Onboarding is all about establishing a strong relationship with your client and ensuring a smooth project experience. Start by building rapport and understanding the client's needs. Share a detailed proposal outlining scope, timeline, and budget. You may decide to grow your freelancing business and build a team of support. Ensure your clients have a seamless onboarding experience with your support team in order to build trust, increase client satisfaction, and attract more repeat business.
Effective onboarding sets the stage for clear communication, mutual understanding, and a productive partnership. This lesson will teach us essential skills for welcoming new clients and laying the groundwork for successful project collaboration.
Types of clients
Upwork clients typically range from solo entrepreneurs to mid-sized businesses. Because these clients are not leveraging the enterprise subscription benefits of an Upwork account manager, they can sometimes require a bit more guidance on project workflows on the Upwork platform.
Upwork's enterprise client base spans a broad spectrum, encompassing small boutique and large multinational corporations, including over a third of the Fortune 500. Enterprise clients on Upwork enjoy additional communication flexibility compared to individual clients. They can exchange contact information and conduct interviews outside of the Upwork platform before contract initiation
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NOTE: While Enterprise clients can exchange contact information with freelancers before initiating a contract, this must be donein a private channel, such as Upwork Messages, not publicly.
Successful onboarding
A successful client relationship begins with a solid onboarding process. Communicate expectations, establish preferred communication channels, and build rapport. Provide essential project details and outline the following steps to create a welcoming atmosphere. By setting a solid foundation, you position yourself for a productive and collaborative partnership.
Consider developing a standardized template outlining project details, expectations, and next steps to have ready during your onboarding process. Practice active listening to fully understand client needs and create a checklist of essential information to gather during the initial interactions. Below are some suggested items to include on your onboarding checklist.
Checklist for onboarding new clients
Client information:
- Client name and contact details
- Project name and description
- Project timeline and deadlines
- Payment terms
Project scope:
- Deliverables and milestones
- Required resources and materials (Will you be provided access to necessary technology/apps/licenses?)
- Potential challenges and risk mitigation
Communication preferences:
- Preferred communication methods (email, phone, project management tools)
- Response time expectations (How often should you check in? Daily? Weekly?)
- Unavailable times (Standard working hours, any planned vacation or time off, expectations for communicating if an emergency arises)
Next steps:
- Initial meeting or kickoff call agenda
- Required documents or information from the client
- Project kickoff date and timeline
Consider this:
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How would you approach onboarding a client with limited project management experience? Make a plan for questions to ask, suggestions to make, and ways to ensure clear communication and collaboration around this type of situation. |
