The Best Tools and Systems to Streamline Your Client Management

If you’re managing multiple clients without systems, it's a lot like putting together IKEA furniture without the instructions — extremely frustrating, and you’re probably doing it wrong.

If you’re overwhelmed by deliverables, losing track of communications, or letting client work creep into your personal life, this post is for you. I’m breaking down the exact systems I use to stay on top of my client work while keeping my sanity intact — and how you can do the same.

Why Client Systems Matter

I hate to break it to you, but happy clients aren’t just about delivering great work — it’s really about the entire experience. And giving a great experience usually comes down to...having the right systems in place.

When you don’t have systems, your client work can feel chaotic. Deadlines get missed, communications fall through the cracks, and you’re constantly playing catch-up.

But when you have streamlined systems for onboarding, managing, and offboarding your clients, everything runs smoother — both for you and for them.

One of my clients came to me completely overwhelmed by her client workload.

While having lots of clients is a great problem to have…she was at capacity with her client work and had to keep saying no to new projects. And because of that, her income had hit a ceiling.

The problem you might ask? She had no systems in place! Everything was in her head, which meant she couldn’t delegate or scale.

So we got right to work documenting her processes, upgrading the tools she was using (no, Word Docs do not make for a great system), and hiring someone to handle the admin tasks that took up so much of her time, but that someone else could easily do.

And let me tell you — the transformation was crazy.

Not only did she free up enough time to take on more clients, but she also raised her prices which helps her take on more aligned clients, AND now has more time for creative projects and just taking time off when she needs a break.

She didn’t need funnels or fancy scalable offers to do this — she just needed a solid system to manage her workload. That’s the power of systems.

The 3 Core Client Systems

Let’s talk about the three core systems every single service-based business needs:

1️⃣ Onboarding: This is your client’s first impression, so it needs to set the tone. Think about things like welcome emails, maybe kickoff calls, and setting clear timelines and deliverables.

2️⃣ Ongoing Client Management: This is where you keep things running super smoothly by sending regular updates, tracking progress, and making sure all communication is clear AF.

3️⃣ Offboarding: This is your chance to leave a lasting impression, and it’s not necessarily just to close out your time together and say goodbye. This is your time to gather feedback, and even guide your client to their next step with you. Things don’t have to end. 

How to Build These Systems 

So how do you build these systems? Here are some really practical ways you can create systems for each of those 3 stages of client management:

Onboarding

• Send a welcome email or welcome packet with key details, timelines, and expectations so they know exactly what to expect during your time together. 
• If it’s appropriate, have a kickoff call to walk them through the project and set clear milestones.
• And finally give them access to any resources they’ll need during your time together: Share logins, links, or tools they’ll be using.

Ongoing Client Management

• Using a Project Management Tool like Asana to track tasks and deadlines will make your life SO MUCH EASIER.
• And please, stop texting with your clients and keep business business, and personal personal. Instead, Use a tool like Slack. It helps keep your business communications professional and organized—you can search, pin, and link to important information— and it integrates with nearly every tool you’re already using.
• Another great practice is to have some form of Weekly Check-In. Whether it’s sending an email or Slack update with the progress or you have a weekly status call, it’s a really helpful way to keep clients up-to-date and address any concerns before they turn into a dumpster fire. It’s amazing how quickly that can happen. 

Offboarding

• When you offboard a client, especially if you’re doing done-for-you work, you’ll want to deliver the final assets in a neat little bow. Use something like a shared Google Drive folder so they’re not looking through multiple emails to access all the deliverables.
• This is the PERFECT opportunity to ask for Feedback & Testimonials while working with you is still fresh in their mind, and ask if they know anyone who could use your services.
• This next one is something so many entrepreneurs miss, and that’s inviting your client to your next offer. If you’ve built your client journey well, you’ll easily know which of your next offers would be perfect for them, or even just sharing how you can continue working together. 

Tools to Simplify Client Management

I’ve mentioned some of these already, but when you set up your client management systems, here are the tools I swear by:

• Asana: For managing tasks, deadlines & deliverables. I put my entire onboarding, offboarding & ongoing management processes in Asana so I never forget to do something.
• Slack: To keep all client communication professional and searchable—and off your personal phone. I’ll say it again…please keep your client communication OFF your personal texting app.
• I use HoneyBook as a CRM for executing my systems, sending emails, and scheduling meetings.
• Google Drive is a great option For secure file organization and sharing.

This tech stack makes it super easy to stay organized and provide a consistent, high-quality experience for your clients every single time.

So, what’s one part of your client management process you can streamline today? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear where you’re focusing your energy.

And if you’re ready to make client management easier than ever, grab my Plug-and-Play Systems Kit. It’s packed with templates for onboarding, managing, and offboarding clients, plus tools to help you stay organized and in control!

Please note: I may earn affiliate commission from certain links in this post.