Compared two client onboarding flows and one failed hard

I run a small web design agency in Austin and recently tested two ways of bringing on new clients. The first way I used for years was a casual email chain where we'd chat back and forth about goals and timelines. It felt friendly but man, it caused so many misunderstandings. Clients would forget what they agreed to or we'd miss details from buried emails. So I switched to a structured onboarding form plus a 30-minute video call to walk through everything. The difference was night and day. We reduced revision requests by about 40 percent in just two months. Has anyone else made a similar switch and seen better clarity from their clients?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan5117h ago

Hear you out but I gotta push back a little. I've been running my own shop for years and the casual email chain actually works fine if you set it up right from the start. I use a simple checklist I type at the bottom of every email before I hit send, listing the three main things we agreed on. That way when a client forgets or tries to change stuff later, I just forward their own email back to them with the bullet points highlighted. Saved me more headaches than any formal form ever did. Plus some clients get scared off by rigid processes. They want to feel like they're talking to a person, not filling out a government application.

max38816h ago

Do you think @evan51 that a quick recorded loom video walking through the checklist in each email would help clients remember even better, since seeing it explained out loud might stick more than just reading bullets?