As photographers, we all have a process that we take our clients through. Sometimes this is a well-established process that we have taken a lot of effort to perfect, and sometimes this is a natural rhythm that we have found ourselves falling into without even trying.
Regardless of how the initial process was formed, there is always a benefit to taking a step back every once in awhile and looking at our process. A well-organized and efficient client process is not only critical to your sanity as a photographer, but is also critical for delivering exceptional service to each one of your clients.
Understanding Your Current Process
Before we can begin to dive into auditing our process, we first need to ask ourselves what our current process actually is. But what is a “Client Process”? Simply put, a client process is all about the different touch points you have with your clients or the process that you go through while working with them. This can include steps during the pre-booking phase, booking, pre-session, and post-session. In order to audit your process effectively, you will need to map out what you are currently doing.
To do this, you will need to write down every time you connect with a client while you are working with them. You will want to note all email communication, payments, questionnaires, etc. Write down what type of connection it is (email, questionnaire, payment, etc.), and when it is sent (in relation to the project date) and any tools you use to send it (such as gallery delivery tools, CRMs, etc.).
Conducting Your Audit
Once you have your current process written down, it is time to start on your audit. Although there are many things you could look at, I will highlight the most important things in this blog post.
First, look at how and when you are sending your communications to your clients. Are you being consistent with the timing of these emails across clients? Is each client getting the same set of communication from you? If there is a long time frame between booking and the session, are you checking in with your clients at least once or twice? Are there questions your clients consistently ask that could be addressed earlier in your process? Have you recently updated your client guide?
Next, look at how you are gathering information from your clients. Are you sending many different emails asking for information? Are you confident going into your shoots knowing you have all the information you need? Do you need to implement or revise a questionnaire to gather important details about the client? Is there information that you are gathering that you don’t actually need?
Next, look at the programs you use to facilitate your process such as your gallery delivery and CRM. Are you using them to their fullest? Are you patchworking together multiple different programs for invoicing and contracts that could be combined into a single program? Do you use automated workflows, and if so, are they working correctly or do they need to be updated? Have you tested your website contact form recently?
Finally, look at your post-session workflow. Do you communicate clearly expectations for sneak peeks and gallery delivery throughout your process? Do you uphold (and even exceed) those expectations? Do you have a streamlined way to ask for reviews? Do you send your clients a personalized thank you after your session?
it is important to be open and honest with yourself in order to get the best results for you and your clients.
Implementing Changes
After you have taken some time to look at your workflows and note what could be improved upon, it is time to implement those changes. Prioritize your changes based on how much of an impact they would make and the feasibility of getting them done. For instance, if you currently have no automated workflows, setting them up might seem daunting. But working to get smaller things done first, such as creating a client style guide, can help tremendously when you are ready to put it all together in a workflow..
In Summary
Auditing your process is something that you should do regularly, at least once per year, to ensure that you are keeping up with trends and serving your clients in the best way possible.
