In the programs we run, every meeting has a meeting note filled in before it starts. Nobody joins a check-in just to see how things are going.
A check-in call is the client success manager's main tool after onboarding. Its job is narrow: get the client to the next milestone on time. Everything on the agenda serves that.
When does a coaching client get a check-in call?
On a schedule early, then on triggers. New clients get up to three check-ins a week in the first 30 days, as messages, voice notes or calls. After that, check-ins drop and the board decides who gets one.
| Trigger | What the check-in is for |
|---|---|
| First 30 days | Up to three a week, so the first win lands inside one to two weeks |
| Overdue on a stage | Find out what is in the way that day, and get the client moving |
| Milestone reached | Record the win and ask for proof |
| 60 days before the end | Where the client is against the goal, and what they want next |
| The client asks | Whatever they need, prepared like any other call |
What goes in the meeting note before the call?
Five lines, all from the client's row on the board. It is quick to write, and it means the client never has to repeat themselves.
- The goal and the starting number, from the intake form.
- The current stage, the time it should take, and the days left.
- On track or overdue, and since when.
- What the client said at the last check-in.
- The one question this call must answer.
The fifth line matters most. A call with a question to answer has an end. A call without one drifts into a catch-up.
What is the agenda for a check-in call?
Seven steps, in this order. A good check-in is short, because the client should leave to do the work. Talk like a friend, and keep it simple.
- The number. Where are you since last time, against your goal?
- The stage. Which action steps are done, and which are not?
- The block. What is in your way right now?
- The help. The video, the worksheet or the link that fixes it, or a slot on the next group call.
- The next step. One thing, with a date, said back by the client.
- The win. Anything to record? At a milestone, ask for proof.
- The next touch. When the client will hear from you, and on which channel.
Step 3 is where most of the call should go. Step 5 is the one that gets skipped, and without it the call was a chat.
Overdue means the client success manager checks in immediately, finds out what is going on, helps, and gets them to the next milestone. Two things make it work. The client knows the timing in advance, and when they are late, you tell them. People then know they need to get things done.
What does the client success manager log after the call?
The next step, its date and the status, on the row the same day. If the client hit a milestone, log it, because proof requests and next-offer flags come from that column.
If something on the call needs a coach, book it before closing the note. If the client says sales promised something the program does not do, that goes back to sales the same day.
The founder sees none of this as messages. The status on the board is the update, and the live numbers show it any time.
What goes wrong with check-in calls?
They turn into catch-ups. The talk is friendly, the client feels heard, and they leave without a next step.
Or they turn into coaching. A client success manager who does not fully understand the offer and the path gives half answers to coaching questions. Book the coach instead, and train the team on the path regularly.
And sometimes they only happen when the client asks. By then the client has often been overdue for a while. The board is there so the team calls first.
Further reading: Weekly check-in form questions for coaching clients · On-track rate: how to see which stage of your program is broken
Diego Miescher
