Virtual assistant services are many, and it's important to set boundaries and responsibilities from the start to avoid ambiguity.
A structured onboarding process removes miscommunication that can make your job harder and your client's experience less satisfying.
In this article, I'll discuss client onboarding and its advantages and disadvantages, and I will guide you through each step to create a smooth relationship with your clients.
What is Client Onboarding for Virtual Assistants?
Client onboarding is a structured process for establishing a successful working relationship with your clients. This process involves setting expectations for your services, organizing all essential information, and building a system to communicate and manage your clients’ tasks effectively.
It's an opportunity to introduce your clients to your services and ensure both parties understand what's on the table. This helps VAs and their clients stay aligned on task priorities, deliverables, and timelines.
Why You Need a Virtual Assistant Client Onboarding Checklist
You’ll exchange a lot of information and agreement with your clients while onboarding them. This is why it's important to have an onboarding checklist so crucial information doesn't slip through the cracks. An onboarding checklist will help you:
- Simplify operations from day one. A checklist straightens your and your client's responsibilities from the beginning. You can avoid back-and-forths gathering information about your client's tools, preferences, and project goals.
- Manage client expectations: Virtual assistants oversee several tasks, depending on the service your client needs help with. However, clients may expect services that are not included in earlier discussions.
For example, a client may need help creating content and scheduling their social media post but expect you to also reply to their emails.
An onboarding checklist clarifies what services you offer, how you operate, and the response time and availability your clients can expect from you.
- Build client confidence. An organized onboarding steps — introductory email, detailed intake form, questionnaires, etc.— shows your clients you have a clear and professional approach to managing their tasks and expectations.
- Establishes your scope of service. Onboarding your clients gives you an opportunity to set your scope of service upfront. You establish the extent of your services to a client, and they, in turn, know what to expect and not to expect from you.
- Create a smooth transition for recurring tasks. Many VA tasks are repetitive, like managing calendars, organizing emails, or handling reports. These tasks need to be done regularly, so it's important to set them up to run smoothly from the start.
You can document recurring tasks during onboarding— you discuss what needs to be done, how often it should be done, and any other specific details, like what tasks should be prioritized.
It's easy to keep track of these discussions if you onboard your clients through client portals, like ManyRequests. You can keep track of your discussions and any material shared between you and your clients on these platforms.
Disadvantages of Not Using a Client Onboarding Checklist
Many things could go wrong without an onboarding checklist. These are the disadvantages of not using a checklist when onboarding your client:
- Missed task priorities. Without an onboarding checklist, you may overlook discussing important tasks, which could lead to neglect of higher-priority tasks.
- Client's frustration. Clients may get frustrated if you don't outline important aspects of your relationship, like communication or meetings for updates.
For context, a client may expect you to brief them every two weeks, but you’d prefer a monthly briefing.
- Scope creep. Clients may expect you to offer more services than you initially agreed on. When you don't set expectations during onboarding, your client may assume additional tasks are included in the agreement.
This is called scope creep, and it can reduce your team's efficiency, especially when they are managing many clients.
Onboarding your clients communicates what services you'll offer and that any extra request from them will be billed as a separate service.
You can create an Add-on service with ManyRequests to bill for these extra tasks.
- Higher churn. Poor onboarding can cause misunderstandings that make your client more likely to terminate their contract early.
If you want to retain your clients better, read this article on how to reduce churn in your agency..
Key Components of a Virtual Assistant Client Onboarding Checklist
If you've decided to use a client onboarding checklist to introduce your clients to your services, here's everything you should include when onboarding them:
- Send a welcome email. Your first interaction with a client sets the tone for your relationship with them. Send an email to establish an immediate connection with them.
In this email, introduce your team, and discuss the next steps they'll take to complete the onboarding process.
Here's an example:
Hi (Client’s Name),
Welcome to (Agency Name)! We’re excited to partner with you and look forward to helping streamline your operations and accomplish your goals.
I'm (Your Name), and I'll be your main point of contact here at (Agency Name). Our team specializes in providing (mention your specific services, for example, administrative support, social media management, or project coordination.) to help you run your business smoothly and more efficiently.
We have a series of onboarding steps to help you understand your needs and introduce our processes. Here's what you can expect:
- Completing the Intake Form(Add link)
- Scheduling a kickoff meeting(Add link to scheduling tool of your choice)
- Discuss the communication process.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. We’re here to make this process smooth and straightforward.
Looking forward to working together!
(Your Name)
(Your Title)
(Agency Name)
- Prepare Legal Documents: Draft your contract for the kind of service you're providing. Use a one-time contract for short-term tasks and a retainer agreement for clients who need ongoing support.
Legal documents clarify your services and your client's responsibility towards the project. It also communicates your preferred payment options.
For example, you may want to be paid hourly, project-based, retainer, or Net 0 (the same day after the month's work), Net 15 (15 days after), or Net 30 (30 days after).
- Data and Access Collection: Request for access to your client’s logins, including some text
- email accounts,
- project management tools,
- social media accounts,
- and even cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox, to perform your task effectively.
Your clients may be reluctant to share sensitive details, so it's important to use a secure password-sharing platform, like 1Password, to share these credentials.
- Create an Onboarding Questionnaire: Create a list of questions to collect information on your client's needs, task priorities, communication preferences, and other details.
Here's an example of the questions you can ask:
- Which tasks should I focus on first— emails, scheduling, social media?
- What do you hope to achieve with VA support?
- Are there recurring tasks that should be handled on a set schedule?
- What tone or guidelines should I follow for client interactions?
- How should I handle unexpected tasks?
- Do you prefer a specific tool for task tracking, or should I suggest one?
- Who else on your team should I coordinate with?
- What are your payment preferences?
- Define Task Priorities and Communication: Discuss and clarify which tasks need immediate attention and how your clients want to be updated (for example, emails, zoom meetings, or calls.)
You should also confirm the best time for daily/weekly updates and response times, especially if your client is in a different time zone. For instance, let your client know if you’d like a response to your updates within 12 or 24 hours on business days.
- Task Management and Planning: Create a workflow for repetitive tasks to help your clients understand task progression. Here, you can;
- create a recurring task list for tasks like daily admin and calendar management.
- Discuss task deadlines with your client and organize them within the project management tool you use.
- Determine which tasks need client approval and how to process these approval requests.
- Documentation: Build a consistent reporting schedule that aligns with your client's expectations. For example, clarify if you’ll send a daily, weekly, or monthly summary of every task you completed.
- Project Kick-off: Schedule a kickoff meeting to finalize any last details. On this call, you can review task priorities to determine which tasks come first and last, answer questions your clients may have about your task list or tools, and reconfirm communication preferences.
Tips and Best Practices for Virtual Assistant Onboarding
These are tips you should remember when onboarding your clients:
- Document your client's preferences and style guidelines. Most clients have preferred response time and email style, and it's important to note this so you don't forget.
You can document your discussion with clients through ManyRequests client portal.
- Specify how long each onboarding step will take. For example, gathering tool access may take a day or two, especially if you need client approval.
- Plan for data security. Use a secure process when handling your client's login credentials.
- Update your checklist. Update your checklist to reflect relevant practices— remove any steps that are no longer relevant to your onboarding process.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Virtual Assistant Onboarding
These are mistakes you should avoid when onboarding your client:
- Don't assume your client's expectations. Always ask questions to understand what the client expects from you.
- Don't skip tool verification. Test all logins and software early. This will help you catch any issues before you start.
- Don't overload your client with information. Keep your instructions simple— you don't want to overwhelm your clients, especially when they're new to VA services.
- Don't skip the kickoff meeting. It's important to align with your clients on expectations and communication.
How to Use Our Free Virtual Assistant Client Onboarding Checklist Template
Our virtual assistant client onboarding checklist template is designed to help you onboard your client successfully.
Here's how to use it:
- Download the template from our website
- Edit the text to add your business name.
- Include tasks that are specific to your agency.
- Add visuals or links to resources(videos, articles).
- Add the specific services you'll offer clients.
- Review it with your team members.
Conclusion
Virtual assistants manage several tasks for clients, and it's important that they align on these services for a smooth operation. An onboarding checklist ensures that you start your working relationship with clear expectations and an organized approach.
If you're handling many tasks for a client, it's easier to use client portals, like ManyRequests. With ManyRequests, you can invite your clients to an easier onboarding process, track assigned tasks, and communicate with your team on one platform. Sign up for a 14-day free trial to see how it works.
