In one program we took over, almost the whole delivery team was let go. Client complaints went from many a week to almost none in two months.
That is the exception. We almost never let anyone go. When it does happen, the clients should notice a new name in the chat and nothing else.
When is letting someone go the right call?
When they are there for no reason: toxic, not doing the work, or in a role the program does not need. Before that verdict, check two things. Was the person onboarded with a worksheet, SOPs and Looms? And is the load possible? A client success manager at 300 clients is busy; past that, anyone fails.
If either answer is no, fix that first. Replacing someone who was never set up to do the job restarts the same learning curve with a new name.
Write down the facts before deciding: the overdue clients they left, the messages that went wrong, the trainings they had. A decision made on facts is easier to explain and easier to live with.
I almost never let anyone go. The exception is when I take over an offer and see people who are there for no reason. In one offer I let almost the whole team go: toxic, not doing the work, most of them unnecessary. Client cases went from a lot to almost none within a couple of months.
What do you prepare before the conversation?
Everything the person holds that nobody else can see. The risk is not the conversation; it is the automation that stops a week later because only they knew it existed.
- List every client they own on the board, and pick who takes each one.
- Check the notes on each client are current. Ask for missing ones before the day.
- List every automation they built. Write an SOP for each one, or have someone shadow it.
- List every tool they can log into, and every shared password that has to change.
- Write the short message for clients and the one for the team.
The offboarding checklist
| Area | What to do | When |
|---|---|---|
| Clients | Reassign on the board; new contact sends each a voice message | Same day |
| Chat | Remove from WhatsApp, Telegram and Skool groups; new contact posts in the threads | Same day |
| Tools | Remove access: Monday.com, Skool, Slack, Loom, Calendly, Stripe, Trustpilot | Same day |
| Automations | Move ownership to a team account; check each one runs | Before the day, checked after |
| Booking links | Turn off their personal booking link; point clients to the program's link | Same day |
| SOPs | Update every SOP that names them as owner | Within the week |
| Contract | Notice, final pay and any clauses as agreed; not legal advice | As the agreement says |
What do you tell clients?
Very little, and fast. Any change clients feel causes confusion, even a good one. The new contact sends a short voice message: who they are, that everything else stays the same, and the next step for that client.
Do not explain why. Clients do not need the reason, and any reason invites questions about the program. If a client asks, the answer is that their new contact has all the notes and is there now.
Time it so no client is waiting on the departing person for a call or an answer. Book the next calls under the new contact before the voice messages go out.
What do you tell the team?
One short message that says who is leaving, who takes their clients and what changes for anyone else. No details about the person. The team learns more from what happens next: the clients handled well and the next hire made slowly.
If the person leaving was well liked, say thank you in the message. The team watches how people leave as closely as how they join.
Then hire slowly. Be very clear about what the role needs before the post goes up, and ask for a Loom before any interview. Most companies hire first and figure it out later.
Diego Miescher
