The client onboarding process provides the necessary resources for clients to work with your business.
It also increases the likelihood of new clients becoming satisfied and long-term clients and/or customers. The onboarding process outlines a communication plan and answers any and all questions that may arise. A streamlined onboarding process is important for efficient communication, data management, and collaboration. The goal of a good client onboarding process is to ensure that both you and the client are on the same page in terms of key details and expectations. It allows for enhanced client satisfaction and fostering long-term relationships. The first impression you make on a new client can significantly impact how they perceive your business. A properly onboarded client understands the value of your services, knows the timeline of expectations, and is confident that you’re going to deliver.
Why is client onboarding important?
The quality of your first interaction with a client will determine how well you work together in the future.
A good client onboarding process ensures the client’s journey with your business begins on a positive note and paves the way for a long-standing partnership. It can help your business build strong client relationships by:
- Lowering churn rates: Churn rate is the percentage of clients and/or customers who stop doing business with a company over a given period of time. A good client onboarding process improves client satisfaction. Satisfied clients are less likely to abandon you halfway through their experience. So, a solid onboarding lowers the client/customer churn rate for your business.
- Reduces client complaints: When there are clear expectations from the beginning there is a better chance clients will have few, if any, complaints. And reduced client complaints can overall improve the onboarding experience.
- Encourages word-of-mouth marketing: when clients are impressed with your work, they’re more likely to refer you to others. If you meet and surpass your client’s expectations, they’ll share the success story with the world, bringing more new clients to you.
Your goal for the onboarding process should be to make sure your client feels confident about working with you.
The client onboarding process might vary widely from business to business, but the main steps stay the same.
Send a welcome email.
Depending on how a client heard of your business and contacted you for your services, you might have already sent an email after a discovery phone call or outbound engagement. However, that shouldn’t stop you from welcoming new clients again. A good introduction email should be concise, interesting, and individualized for each client. You can’t approach every new client relationship in an identical way. Effective business practices involve attentiveness to the needs and objectives for each one of your clients. This is especially meaningful to provide the groundwork for an ideal partnership, because people do business together.
What this means is you should have a client-focused strategy plan ready to go. Acknowledge the client’s fears, concerns, and questions at the outset and develop the trust from thereon out. Reiterate how you intend to address any worries expressed during the onboarding meeting. Be Organized. Organization is imperative throughout the client onboarding process.
Schedule an onboarding meeting.
A client onboarding meeting is a great opportunity to learn more about your client and how they operate. This is especially true if you haven’t worked with them in the past. If possible, it’s best to hold this meeting with a new client in-person. It is a great opportunity to get to know one another better and establish a trusting relationship. If face-to-face isn’t an option, set up a virtual meeting ahead of time and be sure to distribute a proposal and/or any project details you’ll be referencing to the clients. A client relationship that doesn’t have clear expectations is doomed for failure, so make sure to set any and all expectations upfront.
Here are some things to consider when planning for a client onboarding meeting:
- Introductions
- Expectations
- Milestones
- Next Steps
- Questions
- Documentation
- Follow Up
Discuss desired outcomes.
A desired outcome is a statement that makes goals more concrete. During your client meeting, you will want to take some time to talk generally about what success means to you. You will also want to ask your client the same question; what does success mean to them? Engaging in conversation about what success means to both of you and how you can work together to achieve the desired goals is a must. Any successful client onboarding process has a goal in mind. You should already have an idea of what your client is hoping to accomplish and a clear understanding of what you’re working with. The more clearly you set expectations for your client and your team, the easier it will be for everyone to stay on track. Be sure that you don’t over promise anything you can’t deliver on.
Develop a goal and a plan to move forward.
One of the most important parts of a successful onboarding process is learning about your client’s needs. Every client is different and will have different resources to work with. When you understand their strengths and weaknesses, you will be able to develop a plan that works best with them. Once initial questions are out of the way, take time to review the project goals, milestones, and processes. Walk through the roles of everyone involved. Be sure to be as transparent as possible; sugar-coating what you expect of a client on their end can lead to miscommunication down the road. If an expectation or responsibility you have in mind doesn’t seem to go over well with your client, take the time to talk through it now. Don’t wait. Work together to figure out a solution so both parties are happy and feel positive about the professional relationship being formed.
Create a communication plan.
If you haven’t established a communication plan yet, now is the time to do so. How do you plan to report progress to your client? What are their communication expectations? It might be a good idea to write down a checklist of responsibilities. If you need anything from your client in order to start, let them know and create a plan so you can get to work as soon as possible. It’s also not a bad idea to make sure to walk through the expectations one more time, just to ensure everyone is on the same page. You can never go wrong with open and clear communication.
If the client onboarding process goes well, you and the client will establish clearly defined and shared goals.
These goals will keep both of you focused, realistic, and happy with one another. In other words, client onboarding helps you just as much as it helps the client. The client onboarding process serves as an opportunity to provide your clients with an outline of the work that lies ahead. New clients acquire the necessary knowledge, understanding, and tools needed to be a good client. And the service provider or team acquires the necessary knowledge, understanding, and tools needed to help their client reach their business goals. A seamless, well-executed client onboarding process sets the stage for success, demonstrating your businesses commitment to meeting and exceeding the client’s expectations.
