The Ops Experts Club Podcast – Episode 71

Title: The Often Unspoken Art of Offboarding Clients
Date: June 26, 2025
Hosts: The Collab Team (Terryn, Savannah) with guest Ben Clatterbuck

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the often-overlooked but crucial process of offboarding clients from the perspective of an operations team servicing multi-million dollar businesses. The discussion centers on why thoughtful offboarding matters, the logistical and relational elements involved, and potential pitfalls when things aren’t handled well. Drawing on years of experience, the hosts and their guest Ben Clatterbuck offer actionable tips, real anecdotes, and best practices for ensuring client transitions are smooth, positive, and reputation-enhancing for both parties.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Offboarding in Ops Consulting

• Not a Permanent Fixture: The Collab Team’s business model is about coming in, solving operational problems, and then stepping away—meaning offboarding is a frequent and intentional part of the process.
• Bittersweet Ending: Offboarding can be a “happy sad” moment—signaling client success and independence, but also ending valued professional relationships.
• “How you leave a client is sometimes more important than how you started with a client.” – (Terryn, 03:40)

2. Why Good Offboarding Sets You Apart

• Reputation and Referrals: The way offboarding is handled strongly influences whether a client will refer you or offer testimonials.
• Finishing Strong: The team prefers a 30-day notice to properly finalize projects, train new hires, and facilitate smooth transitions.
  • "We always like to just do a 30 day...just so we can finish strong." – Terryn (05:09)

3. The Mechanics of Good Offboarding

• Transition Planning:
  • Identify all ongoing projects.
  • Work with the client to prioritize what needs to be finished or handed off.
  • Ideally, replace ops consultants with new internal hires before the end.
• Handover of Assets:
  • File Ownership: Critical to ensure all Google Docs, Sheets, and SOPs created reside in the client’s Google Workspace, not that of the consulting team.
    • “If you create something inside Google, you can't transfer ownership of it to somebody outside your organization.” – Ben (09:40)
  • Shared Drives: Teams should request or create a shared drive for all key documents, facilitating clean transfers.
  • Copies as Backups: Clients are advised to make their own copies as a failsafe.
• Role Migration Lists:
  • A simple spreadsheet with columns for task, frequency, time required, owner, and SOP links.
  • “At the very least it's just what you do and how often…and that's our starting list.” – Ben (11:20)
• Ensuring Continuity:
  • Last-minute recruiting projects may be necessary if all duties haven’t been fully reassigned.
  • Flexibility around exit timelines when offboarding proves more involved than anticipated.

4. The Importance of Early Offboarding Discussions

• Transparency from the Start: The Collab Team recommends that clients ask about offboarding policies before signing contracts to avoid surprises or misunderstandings.
  • “If you're looking to bring an operations team in, ask them about what does offboarding look like? Just like, right up front.” – Ben (13:15)
• Definition of Done:
  • Clearly defining project completion standards and exit criteria helps set expectations for both sides.
  • “You know, what's our definition of done here?” – Terryn (14:32)

5. Common Offboarding Hurdles and Horror Stories

• Ghosting: Some clients simply vanish or communicate only after decisions are final, hindering smooth transitions.
  • “Just ghosted us. It wasn't the other way around.” – Ben (16:33)
• Dragged-Out Departures: Indecisive clients may repeatedly extend timelines, complicating handoffs and continuity.
• Assets Held Hostage: Incomplete payments or vague contracts can lead vendors to withhold key deliverables.
  • “They were owed some payments and was keeping all of the digital files that they had.” – Terryn (18:06)
• Fiverr/Freelancer Risks: Rapidly-sourced freelancers are convenient, but asset handover and commitment can be dicey.
  • “The problem is…you just sign and agree…you can end up in situations like that." – Ben (19:17)

6. Technical and Security Considerations

• Account and Access Migration:
  • Change ownership of all logins and accounts set up during the engagement to the client.
  • Mind two-factor authentication tied to team devices, not clients.
    • “Never set up texting your own phone number.” – (Ben, 21:57)
• SOPs and Documentation:
  • Ensure all processes, instructions, and project histories are fully documented and delivered.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the emotional side of client transitions:

  • "I've had clients who...sent me baby clothes from Amazon. Like just great clients. And then, at some point they're like, 'Hey, you know what? I think we got this.' You're like, 'Oh, it's offboarding time. A sad day.'" – Ben (03:19)

• On the importance of clean handoff:

  • "If you're the one who's being offboarded and it's not done well ... that's not a great way to do it and it probably sucks." – Terryn (04:09)

• Practical tip about file transfer:

  • "If you create something inside Google, you can't transfer ownership of it to somebody outside of your organization." – Ben (09:40)

• Advice for clients:

  • "If they don't really have any answers for what does offboarding look like, I wouldn't call it a deal breaker, but I'd be a little concerned." – Ben (13:52)

• Cautionary tale about asset holdbacks:

  • "The vendor was...keeping all of the digital files that they had until the payment finished. And the headache was they did not have a clear financial system in place." – Terryn (18:06)

• On account migration:

  • "We'll, you know, as we're working with clients, and signing up for new platforms...We should probably make sure that we get those logins changed and over to you." – Ben (21:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:20 | Why offboarding is built into The Collab Team's model | | 03:40 | Good offboarding: reputation, referrals, and why endings matter | | 05:09 | The rationale behind a 30-day notice period | | 07:23 | Transitioning projects and need for time to wrap up properly | | 09:40 | Critical lesson: file ownership and Google Workspace asset transfers | | 10:37 | The roles migration (handoff) spreadsheet | | 13:15 | Why you should ask consultants about offboarding before signing a contract | | 14:32 | The concept of a “definition of done” when working with contractors | | 16:33 | Offboarding horror stories: clients ghosting, dragged out departures | | 18:06 | Vendor withholding assets over payment – contractual pitfalls | | 19:17 | Risks of using freelance platforms for critical operational needs | | 21:26 | The importance of migrating account ownership and managing two-factor authentication |

Takeaways & Best Practices

• Set Expectations Early: Discuss offboarding processes from the very start and document the definition of project “done.”
• Prioritize Asset Transfer: Actively manage file and access handover via shared drives, proper account migration, and documentation.
• Have a Structured Handoff Plan: Use roles migration spreadsheets and clear checklists for SOP, accounts, and tasks.
• Anticipate Timeline Flexibility: Be prepared for exit timelines to change; build in buffer time if needed.
• Contracts Matter: Ensure contracts spell out asset ownership and payment terms to avoid disputes.
• Be Available Post-Exit: Continue answering questions and providing minimal support to facilitate trust and foster future referrals.

This episode is a must-listen for operations professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone working with external partners or contractors—it’s packed with battle-tested advice to make every offboarding equally as professional as the onboarding.