How to Automate Your Client Onboarding Process with Dubsado
Onboarding clients is a critical phase in your client process, and therefore important to design correctly.
It’s also where Dubsado can really help you simplify the process for clients and yourself, automate follow-ups, and save you time.
Onboarding workflows may be different depending on the niche you’re in, so instead of showing you a specific workflow, I’ll share possible steps you can include in your onboarding workflow.
In this blog post, we'll explore who can benefit from a Dubsado onboarding workflow, when to use it, the types of actions you can use, and how to trigger it.
Benefits of Using an Onboarding Workflow in Dubsado
The benefits of an onboarding workflow are:
Automating the process of sending an onboarding scheduler, or a questionnaire, or a welcome packet - while still maintaining the ability to make edits and personalize content before sending it out.
Automating the process of following up with clients if they have not completed a questionnaire within a certain number of days.
Holding subsequent tasks in the workflow - like sending a questionnaire - until certain requirements are met - like having the a call scheduled.
The ability to send follow up emails via the workflow, ensuring that clients receive timely and relevant information throughout the onboarding process.
Kickstarting another workflow - like the main service workflow or offboarding workflow - once all onboarding tasks are completed.
When to Use a Dubsado Onboarding Workflow
Who is this type of workflow best for?
An onboarding workflow is best for:
People who want to streamline the onboarding process and ensure no steps are missed.
People who need to gather detailed information from clients before starting the main service.
People who need to meet with their clients as they begin their clients project.
Examples of Actions in an Onboarding Workflow
Once the content and templates that you need for your workflow are ready in Dubsado, you can build your onboarding workflow.
Some examples of the content you might need are: schedulers, questionnaires, canned emails and a welcome packet. But this will depend on your client process.
Activate the Client Portal
This step activates the client portal for them, so that when you send them an email with the link and password to the portal, they will be able to access it.
Activate the client portal for a project in Dubsado
Send a Welcome Email
This step sends a welcome email with next steps that can include a link and password to their client portal, and a link to their welcome packet, using a canned email selected from the canned email list.
To set this up:
Create a canned email template with a warm welcome message
Include the smart field for their the client portal {{client | portalLink}} and password {{client | portalPassword}}
Include the link to their pdf welcome packet (if applicable)
Send a welcome email via a workflow in Dubsado
Send Onboarding Scheduler
This step sends the appointment scheduler for the onboarding call using a canned email selected from the canned email list.
If you have a questionnaire they need to fill out before they book the call, make sure to attach that to the scheduler. You cannot send a questionnaire AND a scheduler in the same step. I would only recommend doing this if the questionnaire is relatively short.
If your questionnaire is longer, I recommend sending it using a separate action.
Send a scheduler link via a workflow
Send Onboarding Questionnaire
This step sends the onboarding questionnaire using a canned email selected from the canned email list.
You can trigger this action to happen after their onboarding call is scheduled, which is really helpful.
If you need them to complete the questionnaire first, you can trigger sending the onboarding call scheduler after the questionnaire is completed.
Send a questionnaire via a workflow
Send Reminder Email to Fill Out the Questionnaire
If the questionnaire has not been submitted, Dubsado will follow up with them and send them the same questionnaire again using a canned email that you choose from your list of canned emails.
You can set this reminder to go out however many days you want after the questionnaire was initially sent AND not submitted. Don’t worry, if someone already submitted their questionnaire, they will not get this reminder.
📌Note: You can send more than one reminder, just know that this is where Dubsado get finicky. The reminders have to be in increasing number of days (or hours), meaning:
First reminder X days
Next reminder X+1 days (or more)
So you can’t send a reminder 3 days after you first sent the proposal, and then send a reminder 3 days after that. It needs to be 3 days after you first sent the proposal, and then 4 days after that.
Weird, but it’s just how Dubsado works.
Send an automated reminder to complete a questionnaire
Update Project Status
You can update the clients project status to ‘Booked’ or ‘Onboarding’ depending on what you have set up in your account. You can also trigger changes in project status after certain tasks are completed like: when the onboarding questionnaire is completed, or after the onboarding call has ended.
Change project status in a workflow
To-do Edit Email with Next Steps
In some workflows, you need to send an email right after a meeting. That email needs to be personalized based on the discussion you had during the call.
Placing a to-do to trigger right after the appointment ends, is a great way to stop that email from going out. Allowing you to edit it with clear next steps that are particular to this project, and once the edits are done then check off the to-do to send out the email.
Tip: Make sure to include a smart field with the clients name inside the to-do reminder, or else you might be confused trying to figure out which project the to-do notification / email is related to.
To-do action in a Dubsado workflow
To-do Send Gift
Some businesses will send a gift to new clients. Using a to-do is a great way to make sure that you don’t forget to send out the appreciation gift to your clients.
Set the to-do to trigger at a time that makes sense in your workflow - like right after the welcome email is sent out, or right after the project is completed.
You can automate this even further with a Zap to an application called Handwrytten. When the invoice is paid or contract is signed, Zapier can trigger sending out a thank you card with Handwrytten and even include a gift card as part of the purchase.
Send Follow up Emails
You can send canned emails as you approach your project start date / wedding date / photography session date / etc.
Select an email from your canned email list, and have it send out X days before or after the project start date. You can send multiple emails: 1 week before the date, 3 days before the date, the day of project, a day after the project, etc.
📌 Important: In order to set this up to happen automatically, Dubsado needs to know the project start date.
In some cases - like weddings - this is easy to set up because you ask the couple for their wedding date in the proposal or lead capture form and map it to the project start date.
In other cases - this might not be as straightforward - so you may need to manually set the project date at the beginning of the workflow. To do this, use a to-do. It will send you a reminder to go into the clients project and set the project date. Now Dubsado will know when to send out all these emails for you.
Email that is sent after to-do action is complete
Start Another Workflow
You can trigger another workflow to start at a certain point - like after the project start date or after an appointment ends.
This will help break up your client process into phases, and help you easily identify at what stage your client is at in their project.
Start the next workflow
How to Apply an Onboarding Workflow:
Automatically via another workflow:
If you have a booking workflow, you add an action to automatically start the onboarding workflow once the have signed their contract and paid they invoice.
Manually:
Once your client has signed their contract and paid their invoice, you can manually apply the onboarding workflow to their project.
Doing this task manually is sometimes necessary if your onboarding workflow is different for different packages that you offer on the same proposal.
To manually start a workflow:
Go to the clients project
Go to the ‘Workflows’ tab
Select the onboarding workflow from the dropdown menu
Click ‘Apply’
Done!
Dubsado Onboarding Workflows Tutorial
Below is an easy to follow tutorial showing you how to use different workflow actions in Dubsado to build your own onboarding workflow. Click below to get started!
Conclusion
An onboarding workflow is a great way to add efficiency to your client process - by automating steps, reminders, and more - saving you time and also allowing you to provide a professional and elevated client experience.
By using automated workflows while still being able to customize tasks as needed, Dubsado allows you to focus on what you do best – delivering outstanding services to your clients.
Want me to setup Dubsado for you?
If you simply don’t have the time or want to build all your workflows on your own, I can help!
When you hire me to do your Dubsado setup, I help you map out your client process, build everything you need in Dubsado (all the forms, emails, schedulers, etc) and then build all your workflows for you.
You end up with an automated and streamlined client process that your clients will love ❤ and will save you time ⌚
If you’re interested, the first step is to book a discovery call. Click the link below to book your 20 minute no-strings-attached free discovery call and let’s see if a Dubsado setup is right for you.