Client Onboarding

Client onboarding is a process you use to introduce new clients to your company, address their needs and concerns, and also ensure that they are familiar with the services available to them.

The ultimate goal of client onboarding is building long lasting and mutually beneficial relationships between the client and the company.

The client onboarding process may differ from company to company, but in general, a successful client onboarding process will meet both the needs of your client and your company needs.

Client Onboarding Process

The typical client onboarding process begins when you receive a buy-in from your client that they’d like to proceed with your services.

Here are 5 steps you can use to onboard new clients successfully:

Access your client’s current needs
Learning about your client’s needs is critical to the success of your client onboarding process because every client is different and need different resources to work with.

When you understand the strengths and weaknesses of each client, you will be able to develop a plan for how to work with them. It’s the best practice to list out your client’s current assets as well as an area that needs improvement.

Review this list with your client to ensure that all the client’s needs have been covered. This will not only show your client that your company is committed to solving their problems, but also positions your company as an expert in its field.

Outline your client’s desired outcome and goals
You need to make an assessment of what your client hopes to achieve and then turn this assessment into SMART goals that your team can act on. A clear and well-defined goal will make it easier for both the client your team members to stay on track.

Ensure that everyone is involved in the goal-setting process. It’s the best practice to only promise the client what you can deliver in order to promote trust and accountability in your company. This can go a long way in building client loyalty.

Brief your team about your client
It’s important for your team to have a clear understanding of the expectations of your new client, their industry, and the work involved. Provide your team with any relevant reading materials, assessment and contract, and any notes about your client.

When your team knows your client’s goals and expectations, they will be better prepared for the client kickoff meeting.

Schedule a kickoff meeting
A great kickoff meeting puts everyone on the same page and also ensures that everyone has all the information they need to get the project off the ground.

Use this opportunity to create a good impression is your entire team and your company as a whole. Make sure your team demonstrates that they’re the best fit for the job and have everything they need to move forward. When the meeting is over, you should have established a strong rapport between the client and your team members, cleared any doubts from the client, and developed a detailed plan of action to take the project forward.

Check-in after 30 days
Make a check-in call with the client to gain feedback and also to address any concerns that they may have. The check-in call is also a great opportunity for you to build your relationship with your client by letting them know that you care about their business.

Make a detailed summary of all the work that your team has done in the last 30 days. By the end of this call, your client should feel confident and satisfied that they made the right choice by transacting with your company.

Ultimately, client onboarding can take some time to find the perfect formula. It’s OK to encounter some hits and misses. In fact, few companies get it right the first time. Make sure you put the needs of your clients first and also improve your client onboarding process constantly.

Having an effective workflow to carry out each of the steps discussed above plays a huge role in developing a successful client onboarding process. This is where metatask can help. Metatask allows you to customize workflows that are designed to accommodate every step of your client onboarding process.

Benefits of Client Onboarding Automation

Faster processing times
A fast client onboarding process creates a positive first impression and will increase the chance of your customer choosing you over your competitors. Automated digital workflow allows to significantly reduce time and human error on data-gathering work.

Reduced costs
Replacing your paper-based customer onboarding process with a flexible web-based platform can offer substantial benefits such as reduced labor and paper costs. These benefits will lead to greater operational efficiency and improved client service.

Improved security
A good client onboarding system should have permissions structure which allows administrators to configure the application to let your employees only see what they are supposed to. Restrict access to templates, tasks, processes, data forms for users based on their roles in the process.

Increased client relationships
A streamlined onboarding process will help to engage your customers and start your relationship off on the right foot, which means that your clients will enjoy working with you. Client engagement is critical for improving your client experience.