Customer Education Packet

Here is the basic outline of a customer education packet. You may also download an actual sample Welcome Packet below.

Concepts

• Make the customer feel like you have your “act together” by covering all the bases up front
• Cover any sticky situations before they are “real.” It is much easier to argue about a hypothetical bad situation than a real one
• Disclose to the customer the ways they make the relationship difficult and help them mitigate it:
• If you desperately need them to pay on time, let them know that it is not worth doing business with them if they don’t pay on time
• Situations like user error should be addressed. IT companies always get blamed for user error. You will be amazed what happens if you say upfront, “Hey there are going to be some bumps at the beginning. Many of them will be user error, but your people will want to blame us.”
• Technically, this is called the Abe Lincoln approach. Abe Lincoln, when he was a trial attorney, used to present the other side’s case for them. He did it in a matter of fact way, but disclosed everything. This effectively took the air out of the opposition’s sails.
• Reinforce the customer’s purchase

Outline

• Welcome letter
• Thank them for their business
• Tell them you look forward to working well as a team
• Tell them there is important information in the welcome packet and that they should take some time to review it.
• FAQs (what you can expect from us, what we expect from you, how to get the most out of your relationship with us)
• Surveys/Questionnaires if applicable
• How we can best work together
• Contact information they may need
• Instructions for any process, website, form, etc.
• Can be in written, audio, or video form
• Include any web logins/passwords
• Any forms they may need

Physical Format

• Can be a Word document or PDF (for copy protection) but physical form is more impressive. Most likely a computer file will be misplaced
• You can do a very nice bound version by using print on demand sites such as lulu.com or simply create a cover sheet and use folders available at any office supply store
• Either way, make the packet visually appealing as it is an advertising piece reinforcing the customer’s purchase