People who search for Osi affiliate are often looking for software to run a customer referral programme, where existing clients recommend you to people they know. This article answers that specific job: how to turn satisfied clients into tracked referrers using the platform's affiliate manager, when to ask them, what to reward them with and what to check if you are comparing dedicated referral tools. Partner programmes for introducers and content creators are covered in other guides. This one is about your own clients, and it describes no third-party product's features or pricing.
Clients refer differently from partners
A professional introducer refers as part of their work. A client refers as a favour. That difference shapes everything about a client programme. The ask has to come at the right moment, the process has to take seconds, and the reward has to feel like thanks rather than payment, because many clients would be uncomfortable being paid to recommend a supplier.
Clients also refer less often but convert better. Someone who hears about you from a friend who used you arrives with trust already in place. For an estate agency, that might be a seller who recommends you to a neighbour. For a mortgage broker, a first-time buyer who mentions you to a colleague. For agencies and consultants, a client who moves job and brings you into their new company.
When to ask
The best moment is just after a client has felt the value of your work, not at the end of a contract or on a fixed date. Typical moments are:
- A sale completes or a mortgage offer arrives.
- A project milestone is signed off.
- A client leaves a positive review or a high satisfaction score.
- A renewal is confirmed.
Tie the referral invitation to one of these events, so it reaches each client when they are most likely to say yes.
Before you start
- A short referral landing page in Sites, written for the friend rather than the client.
- A reward you are comfortable offering and that fits your industry's rules, such as a gift, a credit on the next invoice or a charity donation.
- A pipeline stage or event that marks the moment of value you chose.
- Consent to email or message the client about the programme.
- A short, personal invitation message from the client's main contact at your firm.
How to set it up
- In Affiliate Manager, create a campaign for client referrals.
- Go to Automation > Workflows and create a workflow.
- Choose the trigger that starts the automation, such as Contact Tag.
- Filter the trigger on the tag your team adds, such as referral-invite.
- Add the Add To Affiliate Manager action.
- Add the Add to Affiliate Campaign action and choose your referral campaign.
- Add the invitation email, then test with a colleague's contact.
- Publish the workflow.
Choosing the reward
The reward matters less than the thanks. A prompt, personal message saying their friend got in touch does more than a voucher that arrives a month later. Where you do offer something, keep it simple and tell the client exactly when they will receive it.
Check your sector's rules before offering cash. Regulated firms, including many mortgage brokers in the UK, face restrictions on incentives and on how referral payments are disclosed. A charity donation in the client's name is often the cleanest choice. The design choices behind paid commission are covered in setting a commission plan.
Suppose the agency invites every seller to refer a friend a week after completion, and donates £100 to a local charity for each referral that leads to an instruction. Over a year, say it invites 160 sellers. If 40 share their link, 25 friends request a valuation and 9 instruct, the programme would cost £900 in donations for nine new instructions. Each number is made up to show the arithmetic, not taken from a real agency.
What to check when comparing referral software
If you are weighing a dedicated referral tool, these questions are specific to client programmes.
- Can invitations be triggered by an event in your sales process, not just sent in bulk?
- Does the referred friend land in the same CRM as the client, with the link between them recorded?
- Can the client be thanked automatically the moment a referral arrives?
- Can rewards be non-cash, or zero, without breaking the reporting?
- Is it simple enough that a client can share their link from a phone in under a minute?
A wider checklist for partner software is in comparing affiliate software.
What it costs in time
Setup takes half a day if the landing page exists. Once running, the programme needs a few minutes a week: checking new referrals have been called and that thank-you messages went out. Rewards, if you give them, take a short monthly run.
The mistake most people make
Sending the invitation to every client at once in a newsletter. Clients who had a difficult experience receive it too, and the clients who were happy receive it at a random moment. Trigger it from a moment of value, one client at a time.
When not to use it
Do not run a formal client programme if your clients are large companies with procurement teams, where a referral link from a supplier can feel inappropriate. A personal conversation asking for an introduction works better. Do not run one either if your delivery is struggling, because more referrals will amplify the problem.
Troubleshooting
Clients receive the invitation but never share
The message reads as a marketing email. Rewrite it from their main contact in a few plain lines, and give one example of who they might share it with.
Friends arrive but the client is not credited
The friend found you without the link, often by searching your name. Ask on your enquiry form whether someone recommended you, and credit the client by hand. The tracked link guide covers why links get lost.
Invitations go to clients who are unhappy
The trigger fires on a stage every client reaches. Use a stage that signals satisfaction, such as a positive review, or add a filter on your satisfaction field.
The thank-you message arrives days late
It is tied to the reward being approved. Separate the instant thanks from the reward notice, following the partner automation guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is a client referral programme the same as an affiliate programme?
They use the same tracking. The difference is who refers and why. Clients refer as a favour, so the process needs to be lighter and the thanks more personal.
Should I pay clients for referrals?
Only if it suits your sector and your clients. Many firms find a gift or charity donation works better and avoids regulatory questions.
How many clients should I invite?
Every client who reaches your chosen moment of value. The trigger does the filtering.
Can clients see who they referred?
Each client can log in to the portal and see their own referrals and rewards, and nothing about your other clients.