Weekly check-ins clients actually answer
Short questions, a fixed day and a reply within a day. What keeps clients checking in.
4 min read
A check-in only works if the client fills it in. Most coaches know the pattern: in week one, everyone answers. By week six, a third of the list has gone quiet, and the ones who go quiet are often the ones who need you most.
Keep it short
Weight, a few measurements, energy and adherence on a 1 to 5 scale, and one open question about the week. That takes a client two minutes. Every extra question costs you answers. If you want to ask about sleep or stress, add one or two questions of your own and drop them when they stop being useful.
Pick a day and stick to it
Sunday evening or Monday morning works for most people, because the week is still fresh. What matters more than the day is that it never moves. Clients build the habit around the day, not around your reminders.
Answer within a day
This is the part coaches underestimate. A client who sends a check-in and hears nothing for three days learns that the check-in doesn't matter. A short reply the same day beats a long one later. Name one thing that went well and one thing to change. That's enough.
Make photos optional
Progress photos help, but some clients hate taking them. Make them optional and tell clients who sees them. In Vikt, check-in photos are visible only to the client and their coach, and clients can leave them out.
Follow up on silence
A bad week with an honest check-in is fine. A missing check-in is the real warning sign. Send a short, friendly reminder the day after, and if a client misses two weeks in a row, message them directly. In Vikt, clients who haven't checked in show up on your overview, and you can remind all of them at once.
None of this is complicated. It's mostly about being boringly consistent, every week.
