This past week on my Instagram feed, I opened back up the conversation for another “Ask Me Anything” moment for the Optimize Your Ops series so that I could answer the hard-hitting questions that are top of mind for you as we are entering a new year. This months questions got me pumped and got my wheels turning because these are two of the hottest “how’s” I get asked all the time.

The Questions/Topics Covered & Broken Down Below: 

1. Tips For Offboarding Clients
2. How To Get The Best Out Of The ClickUp (Should I be attending their webinars monthly? I’d love to start doing something new with it every month to make it better over time but not sure where to start!)

I’ve been itching to share, so let’s dive in! 

1️⃣ Question 1: “What tips do you have for offboarding clients?”

As a rule of thumb, one of the first things you should set up (when talking about business operations) is the entire client experience path from beginning to end.

This includes:

• The Initial Discovery Call Process
• The Proposal Process
• The Onboarding Process
• The Downsell/Upsell/Not Interested Process
• The Offboarding Process
• The Nurture/Follow Up Process

Of course there is more to it in the grand scheme of things, but these 6 categories should be one of the first things you set up & focus on in your business in regards to client experience. You want the entire journey from beginning to end to be consistent and seamless. That means from the first time they hear of you and optin to a freebie or from the link you send them to book a call, the journey should be cohesive. 

In regards to offboarding specifically, here are a few steps I would take: (Disclaimer – all of these work in unison with the onboarding process and should be connected.)

• Create an offboarding email sequence (that can be sent manually or automatically) that initiates the entire process and includes everything they would need to offboard from you. This could look like including their shared Google Drive Folder that contains all their deliverables, Loom videos for future maintenance, and everything in between that would be necessary to reference in the time period they are disconnecting from you.
• Have an offboarding call to discuss the overall journey, collect feedback, outline next steps, and wrap up anything outstanding
• Have a form for testimonials/feedback – I would send this after your time together is complete and then check back in with them after a week or so to collect that information if they haven’t done so already.
• Determine what you will do with the offboarded client information. For me, this looks like putting their shared Google Drive Folder into a folder titled “Offboarded Clients”. Depending on your contracted agreement, you may need to keep things/archive things at certain times so be mindful of that.

(One of my favorite tools to use for client relationship management (CRM) is Dubsado! If you’re interested in learning more about how you can manage your leads and client experience, click here to learn more and start with a free trial account! ALSO – you DON’T need a fancy platform to have this process in your business. Don’t feel the pressure to add another platform to your business suite unless you know it will benefit your business.)

Again, the process looks different in everyones businesses but what’s important is that you’re discussing what was accomplished, giving them all deliverables that were worked on together, and wrapping up the partnership with clarity. If they decide to work with you again, they will know what to expect from onboarding to offboarding! 

2️⃣ Question 2: “How to get the best out of the ClickUp platform! Should I be attending their webinars monthly? I’d love to start doing something new with it every month to make it better over time but not sure where to start!”

You can absolutely attend the live or on-demand webinars that ClickUp hosts if it makes sense for you and your productivity! Although, it’s not a mandatory requirement in order to “get the most out of the platform”. It definitely comes down to what you’re using it for and how you’re using it – and that can be from the simplest outline to the most robust workflows. You can also research experts in the online space who host workshops or webinars on ClickUp and learn how to practically use it for online businesses rather than attending a generalized webinar. I would first determine if you want to learn the platform technically or if you want to know how it can work for you in specific situations related to your business.

If you’re going to be in the platform as a project manager, it would absolutely benefit you to focus on webinars that pertain to the business you’re in (or working for), the roles that you’re in and specific topics that align with that business or role. If you’re interested in learning more from a “how-to” perspective of the platform, you could enroll in ClickUp’s FREE University where you can actually earn a certification in using the platform. (Or just take the classes as tips and or for practice!)

My suggestion for using and improving your use of ClickUp as you go, is to first be aware of how you are set up & using it now. If you’re needing more guidance on understanding the platform, I would reach out to an expert to help teach you how to utilize the areas that make sense for you without the overwhelm of all-the-things the platform is capable of. 

If your goal is to do something different with the platform every month (or on a recurring basis) I would ask yourself what gaps are you seeing in your workflow and/or what could you be doing differently that would help your ideal state. For example, if you want to implement something new and you have a launch on your calendar that’s coming up, introduce outlining a launch or project plan specific to that marketing initiative. There are TONS of templates already native to the platform but for the online space and “typical launch plans” there are other templates that experts (like myself) have that can be plugged in and help you implement on the fly! 

I would keep someone who’s savvy with ClickUp in your back pocket for the new initiatives you’re wanting to introduce, especially with the intention being learning the platform and growing what you have from the ground up.

Also, keep in mind that ClickUp is only as good as the data that you put inside of it. So depending on what you want to see (if you’d like to introduce reporting) you need to make sure you’re putting that data in somewhere. Start by reverse engineering from what reports you want to see, and you’ll know what to include & where to include it in your account!

Every single piece of information put inside of the platform should revert back to the overall goal of what information you want to be tracking & collecting. Otherwise – you might not even need it at all! Don’t get in the habit of it being a “catch-all” for your business. It should absolutely be an organizational tool to keep you and your team on track!

(If you’re reading this and are curious in getting started using ClickUp, you can get started for free by clicking here!) 

… and that’s a wrap on another AMA session! Thank you to all who dropped your questions! Being able to assist others in cleaning up their operations, in learning a new platform or anything in between is the bread and butter of what I love to do! (So keep those questions coming!)

Have a question that you’d like covered and forgot to submit it? Comment below or send me a DM on Instagram here and I’ll make sure to get it answered for you ASAP! 

Brooke Scott, MBA

Affiliate Links for the Platforms Mentioned:

(Affiliate Link) Dubsado: dubsado.com/?c=agency23 

(Affiliate Link) ClickUp: https://clickup.com/?fp_ref=brooke85 

Ready to Take Action & Optimize Your Ops?

Book An Implementation Day. Have a project or initiative you’re wanting to knock out for your business but don’t have the time (or know how) to get it done? I got you! From funnel behaviors & systems integrations or starting from the bottom up in building your project management platform, I can help you focus where you need it most so that you stay on track with your quarterly & yearly goals. Head to the page here to learn more and fill out an inquiry form and I will get you on the books!