Templates
Client onboarding templates, free to take.
A client onboarding template is the reusable structure you run between a client saying yes and work starting. Below are the four that do the most work in an agency: a step-by-step checklist, an intake questionnaire, a welcome packet outline, and the ten emails that carry a client through the whole thing.
All of them are free, none of them ask for your email, and each one downloads as Markdown for Notion or Docs, or CSV for Sheets and Excel.
The client onboarding checklist template
42 steps from signed proposal to kickoff call, in a checklist you can actually fill in.
Open the template →51 items · free downloadThe client onboarding questionnaire template
48 intake questions worth asking, and the reason each one earns its place.
Open the template →60 items · free downloadThe client welcome packet template
The 12 sections a welcome packet needs, and the wording that stops scope disputes.
Open the template →10 items · free downloadClient onboarding email templates
Ten emails covering signature to kickoff, including the two nobody writes well.
Open the template →64 items · free downloadThe bookkeeping client onboarding checklist
56 steps from engagement letter to first clean close, built for bookkeepers and accounting firms.
Open the template →9 items · free downloadProposal follow-up email templates
Nine follow-ups for every scenario, and the timing rule that decides which one to send.
Open the template →Which template solves which problem
| If this is true | Start here |
|---|---|
| Every client is onboarded slightly differently | Onboarding checklist |
| Work starts before you have what you need | Onboarding questionnaire |
| Scope arguments keep appearing in month two | Welcome packet |
| You spend onboarding chasing people | Onboarding email pack |
Or run the whole flow as one link
Documents record onboarding. They do not run it. These are the same templates as a live flow inside OnboardHive: agreement, deposit, intake questions, access and uploads, delivered to the client through a single magic link with no account to create.
Marketing agency
Ads, social, content retainers. Goals, ad-account access, brand assets.
- 1
Sign the service agreement
E-sign agreement
- 2
Pay the project deposit
Deposit / payment
- 3
Marketing intake
Intake form
- 4
Grant ad & analytics access
Grant access
- 5
Upload brand assets
Upload assets
- 6
Book the kickoff call
Book a call
Web / design project
Websites, brand sprints, product design. Content, references, hosting access.
- 1
Sign the service agreement
E-sign agreement
- 2
Pay the project deposit
Deposit / payment
- 3
Project intake
Intake form
- 4
Upload content & brand files
Upload assets
- 5
Domain & hosting access
Grant access
- 6
Book the kickoff call
Book a call
Consulting retainer
Advisory and fractional work. Context, stakeholders, working cadence.
- 1
Sign the service agreement
E-sign agreement
- 2
Pay the project deposit
Deposit / payment
- 3
Context intake
Intake form
- 4
Set the weekly cadence
Book a call
- 5
Join the shared channel
Custom step
AI / automation project
Voice agents, chatbots, workflow automation. Use case, integrations, scripts.
- 1
Sign the service agreement
E-sign agreement
- 2
Pay the project deposit
Deposit / payment
- 3
Use-case intake
Intake form
- 4
Connect your systems
Grant access
- 5
Upload scripts & FAQs
Upload assets
- 6
Book the kickoff call
Book a call
Every flow is fully editable. Rename steps, change the questions, add your own. On paid plans you can also generate a flow with AI from a one-line description of the client.
Questions people ask
What is a client onboarding template?
A reusable structure for the work between a signed deal and the start of delivery. In practice it takes one of four forms: a checklist of steps, a questionnaire that collects what you need from the client, a welcome packet that sets expectations, or a set of emails that move the client through it. Most agencies need all four.
Are these templates really free?
Yes, and there is no email gate on any of them. Download the Markdown or CSV copy directly, edit it, and use it commercially. We would rather you use the template and remember who wrote it.
What format do the downloads come in?
Markdown, which pastes cleanly into Notion, Obsidian, Google Docs, or any editor, and CSV, which opens directly in Google Sheets, Excel, and Numbers with columns for owner, due date, and completion.
Which template should I start with?
The checklist, if your onboarding is inconsistent between clients. The questionnaire, if you keep starting work without the information you need. The welcome packet, if scope disputes keep appearing in month two. The email pack, if the problem is chasing rather than structure.