Client Onboarding Essentials: Key Steps for Success

Onboarding new clients is a critical phase in the client-agency relationship, setting

the tone for collaboration, communication, and overall satisfaction. Effective
onboarding streamlines processes, clarifies expectations, and builds trust, leading to
higher client retention rates and long-term success.

In this Plug & Play the following will be covered:

1. All the different steps you need to onboard your clients

2. The structure for your client onboarding
3. How to create your online client portal

Client onboarding is one of the most important aspects of your agency because it's
the first experience the client has with your agency after paying you. Providing a
stellar onboarding process is therefore necessary to set the time for the rest of your
relationship with the client, do it wrong you risk creating buyer remorse.

Buyer Remorse: Buyer's remorse is the sense of regret after having made a
purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item

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Key Steps for Effective Client Onboarding

#1: Set Clear Onboarding Goals:

Define what a successful onboarding looks like for both your agency and your client.
Goals might include timely project kickoff, clear communication of project timelines,
and understanding the client's expectations.

#2: Welcome and Introduction:

Begin with a warm welcome message or package that introduces your agency,
outlines what the client can expect during the onboarding process, and sets the
stage for open communication.

#3: Gather Comprehensive Client Information:

Use structured forms or meetings to collect detailed information about the client's
business, goals, challenges, and expectations to tailor your services effectively.

#4: Set Clear Expectations:

Clearly outline the scope of work, timelines, milestones, communication protocols,

and any responsibilities on the client's side to prevent misunderstandings.

#6: Initial Strategy Session:

Conduct a strategy session to discuss the gathered information, confirm objectives,

and present the initial plan or strategy tailored to the client's needs.

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#7: Defining Success Metrics for the Onboarding Process:

Success metrics might include client satisfaction scores, time to first value delivery,
and the completeness of onboarding documentation. These metrics help in
measuring the effectiveness of your onboarding process and identifying areas for
improvement.

● Time to First Value (TTFV): Measures the time it takes for a client to receive
the first significant result or value from your service. A shorter TTFV is often
indicative of a successful onboarding process.
● Onboarding Completion Rate: Tracks the percentage of onboarding tasks or
milestones completed as planned. A high completion rate suggests that the
onboarding process is effective and that clients are engaged.

Different Types of Clients:

1) The Constant Engagers:

Characteristics: These clients require regular updates and wish to be involved in

every step of the marketing process.

Preferences: Frequent meetings, updates, and reassurances.

2) The Hands-Off Clients:

Characteristics: Prefer to delegate with minimal involvement, trusting the agency's

expertise to lead the strategy.

Preferences: Periodic updates, with a focus on high-level results rather than detailed
activities.

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Structure of The Onboarding Process

1) Kick-off Meetings and Initial Assessments:

Kick-off meetings serve as the foundation for open communication and partnership.
Incorporating video responses for initial assessments can revolutionize this phase by
making it more interactive and personal. Video content can increase understanding
of a product or service by 74%, highlighting the effectiveness of visual
communication in conveying complex information.

Approach:

Utilize video conferencing tools for live discussions, enabling real-time interaction
and clarification of project goals and expectations.

Encourage clients to submit video responses to initial questionnaires, reducing the

formality of written responses and fostering a more personal connection.

Leverage transcription services to convert video responses into text, ensuring that
valuable insights are accurately captured and easily shareable among your team.

2) Tools and Techniques for Gathering Initial Client Information and

Requirements:

To streamline the initial stages of client onboarding and ensure a comprehensive

understanding of client needs, employing a variety of tools can significantly enhance
both efficiency and engagement. Here's how to integrate specific tools into your
process:

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Questionnaires: Utilize digital questionnaires to gather structured information
about your client's needs, preferences, and objectives. Tools like Google Forms,
Typeform, and Flozy offer customizable, user-friendly interfaces that can make the
process of filling out questionnaires less tedious for clients. These platforms allow for
a variety of question types, from multiple-choice to open-ended responses, enabling
you to collect detailed data.

Video Recording Tools: For clients who prefer speaking over typing, video recording
tools provide an excellent alternative. Google Meet allows for real-time video
conversations, which can be recorded with client consent. Loom offers a more
asynchronous approach, enabling clients to record their responses at their
convenience. These tools not only make the information-gathering process more
personal but also more engaging for clients who might find written questionnaires
daunting.

AI Tools for Analysis: Once you have video responses, utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT
can be invaluable in analyzing and summarizing the content. By transcribing the
video content and feeding the text to AI analysis tools, you can quickly derive insights
about a client’s ideal customer profile, pinpoint their main pain points, and
understand their desired outcomes. This approach not only saves time but also
ensures that no critical information is missed or misunderstood.

Chat GPT prompt:

"Generate a summary of this client's onboarding questionnaire video

transcript. Focus on identifying the client's ideal customers, main pain points,
and goals. Simplify the content to capture the essence of their responses,
ensuring clarity on who they aim to serve, the challenges they face, and what
they wish to accomplish through our collaboration."

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3) Establishing Communication Protocols:

Clear communication protocols are essential for ensuring that both parties are
aligned throughout the project. According to McKinsey, effective communication
can increase team productivity by 25% when team members are connected in a way
that allows easy access to information and updates.

Approach:

Define preferred communication channels and tools during the kick-off meeting,
setting clear expectations for response times and availability.

Establish a regular update schedule, using project management tools to automate

reminders and progress reports.

Communication Tools:

WhatsApp Business: Ideal for quick, informal interactions and updates. Its
widespread use makes it a convenient option for many clients.

Slack: Best suited for ongoing projects where frequent, organized communication is
necessary. Slack channels can be dedicated to specific projects, making information
easy to find.

Flozy: A tool that streamlines client communication by providing a centralized

platform for messages, file sharing, and project updates.

When choosing communication tools, consider the nature of your projects and the
preferences of your clients. It's often beneficial to offer multiple options or to select
the tool that best matches the client's internal communication systems.

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Automated Message Sequences:

Implementing automated message sequences can significantly enhance the client

onboarding experience by providing timely, relevant information without manual
intervention.

Here's how to effectively use automated messages:

Welcome Messages: As soon as a client is onboarded, an automated welcome

message can be sent through their preferred communication channel. This message
can introduce them to their main point of contact, provide essential resources, and
outline what they can expect next.

Project Milestone Updates: Automated messages can inform clients about the
completion of key milestones, keeping them engaged and informed about the
progress without needing manual updates.

Check-in Messages: Scheduled automated messages can ask clients for feedback or
if they have any questions, ensuring they feel supported throughout the project.

Information Requests: When certain stages of the project require input or decision
from the client, automated prompts can ensure timely responses and keep the
project moving.

Next Steps Guidance: Upon completing specific phases of the project, automated
messages can guide clients on what to expect or actions required on their part.

Automated message sequences should be carefully crafted to provide value without

overwhelming the client. They should complement direct, personal communication
rather than replace it, ensuring clients feel personally attended to while benefiting
from the efficiency of automation.

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4) Building out what is required both internally and externally

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Action Steps:

● Build your onboarding process

● Establish communication protocols
● Choose your onboarding form tool
● Set up automated messaging
● Build your onboarding Questionnaire

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