Onboard A Client Successfully With This 6-Step Process

At some point in the marriage between you and your client, someone might drop the ball.  After this happens, the relationship will sour, and all anyone will want to do is to get away from each other – whether this happens two days before the contract is up or two days into a newly signed contract. 

You see, just because you sign a client once, doesn’t mean you’ll do it again.  In fact, a large majority of the MSPs we work with consider their retention rate to be the ultimate barrier holding them back from a successful business; however, this barrier is usually avoidable. 

One of the most effective ways to keep your retention rate high and to avoid an unprofitable breakup, is to create a detailed process of what the perfect client onboarding experience looks like to you.  When you’re done creating this process, frame it, hang it on the wall, and follow it to a tee.  Every now and then, you’ll want to take down your process, build on it, make it better, and then rehang it. 

This process is extremely important because it clarifies expectations and sets the scope of your agreement which will eliminate confusion over what you are and aren’t responsible for.  Over the years, we’ve established six key elements of what we consider to be the perfect client onboarding experience. 

Introduction

If you don’t have a formal introduction between your staff and your new clients, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.  An introduction is so incredibly important to the overall success of an agreement because it gives you the opportunity to understand who the client is, what they expect of your team, and what type of business they run.  During this introduction, you should review the scope of work, supply the client with a bill of materials, perform meet and greets, and establish a clear set of expectations.  

Project Review

Once your team has met with the new client, it’s time to get back to the agreement to discuss what the actual scope of the project requires from you and your team.  Make a point to refine timelines, inspect the client’s facility, and review any necessary downtime that will occur during implementation.   

Prep Work

After you’ve gone through the agreement with a fine comb, you need to begin working towards implementation.  Ensure that everything is thoroughly documented during this process and that your team configures as much hardware offsite as possible.  Coordinate with any vendors and finalize a strategy for the upcoming implementation.  View this stage as your chance to guarantee that everything goes as planned and that your client has a pleasant experience with as little downtime as possible.      

Implementation

If you’re going to do any of these steps really well, then make sure it’s this step.  Many MSPs fail to plan out their implementation thoroughly, and as a result, the relationship between them and their client starts to sour well before it should.  If you take the time to go through the previous steps, this phase should be relatively simple.  Give yourself an accurate timeframe – not only for the actual install itself, but for the prep work, as well.  Don’t sign the agreement today and then plan for the install two days later.  If you do that, then your implementation phase will not go well.  Here are a few things to remember:

• Provide your client with a implementation timeline and stick to it as much as possible
• Stay organized and in constant communication with your client
• Inspect your work thoroughly
• Stay organized and update your documentation as you move along

Support Handoff

After implementation is complete, you’ll want to do another meet and greet with your support team.  Review all documentation and discuss client expectations with your team and then, schedule a time where your client can put a face to the name.  Give your support team the opportunity to impress the client and initiate a relationship.  At this time, you can also train the client on support best-practices.

Celebration

The first few weeks of a new contract can be painful, and don’t be ashamed to explain this to your client.  They’ll appreciate the honesty.  But once all is said and done, it’s okay to celebrate.  Send your client a thank you card and spend some time with your team reviewing how the entire process went.  Document what should happen next with your client, and relay this information to your client. 

If you follow these 6 steps, the result should be a solid foundation for a positive relationship.  From here, you can focus on retaining the client and maintaining consistent communication throughout the life of the agreement. 

If you have any further questions about how to onboard a client or if you have any questions about who CharTec is and what we do for our members, then give us a call today at 1.866.544.2772.  A representative would be happy to answer any of your questions.