Free editable templates
Client onboarding templates
Start with a practical working pack: a kickoff agenda, an intake questionnaire and an access-request worksheet. Replace the placeholders with confirmed business information and give the first deliverable a clear owner.
Three editable files, no signup
Use the agenda to run the meeting, the questionnaire to collect relevant facts and the worksheet to verify account access. Markdown files open in a text editor and can be copied into your document editor. The CSV opens in spreadsheet software.
The worksheet records the asset, access purpose, business grantor, agency account, requested role, grant status, verification owner and review responsibility. It has no password or secret fields. Grant access through each platform's supported process.
Client kickoff agenda
Editable working template. Replace bracketed fields with confirmed information. Do not record passwords, recovery codes, API secrets or customer-level sensitive data in these notes. Suggested timings are planning examples, not a required meeting length.
Client: [Business and location(s)] Agency: [Name] Meeting: [Date/time/time zone] Facilitator: [Name] Notes owner: [Name] Scope reference: [Accepted proposal/agreement version] Participants and roles: [Names; decision maker; delivery contact; account owner]
Before the meeting
- Share the accepted scope and intake questionnaire through the agreed client channel.
- Ask the business owner to identify the administrators who can grant needed account access.
- Confirm who can approve business facts, content and changes to the agreed work.
- Prepare a list of unresolved dependencies. Do not ask the client to paste credentials into this document.
- Identify the first deliverable and the inputs it requires so the meeting ends with a useful plan.
1. Confirm the objective — suggested 5 minutes
Ask: What business problem should this engagement help address? Which services and locations matter most? What work does the business not want to attract?
Record the objective in the client's words: [Objective]. Confirm operational constraints: [Capacity, actual service area, availability or other relevant facts]. Clarify the engagement boundary: [Included work and exclusions].
Decision: [Confirmed scope / clarification needed]. Owner and next step: [Name/action/date].
2. Agree the first deliverable — suggested 10 minutes
First deliverable: [Specific output or change]. Completion check: [How the team and client will verify it]. Required inputs: [Business facts, approved assets and relevant permissions]. Approval contact: [Name and role]. Target date: [Date subject to listed dependencies].
Ask: Is there an existing campaign, launch, busy period or internal decision that affects this sequence? Which work can proceed independently if one input is delayed?
Record any changed assumption and its effect: [Change/effect/decision].
3. Review information and access — suggested 10 minutes
Review the intake answers and access-request worksheet together. Identify the exact business asset or property, the task requiring access and the person authorized to grant it. Use delegated or named-user access through the relevant platform where supported. Do not transfer ownership as an administrative shortcut.
Access gaps: [Asset, grantor, requested role and purpose]. Verification owner: [Agency teammate]. Verification step: [Confirm intended asset and permitted task without an unnecessary production change]. Missing business information: [Specific question and person who can answer].
4. Set communication and approvals — suggested 10 minutes
Primary client contact: [Name/channel]. Final approval authority: [Name/role]. Agency contact: [Name/channel]. Feedback collection: [Who consolidates comments and where]. Approval record: [Where the final decision is retained]. Escalation route: [Contact for an urgent delivery issue].
Ask: Who covers when the approver is unavailable? Which changes need explicit approval? How will the team distinguish a draft comment from final acceptance?
5. Define measurement and the next review — suggested 5 minutes
Baseline sources and dates: [Sources/date ranges]. Definitions to confirm: [Enquiry, qualified lead, recorded sale or other agreed measures]. Missing evidence: [Gap and effect on interpretation]. Reporting recipients: [Names/roles]. Next review: [Date/cadence].
Keep observed results, modeled estimates and business outcomes separate. Do not describe a missing record as zero activity or a visibility observation as guaranteed revenue.
6. Read back decisions and actions — suggested 5 minutes
| Action | Reason/dependency | Owner | Due | Completion check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Specific action] | [Deliverable supported] | [Name] | [Date] | [Verification] |
| [Specific action] | [Deliverable supported] | [Name] | [Date] | [Verification] |
Outstanding decisions: [Question, decision maker, next step]. Work ready to begin: [Tasks with verified inputs and authorization]. Work waiting: [Tasks and exact missing dependency]. Notes shared with: [Appropriate recipients]. Next client update: [Date/channel/owner].
Close by confirming the first action each side will take. Store the final decisions with the accepted scope so delivery teammates can understand the agreement without reconstructing the meeting from informal messages.
Client intake questionnaire
Editable questionnaire. Complete only fields relevant to the agreed engagement. Use business information and approved asset links. Do not enter passwords, security answers, recovery codes, API keys, payment-card details or private customer records.
Client: [Business name] Completed by: [Name/role] Date: [Date] Agency contact for questions: [Name/channel] Scope reference: [Accepted engagement]
1. Business identity and contacts
Public trading name: [Confirmed name]. Legal name, if needed for the engagement: [Name or not required]. Website: [URL]. Locations included in this project: [Location names and identifiers]. Public contact information to use: [Business phone/email/address as appropriate]. Are customers served at the location, at their own premises, online or by appointment? [Explain]. Who can verify these details? [Name/role].
Keep location-specific details separate when they differ. Do not assume that one branch's hours, services or contact person applies to every branch.
2. Services and priorities
Which services are the priority for this engagement? [List and explain]. Which services should not be promoted? [List or none]. Which geographic areas can the business actually serve? [Areas and limits]. What type of enquiry is useful to the business? [Definition]. Are there operating or capacity constraints the agency should know? [Relevant facts]. What does a useful outcome look like in your own words? [Objective].
3. Current activity and context
What work is already underway that overlaps with this project? [Activity and owner]. Are there launch dates, busy periods, closures or other events affecting the plan? [Dates/context]. Which competing or comparable businesses should the team understand, and why? [Names and context]. What worked or caused difficulty in earlier agency relationships? [Relevant lessons]. Which assumptions in the proposal still need checking? [Questions or none].
4. Content and approved assets
Brand materials and approved logos: [Link to agreed storage location]. Photos or other assets appropriate for this project: [Links and intended use]. Person who can confirm the right to use supplied assets: [Name/role]. Service facts and subject-matter reviewer: [Source/person]. Claims, qualifications or figures needing verification: [Items and source]. Tone or publication boundaries: [Practical guidance]. Content approval authority: [Name/role].
Providing a fact and approving its final published wording are separate steps. Mark uncertain information so the team can resolve it before publication.
5. Account access planning
Which systems are required for the agreed tasks? [Names]. Who administers each relevant account or property? [Business contact, not credentials]. Where should the agency send the appropriate delegated-access request? [Approved contact/channel]. Are another agency or internal team currently involved? [Contact and coordination needs]. Are any assets or ownership details unclear? [Question and person investigating].
Use the accompanying access worksheet to identify the asset, purpose, requested role and verification status. Grant access through the platform's supported process. Keep secrets out of forms, notes, spreadsheets and ordinary messages.
6. Reporting and decisions
What counts as an enquiry or qualified lead for this engagement? [Definitions]. Who keeps lead stages or sales records current? [Name/process]. Which sources can support the baseline? [Systems and date ranges]. Which known data gaps affect comparison? [Gaps or none]. Who should receive reports? [Names/roles]. How will questions and feedback be consolidated? [Process]. Who can approve a scope change? [Name/role].
7. Confirmation and open questions
Facts confirmed by: [Name/date]. Items still uncertain: [Question, owner and expected response]. First deliverable dependencies supplied: [Items]. First deliverable dependencies outstanding: [Items, owners and dates]. Preferred next update: [Date/channel].
The agency should review these answers, verify required access and confirm the first delivery plan. Submitting this questionnaire does not by itself mean all account permissions work or that every draft claim is approved for publication.
Use the client onboarding templates in a practical sequence
Send the relevant intake questions before the kickoff, then use the meeting to confirm decisions and resolve gaps. The questionnaire is a starting point, not a reason to request information unrelated to the engagement. Remove questions that do not serve the agreed work and explain any additional item the team genuinely needs.
During the meeting, focus on the first deliverable and its dependencies. Record what each side will do next, who can approve the result and what remains uncertain. Use the access worksheet alongside those decisions so account permissions are connected to an actual task. Afterward, retain the confirmed answers and actions in the team's ordinary client workspace instead of leaving the delivery plan spread across meeting notes and messages.
Treat an access request as a task to verify
The access worksheet separates the intended asset, purpose, grantor, role and verification result. That distinction matters because an invitation alone does not establish that the agency can reach the correct account or perform the agreed task. Ask the responsible delivery teammate to verify the appropriate access without making an unnecessary production change.
Use named or delegated access through the platform's supported process where available. Keep passwords, recovery codes and API secrets out of the downloaded files. If ownership is unclear, record the question and the person investigating rather than filling the gap with shared credentials. Review the recorded grants when scope or team responsibilities change so the worksheet remains a useful reference for delivery and eventual removal of access.
Keep confirmed facts separate from approvals
The intake document asks who can verify business facts and who can approve content. These can be different people. A location manager may confirm opening hours while another colleague approves the final page. Record both responsibilities and the process for consolidating feedback so the agency knows when a draft is ready to publish.
Mark uncertain claims and missing inputs clearly. A questionnaire answer about experience or results should not automatically become a polished public claim without checking its intended meaning and evidence. Similarly, receiving an asset does not explain every permitted use. Use the kickoff to clarify the approval route and retain the final decision with the work, allowing another teammate to understand which facts and wording were actually accepted.
Finish with a handoff another teammate can use
Review the notes before sharing them and remove unresolved instructions that could be mistaken for decisions. Confirm the client identity, first deliverable, responsible contacts, dependencies and next update. If a date depends on access or approval, keep that condition visible. Useful independent work can continue where its own inputs are ready.
At the next internal review, revisit the outstanding items rather than sending the entire questionnaire again. A focused request should name the missing input and the task it supports. When the item is resolved, update the shared record so the next person does not repeat the question. This pack works best as a maintained working reference, with only the relevant information carried forward into delivery.
Frequently asked questions
What is included in this onboarding template pack?
The pack contains a kickoff agenda, intake questionnaire and access-request worksheet. The first two are editable Markdown documents, and the worksheet is a CSV for spreadsheet software. Each uses placeholders for your own information. Together they support a meeting, a record of confirmed business facts and a check of the permissions needed for the agreed work.
Do I need an account to download the files?
No. All three files are available directly without signup. You can use them independently of Agency Pilot in your existing document and spreadsheet tools. Store completed versions through your team's normal client-information process and share them with the appropriate people. The download does not collect or submit your completed client answers anywhere automatically.
How do I edit the Markdown documents?
Open them in a text editor or copy the content into your preferred document editor. Some editors may require manual formatting for tables or headings. Replace bracketed fields, remove irrelevant questions and review the finished layout. Keep a dated final version so the delivery team can distinguish confirmed decisions from an earlier draft containing unanswered prompts.
Should I send every intake question to every client?
No. Select questions relevant to the accepted engagement and remove those that do not support the work. A focused questionnaire is easier to answer accurately. If a new question is necessary, explain which deliverable it supports. Avoid collecting broad information simply because the template provides space for it or because another client once needed it.
Does this worksheet ask clients to share passwords?
No. It records the system, asset, task, grantor, agency account, requested role and verification status. It has no credential fields. Use each platform's supported access-grant process where available, and keep passwords, recovery codes and other secrets out of ordinary documents and spreadsheets. The worksheet helps coordinate permissions; it does not replace the platform's authorization process.
What is the difference between grant status and verification?
Grant status records whether the requested permission has been provided. Verification records whether the authorized agency account can reach the intended asset with the access needed for its task. Keep these separate because an invitation may concern the wrong property or an insufficient role. Verify appropriately without making an unnecessary live change just to demonstrate access.
Who should attend the kickoff meeting?
Include people who can confirm the scope, business facts, delivery responsibilities and approval process. The exact group depends on the engagement. An account administrator may only need to resolve the access portion. Identify a facilitator and notes owner so the meeting produces clear decisions rather than relying on every participant to remember the same next steps.
Are the suggested meeting timings mandatory?
No. They are planning examples to help structure the agenda. Adjust them to the client's complexity and the decisions still outstanding. If an issue requires a separate investigation, record an owner and follow-up instead of forcing an answer to fit the allotted minutes. The important outcome is a clear first delivery plan, not adherence to an arbitrary duration.
What if the client does not know who owns an account?
Record the uncertainty and identify the business contact who can investigate the correct ownership or administrator route. Keep dependent work pending while continuing independent tasks with verified inputs. Do not use the uncertainty as a reason to request a shared login. The worksheet should show the question, its responsible person and the next step toward appropriate access.
Can work start while some intake answers are missing?
It can when the specific task has the inputs and authorization it needs. Separate ready work from work blocked by a missing dependency. Keep assumptions visible in drafts and resolve them before relying on them for publication or account changes. This lets the team make useful progress without pretending that submitting part of a questionnaire makes every task ready.
How should I adapt the pack for multiple locations?
Keep shared brand details together and add location-specific answers where services, hours, contacts or approvals differ. Identify the exact assets and location in access rows. A central coordinator can manage the process, but the working documents should preserve the differences. This prevents information verified for one branch from being used as if it applies to every branch.
Does an intake answer mean the final copy is approved?
Not automatically. The answer may confirm a fact while the published wording or context still needs review. Record the appropriate approver and how the final decision will be retained. Keep uncertain statements flagged until resolved. Separating facts from publication approval is especially helpful when the person collecting the information is different from the person preparing or publishing the content.
What should I do with an incomplete questionnaire after kickoff?
Turn remaining gaps into specific requests with an owner, purpose and next review date. Do not repeatedly resend the whole form when only one item is missing. Update the working record when the answer is confirmed. This keeps the client focused on the action that matters and prevents another teammate from asking for information already supplied elsewhere.
How does the pack connect with the accepted proposal?
Reference the accepted scope version in the agenda and questionnaire, then define the first deliverable within that scope. If discovery reveals a needed change, record the decision through the agreed process before assuming the additional work is included. The handoff should connect the original objective, confirmed inputs and authorized tasks so delivery begins from a shared understanding.
What should I check before sharing completed onboarding notes?
Check client identity, dates, decision makers, access status and remaining placeholders. Ensure that no secrets or unrelated sensitive records were entered. Confirm which statements are facts, approvals or open questions, and share with the appropriate recipients. Finish with a clear first action for each side and retain the final version where the delivery team can use it.