Setting up Expectations in Your Welcome Guide
Working with new clients can result in calm or chaos. The key to making sure the process goes smoothly is to set up clear expectations in your welcome guide.
A welcome guide is used to introduce new clients to you, your policies, and your processes. They are hiring you, so you are responsible for setting up those expectations for your client. The clearer you are in your expectations, the less likely you are to run into issues. The clearer your boundaries are, the more likely you are to create a positive working relationship.
What should a welcome guide include
A welcome guide should absolutely include a welcome statement or letter, a section on your policies and about payment, and information about your process. Many people also include a list of services in case the client is looking to add more to their package or to share that information with others. You should avoid too much information (no more than 10 single-sided pages) or information that conflicts with your contract. Your welcome guide may be sent digitally or printed, so use your eye for design to make it look good.
WELCOME
Welcome guides should include a letter from you to the new client. That letter should thank them for hiring you and validating their decision. This letter can be personalized to focus on each individual client, but it’s more likely that you’ll generalize and automate this process to make your life much easier.
COMMUNICATION POLICIES
What hours and days of the week are you available to communicate with clients? Consider this section expectations of your standard hours of operation and the hours dedicated to client communication. Be sure to clearly explain what platform(s) you use to communicate and which one they should use. Add in a warning about what happens if they don’t communicate on the correct platform or within a specific timeframe. Deadlines for communication help to ensure the process doesn’t become stagnant.
POINTS OF CONTACT
At what points in the process will you contact the client? Consider this section to accompany the timeline section.. Most clients like updates on where you are on the project. Be sure to clearly explain what platform you will use to communicate these points of contact. Consider using your Project Management System to automate this process.
PAYMENT INFORMATION
Your payment information should be a separate section from policies and processes because it is so important. In this section, clearly outline what payment methods you use and your payment policies. Consider this section the expectations for the accounting aspect of what you do. Be sure you are clear about the expectations for payment so you get paid. Add in deadlines and what happens if a payment is late as well.
Tools you use
What tools do you use that the client needs to use or to have access to? There are three tools that I suggest: a client management system, a project management system, and a storage management system.
CMS
Client management system programs like Dubsado, HoneyBook, or 17Hats that clients can use to access proposals, contracts, payment information and more. Clients should have their own unique access.
PMS
Project management system programs like ClickUp, Trello, or Asana that clients can use to track projects, load resources, and share materials. Clients should have their own access in your system.
SMS
Storage management system programs like Google Drive or Dropbox that you and clients can share access to materials. Clients should have their own unique access that they share partial access to materials with you as you do.
Consider adding in tutorials or training videos to your welcome guide!
