In order to have a successful business, proper processes must be in place to maximize the client and employee experience.
Why do all businesses need to make sure their onboarding processes are successful and have high retention? To save money, time, and efforts.
Many business owners assume that client onboarding is the only process that should be prioritized and fine-tuned. The truth is, employees matter just as much (maybe even more) than your clients.
What do you prioritize in your business?
Client Onboarding
Client onboarding helps clients familiarize themselves with your products or services. This ensures they are satisfied with the services/products they were provided with and enables your business to form a relationship with them.
Whether your company provides a service of a product, there should be a process in place to welcome aboard new clients. The service sector’s onboarding process should be bit lengthier and more hands on.
If you sell products, a way to onboard new clients is by setting up automation processes for them. Automation processes are key to keep them engaged, especially if you don’t use phone sales or face-to-face communication to continue communication with clients. They will be impressed by how quickly they were welcomed, you will save time, and your company will become more efficient.
Below are tips to make you stand out and secure prospects and maintain retention:
1. Expectations – Here you will both discover what each of you expects to happen during your time of working together. You should establish goals that are reasonable for each party
2. Experience – To welcome them aboard, you could film a personalized video as an intro to lay out the groundwork. This will make them feel special and important.
3. Meetings – By scheduling weekly meetings or regular check-ins, you will be able to gather data, build a relationship, and make sure there’s an open line of communication.
4. Post-Onboarding – Continue to follow-up with clients, make sure their needs are met.
Employee Onboarding
Because employees are the backbones of companies, they should be treated like so. Your employees are the people who make it possible for you to step away for a day or two, take vacations, and allow the owner to work on the business instead of in the business.
Onboarding a new employee allows the new hire to become immersed into the company culture that hopefully shows them why they chose to work for you in the first place.
To do this you need to clearly outline what they should expect when coming to work for your company.
The cost of hiring an employee could cost you $65,000, give or take. To ensure money isn’t wasted, having the proper processes in place will make sure new hires are with you for the long haul.
Expectations before the first day:
- Send a welcome email
- HR forms
- Review employee handbook and any other company policies
- Have a desk/work station ready for the new hire
- Ensure all employees know about/welcome new hire
First day expectations:
- Ensure new hire feels at ease by reviewing your company’s mission and values
- Show employee around making sure they know about any day-to-day activities, parking, and restrooms
First 90 days and beyond:
- Provide training, monitor performance, and regular schedule meetings/check-ins to make sure they are retaining all information
Sources:
https://thrivetrm.com/new-employee-onboarding-checklist/ https://blog.hubspot.com/service/onboarding-best-practices
Any opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of Raymond James. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Raymond James and its advisors do not offer tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.