The #1 Onboarding Step to Automate

As a Workflow Strategist, I’m a little bit biased on how much of your client experience you should automate (#automateallthethings). However, based on a recent experience I had in my own business I concluded that the #1 onboarding step you need to automate is “what happens next” after a new client signs up.

The Onboarding Step That Didn’t Happen

As my business grows, I’ve reached a point where I need to outsource some of the tasks on my plate that fall outside of my zone of genius. I was referred to someone who could help. After several back-and-forth emails I was excited to take the leap and sign up for service!

I signed my contract and made the initial payment, and then I waited…

…and waited…

…and waited…

For FOUR DAYS I waited, wondering what was next. During that time, I read back through all of our emails to see if I had missed a step in the onboarding process. I searched my contract to see if I could find a hint about what was supposed to be happening. The only thing I found was a payment receipt confirming my deposit had gone through.

The Lack of Communication Made Me Feel Sick

The longer I waited, the more I started to doubt my decision to outsource. I started feeling regret that I hadn’t done more research or interviewed more people before choosing someone. I wondered if I had somehow been duped into parting with my hard-earned money and now I wasn’t going to be any better off than before. And since the package I purchased was a 3-month retainer, I felt like I was losing time that I had paid for by not getting started ASAP. It was AWFUL having all these thoughts racing through my head for FOUR WHOLE DAYS!

Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. I reached out myself to ASK what was supposed to be happening next—something I should NOT have had to worry about as the paying client. It was only after this reach out that I FINALLY received a very detailed onboarding email that laid out the process and advised me of the next steps.

What’s the Moral? Automation is Reassuring

You need to reassure your clients that they’ve made the right choice by hiring you. Even if automation scares or intimidates you, I would strongly encourage you to automate the very first step of your onboarding process. Doing this will put your clients mind at ease (Dubsado can help with this!). You can perform every other step of your process manually if you want to (although I don’t recommend it). But PLEASE automate some kind of “what happens now” message so your clients don’t feel like you left them hanging. That email can even be something as simple as…

“Hey Client, I’m so excited to get started! I’ll be in touch within XX hours/days with next steps.”

That’s all it would have taken for me to feel confident I had made the right decision.

So the moral of the story is this. The #1 most important onboarding step to automate in your client journey is a “what happens now” message. Don’t leave them hanging!!!

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