Question

What are best practices for onboarding new clients?

  • 4 August 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 152 views

Badge

We are always looking to improve our new client onboarding process, what are best practices for onboarding new clients? 

For example how are you getting initial contact information?  Are you driving people to your firm website to fill in a form, calling to obtain, client tasks, or using another method? 


2 replies

Userlevel 5
Badge +5

Karbon worked with several firms around the globe to create a template library. Check out the full list and select templates to be imported into your account (which include their related settings) - https://karbonhq.com/templates/

There is a specific section just on client onboarding. Check out those templates to get the best practice of how to complete: https://karbonhq.com/templates/client-management/?query=Client%20onboarding

We use an onboarding template that we’ve customized to match our client onboarding process. It does include some client tasks but we don’t always send them to the client if we already have the answers from a phone call or email conversation. However, having the task list gives us a place to capture the information in the work item.

Userlevel 7
Badge +10

We have found that the information comes from the client through various means, some during the initial contact and proposal preparation and forms that we use when potential clients reach out through our website, through kick off meetings and casual conversations.

We have created a custom template that includes tasks designed to bring all of that separately sourced information into a central place.  This will include linking emails and recorded zoom meetings as well as notes.  We will bring in client tasks once we have established a relationship.

Our onboarding template also has a strong focus on setting our team and internal processes, ensuring the scope of the engagement is clearly defined for the team, that all of the correct work orders are in place with appropriate cycles, deadlines, assignees, and Fees and Budgets set up and that the profile in Karbon is source of truth.

As important as onboarding is to the success of the engagement it is just as important that it not drag out too long before the client starts seeing results.

One other thing that we have found effective, we do a modified ‘onboarding’ with each re-engagement.  This is internal and designed to make sure that any changes in the client situation or the scope of the engagement are communicated to the team

Reply