Critical Onboarding
I wanted to continue the conversation of my previous blog because it is such an important subject for us Direct Marketers, whether you are a Full Service Direct Marketing Agency like Anderson Direct Marketing or you offer specific products such as Digital Marketing Services or Direct Mail or even more of a niche like Paid Search, it is still so important for a client to have a good onboarding experience.
Here’s another way of looking at it:
Outreach: In general, your clients should feel appreciated. How do you currently make them feel appreciated? After you close the deal do you welcome them via Email? Snail mail? Phone?
Set Expectations: It is important to set expectations up front regarding your process, especially if timelines are involved. And, in our world, it’s all about the timeline, right? You can’t have Direct Marketing without a timeline.
Introductions: You should provide some key points of contact for your new clients. Maybe provide a quick contact sheet that includes both your team’s info as well as theirs. Ensure they have the 800# and the email address for everyone on the team, as well as direct lines. Ensure the clients know the escalation process within the account team in the event of challenges or problems.
Getting Started: All of the above items are key to kicking things off on the right foot. These, added to the key elements bulleted in my previous post, will set you up for success.
Checking In: Having a process for ensuring you check-in with your new client is very important. When we work in team environments sometimes there are so many hands in the pot that we forget to “check-in” with our client. It’s important to identify who is going to do that, and of course, ensure that they actually do it!
Ask so they will tell: How are we doing? Finally, if you don’t ask you are not likely to know if the relationship is doing well or not. A key element to your overall experience is that you keep asking.
Bringing on new clients and keeping them are your biggest challenges. Give your clients a reason to say “we love you guys!” Ultimately, you are striving to build long-term customer loyalty.
Share what is unique about your Onboarding process.
