Client Intake Process

The client intake process is critical to ensuring smooth onboarding for client projects.

The client intake process (or "client onboarding process") is critical to ensuring smooth onboarding for client projects and to ultimately ensure ongoing success.

What is a "Client Intake Process?"

The intake process sets the foundation for the ongoing relationship between the client and the vendor. It is the critical step where client and project information is collected for use throughout a project lifecycle.

Unfortunately, many organizations still rely on a series of manual intake forms, emails, phone calls, spreadsheets, and file storage to manage customer/client intake despite the importance of having a consistent, standardized method.

What's the Risk of Poor Client Onboarding?

For companies that rely on strong client relationships and low client turnover to hit revenue goals, bad client intake can be a risky proposition. This is especially true of organizations that provide an opt-out clause or shorter contract lengths. 

A bad client onboarding process can lead to:

• Contract opt-outs.
• Slow product/service uptake.
• Poor customer experience.
• Reduced upselling.
• Loss of product/service sponsorship.

Client Intake Form

The process usually begins with an information form being completed either by the client or the vendor. The information may include:

• Client point of contact details
• Additional client contacts information
• Executive sponsor
• Project description/executive summary
• Project start and end dates
• Deliverable confirmation
• Billing information

In some cases, the client intake form may be completed directly by the client in an online portal. In other cases a staff member at the vendor may be completing the form, in which case, additional internal information may be captured up front, including:

• Cost estimates
• Hours estimates
• Project type
• Project group
• Channel director
• Product owner

Intake Routing

Depending on the complexity of the client intake process and the size of the teams involved, there may be more to the routing of collected information than simple populating a CRM or ERP system. There may be additional reviews, intake forms, approvals, etc. that need to be deployed internally to ensure a smooth rollout.

Below is an example of one client intake process routing flow that is project-based. This organization is a large technology and management consulting firm that needed to streamline the project onboarding process for new clients while ensuring that all the proper steps were taken and accountable. Note the approvals and hand-offs have been automated to ensure compliant and consistent workflow.

How Do You Automate Client Intake?

To ensure your process for onboarding new customers meets your organization's needs and delivers the level of customer satisfaction you expect to provide, the best approach is building a customized process. Integrify offers a completely scalable and customizable platform for building forms, processes, and portals for client intake or any other workflow needs you have.

Interested in Automating Your Customer Intake Process?

We have a variety of resources to help you on your journey to an automated intake workflow. 

• Workflow Tools and eBooks
• Workflow Ideas Weekly eMail Newsletter
• Recorded Demonstration of our Workflow Automation Software
• Request a Live Demonstration

Automate Any Business Process

To see how quickly you can begin automating your business processes, request a demonstration or trial of Integrify.