What should a client onboarding checklist include?

The paperwork (signed statement of work, deposit paid), a welcome email, access to the client's accounts, a kickoff call, a project plan with dates, and a first check-in once the first deliverable is out.

How long should client onboarding take?

For most agency and freelance projects, about a week from signature to a confirmed project plan. The first 30 days are worth tracking too, because that is when expectations either settle or start to slip.

What should I ask in a kickoff call?

What success looks like in three months, who approves work, how many review rounds there are, how and when you will communicate, and what the client needs to send you this week.

Free checklist

Client onboarding checklist

Onboarding is the first two weeks after a client signs, and it sets the tone for the whole project. Here is a checklist from signed contract to first deliverable, with a kickoff agenda, a welcome email and an access list you can copy.

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Free, no sign-up. Print it, or copy it into your project tool.

Days 1 to 3Paperwork, welcome, access

Kickoff callGoals, scope, approvals

First weekNotes, plan, first update

First 30 daysFirst deliverable, check-in

Before kickoff (days 1 to 3)

Statement of work signed by both sides
Deposit invoice sent and paid
Welcome email sent (copy it below)
One contact and one final approver named on the client side
Access requested: domain, hosting, analytics, social accounts, brand files
Shared folder created and shared
Kickoff call booked

Start only after the deposit is paid. It is the clearest signal that the client is committed, and the hardest thing to collect later.

Kickoff call agenda (45 to 60 minutes)

Goals: what does success look like in three months?
Scope: walk through each deliverable, and what is out of scope
Timeline: the dates, and the client step each one depends on
Communication: one channel, response times, the day you send weekly updates
Approvals: who signs off, and how many review rounds are included
Next steps: who does what this week

First week

Kickoff notes sent within 24 hours
Project plan with dates shared
All access confirmed working
First weekly update sent on the agreed day

First 30 days

First deliverable delivered
Check-in: "Is this going the way you expected?"
First milestone invoice sent
If it is going well, ask for a short testimonial

Welcome email to copy

Subject: Welcome aboard, next steps for [project]

Hi [name],

Thanks for signing. Here is what happens next:

Kickoff call on [date] at [time]. The agenda is attached.

Before the call, please send access to [list] and any brand files you have.

I will share a project plan with dates within 2 days of the call.

You will hear from me every [day] with a short update. If you need anything before then, reply to this email.

[Your name]

Access request list

What	Why
Domain registrar	DNS changes at launch
Hosting or CMS	Build and publish
Analytics and Search Console	Baseline numbers before you change anything
Brand files (logo, fonts, colours)	Design work
Social accounts	Only if social is in scope

Know when the client has read the plan

Kickoff notes and project plans are easy for a busy client to skim past. Send them as a Snapy.host link and you get an email when they open it, on the free plan. With Pro you see which pages they read.