Blog written by: Morgan Archer, Dubsado's Marketing Manager & Professional Photographer
Some might tell you that a workflow is just a way to save time by automating tasks, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret today: It's so much more.
Your workflow is more than just actions and triggers on a page in your Dubsado account. It's an extension of you and the client experience you've worked so hard to perfect. Let's make sure it reflects that by implementing these 5 workflow must-haves.
As small business owners, we're often hired because we've made a personal connection with an inquiry. They like our personalities, have similar interests, and it just so happens that we offer exactly what they're looking for so when creating forms or writing emails, avoid taking the robot approach. Write your workflow emails just like you'd write a non-workflow email. As far as personalization goes, like including their names or other details, that's where Dubsado's Smart Fields come in. Read more about using smart fields here. All in all, keep it personal and always keep them in the loop throughout your client experience. Which leads me to workflow must have #2...
When creating your workflow, make sure all of the dots connect. For an example, lets say you have 2 emails to kick off your workflow:
Email 1: Welcome email
Email 2: Questionnaire
In email 1, we want to end with something like, "I'll be sending over a questionnaire to gather xyz details this week" (or whatever the timeframe is you've chosen). You want to make sure they feel prepared at every step of your experience. Your client experience is not a scary movie - don't keep your clients on the edge of their seats, waiting to know what happens next.
Most everyone needs brand photos or headshots so let's use that for this example. Getting in front of the camera is plenty nerve-racking on it's own, then you add having to choose outfits, find a hair and makeup artist, gather props, and the list goes on. Sounds pretty stressful, right? After all, you're not a brand photographer and you don't know the first thing about putting together a cohesive photoshoot. Now what if the photographer you chose sent you a clothing guide with a list of the colors they've found photograph the best, 3 local hair and makeup artists to consider, and a list of most-used props in a branding session? You'd feel more prepared and confident going into your session.
Not sure what would be helpful to your clients? Take a look at your most-asked-questions and ask yourself how you can get ahead of anyone having to ask those same questions in the future. The best part about including helpful resources in your workflow is that once you set it up, you're done!
In a Dubsado workflow, you have the option to have your workflow create a todo. You can choose to assign this todo to yourself and have it show up on your dashboard or you can have it send you an email reminder. Read more about creating todo's by going to this page and scrolling down. What I've seen happen often is every single tasks being created as a todo. The bad news: This results in having an overwhelming amount of todos and causes important, manual tasks to continue slip through the cracks even after a workflow has been built. The good news: It's an easy fix. A general rule of thumb is if you're depending on this todo to help you remember, keep it. But if it's something you do naturally and isn't something you ever have to be reminded about (for example, the headshot photographer we talked about a second ago has an iron-clad habit of backing up photos) then you can delete it.
Now you'll know that every todo is a top priority and needs your attention.
"But what if I mess up or if the client is impossible to please? I don't want them getting all of the links to my review pages!" ...Way ahead of ya ;) We're going to set this email to require approval so there are no worries there. Read more about requiring approval here.
Now that we've settled that, let's talk about why this is the last and final workflow must-have.
Adding a review email to your workflow is the easiest way to gather reviews on autopilot and build credibility in your business. In this email, include talking-point ideas in case they're having trouble figuring out what parts of your incredible experience they should highlight, as well as links to each platform you receive reviews on so they can paste their review to each platform.
Sign in to your Dubsado account and make these edits to your workflow asap.
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Morgan
Marketing Manager
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