transferring clients to a new employee

use your workflow software to guide training.

by jody grunden

when it comes to onboarding new employees, workflow management software can be extremely helpful in streamlining the process. in most cases, as we grow, new employees take over existing clients from other team members. they still need to meet with the other team members to discuss what’s needed for each client, but the workflow management software serves as their roadmap during that time.

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although much of the process may be very similar from one client to the next, each client has its own individual needs. the roadmap is an important tool that guides new employees through the day-to-day workflow for each individual client.

on the virtual cfo team, we approach onboarding on two different levels – the accountant and the virtual cfo.

accountant level

using our workflow management software, we’ve found that the better everything is documented and recorded, the easier it is to transition clients over to a new employee. we’ve learned from experience that when the process is implemented and documented properly for a client, transitioning that client goes very smoothly. a team member will meet with a new employee one time to walk through the process for the client together and from there the new employee can use the documentation and videos as a reference and a guide.

that said, there’s a fine line on how we transition clients to a new accountant. we don’t want to bombard a new accountant with 10 clients out of the gate. in order for the transition to be smooth from the client’s perspective, we build up the client base for each new employee gradually.

here’s what one recent new accountant on our team had to say about the onboarding process: “our workflow management software was fully implemented for my first client when i came on board. having the list of tasks and due dates ensured that nothing slipped through the cracks during the transition from the previous accountant. the video documentation and detailed instructions were very beneficial in learning the tasks to be completed for this client. the workflow management software certainly made this transition easier without needing to spend as much time training.”

virtual cfo level

we also want the transition to a new virtual cfo on the team to be as smooth as possible for everyone involved. when we bring on a new virtual cfo, we have that person start out as the accountant with a few clients first. this allows him/her to “see how the soup is made.” eventually, when working as a virtual cfo, the new team member will be supervising the work the accountants are doing, so doing that work first allows him/her to gain a full understanding of what the accountants are doing and how they are doing it.

in addition to giving the new virtual cfos the accounting work for two clients, we give them at least one client transitioned off of a senior virtual cfo so they can work behind the scenes with that senior advisor. for the first month or so, they are truly behind the scenes. meetings are recorded so they can observe them after the fact, and they can discuss the client’s account in detail with the senior advisor to gain a full understanding of everything they need to know. by the third or fourth month, new virtual cfos can start sitting in on meetings with clients, and the accountants can start being transferred over to them.

transitioning a client from one team member to another at some point is inevitable. as we grow and take on more clients, hire new team members, promote team members to new positions and even lose team members over time, we have to shift clients around as needed. when we do this, we need to ensure that there is minimal impact on the client. having a process in place for onboarding a new employee is crucial for making these kinds of transitions as smooth as possible.

culture is also a major factor in the onboarding process. we have a very “open door” type of culture. when a new employee comes onto the team and is struggling or has a question, we don’t ever want him/her to feel stranded on an island alone. new team members don’t have to wait to meet with someone specific, such as their department lead or the cfo on a certain account. instead, they can go to anyone on the team to get their questions answered.

we work hard to create the type of environment where team members can ask anyone anything. we encourage people to reach out to anyone on the team when they need something. if we don’t have the answer someone is looking for, we point him/her in the right direction. our team is always very excited during these first couple of months if the new employee is asking a lot of questions instead of just doing things the way they were previously done. adding a new employee is a great time to add more efficiency to our processes.

onboarding in a distributed company (or even in a brick-and-mortar company) can sometimes feel like you’re being asked to “sink or swim.” we want to do everything we can to help new team members swim! we’ve got to show them where the boat is and have our extra lifejackets ready at all times.

posted on april 12, 2020