The marketing and sales teams engage new leads to become your customers and grow your business’s ROI. Also, this hard work pays off, and new customers will join your company.
Then what? The process isn’t done yet! You have to create a client onboarding guide to give them important data, welcome them, and more.
The aim of this article is to let you know how to onboard your clients. We will review all the necessary things that you should know, such as:
- What is client onboarding?
- Why is client onboarding important?
- How do you onboard new clients?
What is client onboarding?
Client onboarding is the process of welcoming new clients to your company. Client onboarding allows you to give clients the required information and begin building a relationship.
Why is client onboarding important?
The new client onboarding process plays a pivotal role in maintaining clients for your business. Here are some reasons why you should onboard your clients:
1. Consider client onboarding like your first date! You should make a good impression and use the time to understand your client’s goals and needs, those problems that your business is the solution to!
2. An effective client onboarding process ensures your team is well-prepared and not rushing to assist new clients. This approach minimizes confusion and stress, as your team is already familiar with the steps to welcome a new client.
3. The new client onboarding process makes your clients happy, and they can trust you easily because you are showing them that they are important to your business and giving them value.
4. Inadequate onboarding is a leading cause of clients leaving within the first 90 days. Implementing a robust onboarding process is key to reducing customer turnover and maintaining engagement.
Effectively, client onboarding is essential for retaining them and ensuring their long-term commitment to your business.
8-Step New Client Onboarding Process
Here is how to create the perfect client onboarding process. Follow the guide:
1. Send a Welcome Message
The first important step in your client onboarding process is to send them a welcome message. This shows the tone of your relationship with the client and creates a positive initial impression.
Your welcome message should be straightforward and contain essential information such as:
- A greeting message that aligns with your brand’s style.
- A recap of the specific products or services the client has opted for (vital if your business offers a variety).
- Details of how to reach customer service.
- An expression of your enthusiasm about collaborating with the client.
Send an easy-to-read, simple, and engaging message. Ensure your clients understand how excited you are to work with them.
2. Set Your Expectations
After welcoming new clients, setting expectations is the next step in your client onboarding process.
After sending a welcome email to your clients, send another email to clearly explain what services you will provide. This is especially important if you offer various services, as it helps avoid any misunderstandings about what is included in their package.
You’ll want to ensure you review the following:
- Products/services provided to the client
- Services offered by our team to the client
- Options for customer service and support
- Expectations for the client relationship
Sending this information effectively clarifies to your clients what they will receive from you and establishes realistic expectations for your partnership.
3. Make Sure All Legal Documents are in Order
The third step in your client onboarding process is one of the most important ones, and you should make sure all of your legal documents are in order.
While you are onboarding new clients, you need a well-crafted contract. The contract will outline all the services you provide to the customer.
It’s important to have all necessary legal documents prepared. For instance, if you run a healthcare software company, you need documents for HIPAA compliance. When working with high-profile clients, you might have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which should be included in your legal paperwork. Additionally, ensure that you have a documented payment agreement with the client, which acts as a contract specifying the agreed payment amount, schedule, and method.
Reviewing all your legal documents is an important step in your new client onboarding process. It guarantees that everything is arranged correctly and that both you and your client can proceed in the relationship with the assurance that both parties’ interests are safeguarded.
4. Create an Assessment for Your Clients
This is the next important step for your client onboarding process. To better understand your clients and their needs, you should evaluate them. When your sales team initially engaged these clients to work with your company, they collected some basic information. Now, it’s time to dig deeper.
To do this, create a questionnaire for your clients. This questionnaire will help you find out what they expect and desire from your company. Understanding their expectations will guide you in figuring out which resources you should use to assist them in reaching their goals.
Your assessment questions can include the following:
1. What goals do you aim to achieve with our service or product?
2. How do you plan to allocate your budget?
3. Are there specific key performance indicators (KPIs) you’re trying to reach? If so, what are they?
4. What assets and resources do you currently possess?
5. Who is your ideal customer?
5. Have a Client Meeting with Your Team
Having a client meeting with your team is the other important part of your client onboarding process.
During the client meeting you should:
- Begin by introducing the client to our project team.
- Introduce the main point of contact who will be assisting the client throughout the project.
- Review the client’s objectives and goals for the project.
- Discuss the project plan and timeline, which we’ve developed based on the assessment questionnaire.
- Clarify specific deadlines and address any last-minute details.
- Offer the client a chance to ask any questions they may have.
This client meeting is a great opportunity to go over the project’s scope and allow the client to share their ideas and ask questions.
6. Deliver a Welcome Package
While you are onboarding new clients, it is important to show them they are valuable for you and your business. One of the ways is that you send a welcome package to new clients.
This package serves a dual purpose: it can leave a positive impression and offer clients the valuable information they require.
In terms of information, you should send:
- An informative company guide (including hours of operation, contact details, locations, etc.).
- Useful resources for clients (such as guides and articles).
- Case studies from similar companies.
Moreover, consider including some physical gifts as a warm “welcome” gesture. You can send clients company swag because everyone appreciates receiving free items!
7. Plan Check-ins
After completing the paperwork, meeting with the client, and sending the welcome package, the next step in the client onboarding process is to plan regular check-ins. Once the client is onboarded and the work begins, it’s essential to maintain communication and provide progress updates.
Initiating these check-ins early, even before the project starts, is vital for building trust. It demonstrates your commitment to keeping the client informed.
Typically, you should schedule the first check-in around a month after the project commences, although the timing may vary depending on the project’s nature and the client’s preferences.
8. Gather Feedback about Your Client Onboarding Process
The final step in the new client onboarding process involves gathering feedback from your clients regarding their onboarding experience. Recognize that no process is flawless, and there may be areas where your new client onboarding could be improved.
To obtain this feedback, send your new clients a survey at the conclusion of the onboarding process. You can inquire about:
- Their level of satisfaction with the onboarding experience (on a scale of 1 to 10 or using a “neutral, very, extremely” scale).
- Whether they received all the necessary onboarding materials, and if not, what was missing.
- Their continued satisfaction with their investment after completing the onboarding process.
- Suggestions for enhancing the onboarding experience.
Asking these questions helps you gain insight into your clients’ perspectives on your client onboarding process.
Conclusion
This guide is all about making your new clients feel welcome and getting them started right. Remember, a good start means a lot. So, take the time to show them around, tell them what they need to know, and make them feel important. It’s the best way to keep them around for a long time.
FAQs
What’s client onboarding?
It’s just like saying “hello” and “welcome” to your new clients. You show them around, tell them what they need to know about your services, and start building a good relationship.
Why bother with client onboarding?
Because first impressions matter! It’s like making a new friend. You want to start off on the right foot, make them feel good about choosing you, and help them get what they need without any mix-ups.
How do you onboard new clients?
Start with a friendly welcome message. Then, lay out what you’ll do for them, make sure all the paperwork is sorted, get to know what they need, introduce them to your team, give them some cool welcome gifts, keep in touch regularly, and finally, ask them how they liked the experience. It’s about making them feel part of the family.
