New client onboarding: kick-offs that click

Picture this: You've just closed a brilliant new client. The sales process was smooth, they loved your pitch, the contract is signed. Everyone's excited – your team, their team, you're already picturing the award-winning work you'll create together.

Then onboarding starts. And somehow, everything goes sideways.

Before you know it, that enthusiastic new client is questioning whether they made the right choice – and possibly giving work back to their old agency instead of you.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: A great client relationship doesn't start with the first deliverable. It starts with onboarding. And the best agencies know that smooth client kick-offs don't just happen – they're strategically designed.

Because when your onboarding actually works, clients feel confident from day one, expectations are crystal clear, and projects launch without the usual fire drills. No headache for you. Peace of mind for them.

Watch our agency experts break down how to get it right (20 mins)
Steve and Kate bring over 20 years of agency experience between them, as they walk through the proven strategies for client onboarding that actually works.

Prefer to read? Continue below for the complete guide.

Common onboarding breakdowns

So what actually goes wrong in those first few weeks? We see three major breakdowns happening repeatedly across agencies.

1. The handover breakdown
   This is where information gets lost between your "sales" and "delivery" teams. The client told your pitch team they need the project live by Black Friday. Somehow, that crucial detail never makes it to the project manager. Or they explained their brand guidelines in detail during the pitch, but now they're explaining it all over again to the designer.
   
   Sometimes the information does make it through, but nobody checked if you actually have the capacity to deliver on the promised timeline. "Sales" commits to a six-week timeline, but when delivery looks at the calendar, the team is booked solid for the next two months.
   
   Clients hate this. They feel like they're starting over with a new team. It signals that your internal systems aren't working, which makes them question everything else.
   
   

2. Role and process confusion
   Who's my contact now? How does this actually work?
   
   The client's main contact during the sales process was Sarah. Now suddenly they're working with Mike, but they're not sure if Sarah is still involved. They don't know who to call with questions. 
   
   They don't understand how your agency actually works – who makes decisions, what your process looks like, how long things typically take.
   
   This confusion creates anxiety. Clients want to know they're in good hands, but confusion makes them feel like they're flying blind.
   
   

3. Action paralysis
   The contract is signed, everyone's excited, and then... nothing. Radio silence.
   
   The client doesn't know what happens next. They don't know what they need to provide to get started. They're waiting for you to tell them what to do, and you're waiting for them to send you something.
   
   This is where momentum dies. That excitement from closing the deal just evaporates whilst everyone sits around wondering what's supposed to happen next.
   
   

The brilliant thing is, these breakdowns are completely preventable. They're not caused by bad people or bad intentions – they're caused by bad systems. And that's actually good news, because systems can be fixed.

How to hand over properly from sales to delivery

Here's how to design the handover properly:

Create a comprehensive internal briefing document that captures everything – project goals, key dates, stakeholders, preferences they mentioned, concerns they raised, DISC profiles, even the personal details that build rapport. This becomes your single source of truth.

Build capacity checking into your sales process. Before you send any timeline confirmations to the client, check your team's actual availability using tools like Synergist's Capacity Dashboards. Account for other projects, holidays, and realistic work capacity. Clients would rather know the real timeline upfront than be disappointed later.

Schedule an internal review meeting to discuss the brief and address any questions. This ensures the handover is clear and comprehensive before involving the client.

Then schedule a proper handover meeting where "sales" walks "delivery" through the document with the client present. Any questions get clarified in real-time. The client hears that nothing was lost, and delivery gets the full context with realistic expectations.

Designing the perfect onboarding process

Think of this like a customer journey, but specifically for the onboarding phase. You want to map out every touchpoint from "contract signed" to "project officially launched" and make each one intentional.

Here's a framework that works:

Touchpoint 1: The immediate confirmation
Within 24 hours of signing, they get a welcome email that says exactly what happens next, with specific dates, actions, and responsibilities. Include a simple project kickoff checklist showing what you need from them and when. No mystery, no waiting.

Touchpoint 2: The proper introduction
This is where you introduce their new team and explain how everything works. Create a "who's who" document that clearly shows their team structure, everyone's role, and who they should contact for what. Include contact preferences and a simple org chart. Present this so there's no ambiguity. But here's the key – you don't overwhelm them with every person they might ever interact with. Focus on the core team they'll work with in the next 30 days.

Touchpoint 3: The expectation alignment
This is usually a call where you walk through the project timeline, your process, their responsibilities, and how you'll communicate. Everything gets documented and shared afterwards, so everyone's aligned.

Touchpoint 4: The kick-off catalyst
This is whatever gets the actual work started – whether that's a strategy session, a discovery call, or receiving their brand assets. The point is, it's scheduled and happens quickly to maintain momentum.

The magic is in the sequencing. Each touchpoint builds on the last one, and clients always know what's coming next. No information dumps, no confusion, no wondering what's happening.

You can template most of this. Create email templates for the welcome sequence. Build a standard agenda for alignment calls. Develop checklists for information collection.

Using a client management Kanban board, like the ones in Synergist, helps you manage all the onboarding tasks and documents, and pre-built checklists make sure nothing gets missed.

Getting client communication just right

This is where many agencies go wrong in both directions. Some barely communicate during onboarding – they send the welcome email and then radio silence for two weeks. Others overcommunicate, sending daily updates and copying clients on every internal email.

The sweet spot is proactive but not overwhelming:

Communicate even when there's nothing major to communicate. If it's Tuesday and nothing significant happened, you still send the update. "This week we wrapped up research and next week we start wireframes" is better than silence.

Set the rhythm upfront. Tell clients exactly when they'll hear from you and what they'll hear about. Something like: "You'll get a project update from me every Tuesday with what we accomplished this week and what's coming next."

Separate FYI from action required. Make it crystal clear when you need something from them versus when you're just keeping them informed. Use subject lines like "Action required: Brand assets needed" versus "FYI: Project update."

Schedule regular check-ins. You might call every couple of weeks initially, then monthly. These aren't project meetings – they're relationship temperature checks.

Remember, your clients need to manage up too, so ask what they need for their boss.

The goal is making them feel in the loop without turning communication management into their part-time job.

Moving from 'new supplier' to strategic partner

Now here's where onboarding gets really powerful. Most agencies focus on deliverables and logistics, but the best agencies use onboarding to fundamentally change the relationship from transactional to strategic partnership.

Strategic partners get retained, get bigger projects, and get referrals. Suppliers get replaced when something cheaper comes along.

Here's how to make that shift:

• Show genuine interest in their business beyond the project. Ask questions about their challenges, goals, and industry. Not because you're trying to sell additional services, but because you genuinely want to understand their world.
• Bring insights, not just execution. Don't simply take their brief and run with it. Challenge assumptions. Share relevant case studies. Bring ideas that go beyond what they originally requested.
• Think like an insider. Use language like "we" instead of "you" when discussing their business. Say "our project" instead of "your project." These small linguistic changes signal you're on the same team.
• Deliver an early win. Find something you can accomplish quickly that exceeds expectations. Perhaps it's a competitive analysis they didn't expect, or a process improvement that saves them time. Something that makes them think "these people really get it."
• Introduce capabilities gradually. Don't pitch additional services during onboarding, but do share relevant expertise when it arises naturally. If they mention email marketing challenges, casually mention you help other clients with that too.
• Arrange a strategic review to share insights and ideas. This formal touchpoint demonstrates strategic thinking and positions you as more than project executors.

The goal is becoming the agency they come to with questions, not just the agency they hired for a specific project.