scaled across all of APAC.
Role
Product Manager · UX Designer
Scope
China → APAC
Outcome
+8% MoM · 95% CSAT
Redesigned landing page
Overview
Role
Product Manager & UX Designer
Team
PM, UX Designer, Vendor, CS, Sales, Legal, IT, Onboarding
KPIs
Account growth · Onboarding time · CSAT on submission
Background
Opening a FedEx account had always been an entirely offline process — prospective customers were required to download a paper form, complete it by hand, and arrange for a courier to physically deliver the form to a FedEx office for approval. This created significant friction at every stage of the onboarding journey, both for customers and for internal teams.
Problem
The paper-based process resulted in low conversion rates, as many prospective customers abandoned the process rather than complete a manual form. Handwritten submissions introduced human error, and the multi-day wait for courier delivery and approval meant customers could not ship immediately. Internally, the account-opening team spent significant time manually re-entering paper form data into systems, adding operational overhead and compounding the error risk.
The Design Process
From Empathy to Evaluation
Every decision in this project was grounded in a structured design process — moving from deep user research through to validated, scaled outcomes.
Stakeholder interviews, competitive benchmarking, credit threshold study
Journey mapping, pain points, internal process flow
Constraint analysis, creative solution architecture
Landing page, application form, documents, thank you page
Prototype testing, Guangzhou pilot, APAC rollout
01 / Empathize
Understanding the System Before Designing the Solution
Before any design work began, we ran three parallel research streams to ensure the solution would be compliant, competitive, and commercially viable from day one.
01
Internal Stakeholder Interviews
Structured interviews with Customer Service, Legal, Sales, Onboarding, IT, and Pricing teams to map mandatory fields and identify which documents were legally required in hard-copy format — a constraint that would shape the entire solution architecture.
02
Heuristic Research & Competitive Benchmarking
Heuristic analysis to identify required UI patterns for prototyping, and mystery shopping to benchmark the account opening process across major competing carriers in APAC — surfacing gaps where the process was significantly more friction-heavy than competitors.
03
Credit Threshold Study
Assessed appropriate credit limits for customers opening accounts without prior shipping history, balancing commercial risk exposure against the need to reduce onboarding friction and enable immediate shipping. This informed the one-time credit approval model central to the solution.
02 / Define
Mapping the Journey — Before and After
With research in hand, we defined the customer pain points, delighters, and needs for the offline account opening process. We mapped the existing 9-step journey against a proposed new flow — making the friction visible and building the case for a streamlined digital process.
Click any map to view full resolution
Internal Process Flow
In parallel, we coordinated with internal teams — Customer Relations, Dedicated CR, and Inside Sales — to map out the end-to-end internal process flow. This ensured the digital solution would integrate seamlessly with existing operational workflows and that every team understood their responsibilities in the new model.
Internal process flow — coordinated across Customer Relations, Dedicated CR, and Inside Sales
Key Pain Points Identified
Customers had to wait for CS to call them before receiving the forms
Forms were sent as blank PDFs — customers filled them manually
Physical submission via post or courier added 3–5 business days
Internal team re-keyed all paper data into systems manually
Customer Delighters Defined
No need to wait for CS to call — self-serve from day one
Forms auto-generated from customer input — no manual filling
Same-day account activation with one-time credit approval
Clear guided process with fewer steps and immediate feedback
03 / Ideate
The Constraint That Shaped the Solution
During alignment with Legal, we discovered that certain documents — the Monthly Credit (MC) application form and the Known Consignor (KC) Declaration — were legally required to remain in hard-copy format. A fully paperless process was not an option. This constraint ruled out the most obvious solution and forced a more creative approach.
The Insight
"Rather than removing the physical form, we removed the waiting — decoupling document submission from account activation."
We enabled an upload function for the required documents so that the team receives them immediately for review. Upon digital submission, customers receive one-time credit approval — allowing them to start shipping the same day. The physical form is then submitted together with the customer's first shipment, satisfying legal requirements without adding a separate courier step or delaying onboarding.
1
Digital Upload
Customer uploads required documents digitally — received immediately for review, without waiting for courier delivery.
2
One-Time Credit Approval
Upon digital submission, customers receive one-time credit approval — enabling same-day shipping. No waiting period.
3
Physical Form with First Shipment
The hard-copy form is submitted with the customer's first shipment — satisfying Legal without adding friction to onboarding.
04 / Prototype
Redesigning the End-to-End Experience
We redesigned every touchpoint of the account opening journey — from the landing page that first communicates the process, to the application form, the auto-generated documents, and the thank you page that closes the loop.
01 — Landing Page
The previous page sent users to a generic lead form with no explanation of account types. The redesigned page introduced a clear entry point per account type, a "Learn More" accordion for documentation requirements, and a guided 3-step process overview.
Before
After
Redesigned Landing Page — Key Features
Three deliberate design decisions made the new landing page significantly more effective at converting visitors into applicants.
Clear account type entry points
Corp Monthly Credit, Corp Cash, and Individual accounts each have a dedicated 'Open Account' CTA — no ambiguity about where to start.
Learn More accordion
Explains documentation requirements and the MC first-shipment service upfront — reducing drop-off from customers surprised by document requirements mid-flow.
Guided 3-step process
A visual step indicator sets expectations before the customer begins — reducing anxiety and abandonment.
02 — Application Form & Auto-Generated Documents
The application form collected all required business information in a single online step. Upon submission, the MC and KC forms were automatically generated as PDFs with the customer's data pre-filled — eliminating manual form completion and reducing error risk.
Online application form → auto-generated MC & KC documents
Single online form
All required business information captured in one step — no separate forms for different account types.
Auto-generated MC Form
Monthly Credit application form auto-populated with customer data — no manual re-entry by internal teams.
Auto-generated KC Form
Known Consignor Declaration auto-populated and attached to the confirmation email for physical submission with first shipment.
03 — Documents Preparation — Combined Into One Step
Previously, customers had to wait for CS to call, then receive blank PDF forms by email, fill them manually, and courier them in. The new process combined all of this into a single online step.
04 — Thank You Page — Closing the Loop
The previous thank you page provided no reference number and no clear next steps. The redesigned page gave customers a unique application reference number, a download link for the auto-generated forms, and a satisfaction rating widget.
Before
After
Unique application reference number
Gives customers immediate peace of mind — they can track and follow up on their application without calling CS.
Download auto-generated forms
MC and KC forms pre-filled with customer data, ready to sign and submit with first shipment — no manual filling required.
Satisfaction rating widget
Captures CSAT at the moment of completion — providing a continuous feedback loop for future improvements.
05 — Pilot Features — Full Overview
The pilot launched with a complete set of features: a flat-rate welcome discount, a "Learn More" section for documentation guidance, digitalized form preparation, an auto thank-you email with reference number and document attachments, a redesigned global welcome email, a virtual assistant, a thank-you survey, and a clearer guided 3-step process.
Full pilot feature set
Flat-rate welcome discount
Removed the need for a CS profiling call to assign a discount — customers receive a flat rate automatically on account opening.
Digitalized form preparation
MC and KC forms auto-generated from customer input — no blank PDFs, no manual filling, no data re-entry by internal teams.
Auto thank-you email
Sent immediately on submission with a unique reference number and document attachments — giving customers confidence and a clear paper trail.
Virtual assistant & survey
Ask FedEx chatbot answers account questions online; thank-you survey captures CSAT at the moment of completion for continuous improvement.
05 / Test
From Prototype to Pilot to Regional Scale
Every stage of validation was designed to reduce risk before the next commitment — starting with a high-fidelity prototype tested with non-FedEx shippers, iterating once based on feedback, then running a 3-month city pilot before scaling.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Built from research findings and tested with non-FedEx shippers who were currently using competing carriers — giving us unbiased feedback on the new flow.
Iteration & Refinement
Incorporated user feedback and refined the flow once before moving to pilot. UAT was also conducted with key internal stakeholders including Customer Services and Sales.
Guangzhou City Pilot
3-month pilot in Guangzhou with real customers. Monitored account growth vs. baseline, onboarding time, and CSAT scores to validate the solution before broader rollout.
China-Wide Rollout
Following successful pilot results, the solution was scaled to other China markets with the same core flow and feature set.
APAC Scale
With China results validated, the solution was adapted and rolled out across all APAC markets — becoming the regional standard for digital account opening.
06 / Results
Outcomes & Impact
The digital account opening solution delivered measurable improvements across every key metric — from customer satisfaction to operational efficiency.
+8%
Month-over-Month Growth in New Account Openings
Sustained lift post-launch
95%
Customer Satisfaction Rate
On submission experience
Same Day
Account Activation
Down from 3–5 business days
0
Manual Data Re-entry
Eliminated entirely via auto-generation
Key Learnings
Constraints are design inputs, not blockers
Legal requirements for hard-copy documents felt like a dead end — but they forced a creative middle path. Enabling digital uploads for immediate credit approval, while deferring the physical form to the first shipment, turned a constraint into a better experience.
Pilot before you scale — data earns confidence
Starting with a 3-month pilot in Guangzhou gave us real-world validation before committing to a full regional rollout. The data from that pilot was the single most persuasive artefact for securing buy-in to scale across China and then all of APAC.
Cross-functional alignment is as critical as UX
The hardest design problems on this project were organisational. Getting Legal, Sales, IT, and Customer Service to agree on requirements and timelines required as much craft and persistence as any prototype iteration.
Priscilla Karen Yau · 2026