The process you use will be seen as reflective of how you will continue to work with your client, so it’s important to make a good impression from the very beginning.

If you are disorganised or the process is complicated and intrusive on your client’s time, it could sow doubt in your client’s mind as to how easy it will be to work with you and the quality of work you’ll produce.

However, a simple process that is easy and straightforward and doesn’t ask for any superfluous information will create a sense of ease and confidence at the start of your working relationship.

Step 1 – Know what information you need

Create a list of all the information you need from your client, then go through that list again and make sure that you haven’t added any ‘nice-to-have’ items.

GDPR will play a part in this as you can’t ask for or hold onto certain information for no good reason, so make sure that everything you ask for has a purpose.

Use this list as a master checklist to make sure you don’t forget items and have to go back and ask again later.

If in your industry you find that you always require more information depending on the initial answers given, then tell your client that this is the case so they know what to expect.

Step 2 – Make sure you’ve covered what you need them to know

You will want to make sure that all payment details and terms and conditions are clear during the onboarding process, so take some time to go through this.

We always make sure that the client understands that as bookkeepers we are regulated by HMRC and there are certain criteria I have to fulfil as part of my insurance and regulation. Setting this out clearly at the beginning of the relationship makes sure that there are no unreasonable expectations going forward.

Make sure that you’ve covered how you will get paid – what the deliverables are and when payment is due. Again, by making sure that everyone is on the same page you can avoid misunderstandings later.

Step 3 – Automate wherever you can

To make the process simpler for you and to create a professional appearance, automate wherever you can.

If you have a series of questions that are asked every time, create an online questionnaire that can be filled out easily with dropdowns, tick boxes, and text boxes.

Use an online signature service such as HelloSign or DocuSign for your contracts and terms.

Create an email template that is used for every new client so you can just fill out the specific details without having to write out the whole thing every time.

And whether you use online services or not, create a folder on your computer where you keep all your onboarding documents, both for the client and your own checklists, to make it easier to complete the process.

Step 4 – Go through the process with every client

Once you’ve set up your process, use it with every client. It sounds like an obvious thing to say, but sometimes we’re in a rush or we don’t want to bother people so we skip steps. Don’t do that – you’ve created this process for a reason; follow it.

Summary

The onboarding process shouldn’t be complicated or long-winded. Taking the time to create a process with checklists and automation will set you up for successful onboardings and create a great first impression with your client.

A quick check to see how simple you’ve made your onboarding process is to delegate it to someone else and see if they can follow it through. If not, you could probably simplify it more.

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Contact us about how we can help you create and manage your onboarding effectively, and to get a little superstar treatment, on:

Email: info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk
Telephone: 020 3362 4436
Mobile: 07811 393520
Website: https://www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/

Here are my top tips for managing creditors better.

Clear communication and transparency at the onboarding stage
Your customers will listen twice as hard and take in twice as much when you are onboarding them. At the onboarding stage, they have bought into you and the service or the product that you are going to provide them. They are listening. This is the perfect time to explain in writing and also verbally what your payment terms are when the invoice can be expected, what the due date is and how the payment can be made. Make it clear to your clients how you like to work and they will listen.

Consider how you are receiving payments
If you are taking payment via an automated platform such as Stripe, GoCardless then make sure your clients are set up properly as part of your onboarding. So make sure they set up their payment details before you commence the work.
If it’s via bank transfer, have you considered taking payment in advance or a percentage in advance? This isn’t applicable for all businesses or all products or services. So if it’s not, is your client aware that the payment is due by bank transfer and when that due date is. Being clear, communicative and detailing exactly what the expectations are can really help your credit control.

Consider using an online accounting system
By using an online system such as Xero you can send clients invoices, and also a reminder email that you can turn on and turn off. Have you set that up, make sure you use it. Sending your customers an automated reminder, 24 hours after the due date, then three days later, and again 7 days later. This acts as a prompt to remind them to make a payment. So make sure you do that.

Never let go of money owed to you
If you have completed the work, if you have provided the service or the product, and you have chased and you aren’t getting anywhere then, do seek professional advice. I am able to give advice on some very quick steps, quick tools that we can take to get that money back into your business. One way to address non-payment is to send a letter of intent to take them to court. But this is something I can advise on.

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Email: info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk
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Mobile: 07811 393520
Website: https://www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/

Keep all receipts in an envelope or folder.
Find somewhere to keep your receipts organised, like a folder or envelope. You can have one in your car or at your desk. Then put all your receipts in the envelope or folder as you get them.

Set up an app like Hubdoc
Hubdoc is Xero’s free software for uploading bills easily.
If you are using Xero, the quickest way to get receipts into Xero is to use the Hubdoc App. It’s free and it reads the receipt by taking a photo and uploading them into Hubdoc.
When you get a new receipt, open Hubdoc and select camera, take a photo of it and it will appear in Hubdoc.

Review receipts in Hubdoc to upload to Xero
Weekly or monthly configure the receipts in Hubdoc and upload them to Xero.

It only takes a few clicks to carefully configure the entry such as, which accounts invoices should go to which supplier, and what VAT to allocate when it’s uploaded into Xero.

Once we’ve entered those details into Hubdoc and clicked the ‘Publish’ button, a copy of the receipt/bill will appear in Xero.

You can also use Hubdoc for monthly invoices using a bespoke email address that is specifically for you and your business. You can give it to suppliers so they can send regular invoices directly to your Hubdoc instead of to your inbox. Then you can get them directly into Hubdoc.

Over time and with careful configurations Hubdoc will remember and will automatically suggest which suppliers, accounts and VAT to allocate saving you even more time.

I’m more than happy to do a very quick Hubdoc set-up session with you if you’re interested. It takes under 10 minutes to get set up and for me to show you how to use Hubdoc correctly.

But there are other paid apps besides Hubdoc such as Dext if Hubdoc isn’t working for you. Feel free to ask me about it.

That’s the quickest way to keep your receipts organised.

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Email: info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk
Telephone: 020 3362 4436
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It is a pain to manually add bills into Xero. So we don’t recommend that you do that.

Xero has a free app called Hubdoc that you can use to email (or upload via the app) all your bills, configure them and upload them into Xero.

It takes under 5 minutes to set up Hubdoc to integrate with your Xero, and under 5 minutes for me to show you how to configure your bills so they post against the correct account with the correct VAT.

Then with a simple click of the ‘Publish’ button, your bills are uploaded into your Xero.

If you auto-sync the bill in Hubdoc, then Hubdoc will remember this for future bills received and will automatically push these to Xero.

You can edit your Hubdoc email address to share with suppliers so they send bills directly to HubdocDoc.

You can also set up mailbox rules so that every bill gets forwarded to Hubdoc directly.

I have around 12 rules set up so when I run them monthly all 12 bills go directly into Hubdoc, where I can configure them then are pushed directly to Xero without the need for me to go into Hubdoc.

Xero invoices don’t automatically get uploaded to your Xero and they don’t attach as a PDF either. So for Xero invoices, you simply click PDF in the top right-hand corner and then it gets posted straight into your Xero.

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Contact us about how we can help you streamline all aspects of your business systems better with a little superstar treatment, on:

Email: info@jaxstarsolutions.co.uk
Telephone: 020 3362 4436
Mobile: 07811 393520
Website: https://www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/