Onboarding for client success

Digital agency client onboarding template

We've created this checklist for digital agencies to onboard new clients quickly and efficiently. Go from initial agreement, right through to collecting assets and getting access to your client's ad accounts. Everything handled on one branded onboarding page.

Use this template to onboard your clients.

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Digital agency client onboarding

Welcome to the agency! We are thrilled to partner with you. This checklist outlines the steps we will take together to get your project set up, gather necessary assets, and prepare for a successful kickoff.

No due date

Link tasks to actions, such as completing forms or booking meetings

Paperwork and admin

Let us get the official details out of the way so we can start focusing on your project.

Sign the master services agreement

Please review and sign the MSA sent via email to formalize our partnership.

Pay the initial deposit invoice

Complete the payment for the first invoice to secure your project timeline and resources.

No due date

Set up client workspace

Create the dedicated client folder and project management dashboard, then share the links with the client.

No due date Any team member

Tasks can be for the clients being onboarded, or for the team

Discovery and assets

In this stage, we need to collect everything that makes your brand unique so our team can hit the ground running.

Complete the client intake questionnaire

Fill out our discovery questionnaire with details about your target audience, business goals, and competitors.

No due date Complete form

Upload brand assets

Drop your logos, brand guidelines, fonts, and any relevant media into the shared workspace folder.

No due date Upload documents

Review intake materials

Review the completed questionnaire and uploaded brand assets to ensure everything is ready for the strategy phase.

No due date Any team member

Account access and tools

We need access to your existing platforms to perform audits and set up our tracking tools.

Grant access to analytics platforms

Provide our agency email with admin access to your Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager accounts.

No due date Open URL

Provide social media and ad account access

Add us as an agency partner to your Meta Business Manager, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

No due date Complete form

Verify system access

Confirm that the agency team has successfully accepted all invites and can access the necessary client platforms.

No due date Any team member

Project kickoff

Time to meet the team and align on the roadmap for the upcoming weeks.

Schedule the kickoff call

Use the booking link provided in your welcome email to schedule a 60-minute kickoff meeting with your dedicated account manager.

Prepare kickoff agenda

Draft the kickoff meeting agenda based on the intake form and share it with the client before the call.

No due date Any team member

Attend the kickoff meeting

Meet the team, align on project goals, and discuss the initial strategy and timeline.

No due date

Click the button below to edit or add tasks, add due dates, and much more...

Free plan • No credit card needed

Customize this template

Or build your own

How to use this template

Simple onboarding for digital agency clients

Step 1

Grab this template

Step 2

Send to clients

Only needs an email address. Or add an open invite link to your existing welcome emails.

Step 3

Clients complete tasks

  • Email reminders keep things moving
  • Ask questions or clarify with comments
  • Summary page shows everything you need to know

Free plan • No credit card needed

Customize this template

Or build your own

Loved by 4,500+ happy users

The perfect way to onboard clients

All your agency client onboarding in one central hub

Your brand (even the emails)
Instantly know what's been done
Shows clients what to do
Chases up while you sleep
Everything lives in one place

Free plan • No credit card needed

Customize this template

Or build your own

Sick of the onboarding admin?

Switch to friction-free customer onboarding software

Secure link, no passwords

Accessing a plan (or getting back into it) is as simple as following a link. We're obsessed with useability.

Comment & collaborate

Customers can ask questions right from within a task. They can also invite others in to help them, without bothering you.

HubSpot ready

  • Start new onboarding plans inside HubSpot
  • Adds events to the timeline
  • Updates custom fields
  • Attaches photos and documents

If you don't use HubSpot, no problem. It works great without it too.

White label (including emails)

Every interaction, from invite through to the task page, showcases your brand.

Does the chasing up

Never send a "checking in" email again.
We'll make sure tasks always get done, on time.

Helps you improve

We'll ask clients to rate their onboarding experience.

  • Helps you to constantly improve your processes
  • Make sure your team are delivering exceptional service

Good digital agency onboarding should align everyone on the client's goals, scope, priorities, and measures of success.

It's important to understand the client's business, audience, brand, stakeholders, and existing marketing activity, while getting all necessary access and assets upfront.

Finally, agree on communication, responsibilities, timelines, and a clear plan for the first 30–90 days.

Free plan • No credit card needed

Customize this template

Or build your own

Handles complex onboarding too

Calculated due dates

Set due dates calculated on the fly from the start date, a target date, or based off when other tasks are completed.

Sequential tasks

Choose to make tasks sequential, so that tasks need to be completed in order.

Frequently asked questions

How can I use this template?

Just click Customize this template above and we'll take you through a couple of simple steps to create an Onthen account and copy the digital agency client onboarding template into it.

Once that's done we'll take you straight into the template editor where you can customize it to your exact needs (there's bound to be a few things you'll do differently).

Finally, once it's ready you can use it to create individual checklists (we call them 'plans') for each of your clients. Just type their email address and we'll do the rest. As they move through the tasks, you'll see their progress in the dashboard.

Who is this digital agency client onboarding onboarding template for?

If you run a team that needs to onboard clients then the digital agency client onboarding template is a perfect starting point.

You'll first be able to tailor the template to your team's needs, by editing, removing or adding tasks to suit your onboarding process. When it's perfect, onthen has all the tools you need to easily invite clients to it and make sure all the tasks get done, on time.

How do clients use it?

First you'll invite clients to the checklist. You can either send an invite manually, through our HubSpot integration, or by using an invite link that lets anyone with the link create a new checklist.

Your clients won't need to create an account or a password, they'll simply access it with a 6-digit code we'll send to their email.

It's really easy to use and there's nothing to navigate, it's a simple single page onboarding plan that looks pretty much like you see above.

If any task gets forgotten about, we'll send email reminders to nudge your clients to complete everything.

Free plan • No credit card needed

Customize this template

Or build your own

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