I love chatting with other business owners about how they do what they do. Everyone has their way of managing the “work” of running a business. From post-it notes and to-do lists to detailed spreadsheets and automated CRMs, I always learn something about processes during these conversations. One topic that always comes up is how to better manage onboarding new clients. We spend a lot of time, effort, and money on our sales process. So how do we keep up the same level of investment once the sale has closed? Here are my proven tips for creating an onboarding process that shows your customers you are invested in their success.
Why This Process Works
Bringing a new client on board may seem like second nature, or it could leave you scrambling every time. Having a process in place ensures that everything happens in the right order, your delivery is professional and reassuring, and nothing falls through the cracks. Creating a standard onboarding process has a number of positive results:
- Your team and your client will be prepared for that first call
- Clients know what to expect and what they will be getting
- Confidence is built right from the start
- Brand integrity is strengthened with consistent delivery
Eliminate frustration and boost team morale with a process that lets everyone know what to do and when to do it. Increase productivity and satisfaction as you, your team, and your client are ready to hit the ground running.
How to Define and Outline Your Process
First, take a step back and think about what has to be done. List out all of the things that need to happen as you bring a new client on board. If you already have an onboarding checklist, now is a good time to review it.
- What tasks are already listed?
- What steps are missing or incomplete?
- Can some tasks be better managed with sub-tasks?
- What tasks will need reminders?
- What tasks can be repeated?
Think about your customer experience as well as the needs of your team. The goal is not to add one more thing to check off, but rather to identify what needs to happen to keep your process moving smoothly.
Next, think about your timeline for the entire onboarding process. When does each step need to happen? What information do you need before you can move forward with the next step? Use our process template to record these details. Identify your start date as when a sale is closed and your end date as your first client meeting, and then plan your timeline from there.
After you have defined what needs to happen and when, consider who is responsible for each step of your onboarding process. Which tasks will you do yourself and which tasks can be delegated to others? As you do this, think about your ideal team. Right now you may be CEO, sales team. and admin, wearing all of the different business hats yourself. But as your business and your team grows, you’ll want to delegate in a way that makes sense. Go ahead and assign each task in your onboarding process to the ideal team member.
Finalizing Your Process
Now that you have created your process for onboarding a new client, you are almost done. The next step is to make sure your process really works for your business. Test your process internally with your team. Does everyone know what they need to do and when? Does the timing work for everyone involved? Are there any holes or places where the process gets stuck? Ask for suggestions to help improve and streamline the process.
You should also test your process with someone outside of your business who is not familiar with your team or your internal systems. Find a business friend and ask them to go through your onboarding process as if they were a client. Ask them to make a list of questions and identify anything that is unclear or confusing. This will help ensure that your clients have the best possible experience with your onboarding process.
Finally, remember that systems and processes are always evolving. Ask for regular feedback from your clients and from your team. Schedule time quarterly or as part of your yearly systems review to assess and make adjustments to your process.
Download our FREE Process Template to create your onboarding process. For tips on automating your onboarding process, check out our video here.
Are there other areas of your business that need a process rehab? Let us help! Schedule a Free Strategy Call here to talk about how to automate and simplify your business systems.
Not sure what a modern SOP looks like? We have a course for that! With free templates, step-by-step instruction, and tools to help you succeed, we’ll teach you how to create a powerful SOP for your business. Preview the course here.