New clients are important to the growth of your business, so the way that you onboard new clients is important. Onboarding is the way in which you welcome new clients. A warm welcome is vital to the experience that you’re creating with your client. A seamless onboarding system also prevents the client from having buyer’s remorse.
As an independent business owner, your onboarding system should include the following steps:
- Gather Information: Collect information about your new client to start building their profile. You will need their name, contact details, company information, and their needs/requirements. 17Hats Business CRM provides Client Portals as pictured below.
- Introduce Yourself and Your Company: Send an email or schedule a meeting to introduce yourself and your company. This helps build trust and foster a positive working relationship from the outset. Welcome emails are essential to an onboarding process.
- Share Your On-boarding Process: Provide a clear overview of your on-boarding process. This enables the client to understand what to expect, what information and documentation is required, and their involvement.
- Create a Project Plan: Creating a project plan will help you and your client establish clear expectations and timelines. This will make the onboarding process smoother, and the client will feel confident that they are in good hands.
- Communicate Regularly: Keep your clients informed about progress, milestones, and targets using regular updates. This can be via email, video conferencing, or a specialized project management tool. An added feature would be to have all information stored in one place like a Client Portal (that only the client has access to).
- Evaluate the Progress: Evaluate the progress of onboarding new clients, make adjustments where necessary, and course-correct. It is important to ensure that everything is going smoothly and that the client’s needs are being met. Be sure to follow up with clients as well.
So, as you continue to manage your business independently, fine-tune your onboarding process. The way you manage clients before and after the invoice is very important to the health of your business.
