The signature is in – now what? Many service providers lose valuable time between contract signing and first deliverable. Unclear responsibilities, missing access, forgotten briefings. Structured onboarding prevents this.
What Client Onboarding Must Accomplish
Good onboarding achieves three goals:
- Clarify expectations: What will be delivered, what won't? Who is the contact?
- Establish work readiness: Access, data, briefings – all there
- Maintain momentum: No downtime between signature and kickoff
Most project problems don't arise from bad work, but from unclear starts.
The Onboarding Process in 4 Phases
Phase 1: Immediately After Signature (Day 0)
- Confirmation email with contact person and next steps
- Internal handover from sales to delivery
- Create project in PM tool
Phase 2: Gather Information (Days 1-3)
- Send onboarding questionnaire (access, contacts, special requirements)
- Request documents/assets
- Schedule kickoff meeting
Phase 3: Setup (Days 3-5)
- Set up and test access
- Prepare briefing documents
- Prepare project structure
Phase 4: Kickoff (Days 5-7)
- Kickoff meeting with clear agenda
- Clarify open questions
- Define first milestone
What Belongs in the Onboarding Questionnaire
Less is more. These questions you really need:
- Contact person: Name, email, phone, role
- Access: Which systems, how do we get access?
- Communication: Preferred channel, availability
- Special requirements: Internal processes we should know?
- Expectations: What's the most important result in the first 4 weeks?
Everything else gets clarified in the kickoff or during work.
Automation in Onboarding
These steps can be automated:
- Confirmation email with personalized info (from CRM)
- Questionnaire sending after contract signing
- Reminders for outstanding responses
- Project setup (folders, tasks, channels) after questionnaire receipt
- Kickoff invitation with pre-filled agenda
An n8n workflow can reduce the process from 2-3 hours of manual effort to 15 minutes.
Common Mistakes
Too many questions: The questionnaire becomes a hurdle. Solution: Maximum 10 questions, clarify rest in kickoff.
No clear deadline: Client never responds, project delays. Solution: Communicate clear timeline, automate reminders.
Kickoff without agenda: Meeting becomes small talk. Solution: Send agenda in advance, document results.
Measuring Onboarding Quality
Two KPIs are enough:
- Time to First Deliverable: Days from signature to first output
- Onboarding Completeness: How many projects start with all necessary info?
If both numbers are stable, the process works.
Clean onboarding is the foundation for successful projects. If you want to structure your onboarding process, we're happy to discuss which steps can be automated for you. Contact us