With so many options, I really struggled to figure out how to automate and systematise my business. I read about it, but there was so much theory thrown around everywhere and so many options – the conclusion was ‘whatever was right for your business’.

Ugh. For someone for whom their systems were Post-It notes, how in the world do I know what’s right for me?

All this chaos, the mess of paperwork in my office, the time spent looking for files, the time spent thinking about what else I had forgotten or where I had put something added a huge amount of weight on my shoulders.

This all culminated in ending up in a fun five hours in the Emergency Room in early 2016. The verdict?

“There’s nothing physically wrong with you. It’s stress.”

You’re kidding me, right? I’m not stressed, I’m just busy! Um…..

The 3 Steps I Took To Automate My Client Onboarding System

It was time to make a change. I did three crucial things that have absolutely changed the course of my life + business.

1. Decided Enough was Enough

The five hours in the Emergency Room and health issues I had that sent me there sucked. I wasn’t able to work for weeks afterwards – reading or any time at the computer made me dizzy. It was a huge, physical wake up call to get stuff done that I had been procrastinating for years.

2. Got Expert Help

I knew I couldn’t do it alone – I had been trying to get this done myself, but I am not a naturally organised person. I literally didn’t know where to start – fortunately, I did know some very talented people who thrive in solving these kinds of problems for others.

Sorting out my physical and digital clutter

I had an amazing call with a professional organiser, Jul’s Arthur,  who gave me some very simple, manageable tasks to get started in clearing away physical and digital clutter, something I had been trying to do myself for years. She was lovely and open and understanding. I cried, and the clutter slowly disappeared.

Finding a starting point for systems

Online Business Manager Victoria Klein helped me get started with systems and walked me through my client process, adding steps, deleting steps, and making life simpler as she worked her magic.

Getting organised

Systems expert Veronica Yahns was incredibly helpful in advising me with what I could specifically do to systematise and automate, use project management tools effectively (I have a project management tool now!), break down my goals and schedule realistically, and generally blowing my mind with what I could do.

[bctt tweet=”You can’t be an expert at everything. Ask for help when you need it” username=”maggiegiele”]

3. Did The Work (Client Onboarding Process)

The first thing I did was write out my entire client-related process; everything that happens from a client first contacting you to booking your services.

My Old Process:

• • Client contacts me by email
  • We decide on a day and time over email
  • (optional: back-and-forth emails figuring out timezones, Skype usernames, and the occasional “I can’t find you on Skype”/ “got the time wrong” etc.)
  • I send them a few questions by email for them to fill out before we talk
  • We meet on Skype for a free Clarity Call
  • I send a follow-up email with action steps and booking information
  • Clients confirms by email that they want to hire me
  • I sent them the contract over HelloSign
  • I sent them the invoice with Microsoft Word (really.) or Paypal, depending on where they’re located
  • We decide on when we’ll start our first meeting (a few more back-and-forth emails)

Oof. That’s a lot of email.

Why was this a bad plan?

• Many, many back-and-forth emails + lots of time spent replying, on both sides
• Frequent mix-ups due to time differences, especially with clients who weren’t used to working internationally
• Issues with Skype with finding the right usernames, multiple usernames, clients not remembering their username/ password for Skype, etc.
• A lot of no-shows on calls
• Lots of time spent searching for the right information
• Lots of time spent manually doing tasks that could have easily been automated
• Many different apps used – logging in and out, figuring out what was where and what had already been done
• Confusion and frustration galore

I don’t know about you, but I freaking hate email. Hate it. It takes me forever, it’s never-ending, and there’s so much room for miscommunication because you don’t hear the other person’s tone, read too fast, or miss an email. 

Less email = happier Maggie.

[bctt tweet=”Overwhelmed with doing everything in your business manually? Here are some steps to get you started!” username=”MaggieGiele”]

My New Process:

• Client books a free Clarity Call using my Satori link.
• They automatically receive a pre-call questionnaire, reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before we talk, and the link to my Zoom meeting room
• We have our session. I record the call.
• I upload the call recording to a shared Google Drive folder

• I send the client a canned email (email template) depending on the outcome of the meeting. I tailor the email per client, but the structure remains the same. It generally includes:
  • action steps for them to improve their business and marketing,
  • a link to the shared Google Drive folder with the recording of our call, 
  • next steps.
• The client books via the Satori link they received in the follow-up email. They can immediately electronically sign the contract, pay by credit card or Paypal, and book in all the meetings.
• I send them a Welcome Packet PDF containing information about working together, a timeline, and a link to a Google Form to get basic background information like their birthday, mailing address, best times of the day to contact them, etc.

See how this new process is 10x easier for me and for the client?

[bctt tweet=”Step-by-step process in how to streamline + automate your client onboarding process” username=”MaggieGiele”]

What changed:

• Steps were automated where possible. I picked Satori as my all-in-one tool after trying it out for free for 30 days.
• I wrote out my process in Trello for an easy overview that I could use with each potential client
• I wrote email templates for different types of situations, e.g. after a Clarity Call where we decided to move forward, after a market research call, etc. Amy Lynn Andrews has a great tutorial for setting up canned emails in Gmail.
• Switched from Skype to Zoom for all my calls
  • got rid of the technical issues
  • more stable platform
  • easily recording calls
  • my personal Zoom link gets automatically sent in the Satori scheduling emails
• I created a digital Welcome Packet where I put everything I needed to know and everything the client needed to know before we started working together. Check out Megan Martin’s tutorial on creating a gorgeous physical Welcome Packet.
• I created a hierarchy of folders in Google Drive where I could upload recordings of all calls I had

Satori works really well for me, but if it’s not your cup of tea, you can also have a look at Acuity Scheduling, or Calendly for a basic and free online scheduling tool. 

Action steps:

Do this process for your own business. What are all the different things that need to happen from the moment a client contacts you until they pay? Feel free to follow my process and improve upon on. Where are you spending the most amount of time? Any secrets you’ve uncovered for less frustration, more work done?

Let me know in the comments!