A new year is upon us! But before we start gearing up, let’s celebrate all that was accomplished this year. Whether one new client or fifty, a new website or your first business post on Instagram, you’ve done good work this year. That’s worth celebrating! And if you’re a Dubsado user like me, I hope you’ve made maximum use of the system and this year’s new features (if not, let’s chat!). Now, it’s time to prepare your Dubsado system for the new year.
Carve out some time before the end of the year to perform the tasks outlined below. Doing them before you ramp up again will save you time, keep your Dubsado system well organized, and have you ready to reply to those new inquiries without delay.
Update Meeting Times And Office Hours
Do you need a new rhythm for your client meetings? Want to move your meeting days from Mondays to Wednesdays or meeting times from mornings to afternoons? Now is a good time to update your scheduler templates. In addition, add your out-of-office days to your external calendar that’s synced to Dubsado. Doing so will allow Dubsado to block those dates and times on all of your appointment options at once for you.
Archive Projects
If your workflows are not set to archive project leads and jobs for you, then let’s do that now. As you prepare for the new year, it will clear the clutter in your Dubsado system and give you a fresh start. Once completed projects and expired leads are removed, you’ll be able to easily identify current projects you are or will be working on. Also, only the leads you’re still trying to bring on as clients will be visible. Don’t forget, archived projects can be easily recovered at any time so you’re not losing any client details when you archive.
Since we’re aiming for a fresh start, clear out old canned emails and smart fields not in use too.
Update Your Numbers
Time to retire old pricing, payment plans, and discounts (or adjust as necessary). Add packages for any new services you’ll be offering, and update your proposal forms and workflows as needed.
Make sure payment reminders are set to send to clients with outstanding payments before the end of the year. In addition, make a note of any new tax items you may need to create, and check your Quickbooks integration if you have it connected.
Revisit Workflows
I love this exercise! Write down your client process steps (or print your Client Journey Map), and highlight any areas that created a bottleneck for you or your clients. Think about questions your clients may have asked throughout the process that you can now incorporate. This could be as simple as creating a new How To Prepare Well form for meetings, or adding a FAQ section to your proposal form.
Also, look for opportunities to eliminate or consolidate steps in your workflow to move your clients along faster. And lastly, see if there are any manual actions that can now be automated to save you time. Whatever changes you make to your workflows, be sure to do so with your clients in mind.
Switch to Dubsado’s New Form Builder
If you’ve been holding out on Dubsado’s new form builder, it’s time to make the switch. Dubsado will be switching all accounts to the new form builder on January 31st. If your forms are code free, then you’re all set. However, if your current forms have custom coding, here’s a helpful article for you.
These steps will get you well on your way to a fresh and organized start to the new year. Want an expert to dive in and review your Dubsado system for you? Stay tuned! I’m excited to be offering Dubsado System & Design Reviews in the new year. Make sure you’re receiving my newsletters to be the first to know all the juicy details and get first dibs on scheduling your review!
