When asked what advice I would give other freelance editors, I answer with this every time: Take the time to get clear systems and processes in place.

This is the best thing you can do for your business. And the good news is, you do not have to reinvent the wheel.

You can borrow from others’ systems and processes, then customize to make your own.

This blog’s system and process topic: client management

First, create or invest in various client management systems.

You want a system or systems that will do all or most of these tasks:

• Create and send contracts
• Create forms for clients to fill out
• Allow you to create template emails
• Ensure you send clients every email in your process
• Save and organize communications from client
• Collect and store data
• Manage client files
• Create task reminders for any interaction that requires action on your part
• Remind you of client communications needing action

You can find a lot of freelancer systems that cover these, such as

• Dubsado
• 17Hats
• Bonsai
• Trello
• Infinity

I explored a variety of client management systems and have listed their price and pros and cons for each one:|

I put together my systems before learning about these programs, and they work well enough for me that I don’t feel the need to pay for a system. The nice thing about the paid systems mentioned earlier is they do automate some of the tasks.

But my free systems work very well for me.

• Zoho mail for creating template emails, setting unique task reminders, taking notes on clients, and saving and organizing all emails
• Computer file system (Google Drive) for managing client files and storing client intake data
• Editorial Process Checklist for ensuring I send clients every email in my process (this is available for free on my website)
• Beacon Point’s Project Data Tracker for creating tasks for client interactions that are part of my process with every client and for reminding me to take action (this is a system I built that costs $37, but it is more for project management so only does a little client management)
• Word content controls for creating my contract
• WordPress Avada for creating forms on my website (WordPress has tons of plugins and every website platform has a form creator)

You may want to work backward here and determine your processes to help you decide which systems are right for you.

Or you may build your processes around the system you choose.

Either way, you need a system or set of systems to execute your processes.

The most important part of client management is clear and effective communication. Communication processes will happen throughout the whole relationship.

One way to ensure effective and clear emails is to use template emails. These are standard communications you need to have with every client. You of course can then individualize them, so the client feels like a person and not just a number.

But by setting these up in advance, you can take the time to edit and revise for clarity, grammar, punctuation, etc. It’s time-consuming to edit every email you send, but you can relax knowing you’ve already put the work in to create these solid email communications.

Just leave some prompts to add in some personalization for each client.

This process of setting up your standard communications may only need to happen once, as it is not an ongoing process, but you may need to revisit and refine it throughout the lifetime of your business: editing current templates, adding new ones, deleting unused ones, etc.

Because this process is so paramount and involves a lot of details on how to set them up and what template emails you may want to use, I have a whole blog on this topic: Crushing Your Editorial Business with Email Templates. That blog includes lots of ideas for what emails you may want to set up as well as access to free email templates.

Now that you’ve taken the time to set up these email communications, you need a process to ensure you send all the standard communications.

If you use one of the paid systems, many of them include an automated process where given conditions trigger the system to send the email. Of course, this then means you can’t edit the content of the email first if it is automatically sent out.

So more than likely the best process for this is a checklist system, whether that checklist system be in your paid program or you have a physical checklist.

If you have a paid program, this can be somewhat automated, in that, you can set it to send you a reminder to send the contract email after you check off that client confirmed deadlines, for example.

I use a digital one in Trello for my agency projects (projects edited by editors in my agency and not me) that I have somewhat automated.

For my projects, I use a physical checklist, which I put in a sheet protector and use color-coded wet erase markers to check things off. One color for each current or upcoming project.

So first set up your checklist, whether a physical one or a digital one in your system, and make sure your checklist includes every standard email you need to send throughout the duration of the project.

Once you have your checklist set up, the process here is as simple as checking off each item for each client.

Get access to my free customizable checklists here, including the editorial process one.

In your system, you can have a folder or tab for each client or you can group all current editing clients together.

It’s called something different, depending on the system you use, but the concept is the same.

I used to group all current editing clients together, but now I create a folder in Zoho for each current client. Once they are no longer a current client, I move all their emails into my “old editing clients” folder and delete their folder.

This helps keep all communications from a given client in one place for an easy trail of correspondence.

So the process here is to ensure that each communication from that client goes into their folder or tab or whatever it is called.

You want to send your standard communications that go out to all clients (explained in detail in my blog on template emails), but you also need to have a process for dealing with unique client communications.

Sure, it could be as simple as they email you, you respond. But in real life, it doesn’t always work that way.

So I suggest having a process for when you receive an email that you can’t respond to that day for whatever reason: don’t yet know the answer, are too busy that day, etc.

For me, I create a task reminder in Zoho. For many of the paid programs, you can also set up task reminders.

So if I get an email, I respond to let them know I received it and will get back to them by X date, then I set up a reminder to do just that.

You may also have some standard interactions that you have with every client, but then based on the response, you need to take action.

For me, when I send their final, I invite them to follow me on social media. I like to mark if they did or not, so I know if I can interact with or tag them on there.

Then I send all clients a follow-up email, asking for a review, if I can add their book to my portfolio, if they want me to advertise their book, etc.

If they give me a review, I want to make sure to post it.

If they said I can add their book to my portfolio, I want to make sure to do that.

And I definitely don’t want to forget to advertise their book if I promised to do that.

You can handle this the same way as the last process: task reminders.

Or you can set up this process in your system as part of your checklist or part of the storing the data process (mentioned in the next section).

For me, I use my Beacon Point Project Data Tracker to track their responses and remind me to take action.

I suggest keeping client communications for at least a year. But, of course, you can keep them forever. Because I get so many emails, I have to purge old emails from my system.

So I have a process at the end of every year to purge out emails that are more than a year old.

Once you have your communication processes in place, you need clear processes for taking clients from intake to finished project and collecting the data along the way.

You need at least two process steps for this stage: a process for how they initially contact you and a process for determining their quote.

Initial contact:

For that initial contact, you want a form or an email template with the questions you need them to answer to determine if you want to pursue that project and the quote.

I have a “request a sample edit” form on my website. If they email me, I just direct them to that form.

Determine quote:

You need a process for determining their quote. Do you skim through the project? Do you do a sample edit and time yourself?

I do a sample edit, then I charge per word based on what I want to make hourly. Based on the time it took me to complete the sample, I can figure out the estimated hours this project will take me and multiply that by my desired hourly rate. Then divide that by the word count to get the price per word.

I use Beacon Point’s Project Data Tracker (the per-word version—there are different versions, depending on how you charge) which has a calculator page and does the calculations for me. I just have to enter in word count on sample, time I spent on the sample, and word count for the whole project.

Depending on how many steps you have in your onboarding process, this is broken down into several steps and processes.

Your checklist system or automated task system in your freelance software (mentioned in process two in the communication section) should include all the tasks you need to do for onboarding to ensure you don’t miss a step.

Initial documentation:

You will want a process for sending and collecting all needed onboarding documentation: contract, deposit, client intake form, editing preferences for the style sheet, etc.

For my contract, I have a template Word document, and I just go in and modify the individualized data using content controls, then email it to them.

When I send the contract, the email also contains a list of editing preferences some authors have: no serial comma except when needed or always have the serial comma, for example.

Once I receive a response to that email, I save the signed contract, mark it as signed in my Project Data Tracker, and set up their style sheet, noting any of their preferences.

Other onboarding tasks:

As you create your processes, consider these additional potential onboarding tasks:

• Record name of client, project title, project genre, estimated speed & hours (this is so you can track if your actuals meet your estimates), deadlines, and the quote in whatever system you use.
• Set up needed folders. For me, I create a named folder for the client in my Zoho email and a folder in my Google Drive for their documents.
• Store their email address: Save their email in your editing clients’ contact list or in your system
• Send the onboarding emails: This was discussed in the setting up standard communications process)
• Schedule project: This will be discussed more in my blog for processes for Project Management (coming soon)
• Create task reminders: a reminder to check in the day before you need the manuscript if they haven’t sent it yet and to send invoice on X date, etc.
• Schedule a “your next steps” email to send a few days after you begin the editing: Part of my brand is to educate and guide indie authors through the whole process. So I send them an email that outlines and gives advice for all the steps that come after editing.

This is part of the onboarding process, but it is important enough to warrant its own section. As mentioned in onboarding, you need collect initial documents and store all needed data.

Your processes should be clear on what you collect and where you store it.

What you can collect:

• Client intake form
• Contract
• Project information
• Notes on the client
• Original project files
• Revised project files

Freelance software has the ability to store clients’ files right in their platform, though you may also want a copy on your computer.

I like to keep everything in Google Drive so I can access it no matter what computer I’m on. If it’s stored in your freelance software, you can also access it from any computer.

The exception is the project information, which I have stored in my tracker, and the notes on the client, which I store in my email system where I save their contact info.

All email systems have a notes section, so you can add notes to any contact.

Some of the aforementioned freelance software programs also allow you to store their contact and intake survey in their client data section.

I work with a lot of one-off indie authors, so my nurturing processes aren’t as in depth as they perhaps would be if I had ongoing clientele.

But to further nurture the client, you may consider creating processes for:

• Doing a client or author spotlight on them
• Announcing their book when it launches on your socials or to your subscribers
• Sending them a message at the end of the year that congratulates them on their success and reminds them of your services and ways you can help

Get a system that works for you (either one you pay for or one you create), then set up processes that you repeat at certain intervals to ensure a smooth relationship with your client from intake to finished project and beyond.

You certainly don’t have to do the processes I do. Use my processes as a starting point to figure out what works for you.

But whatever you do, don’t just wing it. The relationships you establish with your clients are far too important for that.