CLIENT ONBOARDING CHECKLIST =========================== Disclaimer — not legal advice. This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use Client: [CLIENT COMPANY NAME] | Project: [PROJECT NAME] | Start date (deposit cleared): [DATE] Owner: [YOUR NAME] | Client main contact: [NAME], [TITLE], [EMAIL] | Target: live in [5] working days Onboarding starts when the deposit clears and ends when the first deliverable is in the client's hands. Tick every box. Anything still open on Day 5 goes on the risk line at the bottom. Day plan at a glance -------------------- Day | Focus | Done when ----- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- Day 1 | Welcome email + packet, invoice receipt, kickoff booked | Client has a reply within [2] hours of the deposit clearing Day 2 | Access, credentials, assets, NDA if needed | You can log in to everything you need without asking again Day 3 | Kickoff call ([30] min, agenda sent in advance) | Notes and decisions circulated same day Day 4 | Discovery written up into a brief or SOW | Brief sent to the client for approval Day 5 | Internal setup complete + first deliverable sent | Client has received something real ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Welcome email and packet — Day 1 ----------------------------------- - [ ] Send the welcome email within [2] hours of the deposit clearing — owner: [YOU] — due: [DATE] - [ ] Attach or link the welcome packet (contents below) - [ ] Send the deposit payment receipt / paid invoice confirmation - [ ] Confirm the project start date and the target completion date in writing - [ ] Share the project workspace / client portal URL and confirm the client can log in - [ ] Introduce anyone else who will touch the project ([SUBCONTRACTOR / PARTNER NAME], role) - [ ] Book the kickoff call — send the invite the same day, do not wait for a reply Welcome packet contents (one or two pages max) Section | What it says ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- What happens next | The [5]-day onboarding plan above, in client language Who to talk to | You, your hours, response time ([1] business day), holiday cover How to give feedback | One consolidated list, in [TOOL / PORTAL], within [5] business days How approvals work | [CLIENT APPROVER NAME] approves; [N] revision rounds included Where everything lives | Portal URL, file location, invoice history Payment schedule | Deposit paid, next invoice [DATE], terms Net [14] 2. Access and credentials — Day 2 --------------------------------- - [ ] File sharing: [GOOGLE DRIVE / DROPBOX / SHAREPOINT] folder created and shared with [NAMES] - [ ] Communication channel agreed: [SLACK / TEAMS / EMAIL / PORTAL] — and a "no scope changes by DM" rule stated - [ ] Brand assets received: logo files, fonts (with licences), colour values, brand guidelines - [ ] Existing content / data received: [COPY / IMAGES / EXPORTS / ANALYTICS] - [ ] Platform access: [CMS / HOSTING / ANALYTICS / AD ACCOUNT / REPO] — request read or admin as needed - [ ] Logins delivered securely via [PASSWORD MANAGER / SHARED VAULT] — never plain email or chat - [ ] NDA signed if required — [ ] not needed [ ] sent [DATE] [ ] signed [DATE] - [ ] Contract and signed proposal filed in the project record - [ ] Client billing entity, billing email and PO requirement confirmed for future invoices - [ ] Access checklist re-tested by actually logging in to each system 3. Kickoff call — Day 3 ----------------------- - [ ] Calendar invite sent with agenda attached ([30] minutes, [DATE] [TIME] [TIMEZONE]) - [ ] Required attendees confirmed, including anyone with approval rights - [ ] Agenda covered on the call: - [ ] — Introductions and roles ([5] min) - [ ] — Project goals and definition of success ([10] min) - [ ] — Scope recap: what is in, what is out ([5] min) - [ ] — Process: milestones, feedback windows, revision rounds ([5] min) - [ ] — Risks, constraints, immovable dates ([5] min) - [ ] Decisions and actions written up and sent the same day - [ ] First milestone date confirmed in writing by the client - [ ] Recurring check-in scheduled: [WEEKLY / FORTNIGHTLY], [DAY] at [TIME] 4. Discovery and brief intake — Day 3-4 --------------------------------------- Ask all of these. The boring ones are the ones that prevent week-three surprises. # | Question | Answer -- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- 1 | What does success look like for you personally on this project? | [ANSWER] 2 | Who else needs to approve this work? | [NAMES AND ROLES] 3 | What is the absolute drop-dead date, and what happens if we miss it? | [DATE + CONSEQUENCE] 4 | What does success look like internally — who are you reporting results to? | [ANSWER] 5 | What has been tried before, and why did it not work? | [ANSWER] 6 | What must not change? (brand rules, legal copy, existing systems) | [ANSWER] 7 | Who are your top [3] competitors and what do you envy about them? | [ANSWER] 8 | What would make you say "this was worth it" in [6] months? | [ANSWER] 9 | Any known blockers — holidays, freezes, budget approvals, reorganisations? | [ANSWER] 10 | How do you prefer to receive updates, and how often? | [ANSWER] - [ ] Answers written up into a [CREATIVE BRIEF / STATEMENT OF WORK] - [ ] Brief sent to the client for written approval — due [DATE] - [ ] Brief approved by [CLIENT APPROVER NAME] on [DATE] - [ ] Anything discovered that changes scope logged as a change order, not absorbed 5. Internal project setup — Day 4-5 ----------------------------------- - [ ] Project created in [WORKSPACE / TOOL] with the client's name and code [PROJECT CODE] - [ ] Tasks scaffolded from the scope in the contract or SOW - [ ] Milestones dated and mapped to the payment schedule - [ ] Invoice schedule set: next invoice [DATE], amount [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] - [ ] Time tracking enabled (even on fixed-fee work — it is how you learn what the job really costs) - [ ] Budget and margin baseline recorded: [N] hours planned at [CURRENCY] [EFFECTIVE RATE] - [ ] Files, contract, brief and assets filed in one place - [ ] Calendar blocked for the first work sprint - [ ] Subcontractors briefed and under NDA if applicable - [ ] Risk register started (see bottom of this checklist) 6. First-week deliverable handoff — Day 5 ----------------------------------------- - [ ] Low-risk first deliverable chosen: [ ] kickoff summary [ ] strategy outline [ ] draft style frame [ ] project plan [ ] [OTHER] - [ ] Deliverable sent to the client by [DATE] with a one-line "here is what to look at, here is what I need back" - [ ] Feedback deadline stated: [DATE] - [ ] Next milestone and next contact date confirmed - [ ] Onboarding retrospective: anything that took longer than it should have → fix the checklist Onboarding complete — confirmed by: ____________________ Date: [DATE] ------------------------------------------------------------ Open risks at end of onboarding ------------------------------- # | Risk / still outstanding | Owner | Needed by | Impact if late - | ----------------------------------- | ------ | --------- | ------------------------------------------ 1 | [e.g. analytics access not granted] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [e.g. baseline metrics missing from brief] 2 | [RISK] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [IMPACT] Repeat-client version (lightweight) ----------------------------------- - [ ] Skip the welcome packet — they already have it - [ ] Keep the kickoff call — the project is different even if the client is not - [ ] Re-confirm success criteria and approvers for this specific engagement - [ ] Confirm access still works and assets are current - [ ] Confirm billing details, PO number and payment terms have not changed ------------------------------------------------------------ How to use this template 1. Copy it per client and keep the ticked copy in the project record — it is your evidence of what was agreed and when. 2. Never start substantive work before the kickoff call, even when the client is in a hurry. 3. If a box is still unticked on Day 5, it goes on the risk table — unticked boxes do not disappear, they turn into week-three surprises. 4. Hand this checklist to the first contractor you hire; it is how onboarding becomes delegable. Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.