How to Create a Successful Onboarding Process
Onboarding is defined as the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new customer or client with one's product or service.
So how might this apply to running a design business?
Onboarding in your design business refers to bringing on a new client and familiarizing them with your process, your boundaries, the timeline of the project, and anything else that you generally want clients to know.
Why is it important?
As designers and business owners we spend a lot of time attracting clients and trying to get them to sign on for projects. We do this by having a custom website that's organized, easy to use, and showcases our best work. It showcases the best we have to offer.
Every designer has a different process that pairs with their services.
Before the Onboarding Begins
There’s the consultation phase which is usually a one-on-one meeting where we talk about any design ideas and strategy behind the project.
The execution is actually the design phase where I'm creating the brand or the website and presenting it to the client.
After execution is fine-tuning so that's getting any revisions from the client and applying them to this design so that it's ready to launch.
The final phase is launched so for a brand that might be putting all the final files together or for a website that's getting it set live and handing it over to the client.
Onboarding is the first impression your client has after signing on to work with you. You want to make it as smooth and seamless as possible.
The Onboarding Process
Let's break onboarding down into 6 different steps.
Lead Inquiries
Your contact page is the main point of contact and conversions with new and potential clients so take the time to really flesh it out in a way that works best for you to get the information that you need. After you scan the inquiry for red flags and to see if it's a good fit you need to schedule a zoom or phone call with the lead.
It's really important to get the lead on the phone so that you can talk about their goals for the project and how you can help them.
Sales Call
On the sales call you want to talk about what the client is struggling with and how you can help solve their problem with your design solutions. You also want to talk about the timeline and scope.
It's also a good way for you to see if you would work well with the client or if they have any red flags you missed in the contact form. If the client is interested in working together and the price works for them you can then put together the proposal for them to review.
Proposal
Your proposal should include some of the goals that you talked about with the lead and what they're hoping to achieve by working with you.
It needs to include the scope for the project, for example, if you offer branding you can break down what branding means. Does it mean brand strategy, brand identity, collateral items? In your proposal, you can get really specific about exactly what you're offering to the client for this project.
Once the proposal is complete, send it to the client. It should go out no more than 24 hours after the sales call.
Contract
If the client decides to move forward. You can then prepare the contract. This should further outline the scope, any policies, and copyright terms.
I highly recommend having a lawyer help you with your contract or buying a contract specific to your industry. And NEVER do any work without a contract in place.
Invoice
Once the contract is signed my CRM tool automatically sends the invoice that I have pre-prepared.
Using an automated invoicing system saves a lot of time on your end and takes the headache away from having to follow up on invoices and send awkward emails to your clients.
Welcome Packet
Once the contract is signed and the invoice is paid it's time to move on to the welcome packet phase.
A welcome packet can be a web page or PDF that you send to the client. It should outline anything your client might need to know about working with you that you haven't already covered in the proposal.
Getting all of these items prepared and sent over to your client can help make it an enjoyable experience for everyone and kick off the project the right way. Want a deeper look into my onboarding process? Check out my “How to Create a Successful Onboarding Process” video training and resources. Shop below!
One Time Purchase gives you immediate access to the masterclass where I’m sharing how I onboard my design clients.
A masterclass with Hayley Fedders that covers the onboarding process for clients in your graphic design business.
Easy to understand descriptions for how to make implement steps immediately into your business (no need to be an organization whiz).
