As someone who teaches female service providers how to implement systems into their businesses, one of the topics that I get asked about the MOST is client onboarding. I actually wrote a post all about how to automate your client onboarding system here, but one thing that I don’t cover in too much detail in that post is the client welcome kit.
The client welcome kit is an important part of the onboarding process and I didn’t want to just gloss over it…so I decided to dive deep here!
Let’s get started!
What is a Client Welcome Kit?
Before I get ahead of myself, some of you may be asking: “What the heck is a client welcome kit?” Great question!
A client welcome kit is a, well, “kit” that you deliver to your client as part of the onboarding process. It’s typically one of the first things that you do after they become a client and before you start work, as it contains important information that will set the stage for your working relationship.
Adding a client welcome kit to your current onboarding process (whether or not you have a fully automated system set up for that yet) is a great way to uplevel your onboarding, showcase your professionalism, and set expectations for your clients.
Why You Should Have a Client Welcome Kit
The goal of a client welcome kit is to share information with, educate, and set expectations and boundaries with your clients. Although you could do this without a welcome kit, having it all packaged up together nicely just makes sense. It’s easier for the client to digest and more professional.
The beginning of the relationship with your client is the best time to give them all of these details, so that’s why your kit should be included as part of the onboarding process. Getting all of this necessary communication out of the way upfront allows you to make sure everyone is on the same page and will avoid issues down the road.
This will make the process smoother for your client and for you, as you have set clear boundaries and expectations for your work together.
What Should You Include in a Client Welcome Kit?
By now, you probably understand WHY you need a welcome kit and WHEN to deliver it. But…what actually goes inside of one?
Here are some things that I recommend including (in order!):
A Welcome Video (optional)
This first thing is totally optional, especially if you’re not comfortable on video! But I LOVE including a welcome video in my client welcome kit and definitely recommend it if you can stand being on camera.
It adds a personalized touch and makes the client feel like they’re getting extra 1:1 attention from you. Especially if your services are packaged and/or don’t include video calls, this is a great addition to the onboarding experience.
In the video, give your client a warm welcome and briefly summarize everything that’s included in the kit.
What’s Included
Although they probably either already talked to you about this or saw the offering on your sales page, you may want to reiterate what exactly is included with their purchase here. Especially if it’s a package (vs. a custom service that’s different for everyone), reiterating what’s included in the welcome kit will serve to remind them what they just paid for and makes sure that you are both on the same page.
It might sound funny, but I’ve actually had clients purchase a package from my website and then email me like “Uhh, so what the heck did I just buy?” 😂 Sometimes people get over-eager! Or they just want to work with YOU and don’t pay attention to or care about the nitty-gritty of what they’re purchasing.
Including these details in the welcome kit will eliminate any confusion about this.
Next Steps
I include the “Next Steps” in my welcome email, as these are the action items that I want the client to focus on (and what I need them to do before I can start delivering the service). But I reiterate these steps in the client welcome kit as well.
These steps are going to vary based on the specific type of service, but typically will include things like:
- Paying their invoice (if they haven’t already done so)
- Signing their contract
- Filling out their intake form
- Reviewing the client welcome kit
- Booking a kick-off call with you
Details About the Service Delivery Process
This is kind of similar to the “What’s Included” section, but specifically walks the client through your process for actually delivering those services.
In this section, you’ll want to include things like:
- What the client can expect over the next few weeks/months of working together
- When you’ll be starting on their project
- How long certain elements will take to complete
- Project completion date or estimated length of the project (if applicable)
- Your process for feedback and revisions
If you struggle with scope creep, this will be an important section to focus on to make sure you clearly define the scope of work and what the boundaries are.
Office Hours & Communication Details
You’ll definitely want to include in your client welcome kit all of the (boring but important!) details on communication.
This section should cover things like:
- Your office hours and availability
- Method of communication (i.e. Slack, email, Voxer)
- Response time (specify response time during business hours and outside of business hours, i.e. emails received outside of business hours will be responded to on the next business day)
- Task/request turnaround time (this is more specific to custom or hourly work, but you may want to include it)
- Team member communication (if they will have any communication with your team members, give details about that here)
This is an important section because your communication preferences help establish clear boundaries. Once your client has reviewed this information, make sure to STICK to the boundaries you set here. If you told them that you only work Monday – Friday, don’t respond to emails on the weekend.
Related: How You Need to Be Setting Client Boundaries
How to Create a Client Welcome Kit
Whenever I’ve seen or heard about client welcome kits, they are almost always in PDF form. But personally, I have my client welcome kit set up as a page on my website!
I do this because (a) it’s easier for me to update and make sure all clients have the most up-to-date information, and (b) it seems more professional!
It also allows me to do things like embed my welcome video and use buttons and links (you can do those things with PDFs, too, but it’s more functional on a website).
You can use your regular website or a landing page builder to create this. Just have it be a standalone page on your website with no header. And then fill it up with all the information we just talked about!
How to Deliver Your Client Welcome Kit
For the actual delivery of the client welcome kit, I recommend including a link in your client welcome email. It’s that easy!
Your client welcome kit is an important introduction for your new clients. It sets the tone for your relationship! That’s why I recommend presenting your business as professional with a dedicated web page and establishing expectations upfront.
Congratulations, you’ve landed a new client. Get started with a bang by sending them a polished welcome kit. Have questions? Let me know!
