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You’ve finally secured a new high paying client.
However, don’t be too eager.
They have to be onboarded if you want to offer a great experience and prevent them from churning later.
In fact, increasing customer retention by 5% can result in 25–95% increased profits!
Nonetheless, you and I both know one thing: onboarding takes a lot of time.
Clients have to be brought up to speed on projects, invited to tools, given resources, etc.
You get my point.
But, the good news is that your agency could be easily automating client onboarding to save time and get back to executing services.
Want to see how?
Great. Keep reading as I’ll be sharing three practical ways to achieve that and more.
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Send a welcome package on Slack
I’m sure your agency already uses Slack. It’s the world’s most popular collaboration tool. If not, sign up for a free account here.
It’s customary to invite clients to a channel to keep in touch, share files, etc.
But, did you know that you can set up automated workflows?
Yep.
These allow you to completely outsource many different processes, including onboarding.
Here’s how to use it to send new clients a welcome package:
Step 1: Create a new workflow automation
Slack’s workflow builder allows you to automate anything imaginable.
This will prevent the burden of doing everything by hand.
Click “Tools” under your account profile and “Workflow Builder” to create one from scratch or download a free available template directly from the official Slack site.
Prompt the workflow to begin when a new user (the client) is added to a specific channel. Click “Edit” to adjust any settings of the workflow.
Ideally, you should send clients:
- Case studies of previous work.
- Links to proposals or project overviews.
- Progress and analytic reports.
- A Nice hello:)
- Etc.
Move onto the second step once you’ve finished this.
Step 2: Add steps
Workflows can include several steps to automate numerous processes, collect information, and more.
Add another step such as sending a questionnaire to learn more about the client.
This information can be used to tailor their experience and improve your overall service offerings. Then, there’s one last thing I want you to do.
Step 3: Add other users
Giving other Slack users permission to create and edit workflows takes this strategy a step further. You’re essentially automating automation. (Inception, much?)
Follow these steps to do so:
Discuss what workflows you’d like your team to create (like the one in this article) so they can launch it as you secure client projects.
That brings me to my next idea.
Use Zapier to manage projects
Projects can be a huge hassle.
You have to manage deadlines, teams, and ensure that the client is satisfied.
That’s where Zapier steps in.
This is a free (and paid) tool that’s used to automate everything under the sun. It’s also known as if-this-then-that or IFFT for short.
You connect any combination of tools and create sequences between them.
Here’s some brain food: use it to automate client onboarding by instantly creating a Trello card when a new client is added to a Slack channel. (Read my Slack vs Basecamp guide if you’re looking for alternatives.)
This is how you can do that:
Step 1: Create a new Zap
Hover over the black plus button and create a new Zap from the dashboard.
You can have five Zaps with a free account and paid plans increase this limit.
Step 2: Add Slack
Next, search for Slack and add it as the first step.
Add the “New User” trigger event to spark the automation.
Move onto the third step afterward.
Step 3: Connect Trello
Add a second step and search for Trello.
Select the “Create Card” action event that will make a new Trello card when a user is added to Slack.
Choose the correct, board, list, and customize the card with the client’s information.
Enjoy the automated onboarding and project management!
Set up recurring payments
Finances and accounting aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
No need to sweat. You can automate those, too.
This will change depending on the exact tool used to send invoices and collect payments, but let’s take a look at PayPal for illustration.
Step 1: Create a new invoice
Log into PayPal and create a new invoice.
Fill out the required information, including yours, the client’s, and line items.
Step 2: Choose the recurring option
PayPal offers several different invoice frequencies including weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, and custom.
Access these by clicking “Frequency” and picking an option.
Step 3: Save the recurring invoice
Once the invoice details are complete, the last step is to send it.
Click the “Start series” invoice to do so.
The invoice will then be sent to the client at the frequency you chose and it can be changed later by editing the invoice settings.
Make sure to read my other article on financial anomaly detection on that note, as well.
Final thoughts
Acquiring new clients is exciting. It’s also grueling at times.
You have to get them integrated into your organization, introduce them to team members, and the list goes on.
It’d be nice to get all of that out of the way to start working on projects sooner, right?
Luckily, you can thank automation.
The first way is to automate workflows on Slack. Use these to introduce clients to your organization, collect data, or offer a welcome package.
Then, let your imagination run wild with Zapier. Automate project management and other common processes like connecting Slack and Trello.
Lastly, let invoices handle themselves by setting up recurring payments through platforms like PayPal.
Once you’ve streamlined onboarding clients, gain more peace of mind by trying Morphio today for free. Our marketing security software runs in the background to alert you of lucrative opportunities, errors, and progress—all of which can be used to further save time and please clients.
