Automate Your Entire Client Onboarding
A new client signs on and then... chaos. You scramble to send a contract, collect payment, gather their information, set up their project, and onboard them — all manually. Here's how to automate every step so new clients get a seamless experience while you focus on the actual work.
Tools You'll Need
| Tool | What It Does | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubsado | Client management — contracts, invoices, forms, and workflows | Free up to 3 clients, then $20/mo | Get it → |
| Zapier | Connects Dubsado to your other tools for full automation | Free up to 100 tasks/mo | Get it → |
| Claude or ChatGPT | Writes your contract templates, welcome emails, and intake forms | Free | Get it → |
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Map Your Onboarding Process
What to do: Write down every step that happens between “client says yes” and “project kicks off.” Typically: send contract, collect signature, send invoice, collect payment, send intake questionnaire, schedule kickoff call, set up project workspace.
Why you’re doing it: You can’t automate what you haven’t mapped.
Step 2: Set Up Dubsado
What to do: Create an account at Dubsado. Build your contract template, invoice template, and intake form.
Step 3: Build Your Automation Workflow
What to do: In Dubsado, create a workflow that triggers automatically: client books → contract sent → signed → invoice sent → paid → intake form sent → completed → kickoff scheduled.
Step 4: Write Your Templates with AI
What to do: Use Claude to write your contract, welcome email, intake form questions, and project kickoff email. Customize for your business.
Use this prompt to write your onboarding templates: Ask Claude: “Write these 4 client onboarding templates for a [your business type]: (1) welcome email sent immediately after signing — warm, tells them exactly what happens next, under 150 words; (2) intake form covering the 5-7 questions you need answered before starting work; (3) project kickoff email summarizing the scope, timeline, and first step; (4) a simple NDA or confidentiality paragraph for client communications. Professional tone throughout.”
Step 5: Test End-to-End
What to do: Create a test client and run through the entire flow. Check every email, every form, every automation trigger.
Step 6: Automate Gradually
What to do: Start by automating steps 1–3, then add more automation as you get comfortable. Don’t automate everything at once.
What to Do If It Doesn’t Work
- Problem: “Automations aren’t triggering.” — Check your workflow conditions. Most issues are missed trigger settings.
- Need more help? Dubsado Support or email us at hello@thenewsbakery.com.