It may seem like you spend more time onboarding clients than you do working on the project every time you hire a client. This could be a sign that you need to streamline this area of your business. It is crucial to building lasting relationships with your clients, encouraging new customers, and saving you and your staff significant time.

Why client onboarding is important

A successful client onboarding process is crucial to your business’ success.

• It establishes expectations. Clients will understand the process and what they need to do. When clients are looking for updates, it helps them know when to check. They will also feel more at ease working with you and your staff.

• It saves time for your company. A standardized, automated onboarding process will save your client and your time at the start of your project as well as throughout the duration. Clients will have fewer questions and feel less pressure to check on production status.

• It increases client retention. Your best source of revenue is from your existing customers. Clients need to know what to expect and how to access information. They also need to feel supported during their first experience with your company. It will encourage clients to work with you again and help them to become your primary source of referrals.

• It increases overall revenue. Long-term clients are more valuable than short-term ones. Over time, acquisition costs will be lower. Advertising will not be as time-consuming if your clients and their referrals are your main source of income. This will help you increase your revenue and lower your marketing costs.

Client onboarding checklist

Before you decide how to structure your client’s onboarding process, make sure you define what information your client and yourself need. This handy checklist lists item that your business may need to include in a workflow. You may have different needs so you can customize your checklist.

How to design your client’s onboarding process

Once you have determined the information you need from your client, it is time to determine the best way to transmit and maintain this information. Also, what systems and procedures should you use to ensure a smooth, manageable experience?

Register clients and create client screening forms

You might not ask your clients to pay upfront for services depending on how you run your business. To determine the scope of the project and if the services offered are appropriate for the client’s requirements, you may ask them to complete a questionnaire.

Gravity forms are a great tool for creating detailed forms to screen clients. Complex forms can be designed with a “save-and-continue” option that allows users to save their progress and return later to complete the form. You can also upload files to clarify your project scope. If you are painting a custom watercolor on a house, you might ask the customer to upload a photograph of the property so that you can provide a quote.

Once you have determined that a client’s project will be a good fit for you, you should set up their account. You can use Gravity Formulas Product Add-ons to include your client’s onboarding questionnaire directly on the product page if you require that they purchase a product before you start your services.

You can ask your clients to register on your website before they make a payment. The Custom User Register Fields for WooCommerce will allow you to collect all the details you need.

The checkout process can be simplified

You’ll need to make your checkout more simple and efficient if you have added additional fields to your products, or require that you register for a long time. So that your client isn’t frustrated, keep your checkout simple. You can simplify the process by:

• Disable distractions. Get rid of navigation and sidebar widgets. This will ensure that your customer is focused and won’t wander off to look at other products.

• Use WooCommerce one-page Checkout It’s possible that your clients only purchase one product at a given time if you are a service-oriented company. You can make it easier for your clients to shop right from the product page, which will help you close more sales and give them a better experience.

• Provide multiple payment options. Allow customers to choose the most convenient payment method. WooCommerce payments allow you to accept payments in multiple currencies. You can even offer popular payment methods such as Apple Pay, giropay, and Sofort. 

Securely create a client portal

Once your client has registered, you will want to ensure that they have all the information they require and have the tools to give you any additional information. Secure client portals are a great way for clients to securely store sensitive information and have secure access to all the information you need to work together.

You can use tools such as WooCommerce Members or Gravity Formulas to create a secure portal for your clients that allows them to upload files and manage their payments. Access to products, content, and resources can be restricted based on membership levels.

This registration form includes a user role field that allows you to choose options such as “member”.

You can use the Custom Users Registration Fields for the WooCommerce extension to assign clients a membership role when they register. This will allow you to restrict access to certain content until your client has upgraded to a paid membership product.

Subscriptions make it easier to pay your bills

WooCommerce memberships can be combined with WooCommerce subscriptions to allow for recurring payments. This is particularly useful for clients who pay monthly or weekly for your services.

You can get WooCommerce Subscriptions and Memberships.

• Create automated payment plans
• Free trials
• Clients can pause their memberships
• Clients can upgrade or downgrade their memberships
• Clients who upgrade or downgrade services can get prorated memberships

Make a welcome package for your clients

You can create a series of emails that introduce your client and how you work with them. An introductory email could outline the financial and legal information that you will need from your client. A questionnaire may be sent to further clarify the project scope or request brand guidelines. You can also provide information about your business hours, the collaborative tools you use with clients, how they can be accessed, and any other important information.

AutomateWoo will help you create a welcome package to make it easy for new employees. You can send your usual series of emails, as well as:

• Offer other services: Send clients emails suggesting additional services based on their previous purchases.

• Send SMS notifications – Send your clients text messages after a purchase.

• Send out card expiry notices: Inform clients about the upcoming credit and debit card expiration dates of cards they have saved to their accounts. This will reduce the chance of missed payments and provide additional customer service.

Refer your clients to a referral program. Increase your client base with less marketing effort. AutomateWoo Refer a Friend addon offers incentives.

These tools and systems can be used to retain clients once you have boarded them. You can upsell your client on additional services, suggest services when they are nearing the end of a project, or membership term, as well as offer incentives for them to refer new customers.

You don’t have to be a pro at automating your processes once you have them set up. Although systems can make your workflow more efficient and help you stay organized, they are still important to improve over time. You should review your onboarding process now and again to make improvements based on client feedback and business changes. An onboarding process that works well is not only well-planned at the beginning but also evolves to best meet your clients and your business.