Handling a heavy workload is one thing, but knowing how to manage multiple clients simultaneously is another. There are personalities (sometimes big ones) to manage, expectations (often unrealistic) to control, and scope creep (consistently awful) to avoid.
Whether you're a busy freelancer or on an enterprise agency’s frontline, you know the challenge of meeting diverse client needs while producing high-quality work. But with the right strategy and resources at your disposal, managing multiple clients doesn’t need to be a juggling act that ends with balls dropped.
Just ask Kristina Horan, founder of web design studio KHWD. Specializing in branding and web design, Horan went from being a people-pleasing freelancer to an assured agency founder with a substantial client list—with a little trial and error.
A glance at the “love letters from happy clients” on Horan’s agency website (which features among the inspirational websites built on Wix Studio) gives you a taste of her client management skills (spoiler: they're seriously strong).
So, we tapped into them.
8 proven ways to manage multiple clients
Drawing on her experience, Horan provides eight practical tips to help you manage your client roster effectively, ensuring that clients get the attention they deserve and that you save your energy for more creative work.
01. Be transparent from the start
Horan prides herself on being an over-communicator. When onboarding clients, she always shares a project calendar and detailed workflow. “It’s like two view sets of our timeline together,” she says. “After that, it’s really about being that person who checks in weekly to look at what's on the agenda for the week and setting expectations.”
In every contract, Horan includes the required client feedback turnaround times, adding an extra layer of transparency. “At that stage, if we're speaking to the client, and they ask for four days or five days instead of three, it’s adjustable,” she says. “It's really just about being transparent from the get-go, but also verbalizing it as the process goes on.”
02. Simplify the feedback process
Recognizing stages of the process where clients might need extra support helps avoid potential stumbling blocks in your project. Horan believes feedback forms are your best friend in keeping things moving and helping clients provide the critical feedback you need.
“I have two feedback forms for the mock-up or prototype, and then two feedback forms for two rounds of revisions on the full website,” she says. “They really help keep a timeline crystal clear.”
Alternatively, you can look for feedback directly on your designs. Each client site built on Studio has a unique link you can share with clients so they can view their site and add comments wherever relevant. Get started in the Client Feedback section of your workspace.
03. Know when to delegate
Freelancers might not have the advantage of turning to a team member at critical moments, but according to Horan, knowing when to delegate is a crucial skill agency founders need to keep the show on the road. Part of the delegation process is learning to let go and trust your colleagues to deliver.
Horan has a team of two copywriters, an illustrator and a developer who she can lean on for their specialized skills when the client requires it. “I'm the one who liaises with the client from end to end—from brand strategy to creative direction to concept to building,” she says. “I'll even do a decent amount of the coding myself, but when it gets really advanced, I’ll call on their skillset.”
Horan advises checking upcoming projects and sorting them according to the skills they require. It means you can delegate certain tasks like building wireframes to team members well in advance, so that they can plan accordingly.
04. Find the best management tools for you
There are tons of collaboration and management tools to help improve your workflows and keep your clients happy. Horan says the three platforms she uses the most are Zapier for automations, Dubsado for CRM and Wix Studio for everything else.
Automations have been key to enhancing Horan’s efficiency levels. “Whether it's triggering an action to send onboarding docs as soon as a contract is signed or an invoice is paid, a workflow automatically starts, and clients get three main emails with their onboarding package: their scheduler, a form to fill out for their creative direction and brand strategy. Having software to automate these actions has made life so much easier.”
With client kits, custom roles and permissions and automated reports, Wix Studio management tools help you save tons of time on client back-and-forth. Check out the Client Experience section of your workspace for ways to make your client management process even more efficient (Related: How to manage multiple websites more efficiently).
05. Manage client expectations
“As a designer, being a people pleaser is abusive to yourself,” says Horan, who admits to having been one in her early days as a freelancer. Her advice to those still struggling to say no? Learn to set boundaries and be precise on the deliverables.
“Be very specific, even if it feels like you’re being over the top about what those deliverables are,” she says. I really take a lot of time in the discovery phase with people to get very clear on what the scope is.”
Horan says the project doesn’t have to be super comprehensive either—just get those deliverables down. “Even if it's a one-page scroll—what does that constitute?” she asks. “Break it down for yourself. If you have that guide sheet to say one page consists of this many sections, it helps you be extra transparent if you need to.”
And a final warning in case it hasn’t hit home: people-pleasers rarely avoid scope creep.
06. Ensure projects are at different stages
Part of successful client management is being strategic about the type of client work you take on and when you do it. Horan manages an average of four clients per month but makes sure each of those four client projects is always at a different stage.
“I break it down, so that way, every week of my month is dedicated to a different phase of the process,” she says. “It means I'm never in the mock-up phase in one week with two clients. I'll be in the mock-up phase for one client and maybe in the brand strategy phase for another. Managing projects that way helps me keep things on track.”
07. Stretch your calendar
While it’s important not to say yes to every project just to avoid saying no, you don’t have to turn down exciting opportunities because of a sudden feeling of overwhelm. Horan advises stretching your calendar and booking clients 4-5 months in advance if needed. Not only does it let you take on extra work and appeal to another cohort of prospects, but it also gives you more time to get content from your client.
“You can take on clients who don't have a budget to drop $5k or $10k right away but can afford it if you're starting four months out,” says Horan. “It gives you a different way of positioning your services, putting clients who need it on a four-month payment plan.”
Horan says booking beyond your usual window is also a solid strategy for web professionals exploring how to scale a freelance business. “It's a good level of practice for those in that transition phase—to take on more projects, figure out how to make it work, maintain good quality and keep your sanity,” she adds.
08. Get a business coach (or accountability partner)
According to Horan, every agency founder could benefit from a business coach to help them steer the ship and keep on top of projects. For those on a tight budget, Horan suggests getting what she calls an accountability partner.
“Before I had a business coach, I would meet with my accountability partner every Monday,” she says. “She's not a web designer but runs a social media agency, so we had similar goals and challenges. They’re essentially office hours and checkpoints for each other to talk about our goals for the week.”
Horan acknowledges that while your client work will always be your number one priority, having a person to hold you accountable to different tasks pays dividends.
“Many of us get overwhelmed by saying yes to everything,” she says. “Having somebody to say, ‘Okay, let's not swallow the whole meal at once. Let's chew it up in pieces and really figure out what our priorities are. How can we break down our day, our week and our month to make this seem achievable?' That’s priceless.”
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