Part 2 of Creating a Client Experience mini-series is in! If you need to catch up on Part 1, which covers pricing your services, head over to it right here.

[Note: This series is best for online, service-based entrepreneurs.]

So you’ve gone live with a website you love, you received a new client inquiry (go you!) and uhhh…now what?

There are a lot of different ways to effectively onboard a client, which can also depend on your industry and the type of services you provide, but in this post, I’m going to cover the process that (after a few rounds of trial and error) is working for me.

In addition, I’ll mention the key components for onboarding a client that keeps you protected, keeps them delighted, and keeps the back-and-forth email exchange to a minimum. Uh, yes, please.

 

Using a CRM

I’ll start by saying that really none of what I do would be possible without Dubsado. It’s a web-based customer-relationship-management software. That’s a mouthful to say, it helps you feel sane and your clients feel cared for even if you’re running a 1 (wo)man show.

Dubsado was created by a husband and wife team and built for creative business owners like wedding industry professionals, designers, copywriters, course creators, coaches, and more.

It’s similar to 17 Hats or Honeybook, but I’ve been a Dubsado die-hard from the beginning.

You can sign up for a free trial and the best part is, it’s based on the number of client contacts, not a window of time. So you can take your time getting everything set-up as long as you don’t enter more than 3 clients.

From there, when you’re ready to officially sign-up, it’s $35/month and comes with workflows, a scheduler, bookkeeping, reports, a task manager, electronic contract signatures, electronic invoice payments…shall I keep going?

When you’re ready to sign-up, use the code: “copyuncorked” to get 20% off your first month!

The Process

Whether you choose to use Dubsado or other software, the most important thing is that you create systems and processes that can easily be replicated and alleviate the amount of time you spend doing administrative work.

Now, back to where we were…

 

Step 1 – The Inquiry & Response

If a new prospect reached out to me via my website form, I get notified by email and Dubsado automatically enters it as a new lead for me.

I then have a pre-written email auto-generated based on the type of service the client selected.

That email greets them, lets them know I received their inquiry, provides a link to my services, a link to schedule a call with me, and a link to complete a brief form.

All without me having to manually lift a finger.

That being said, I certainly read every inquiry and determine whether their request warrants an additional, more specific communication.

Otherwise, I wait to receive their completed form and booking notification!

 

Step 2 – The Call

This is where your process may or may not differ. Some people forego the call and keep everything to email communication.

Despite being a copywriter, emphasis on the writer, I find that initial 1v1 conversation to be so important for assessing mutual fit, further explaining any of my offerings, and ensuring I can craft a proposal that’s truly in line with their needs.

And since I had the client complete a form providing me with a bit of background before the call, we’re able to really maximize our time together.

During the call, my main job is to listen and then address any questions or concerns the prospect may have.

I summarize the discussion and then let them know I’ll be in touch with a custom proposal.

 

Step 3 – The Proposal

I’m sure you could have guessed this, but I use Dubsado to then craft a proposal based on the knowledge I now have from their form and our call together.

That form outlines their goals, my proposed services / packages, a timeline, contract, and invoice where they can e-sign and settle the deposit to reserve their spot.

Dubsado allows me to send all of this in one email with one link. Ahh, what a beautiful thing.

Hiring a service-provider is often a big investment and I want my prospects to feel like they have all of their information at their disposal and feel confident in their decision.

 

Step 4 – The Intake Form & Scheduling

With all of the admin painlessly out of the way, I then have an email generated to the client with a link to one more form and the link to my calendar to schedule our first official strategy call.

This form digs a little deeper and provides me with any login information, existing data, client inspiration, and some of their key differentiators.

(The existing data bit is optional but allows me to compare current stats and results to those after we’re done working together.)

Even though our call is meant to be the deep dive and I hesitate to provide the client with too much homework, some is unavoidable and it sets me up with a great foundation to begin their audience and industry research.

This second call is essentially a client interview where I ask all the questions I need to in order to begin crafting their brand messaging and copywriting in a way that sounds like them and appropriately speaks to their desired audience.

 

Step 5 – The Work Begins

With the client now on-boarded, their job is to sit back while I get to work on further research, writing, and wireframing of their copy.

This will also differ based on your services! For example, as a wedding planner, this could be the part where you start gathering information, reaching out to vendors, and creating preliminary timelines.

The point being, the client should feel like they’re in good hands, know when to expect what, and be excited to see the output after a snag-free experience so far.

The Onboarding Components

Regardless of what your process looks like, here are the components it should include as a service provider:

 

• Client Response / Email Templates
• Pricing, Package &/or Proposal Templates
• Initial Communication
• Signed Contract
• Invoice / Estimate / Cost Summary
• Timeline
• Expectations
  • What you need from the client, what they expect from you, and how + when you’ll communicate moving forward

 

There you have it! I’d love to hear where your process might be similar – and different! Did we miss anything?

If you feel stuck and need helping pouring up a killer client onboarding experience of your own, get in touch and let’s talk about our consulting and Dubsado set-up services!

You’ll even get to experience the above process and let us know how it goes on your end! 😉

 

Head on over to Part 3: Fulfillment here.