The Goodbye Packet Last week I told you about Client Offboarding, the process of finalising a design project and preparing a client for working together again in the future. Offboarding is a way of informing a client that you’ve completed the work they’ve paid you for, and any additional work from this point forward will be considered a new project, incurring further fees. In this last part of the Client Onboarding series, I’m talking about the Goodbye Packet, a way to collect and package up all the offboarding information in a convenient package to hand over to your client. What is a Goodbye Packet? A Goodbye Packet is a document informing a client their project is complete. It lets them know that any additional work you do will incur extra charges. You can also use it as a transition phase between your web design contract and your maintenance package. If a client continues to ask for changes after the completion of a web design project, it’s a good indication that you should sell them an ongoing maintenance package if you haven’t already done so. In brief; a well put together Goodbye Packet should accomplish the following: Informs the client of the completion of their project, stopping them from asking for more changes. Thanks the client for choosing you as their designer showing how grateful you are. Instructs the client how to access their deliverables such as downloading asset files or logging in to their website and any other relevant accounts. Teaches the client how to use their website. Relays essential details about their design project. Encourages the client to hire you for more design work in the future (or right away if you can manage it) Answers common questions most clients have at the end of a project. Shows the client how professional you are, which will make them more likely to refer you to others and to use you again in the future. Unlike the Intro Packet, which is a document about you and your business, a Goodbye Packet is all about the client. It’s about making it easy for the client to transition to using whatever it is you created for them. Where the intro Packet is handed out to all clients showing them your services and design skills, the Goodbye Packet is a document customised to each specific client. There are pieces of it you can reuse again and again, but overall, it should be unique to the client receiving it. How to create a Goodbye Packet A Goodbye Packet is a document you create for your client. It could be a printed booklet, a Word document, A PDF, A dedicated page in a password protected client area of your website, or even something as simple as an email. The platform you use to create your Goodbye Packet is not as important as the information that goes into one. However, no matter the platform you use, do make it look good. You are a designer, after all. Some sections of your Goodbye Packet can be reused from client to client with minor changes. Creating templates for them can save you time and save you having to create each one from scratch — website login instructions, for example. The instructions to log into a website are the same for all sites; it’s just the URL, Username and Password that changes. Contents of a Goodbye Packet Think of your Goodbye Packet as a small booklet, whether it’s printed, a PDF or a web page. Here's what it should contain: Cover:The Goodbye Packet is all about the client and should be recognisable as such. Design the cover with the client’s colours and branding. Introduction:Give an overview of what information the client will find in the packet and why it’s crucial they hold onto it. Access Info:Provide login information for websites or any other accounts you created for the client. Make sure they know to keep this information safe. Better yet, provide them with a temporary password and instructions on how to change it. Quick Reference:A cheat sheet if you will. This section should contain information such as font families, Colour codes/values, Image guideli