By now, most service providers have heard about how important a client onboarding process is. But what about client offboarding? We all love to imagine a life where we NEVER part ways with a client, they just continue to send you money every month forever **ahh, dream**.
The truth is clients leave. Whether it’s because the project has concluded, they have outgrown you or have unfortunately selected a different provider, there will come a time when you must bid adieu to your client. And to make sure this parting of ways is as seamless as possible, a proper client offboarding process is order.
The first key component of a client offboarding process is…. wait for it…. an email!
Anticlimactic, I know, but hear me out.
This email isn’t just any old email. It’s the email that keeps your ex-clients from continuing to ask you questions and for advice long after you are no longer getting paid to offer such services. It’s the email that puts a nice bow on the work you’ve done together and sets your client (and you!) up for success.
I call this email the “good-bye” email or more appropriately an “Exit Email”.
To help you get started, here are 4 things every Exit Email should have.
Big Accomplishments/Outcomes
To start your Exit Email, it’s best to remind your soon to be previous client of all of the awesome stuff you did for them. Once you’ve made their life much better, it’s easy for your client to forget how far they have come or all the work you did for them. It’s nothing against them, it’s just human nature.
Reminding them does a few things:
- Sets up your request for a testimonial (more to come on this).
- Reiterates how much work you did and perhaps makes them realize they should keep working with you after all (more on this too).
- Reaffirms their original purchase (your services) and gives them warm and fuzzies – which we love.
Survey
Next you’ll want to request that a brief survey be completed. I ALWAYS recommend including a survey in your Exit Email. This is your opportunity to learn more about your clients and their experience with your business. Information gathered from surveys such as these can help you improve your client experience, refine your service offerings and find holes in client’s journey.
Keep your survey brief but impactful. Stick to just a few questions but really make them count. It’s also good to revisit the questions from time to time to update them based on what information you are trying to gather.
Here are some questions you might want to include:
- Do you feel like we successfully accomplished your goals?
- What was could I have done better?
- What was your favorite part about working together?
- What is the best part of having xyz completed?
- Do you have any lingering questions about your project?
- Would you recommend this service to a friend?
Request for a Testimonial
Remember how I said you should include all the awesome stuff you did for your client in your Exit Email? Doing this really lays the foundation for securing a testimonial AND a testimonial that is geared toward what you want them to discuss. Not only has your client been reminded of how much work you did for them, key metrics are front and center (you just listed these metrics out for them!). Now, not only are they more likely to leave a testimonial, you’re more likely to get one that contains specific success metrics versus a generic “working with so and so is great!”.
Next Steps
The last thing you’ll want to include in your Exit Email are clear next steps for your client. This can take shape in a few different ways. If possible, sell them into another program you offer. Maybe it’s ongoing support, a course that will take them deeper on what you’ve done or a mastermind you host. If that doesn’t make sense for your situation, at least let them know how they can reach you in the future should they need your support again. You may even want to offer a small discount considering they are a returning client.
Lastly consider giving a “Best Tips or Good Practices” document. This typically is just a one sheeter that makes sure your client is set up for success and will make sure they best utilize the work you’ve done for them. For example, if you wrote blogs for them, consider offering tips for sharing the blog, how often to post it, utilizing bits for social media, etc. If you were managing social media for them, include key reports or metrics they should be monitoring and what red flags to look for. Keep it brief but informative.
A document like this will do two things:
- Show them how much work THEY’LL need to start doing now that you are leaving the picture. This may be the incentive they need to reconsider an ongoing program with you.
- Reduce the number of lingering questions your client may have and maximize the work you did for them. A document like this will wow them leaving them completely happy with your brand.