5 Steps for Effective New Client Onboarding

Written By

HBI Communication Helga Bailey GmbH

New year, new clients. Does your firm have an effective onboarding strategy for its new customers? Without a proper and well-planned kick-off, your new partnership may be susceptible to unnecessary misunderstandings, frustration – and even lost business.

Start your new partnerships strong with a process that ensures your team knows the company, its products/solution and people. HBI PR & Marcom offers checklist for streamlining your new client onboarding process and helping new partners work well with your agency:

Step 1: Nail the Kick-Off Conversation

The kick-off conversation is about getting to know the company and key people of interest. In this discussion, your firm should ask:

1. Who are the key contacts for which topics?
2. Who are the representatives available for statement or interviews?
3. What is the procedure for release loops and who has the last word?
4. Where is the focus of current communication?
5. What are the goals the company aims to achieve in the next quarter or year?

While it’s essential for your team to understand the new company, it’s equally important that the client knows how to work with your team. For example, establishing the primary contact or account manager at your organization will ensure communications get to the right people more efficiently.

Step 2: Establish Measurable Goals and KPIs

KPIs should be at least roughly agreed at the beginning of each collaboration. Often, misunderstandings that could have been avoided happen because clear goals were not established early enough.

Outline measurable KPIs to establish clear expectations and targets for your team and the client. Some examples include:

• 10 interviews with representatives at a trade show
• 5 articles in vertical media
• 3 placements of user reports
• 40 percent increase in followers on social media channels

Step 3: Create a Library of Relevant Materials

Before diving into the work, obtain and view the client’s existing materials during onboarding. The library should include recently published press releases, the latest articles and interviews, speaker biographies, briefing document templates and reporting. If the client doesn’t currently have a uniform layout or template for certain documents, offer to create these for more effective documentation and correspondence.

Once you’ve worked through these first three steps of new client onboarding, you’re only two steps away from really getting the ball rolling. Follow the additional steps outlined by HBI PR & Marcom on new client onboarding.

Read other Worldcom Partner insights about Stakeholder, Public Relations and Employee Management.

HBI PR & Marcom have over 30 years of experience and specialize in communications around technology products making them specialized in communications around technology-related topics for over 30 years. They have extensive experience in traditional PR, social media, marketing and seminars and have worked with a huge scope of companies ranging from start-ups to global groups and local SMBs. Some of the world’s best-known brands entrust their communications to HBI’s expertise. The agency strives to introduce and establish emerging companies selling innovative products or services in the German-speaking market. Today they support customers from the whole area of technology – business-to-business, consumer electronics and industrial IT. They also have clients in other sectors, such as consulting, hospitality, healthcare, engineering as well as transportation.