tokenized2027/client-onboarding

Client Onboarding

Structured workflow for onboarding new clients to your automation services — from first contact to project kickoff.

Instructions

Phase 1: Discovery (Before Contract)

Use this questionnaire in the initial meeting:

## Client Discovery Form

### Business Basics
- Company name:
- Industry:
- Team size:
- Current tech stack (if any):
- Monthly budget range for automation:

### Pain Points (Rank 1-5 by urgency)
- [ ] Manual data entry / copy-paste workflows
- [ ] Order processing takes too long
- [ ] No visibility into business metrics
- [ ] Customer communication is inconsistent
- [ ] Inventory / stock tracking is manual
- [ ] Invoicing / billing is time-consuming
- [ ] Other: ___

### Current Workflow
- What's the #1 task that wastes the most time? ___
- How many hours/week does it take? ___
- Who does it? ___
- What tools do they use today? (Excel, email, paper, etc.) ___

### Success Criteria
- What does "done" look like for you? ___
- How will you know this was worth the investment? ___

Phase 2: Scope and Proposal

Generate a project scope from the discovery data:

## Project Proposal: [Client Name] — [Project Title]

### Executive Summary
[2-3 sentences: What we're building and the expected ROI]

### Current State
[Describe their current painful workflow in their own words]

### Proposed Solution
[What we'll automate and how — keep it non-technical]

### Deliverables
1. [Deliverable 1] — [brief description]
2. [Deliverable 2] — [brief description]
3. [Deliverable 3] — [brief description]

### Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Setup & Configuration | Week 1 | Environment ready |
| Core Automation | Week 2-3 | Main workflow live |
| Testing & Training | Week 4 | Client trained, bugs fixed |
| Handoff & Support | Week 5 | Documentation + 30-day support |

### Investment
- Setup fee: $___
- Monthly maintenance: $___/month (optional)
- Includes: [what's covered]

### What's NOT Included
- [Explicitly list exclusions to prevent scope creep]

### Next Steps
1. Sign proposal
2. Schedule kickoff call
3. Share access credentials securely

Phase 3: Kickoff

After contract signed, run this checklist:

## Project Kickoff Checklist — [Client Name]

### Access & Credentials
- [ ] Client shared credentials via secure method (1Password, Bitwarden)
- [ ] API keys obtained for: [list services]
- [ ] Test/staging environment access confirmed
- [ ] Client's primary contact confirmed: [name, email, phone]

### Technical Setup
- [ ] Project repo created
- [ ] CLAUDE.md configured with client context
- [ ] Environment variables set in .env
- [ ] Docker container running locally
- [ ] First test automation passing

### Communication
- [ ] Weekly check-in scheduled: [day/time]
- [ ] Communication channel established: [Telegram/WhatsApp/Slack]
- [ ] Client knows how to report issues
- [ ] Emergency contact defined for critical failures

### Documentation
- [ ] Client's current workflow documented (as-is)
- [ ] Target workflow documented (to-be)
- [ ] Decision log started

Phase 4: Handoff

## Project Handoff — [Client Name]

### What Was Built
[Plain-language summary of what the automation does]

### How to Use It
[Step-by-step for the client's team — assume zero technical knowledge]

### What to Do If Something Breaks
1. Check [dashboard/status page] first
2. If the issue is [X], do [Y]
3. For anything else, contact: [your support channel]

### Maintenance Schedule
- Automated: [what runs on its own]
- Monthly review: [what you check monthly]
- Client responsibility: [what they need to do]

### Support Terms
- [30 days included support]
- [Response time: within X hours on business days]
- [After support period: monthly retainer option]

Pricing Framework for Small Businesses

| Project Type | Typical Scope | Price Range | |-------------|--------------|-------------| | Simple automation (1 workflow) | Data sync, email automation | $500-1,500 | | Dashboard + reporting | Metrics dashboard, automated reports | $1,500-3,000 | | Full workflow automation | Multi-step process, integrations | $3,000-7,000 | | Ongoing management | Monthly monitoring + improvements | $200-500/month |

Pricing rules:

• Always quote fixed price, not hourly (you're using AI — hours are irrelevant)
• Include a revision round in the price
• Maintenance retainer is where recurring revenue comes from
• Never discount more than 15% — underpricing kills the business

When to Use This Skill

✅ Use client-onboarding when:

• New client inquiry comes in
• Need to scope a project
• Running a discovery call
• Preparing a proposal
• Handing off a completed project

❌ Don't use for:

• Existing client feature requests (use brainstorming)
• Technical implementation (use development skills)
• Internal projects (no client onboarding needed)