The Definitive Guide to Automating Client Onboarding

We've all experienced how our patience and energy levels fluctuate throughout the day - when we're tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, it becomes much harder to bring our best selves to every interaction. This reality becomes particularly challenging when it comes to client onboarding, where first impressions matter most but the process often happens when you're already stretched thin managing existing client work - especially if your onboarding process is completely manual and involves a dozen different steps and so many emails. 

This creates a perfect storm: manually gathering all the necessary information for a new client and walking them through everything they need to know about the project becomes extremely time consuming, especially if something isn't done right the first time. When you're already working at capacity this can feel exhausting, like one more thing on your to-do list that you just have to get through, and it gets harder to make those emails and video calls personal and intentional. You start to rush through things. To feel annoyed when they keep asking questions. To delay or miss responding to emails. Then the process drags on, you're drained and your client is frustrated, and everyone feels generally… unpleasant. 

Even with all the professionalism and self control in the world, clients can pick up on when you’re not giving them your full attention because you’d rather be doing something else. And, let’s be honest, you probably would rather be doing something else instead of emailing someone for the third time to get the right information needed for that next step in the service you’re providing them. 

There’s a misconception that to make a good impression on your clients, everything has to be done as personally as possible. It’s true that most people prefer a human touch to their business interactions, but by trying to do every single thing yourself you actually lose the personal touch. As your business grows, you won’t have the time for it in that way! Then all of your emails and onboarding calls come out almost begrudgingly, like when you order coffee from a barista that you can tell hates their job. At which point your options are pretty much to either hire someone to handle that sort of repetitive interpersonal work (expensive!) or to automate the onboarding process in a way that keeps that human touch while saving you time (and sanity). Option two tends to be cheaper and more efficient. In fact, a study out of Ireland roughly ten years ago found that automated client onboarding systems could cut down the time it takes to onboard new clients by 30% and save up to 20% of onboarding costs. And automating client onboarding has benefits beyond saving time and money. It can:

• Manage risk of regulatory non-compliance
• Improve client experience and client retention
• Streamline communications between clients and your team

Overall, automating your client onboarding process can be a huge benefit to your company. So, how do you get started?

Mapping Your Client Journey

Your first step to optimizing and automating your onboarding process is to make sure you outline what exactly it takes to fully onboard a new client. Make a list of all the information that needs to be exchanged between you and your client after you’ve made the winning sales call and before you can start really getting into project work: contract, billing information, invoices, meeting schedules, etc. and in what order you (and your client) need what. You also need to make note of who needs what information within your organization. This is straightforward if you’re a solopreneur, but if you have more than one team, it’s important that accounting handles the billing information while you manage scheduling of the client meetings. 

Fully map out where your client starts, when they need to go, and the best order (and least number of steps) they can take to get there. We aren’t worried about automation yet. We’re just trying to write out all the steps first. This might look like:

Once your process is fully written out, now you can begin to look over it to identify what steps are truly needed, which could potentially be removed, and which could be combined. After going through that, you’re almost ready to automate! But first, you need to know what the right software is for your unique needs in order to create the type of flow you want. 

Choosing the Right Tools

Different industries have different needs when it comes to onboarding. Healthcare providers need software that is HIPAA compliant, whereas accounting firms will need software that can securely collect and transfer a specific collection of legal documents between the client and their firm. To help you find the right software for your company, here are some tips on what to look for based on your industry.

Creative Agencies & Marketing Firms

Creative agencies and marketing firms need the core onboarding automations: contact information, contract signing, invoicing, payment processing, and initial meeting scheduling. Popular options include HoneyBook, Dubsado, HubSpot, and Pipedrive, which offer these essential features. Additionally, look for software that includes client portals where clients can easily view and approve content strategies, creative assets, and campaign materials throughout your working relationship.

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Healthcare

As mentioned above, healthcare providers need software that is HIPAA compliant, so make sure any potential software you look into meets the right legal requirements. Beyond compliance, you'll need something that can manage comprehensive intake forms with personal information and health-specific questions. Look for platforms that allow you to build custom questionnaires with multiple choice, multi-select, and short answer questions. The software should also be capable of storing all the information needed for insurance verification and processing statements as part of the billing process. Consider solutions that can integrate with your existing practice management system to streamline the entire patient journey from onboarding through ongoing care.

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Accounting Practices

Accounting practices benefit from software that can read and process PDFs to identify information from specific tax forms and financial records. Look for platforms that allow you to create custom questionnaires mirroring the necessary documents, with secure upload capabilities so clients can attach scanned copies while you maintain both the original and accessible digital formats. TaxDome is an excellent option specifically designed for accounting firms, offering robust document management and client communication features. Any software you choose must meet stringent security standards, so ensure it has proper encryption and safety features to protect sensitive financial information.

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Coaching & Consulting Businesses

Coaching and consulting businesses need the same foundational onboarding features as creative agencies - contact collection, contracts, payments, and scheduling. However, coaches often have an additional requirement: automated delivery of digital resources. If your coaching program includes courses, workbooks, or other educational materials, you'll need software that can automatically grant access to these resources upon payment or at scheduled intervals. Look for platforms that can handle both one-time consulting bookings and ongoing program enrollments, ensuring your clients receive the right resources at the right time without manual action on your part.

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Ready to transform your client onboarding process? 

Automating your onboarding can be a massive time saver for your business and make working with you more convenient and enjoyable for your clients, boosting satisfaction, productivity, and profitability.

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