How To Onboard Clients As A Virtual Assistant

Ever wondered how your client onboarding process should work as a Virtual Assistant? In this blog, we’ll dive into exactly that so you can ensure you’re both on the same page before you start working together.

The quality of your process is so important, not just for your working relationship but it increases the chances of your client returning to you in the future and the likelihood they would recommend you to other businesses.

Having a clearly defined procedure for onboarding is one of the most effective ways to improve your client’s experience, making your processes easier to understand by focusing on the procedures that you will follow once they have signed with you. So let’s dive in!

Do your research and due diligence.

No matter whether you’re working with well-known brands or smaller businesses, make sure to do your research and find out as much as you can about them. Research their history, their policies, their values, and everything you can about their industry. This will be so valuable when communicating with your client and a great way to show how passionate you truly are about working with them.

An official introduction

Always, always welcome your client to your business. During your introduction, tell them a little bit about yourself and your business so they can see you both in a professional and personal light. Remember, they’re not just working with your business; they’re working with you too and a good working relationship starts with a strong foundation.

Make sure to let them know where and when they can contact you and keep the lines of communication open. Don’t forget to introduce them to your team and who exactly they’ll be working with so they have the opportunity to get to know and trust your team members too. Ideally, they will do the same for you.

Set up a schedule

This is a great way for you to set out expectations for both yourself, your team, and your clients. Make sure to include any deadlines, halfway points, check-ups, and meetings. You can also give deadlines to your clients if you need anything from them before you begin the work.

It’s such an efficient way to keep everyone on the same page and informed on each stage of the project and it prevents any misunderstandings that may delay deliverables. Use a project management tool such as Trello, Toggle, or Asana to help organise your time and set tasks and deadlines so both of you have access to your schedule.

Maintain accessibility

So your client needs help and they’ve come to you. The best thing you can do for them is to keep it as simple as possible. Giving your client access to your project management tools, having a shared drive for any documents and imagery, and a safe place to share data such as LastPass are all fantastic ways to make the process easier.

E-signatures are also a great way to get any documentation signed and delivered without the fuss of printing, signing, and scanning. Going paperless can make the entire process easier and save you all so much time. Something I also use is Googlemeet for meetings and

Whatsapp/email for correspondence to keep the lines of communication open and easy for my clients.

Review regularly

Always look for any improvements you can make and regularly review your process. I find the best way to do this is to get feedback from your clients. Every one of your clients will be different, so just by asking, you can learn so much more than you think. Not just that, but you can take the advice with you and use it to improve your process for your next clients no matter what field or industry they’re from.

There are so many ways to improve your onboarding as you grow and it will differ depending on your industry, your clients, and your services but all in all it’s important to remember; simplicity, efficiency, and satisfaction.

Do you need support with your creative business? Check out my previous blog post, 5 Ways A Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Small Creative Business.

And if you’re looking for an organised, experienced VA to help with day-to-day management, scaling up your social media presence, and more, feel free to get in touch with Erin at Bizzybee.