A great first impression goes a long way in front of anyone, let alone in front of clients. Client onboarding is similar to that. As the name suggests, it is the process to welcome a new client into your company. It is said that a client is likely to churn three times more in the first thirty days. Hence, it becomes not only a mere impression but also a crucial business strategy.

Client onboarding is incredibly important whether you are in the tech industry or in wealth management or in any other space. At Ajackus, we consider this as an opportunity to start building a strong relationship, keep the client up-to-date with their work, address any queries of theirs, and frame the strategy going ahead. It is a way to demonstrate the company’s value earlier in the days of partnership.

Benefits:

The aim of client onboarding is to develop a successful and consistent partnership in the long run. If done systematically, it can help in–

• Clarifying expectations of the clients
• Client retention
• Efficient work processes
• Avoid future bottlenecks
• Overall a favorable association

 Having a thoroughly thought-out and repeatable onboarding process can assist a company to maintain its value. Let’s have a look at the process then.

Client onboarding process:

Every company should have its own unique step-by-step guide for client onboarding. It will depend on a range of factors such as the services or products that it offers, types of clients, and also its internal capabilities. Moreover, within a company, each kind of client may require a different process. Having said that, there are a few primary steps that a company can build on.

1. Proposal and contract:

First things first, a proposal from the company’s official email address is the initial step to starting an association with your client. This implies that a company needs to send one beautifully bundled packaged document having a proposal, a contract, and an NDA, if not signed earlier.

2. A welcome package:

The clients need a formal introduction to your company. Post signing a contract, provide them with a welcoming package. This will include the related case studies and blogs. An email with these documents will ensure them of their decision.

3. Questionnaire:

A company needs the necessary information to get started. This is where the questionnaire will help the team to be assigned to the project. Consider the following FAQs as a reference. However, you can always add to these.

• Who is the point of contact for the project?
• What is the expected timeline for the project?
• What would be the metrics for the project, if any?
• Are there any similar projects that may be done in the past?
• Could you provide the applicable credentials?

4. A client-team meeting:

With the client-team meeting, the project can finally be taken off the ground. These meetings have proven Ajackus to be a great way to build a strong rapport and most importantly, trust between us and our clients. It acts as an added human touch. Have your client book your calendar according to their convenience and ensure the entire team is present for the virtual meeting.

5. Check-up meet:

This virtual meeting is to simply track and update the clients on the project progress. A 15-minute call can do wonders. It will define any gaps in the project and make communication better. It will also give a slight nudge for more information or remaining documents from the client side.  

Onboarding checklist:

The client onboarding process can be made more defined with a help of a checklist. A company needs to create one to reduce human errors and get an idea of the entire workflow in an instant. With the help of the right management tools, we at Ajackus, follow a work automation process to ensure seamless client onboarding. This end-to-end workflow makes sure that each step taken is logical and leads to client satisfaction.

Conclusion:

A company invests an abundant amount of time and effort in its clients. Hence, the client onboarding process is a must. It is a constant work in progress with room for refinement. However, a proper system needs to be in place. This will ensure that the client’s objectives and expectations are met.

As you create the first impressions in front of the clients, you also need to create the best impression in front of your candidates who wish to join your organization.

Click here to know how. 

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