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Updated 2021.12.06

Feeling overwhelmed taking private clients? Looking for a way to create a streamlined process for clients who want to book an appointment?

You may need a client intake system.

A client intake system is simply a written down process that you can replicate and look back to when booking clients for private services.

It promotes peace of mind on your end, because you have a set of standards you can rely on and it helps clients become better prepared and know what to expect when working with you, which helps ease their tensions.

Having a known set up, or something in place that you follow when providing private services also helps reduce missed messages on what to expect, which can help manage the expectations of all.

Clients want to know what to do before you get into a private space with them. They want to enjoy the private services they pay and take time for.

So below, I want to cover just a few steps toward business flow that can help with client intake -

Service entrepreneur? Here are a few of my Small Business Owner Tips - Photo of a black and white boarded clipboard surrounded by plants by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels with text overlay Client Intake Systems: Why You Need One And How To Set It Up

Write down the steps you took to book your last clients

Usually when we work with people for a service, there is a process we follow in the service itself. The booking process has its own flow, too.

Your goal is to find out what that flow is and be able to duplicate it. This saves you stress from wondering if you got everything and it helps clients receive a service they can rely on, which brings comfort.

For this step, write down what happened before and after the appointment on all ends of bookkeeping. This is a process document, I like to store these in Cloud spaces to share them with others when expanding or asking for feedback.

Create an intake email alias

Create an email alias just for appointments. Then, to this email, try adding a bounceback auto-reply that includes everything people need to know when booking a session with you.

In it, you talk about your next available days and times, session formats, how long they last, what a client may need to bring to one or leave behind for best results.

Create a followup communication template

When people email you ready to buy and they are booked, create a next steps template.

This is where you talk about when to expect an invoice, how to pay, and answer most commonly asked questions about what to expect when the appointment takes place. Help your client be the best prepared they can be.

Create an end of appointment step

This is where you may file or shred notes, send additional supplies from a session along, or simply remind yourself to drink water and have a snack.

It’s important to have a closing step to appointments so you reset the space for yourself and others.

Create a FAQ Page on your website

I have a few of these and love them. Now that you know what your steps are, you can communicate them to others, which helps clients come to sessions with you better prepared. Making the service you provide a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Reflect on the most commonly asked questions clients had for you in the past year, or things you wished clients knew. These are the types of things you want on your frequently asked questions (FAQ) page.

You can also try having another person, or an auto scheduling software handle your bookings

You can use an auto-scheduler or ask a friend to help set up your appointments. Still they will have steps they go through, so you definitely want to identify what steps you take to schedule and confirm appointments before handing it off.

This gives another person the opportunity to fill in any missing pieces your clients may need upon working with you that you may have missed.

Client booking and intake systems, known as a process flow document, can help you identify a client’s most commonly asked questions, gaps in your booking flow, and help you feel more organized. It can also help others who want to help you perform tasks in a way that makes sense to both them and you.

Writing down your intake process, then creating template communications, also can promote the feeling of ease for a service provider - it gives you a sense of knowing what you need to do, and you can come back to it any time to continue to provide an excellence of service others expect and need.

To start setting up a client intake system, simply write down what you did when you saw your last client. Then, begin to see if you can write down the words you may have said, the terms you need to say and when, and set up this verbiage to replicate and send out whenever requested.

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Client Intake Systems: Why You Need One & How To Set It Up