Onboarding in the freelance industry involves the process of integrating a new client into the field and familiarizing them with the services you offer. It’s a very crucial process in Taxolawgy since it determines whether the client will accept your offer or not.
The overall process can be tiresome and time-consuming. But as long as you have a good plan, procedure, and expectations, you can easily develop a strong working relationship with the clients.
Here are some of the significant tactics you can apply to make your client onboarding process better;
Collect Client’s Information
Collecting client’s essential data is a vital aspect of the onboarding process. This information helps you prepare for what’s coming and to achieve your intended goal. To perform precisely you can even use a client management software.
You can ask the client to fill out an intake form, assign him/her some homework, or use access tools. This step is not only essential; it also helps them get ready and onboard for the upcoming steps.
If you’re collecting information with an intake form, ensure that it’s valuable and includes all the critical information. For instance, the company’s background, tech set up and any other relevant information.
Develop a Marketing Plan and Goals
A successful onboard process involves setting goals and having a good plan. Before pitching and attempting to win the client’s trust, you should first determine what he/she expects to accomplish. Also, inform them how you intend to work and the gaps you are going to fill.
First, ensure that you are familiar with the type of work and aligns with your career path. Avoid getting into something you can’t deliver accordingly. Secondly, ensure that you have enough information to enable you to set the primary goals. Lastly, create the goals and what you intend to achieve at the end.
Understand their Expectations
The main objective of client onboarding is to help and guide them as they get to know more about your products or services. Therefore, the best way to achieve this is to understand their expectations and what success means to them.
This is because your company might have a different definition of success; however, this doesn’t mean that it will change the client’s decision. Conducting a customer feedback survey is the best way of finding out such information.
Also, identify the client’s aim and the metrics applied. For instance, when marketing a product or service, your objective may be revenue, so the metrics applied will be traffic, conversions, and sales. With this, you and the client will have a clear understanding of what to expect.
Have an Open Communication
When building your relationship with the clients,
focus on exceptional communication. It’s best to tell them about your working schedule and how or what you can do best. For your relationship to work and even grow stronger, it’s good to have an understanding of perspective and workflow.
For example, if you can work best without further guidance or rules, then you should mention that to the client. This simplifies everything, including what they should expect.
Some clients prefer a handoff method while others want frequent updates on the progress of the job since they think that you might ghost them. You should, therefore, set your boundaries early enough. Let them know if you are behind with the job and can’t meet the deadline due to unavoidable circumstances.
Conclusion
Client onboarding is essential for every freelancer or business. It’s a process that you can improve and make it better. As the business and the freelancing industry continue to change and grow, strengthening the onboard process also becomes essential.
By adhering to these tips, you can easily make your client onboarding process more straightforward. They will also help you enhance your working relationship with the clients.
