Free template · CC0
Client onboarding checklist
Everything that has to be true before work starts, in the order it has to be true. Most onboarding goes wrong in the gap between "they signed" and "we have what we need" — this list closes it.
How to use it. Copy it into whatever your team already uses: a portal checklist, a project template, a task list. The four groups are deliberately sequential — nothing in "Kickoff" works until "Access & assets" is done. Delete the lines that do not apply to your service; a checklist with items nobody ticks stops being read.
Before kickoff
- Contract or SOW signed; scope, deliverables, revision limits and timeline agreed
- First invoice or deposit sent and paid
- Main contact, decision-maker and billing contact recorded
- Client added to the portal or project tool; welcome email sent
- Kickoff call scheduled; kickoff questionnaire sent
Access and assets
- Brand assets: logo files, fonts, colours, guidelines
- Logins and access shared through a password manager or an invite — never plain email
- Analytics, CMS, ad accounts, hosting and domain or DNS access, as relevant
- Previous work, reports and research
Kickoff
- Goals and success metrics confirmed
- Communication channel, response times and meeting cadence agreed
- Approval process agreed, and who signs off named
- Project plan and first milestones shared
First 30 days
- First deliverable or quick win delivered
- Check-in on satisfaction and on the process itself
- Recurring reporting set up
Two lines carry most of the value: naming the decision-maker, and agreeing the approval process before the first deliverable. An approval nobody owns is the most common reason a project sits still.
Licence
Released under CC0 1.0. Change it, rebrand it, republish it, charge for the service you deliver with it. Published by the ClientOS team and deliberately tool-agnostic.
The other three templates
Project kickoff questionnaire
Fifteen questions that between them prevent most revision rounds. Send it with the kickoff invitation, not after the call — a client who has answered question 12 in writing is a different client on the call.
Read it →Client communication SOP
One page your account managers can actually follow, so every client gets the same experience whoever is handling them. Adjust the response times to your own SLA before you publish it — the numbers here are a starting point, not a standard.
Read it →Monthly client report
Eight sections, in the order a client reads them. The summary goes first because for many clients it is the only part they read — which is also why sections 5 and 7 have to be in it.
Read it →See it working before you decide anything
The instant demo emails you a login to a live ClientOS — the full agency admin and client portal with sample data. Read-only, so you can click anything. Your login works for 3 days. No call, no card.