Rebecca Catterall
Hello Sausages—and welcome to the joy that is Workflow Mapping!
Before you start, I suggest you define what a workflow is to you, and—very important—when does it start and end?
Main stages
I have the following main stages:
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Leads: Starts the minute they reach out or I get a referral
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Onboarding: Starts the minute they say Yes to working together
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Project—Live: Starts the minute contracts have been signed, invoice paid, information sent over from client
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Off-boarding: Starts about a month prior to finishing working together—start reminding them of what we need to wrap up, any add on services they may want, gathering testimonials, and asking for referrals.
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Surprise & Delight: I send little gifts based on a “getting to know you” questionnaire and conversations with clients throughout the process. I keep in touch after projects and check in and do fine-tuning for a longer period than mentioned to make sure they are happy. I actively find ways to keep myself on their radar.
Then I also have work flows for inspiration management (ALLLLLL THE IDEAS!), podcast production, content creation, Boss Days (Goal setting and KPI/Analytics/Strategy), and so many more areas.
Doing this helps you get ready if you need to outsource anything. This also helps identify problem spots and bottle necks in your business. It highlights where things are messy behind the scenes to give you opportunity to simplify or automate (or delete!) something.
Sometimes I start this off with a pile of sticky notes across my dining room table, and once I have a more cohesive idea I write it down—I use Airtable or Notion for most clients, but you can do it anywhere that works for you, including good old notebooks.
If you prefer to work visually, apps like Canva, Whimsical, or Funnlytics can help.
Questions to consider:
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What if something doesn’t happen? What would you do if a client doesn’t sign a contract/turn up for a call, etc.—think of processes and emails/actions for when things don’t go to plan/timescale.
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Do you send out thank you emails when a client books a call, selects an additional service, is a return customer, pays an inVoice, finishes working with you etc…
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Do you ask for testimonials or referrals etc at the end of a project?
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How long in advance do you remind someone that your time is coming to an end or start discussing contract renewal?
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What information do you need from a client and how and when do you get it—how do they provide it?
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Where can a client see shared resources/invoices/contracts, etc.—do you store some of this stuff centrally? If so what links can you share with them so they can easily find this stuff?
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Have you a welcome email/pack that clearly states project milestones and dates, how to contact you and when, feedback methods, etc.—lay it all out clearly.
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Add those boundaries everywhere and have emails or at least some snippets for people pushing on projects/services.
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What do you do with all the files and passwords etc when you have finished working together?
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Do (or could you!) have forms or questionnaires to get key info out of clients if you have repeated issues with things holding up projects? Get the info sooner on one doc?
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If you need regular calls with clients, do they get reminders? Have your emails got links so they can cancel or re-schedule, or can they add to calendar?
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Can they block-book calls, or is it just one booked at a time? Get clear on these things so clients know what to do.
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Do you make clear what time zone you are in—and what it is in their time zone if appropriate?
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Do you take note of major cultural and religious holidays your clients partake in for planning projects?
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Do you have out of office notifications text ready to go well in advance and have an email to send out at least a month in advance to let folks know? (You can also add the dates to your email signature!)
Do you have a list of all the links you share out somewhere to easily grab? You can add another worksheet in here for them.
Another worksheet you may want is one for the resources you send out/use—any PDFs or forms, etc.
Download Rebecca’s Workflow Mapping worksheet, make a copy of your own, and get started pulling your own workflows together!
Watch Rebecca explain a bit more about workflows here:
Rebecca Catterall @hello22
Head nagger and solver of problems
Chief whip at delivering clarity
Grandmaster Sausage Appointer
https://www.thebusinesswife.com
No wonder I’ve only ever hired a few Va’s here and there! my main stages are a marketing strategy and content plan for each client I work with!