Are you feeling overwhelmed by the endless tasks on our plates? Many business owners face this challenge and know that delegation is crucial for growth. However, knowing how to start delegating can be a real struggle.
While tools like project management software streamline workflows, delegation is a skill that can dramatically transform how a business is run. Handing off responsibilities might feel intimidating, but the rewards are significant.
The good news? Delegation doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right approach, along with a structured Task Assessment Template, you can effectively start delegating tasks and focus on the core elements of our business.
Why Delegation Feels So Hard
Delegation often feels like a loss of control. You may be used to doing everything yourselves, which makes handing off tasks to someone else seem risky. Thoughts like, “No one else can do this as well as you can,” or “It’s quicker if you just do it yourselves,” might cross your mind.
But trying to do everything yourselves is actually what holds you back. It’s impossible to grow a business while handling every small detail. Delegation is not about giving up control—it’s about spreading the workload so that you can focus on more strategic areas.
The Secret to Successful Delegation: A Task Assessment Template
For those unsure about where to start, using a Task Assessment Template can be the key. This template helps you determine which tasks to keep, which to delegate, and which to eliminate or automate. It simplifies the decision-making process and creates a clear path to productivity.
Why This Template Will Make Life Easier
- Focus on What Matters: By using the template, you can identify which tasks genuinely need your attention and which do not.
- Empower the Team: Delegating tasks provides your team with opportunities to grow and take ownership of projects.
- Avoid Burnout: Delegation allows you to free yourselves from the burden of trying to manage everything.
- Prepare for Growth: Setting up a system for delegation now will build a strong foundation for scaling our business later.
How to Use the Task Assessment Template
The first step is evaluating all the tasks we currently manage. As you go through each one, you need to decide if the task should be:
- Delegated: Can someone else handle this more efficiently?
- Eliminated: Is this task even necessary, or is it outdated?
- Automated: Is there technology or software that can take over this process?
- Do by Self: Does this task require my unique expertise or oversight?
Simple Steps to Start Delegating
1. Document Processes
Start by documenting the processes involved in recurring tasks. Include step-by-step instructions, necessary tools, and any tips that might help someone complete the task efficiently. For example, if managing social media is taking up too much time, create a simple guide outlining the types of content to post, hashtags to use, and the posting schedule.
Documenting processes can feel time-consuming at first, but it makes future delegations far easier and ensures tasks are completed consistently.
2. Track Time
For one week, track the time spent on different tasks. We often don’t realize how much time certain responsibilities consume until we see the data. For instance, managing customer emails might take up two hours a day. With this insight, it’s easier to identify which tasks can be delegated.
Consider using tools like Toggl or RescueTime to automatically track how long you spend on various activities throughout the week.
3. Prioritize Tasks
Once the template is filled out, prioritize tasks by their importance and urgency. Delegating less critical or repetitive tasks, like scheduling meetings or updating spreadsheets, frees us up to focus on growth-related activities.
For example, tasks related to invoicing can be handed off to an administrative assistant or outsourced to an accounting service, allowing you to direct attention to strategic planning or product development.
4. Build a Support Network
Think about who can help. Delegation isn’t limited to internal team members. Freelancers, virtual assistants, or automation tools can step in to handle routine tasks. Whether it’s outsourcing data entry, hiring a social media manager, or utilizing tools like Make.com or Zapier to automate repetitive tasks, a support network is essential.
For example, a virtual assistant can take over customer inquiries, freeing up your time to focus on business strategy. Meanwhile, automation tools can streamline repetitive actions, like sending follow-up emails or scheduling posts.
5. Start Small
Start by delegating small, low-risk tasks. Something as simple as assigning calendar management or social media scheduling is a great way to ease into the process. By starting small, you can test your systems and gain confidence in your team’s ability to handle responsibilities.
As you get comfortable, you can delegate larger tasks, like managing client communications or handling project timelines.
6. Set Clear Expectations
Providing detailed instructions, setting deadlines, and outlining expectations are critical when delegating. This ensures the task is understood and completed correctly. For instance, if delegating blog content creation, you should include guidelines on tone, word count, and submission timelines.
This clarity reduces the chances of miscommunication and helps both parties stay aligned.
7. Let Go and Trust the Process
The hardest part of delegation is letting go. You might be tempted to micromanage, but that defeats the purpose. By trusting your team and systems, you give others the opportunity to step up and take responsibility.
For example, once a marketing campaign is delegated to the team, resist the urge to control every step. Trust them to execute the strategy while you oversee the broader vision.
8. Provide Context
Help those we delegate tasks to understand the bigger picture. When people know how their work impacts the company’s success, they are more motivated. For example, explaining to a designer how their creative work helps strengthen the brand can drive higher-quality output.
Providing context builds a sense of purpose and connection to the company’s goals.
9. Check in Regularly
Set up regular check-ins to monitor progress and offer feedback without hovering. Whether through weekly meetings or brief progress reports, this ensures things are on track while allowing space for adjustments.
For example, if a virtual assistant is managing a customer service task, a weekly update on customer queries can help us understand how efficiently it’s being handled without needing daily updates.
10. Leverage Automation
Automation is a powerful tool in delegation. Software like Zapier, Make.com, IFTTT, or built-in automation features in project management systems like ClickUp, can manage repetitive tasks. For example, automating the scheduling of social media posts or follow-up emails can save hours of manual work.
By combining delegation with automation, we maximize efficiency and focus on high-value tasks.
Your Challenge: Start Delegating Today
It’s time to take action. Using the Task Assessment Template, identify three tasks to delegate, eliminate, or automate this week. Document the process, hand over the task to someone else, and observe how much time is freed up.
By embracing delegation, you can revolutionize the way you run our business. The results will not only relieve stress but also position you for sustainable growth and success.
In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect smooth, efficient, and responsive onboarding experiences. To meet these expectations, businesses need reliable systems to manage client interactions, automate paperwork, track progress, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Luckily, several Software as a Service (SaaS) tools can make this process seamless. Below, I’ll share five SaaS tools I personally use to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding experience for my clients.
1. Pipedrive: Managing Client Relationships with Ease
A good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is essential to keeping track of every client interaction, especially during the onboarding phase. One of the best tools for managing this is Pipedrive.
Pipedrive is designed with simplicity and effectiveness in mind, allowing you to focus on closing deals rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks. Here’s how it helps streamline the onboarding process:
- Organised Client Data: All client information, from emails to call logs, is stored in one centralised place. This makes it easy to access all the information you need about a client without having to shuffle through different platforms or folders.
- Tracking Deals Automatically: Pipedrive tracks every deal and stage of communication automatically, ensuring that follow-ups are prompt, and no client is forgotten. You can even set up reminders or follow-up sequences to ensure continuous engagement throughout the onboarding journey.
- Clear Pipeline Management: Pipedrive’s visual pipeline makes it easy to monitor client progress. You can see at a glance which clients are at which stages of onboarding and what actions are needed next.
With Pipedrive, I’m always on top of every client’s journey, ensuring smooth transitions from lead to customer. This level of organisation helps ensure no opportunity is lost and the onboarding process remains efficient and seamless.
2. PandaDoc: Automating Contracts & Signatures
Contracts, agreements, and paperwork are inevitable parts of the onboarding process. However, they don’t have to become a bottleneck. Enter PandaDoc, a tool designed to simplify and speed up document management and signatures.
With PandaDoc, you can eliminate the manual back-and-forth that often slows down the onboarding process. Here’s how it makes things easier:
- Digital Contracts Creation: No need for lengthy emails or printing out paperwork. PandaDoc allows you to create professional, legally-binding contracts digitally, making the entire process faster and more organised.
- E-Signature Capabilities: Forget about chasing down clients for signatures. PandaDoc enables you to send documents for electronic signature with just a few clicks. Clients can review and sign contracts online, saving everyone time.
- Automated Approval Workflows: The tool also streamlines internal approval processes, ensuring that contracts are approved and sent out faster. No more waiting days or weeks for manual approvals to be completed.
By automating the creation, distribution, and signing of onboarding documents, PandaDoc reduces delays, increases efficiency, and ensures that the onboarding process is as smooth and professional as possible.
3. Xero: Simplifying Invoicing
Invoicing is a crucial part of onboarding, especially when you need to get paid on time. Xero, a cloud-based accounting software, takes the headache out of billing and ensures that your invoicing process is efficient and accurate.
Here’s how Xero simplifies invoicing:
- Automated Client Billing: Xero can automatically generate invoices based on your preset billing cycles or specific onboarding packages. This eliminates manual entry errors and ensures invoices are always sent on time.
- Timely Invoices: You can schedule invoices to be sent at specific times or send reminders to clients who haven’t paid yet. Xero tracks the status of every invoice, so you’ll know immediately if payments are overdue or pending.
- Payment Tracking Made Easy: Xero integrates with payment gateways and bank accounts to automatically track payments. You can view real-time updates on which invoices have been paid and which ones are still outstanding.
By automating invoicing and payment tracking, Xero reduces the administrative burden, ensures timely payments, and allows you to focus on delivering value to your clients instead of chasing them for payments.
4. ClickUp: Organizing Onboarding Projects
Managing multiple client onboardings at once can be overwhelming, especially when you’re juggling various tasks, deadlines, and team members. That’s where ClickUp comes in. It’s a powerful project management tool that helps you keep everything organised and on track.
Here’s why I love using ClickUp for onboarding:
- Custom Templates for Onboarding: You can create and reuse onboarding templates that standardise the process for every client. These templates ensure that every important step—whether it’s sending out welcome emails, scheduling calls, or delivering resources—is completed.
- Automated Task Assignments: Assigning tasks manually can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with multiple clients. ClickUp allows you to automate task assignments based on the onboarding workflow, ensuring that everyone on your team knows what to do and when to do it.
- Clear Timelines for Every Step: ClickUp’s visual timelines help you map out the entire onboarding process. You can set due dates, monitor progress, and make sure every milestone is hit on time, keeping the onboarding process on schedule.
Using ClickUp, I can handle multiple onboarding projects simultaneously without missing a beat. It’s the perfect solution for ensuring that every step of the onboarding process is completed on time and with precision.
5. Make (formerly Integromat): Automating Workflow Connections
During the onboarding process, you’ll often find yourself performing repetitive tasks—entering client data, sending emails, updating various platforms—that take up valuable time. Make (formerly Integromat) is a powerful automation tool that eliminates manual work by connecting all your SaaS tools together.
Here’s how Make enhances the onboarding process:
- Connect All Your Tools: Make seamlessly connected tools like Pipedrive, Xero, and ClickUp, allowing you to automate data transfers between platforms. For example, when a new client is added in Pipedrive, their information can be automatically synced to Xero for billing or ClickUp for task management.
- Automating Routine Tasks: Make allows you to automate repetitive tasks, like sending welcome emails, updating client information, or generating reports. These workflows run automatically in the background, ensuring tasks get done without you needing to lift a finger.
- Reducing Human Error: By automating routine tasks, Make also reduces the chances of human error. This ensures that client data is always accurate and onboarding steps aren’t skipped.
With Make, I’ve been able to automate much of the busywork involved in client onboarding. It’s like having a personal assistant who takes care of the tedious tasks, allowing me to focus on delivering a great experience for my clients.
Save Time, Streamline Processes, and Improve Client Satisfaction
Onboarding new clients doesn’t have to be a cumbersome, time-consuming process. By leveraging these five SaaS tools—Pipedrive, PandaDoc, Xero, ClickUp, and Make—you can streamline your onboarding process, improve communication, automate routine tasks, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
Not only will these tools save you hours of work, but they will also help you deliver a smoother, more efficient onboarding experience that sets the stage for a successful long-term relationship with your clients.
In today’s competitive landscape, first impressions matter. By investing in the right SaaS tools to optimise your customer onboarding process, you’re not just saving time—you’re creating a professional, polished experience that instil confidence in your clients from day one.