Free Client Onboarding Checklist Template
A client onboarding checklist covers the setup steps, access handoff, inbox and calendar rules, tracking habits, and the first weeks of ongoing support.
Share template
A new client comes in, but the hard part isn’t the work itself, it’s making sure the small setup steps don’t get skipped while everyone’s asking questions. This client onboarding checklist runs the handoff as a project board, so access, inbox rules, booking settings, and follow-ups move in a set order instead of living in someone’s head. The columns sit under teal headings in Raleway with Inter for the card text, so the board reads like a tidy back-office plan rather than a pile of notes.
Each column holds the actual checks that usually cause rework if they get missed: Client setup covers contact details, addresses, and billing terms, then Access and permissions moves through mailbox, calendar, and CRM access with a sample export to confirm everything works. Inbox setup gets specific about folders, templates, filters, and voice and tone, and Calendar and bookings walks through conflicts, buffers, confirmation messages, and a full booking test from start to finish.
- Client setup Collect contact details and preferred addresses, then confirm billing and invoicing terms before access gets shared.
- Access and permissions Work through mailbox, calendar, and CRM access, including exporting sample data to confirm permissions.
- Inbox setup Build folders, reply templates, filtering rules, and a voice and tone guide that keeps replies consistent.
- Calendar and bookings Clear conflicts, set buffers and booking cadences, write confirmation and reminder messages, and test the full booking flow.
- Handover and ongoing Run first-week monitoring, set weekly priorities, produce a first-month summary, and confirm the ongoing invoicing schedule.
Once the board is in Plutio, the 22 cards act like tasks you can assign to whoever’s doing the onboarding, then work through column by column. The order stays the same each time, and your own dates and owners are the two pieces you fill in before work starts.
We went from spending hours on every proposal to creating fully customized ones in under 5 minutes. That's not an exaggeration - we timed it.
What is on this board
6 columns carrying 22 cards. Adding it builds the whole thing as a project in your workspace, with every column and card in place.
| Column | What is in it |
|---|---|
Client setup | The column holds the first admin checks: contact details, preferred addresses, and the billing terms that affect everything after.
|
Access and permissions | The column tracks what gets shared and verified for email, calendar, and CRM access, including a sample export to confirm it works.
|
Inbox setup | The column collects the inbox structure and standards: folders, templates, filtering, forwarding, and the voice and tone notes for replies.
|
Calendar and bookings | The column covers booking cleanup and rules, plus the messages and testing that confirm clients get the right confirmations and reminders.
|
Processes and tracking | The column sets the tracking defaults, from CRM fields and tagging to weekly priorities and follow-up and invoice reminder cadence.
|
Handover and ongoing | The column covers the first week and first month, then lands on the ongoing rhythm for check-ins, priorities, and invoicing.
|
What happens when you install it
- A project is created with its board, 6 columns and 22 cards already there.
- Nothing carries a due date, because a board holds the order the work runs in rather than a calendar. The dates go on once you know when the job starts.
- Every card opens as a task with its own description, assignee, dates, subtasks and files, and columns are renamed, reordered or deleted like any other.
Who it is for
Teams doing client onboarding for executive support, inbox & calendar coverage, and operations support where access, tone, and follow-ups need a repeatable setup.
More bookkeeping templates
See all 33 templates
Questions about this project template
What should a client onboarding checklist include?
A client onboarding checklist usually includes the setup steps that have dependencies, like contact details, access and permissions, inbox rules, calendar booking rules, and how follow-ups get tracked. This board also includes a handover phase for the first week and the first month so the ongoing rhythm gets confirmed.
How do you collect access and permissions without taking risky shortcuts?
The safe approach is to list each account or tool, name the level of access needed, and confirm it works before moving on. The board keeps those checks together in one column so mailbox, calendar, and CRM access get verified in order.
What information do you need from a client at the start of onboarding?
Most onboarding starts with contact details, preferred addresses, and the billing and invoicing terms so the admin work lines up with how the client pays. The board puts those steps first so the rest of the setup doesn’t have to get redone later.
How do you make sure replies match the client’s voice and tone?
A voice and tone guideline works best when it sits next to the reply templates and canned responses it affects. The board keeps those items together in the inbox setup column, so the guideline gets drafted alongside the actual replies.
What needs to be set up for calendar bookings to run smoothly?
Booking rules usually mean clearing conflicts, setting booking cadence and buffer rules, writing confirmation and reminder messages, and testing the flow from booking to confirmation. The board includes a full booking test so the setup gets proven, not guessed.
How do you track tasks during onboarding so nothing slips?
A task list works when it reflects the order the work has to happen in and when each check has an owner. This board tracks the work as 22 cards across six columns, so each step has a place and can be assigned.
Start free today
Your entire business, one login away
No credit card required. No contracts. Just the tools you need to run, grow, and automate your business with Super Work AI.
No credit card required
