Onboarding to Offboarding: Making Your Client Experience Amazing

This month, I had the chance to speak at the Online International Virtual Assistants Convention (OIVAC) 2024 about something crucial for all of us: "Onboarding to Offboarding - How to Create an Excellent Client Experience."

Imagine a room filled with talented online service providers, VAs, and freelancers, all ready to learn how to perfect the client experience from start to finish.

Here’s a quick look at what I shared, along with some real-life stories:

The 6 Stages of Client Experience

Creating an excellent client experience involves mastering six key stages:

1. ​Before the Consultation Call
2. After the Consultation Call
3. During the Kick-off Call
4. After the Kick-off Call
5. During the Project
6. After the Project is Completed

In each of these stages, it's crucial to make the onboarding process seamless and easy to follow, setting the foundation for a positive and lasting client relationship.

Starting Strong: Onboarding
First impressions matter. Think about how welcoming new clients warmly and communicating clearly can make them feel special right from the beginning.

Take Sarah, for example. She sends personalized welcome emails and a small gift to each new client. One of her clients, Peter, said it made him feel valued and excited to start their project.

We covered:

• Making the first steps with your clients
• How to make sure everyone's on the same page and feeling good about the collaboration ahead.​

Keeping It Up: Consistency
Keeping communication open and truly listening to your clients' needs is crucial, so they stay happy and engaged throughout our work together.

Like when Alex, a Virtual Assistant, set up regular check-ins and progress reports with his clients. This not only kept them informed but also showed them that he was always on top of things. His client, Lisa, appreciated the transparency and felt more secure in their partnership. 
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We covered:

• Tips for keeping communication open and actively listening to clients.
• Ways to surprise and delight your clients throughout the journey.
  
  

Ending Well: Offboarding
Even goodbyes can be beautiful. A smooth, thoughtful offboarding can leave clients feeling valued and lead to referrals and positive reviews.

Emily, a freelance designer, always sends a thank-you note and a detailed project summary at the end of each job. Her client, Mark, was so impressed that he referred two new clients to her, saying he felt genuinely appreciated.
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 We explored:

• Wrapping things up with clients like a pro.
• Asking for feedback, tying up loose ends, and ensuring clients leave happy.
• Leaving the door open for future collaborations.

The discussion was all about making every client interaction smooth and satisfying, breaking down the client journey into easy-to-understand steps. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, my goal is to give everyone the tools and confidence to build awesome client relationships at every step.

Freelance like a "Pro"

Let me introduce you "Indy Pro", which is the best system to manage your freelance business efficiently. 

It offers built-in templates (proposals and agreements) to help you automate your repetitive tasks, integrate with your apps, and manage your client projects - imagine how much time you can save by using Indy Pro!  

I personally love the Project portal the most, where you can invite your clients to their dedicated “‘Client area”, give them access to everything they need and that you are working on in one central hub , and get feedback and approval on all your docs. They can see live updates on your time-tracking, and share files with them seamlessly. 

Accept automated payments from PayPal and Stripe right through Invoices and get paid without ever leaving the app.
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It offers a 7-day trial and I have a promo link (HERE) you can avail of 25% off with the code - Special promo code: GIFT25.

Remember, customer experience is the new marketing. Building excellent client experiences is key to long-term success.

Do you need any support with your client relationships? Contact me and book a 1:1 session!

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