Establishing new business relationships requires a sure instinct so that your potential customers feel that they are in good hands throughout the entire onboarding process. Viktor Fink from the Düsseldorf advertising agency bitseven reveals how you can win over your new customers in 5 steps.

Onboarding represents the systematic integration of the customer into your workflow and plays an essential role in the sales process. It could also be described as "taking on board": New customers are welcomed and the way is paved for effective collaboration. This creates a seamless experience from the first point of contact through to follow-up. Because the real potential lies in lasting customer relationships that are characterized by mutual trust. The way you connect clients turns new users into enthusiastic fans.

Why onboarding is so important

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Everyone knows this saying. This is especially true when it comes to customer loyalty. The foundation for long-term business relationships is laid in the first phase of the business relationship. Whether your buyer feels understood and well looked after has a significant influence on subsequent purchasing decisions. If a harmonious connection is not established at the beginning, the relationship can quickly begin to crumble. 

On the other hand, a positive onboarding experience confirms that your customers have made the right choice with you. Ultimately, you will not only achieve short-term orders in this way, but also create a long-term relationship. Statistically speaking, customers who are not loyal to the company within the first 90 days will churn. And that's not all: according to a According to a study by Oraclearound 86 percent of buyers are willing to pay more for a good customer experience.

Client onboarding for agencies in 5 steps

Step 1: The call

It is done. The deal is done. Now we have to pick up the customer. The first call sets the course for the collaboration. Agency clients expect good accessibility, effective processes and appropriate results. 

First, however, you should thank them personally on the phone for the order. This strengthens trust and is generally a nice gesture.

Next, you can ask your customer a few more questions - if you haven't already done so.

• Did you already have business relationships with competitors beforehand?
• If these were canceled, why?
• Where was there still room for improvement?

Once this has been clarified, it is advisable to explain the next steps to your customer. It's like going to the dentist. If I don't know what to expect, I sweat all over the dentist's chair in fear. However, if the doctor takes the time to tell me what the procedure looks like, I'm much calmer.

Your client is probably not terrified of working with you (unlike me with dentists), but they too want to know what happens next. We humans don't like uncertainties.

Pro Tip: An experienced business consultant gave me this trick. Open the phone call with "Everything okay with you?" Try to get specific information from the customer. A "Yes, thank you" is not enough.

Example:
You: "Good afternoon, Mrs. Seidbold, is everything all right with you?"
Mrs. Seidbold: "Yes thank you, with you too?"
You: "Absolutely, thank you. Now that I have a coffee, the day can begin."
Mrs. Seidbold: "I can understand that. I'll make myself a cup in a minute."

Bingo! Why all this? Because you can now end the conversation with "and enjoy your coffee, Mrs. Seidbold". Now the customer has the feeling that you've really listened - and not just to business matters.

Step 2: Welcome mail

Send your new customer a welcome email to let them know that they are in good hands. The aim of this email is to maintain the momentum of the phone call. Were any questions answered during the call? Write the answers again in the email so that the recipient has them in writing. The next steps can also be listed here.

Add the other responsible persons to the CC and briefly introduce them. Who does the frontend? Who does the backend? This gives your company a little more face. 

Pro tip: Your team and you probably already had some rough ideas of what the project could look like. For example, if you have to design a website for a car repair shop in Leipzig, you may have been inspired by a workshop website from Chicago. Take a screenshot of this American website and explain to your client in this video which elements inspired you and how they could be used in their project. Be sure to mention aspects that you came up with yourself. Otherwise it will look like you're just copying.

If your client sees that you have a vision for their project, they will feel that they are in good hands.

Example video:

Step 3: The kickoff meeting

Here we go! The kick-off meeting builds trust and lays the foundation for the rest of the job. So meet face to face if possible. It's easier to build personal relationships when everyone is sitting around the same table.

The same applies to this meeting as to a sales pitch. You have two ears, but only one mouth. Listen to the customer. Ask questions. Find out whether the customer has thought of anything else that is important to them in the meantime.

But the actual aim of this meeting is not to gather hard information - that can also be done by email. Offline meetings are about building trust. 80% of the time I talk to my customers about trivial or only "semi-relevant" things.

• How did you get this job?
• How long have you been in this pretty office?
• Are you going on vacation?

Convey that you are also just a person with a normal life. Feel free to talk about yourself. This will turn you from a two-dimensional businessman into a three-dimensional person made of flesh and blood. 

Pro tip: "Let them eat cake then!"
Bring cake for coffee - more than you can eat together. After you've gone, the cake is distributed around the office and everyone asks "Who brought it?" The answer: You!

Even people who have nothing to do with the project are now on your side. Checkmate. Long live the cake bribe ;-) 

Step 4: Welcome package

The cooperation has been roughly clarified. Nevertheless, contact should not be broken off immediately. A welcome package helps to strengthen the purchase decision. It can be a mixture of digital assets and physical products, for example. For a digital form, a PDF info sheet with business hours, contact information and emergency numbers is recommended. The customer will be delighted with the unexpected surprise.

Think about what opportunities exist to create added value and ensure an outstanding experience. A "knowledge base" for customer onboarding can work wonders here. It contains a series of previously answered questions. It should be as easy as possible for the customer to find and avoid technical jargon as far as possible. In this way, you also prevent specific queries that come up again and again. The more specific the information is, the better.

In addition, every customer is happy to receive status updates. Especially if you can present something visual. That way, the customer can see that you are working on their project the whole time.

Step 5: Service and follow-up

The check-up should take place in the first 30 days. This ensures that what you have discussed is working well. Call the customer from your office and ask if everything is OK. Collect all the questions the customer still has.

• How do I add new images?
• How can I create a new user?
• How do I change the price of a product?

Now create a tutorial video on how the customer can work with their new site (screen recording is sufficient). It should definitely be a video made especially for the customer. This will make the customer feel individually supported. 

He can watch this video again and again. If he forgets how the photos work in 4 weeks, he doesn't have to call you. This will save you both time and nerves.

Pro Tip: The cake bribe was already good, but now go one better. At the end of a project, we send our customers a small gift, for example a bottle of cognac, Cuban cigars or a bouquet of flowers. Of course, a handwritten card is always included.

Important! Don't do this for public contracts. Civil servants are not allowed to accept gifts. 

Conclusion: Customer onboarding is underestimated

Onboarding does not work overnight. It takes time and a lot of patience. Nevertheless, for agencies in particular, it is the tip of the scales when it comes to retaining customers in the long term. Formulating clear expectations shows that your customers are dealing with a professional company. Ultimately, this not only strengthens smooth processes, the routine also symbolizes reliability. Always remember that customers are much more likely to churn in the first 90 days: If you recognize mistakes early on, you can turn clients into fans.

Show your customers that you take their projects and their business seriously. If you do everything right here, you will gain valuable business relationships that can withstand the fast pace of today's society.