New client onboarding for an agency or consultancy
Client onboarding is where most agencies leak margin. The work starts before the paperwork is done, the scope was never confirmed in writing, and the first invoice is delayed because nobody collected billing details. Each of those is a documented step away from being solved.
- 1
Account Manager confirms the signed contract is countersigned and filed, and records the agreed scope, fee, and start date in the client record.
Account Manager
Timing: Within one working day of receipt
Do not begin any work before this step is complete. Starting early is the most common cause of unpaid scope on a first engagement.
- 2
Finance creates the client billing record and issues the first invoice per the contract terms.
Finance
Collect purchase order requirements and the correct invoicing email now. Discovering a PO requirement at payment time delays cash by a full billing cycle.
- 3
Account Manager sends the onboarding request covering everything needed to begin: access, brand assets, named contacts, and the approval chain.
Account Manager
One consolidated request with a deadline, not a series of separate asks. State explicitly what cannot start until each item arrives.
- 4
Account Manager checks whether all requested items have been received by the stated deadline.
Account Manager
All received: go to step 6
Items missing: go to step 5
- 5
Account Manager notifies the client in writing which items are outstanding and what the delivery impact is, then returns to the check.
Account Manager
Written, and naming the specific consequence. This is what protects the timeline later, and it needs to exist before the deadline slips rather than after.
Items now received: go to step 6
Still outstanding after one week: go to step 12
- 6
Delivery Lead reviews the scope and produces a delivery plan with milestone dates.
Delivery Lead
Flag any part of the signed scope that is not deliverable as written, now rather than at the first milestone.
- 7
Account Manager schedules the kickoff with every required decision-maker on the invitation.
Account Manager
Timing: Within five working days of the signed contract
A kickoff without the person who approves work is a meeting you will hold twice.
- 8
Delivery Lead runs the kickoff, walking through scope, milestones, the approval process, and who to contact for what.
Delivery Lead
- 9
Account Manager circulates written notes confirming what was agreed, including anything that changed during the kickoff.
Account Manager
Timing: Within one working day of the kickoff
Scope changes agreed verbally in a kickoff and never written down are the single biggest source of later disputes.
- 10
Delivery Lead confirms the team has the access and assets needed and begins the first milestone.
Delivery Lead
- 11
Account Manager holds a check-in at the two-week mark to confirm the client is satisfied with communication and pace.
Account Manager
Timing: Two weeks after work begins
Early enough to fix a mismatch in expectations while it is still cheap.
On track: the procedure ends
Concerns raised: go to step 6
- 12
Account Manager escalates internally to agree whether to proceed on a reduced scope, pause, or formally revise the timeline.
Account Manager
Reached when onboarding items are still outstanding a week past the deadline. The decision needs an owner rather than being allowed to drift.
Proceed on reduced scope: go to step 6
Pause until items received: go to step 5
Change these before you use it
- Replace the onboarding request in step 3 with your actual list of required access, assets, and contacts.
- Adjust the invoicing point in step 2 to match your standard terms, whether that is on signature, on kickoff, or in arrears.
- If you white-label deliverables for clients, add the branding setup as an explicit step rather than assuming it.
- Set the escalation window in step 5 to whatever your delivery model can actually absorb.
This is a starting point, not compliance advice. It is written to be adapted, and a procedure that touches access, money, or customer data needs to match how your business actually operates and whatever rules apply to you. Use it as a first draft to edit, not a policy to adopt.
Make it yours in a couple of minutes
Rather than retyping this and editing it, describe your own version of the process out loud or click through it once, and get a first draft with your actual steps, roles, and systems in it. No account needed to see the result.
No account neededNo credit cardSee the whole SOP before you sign up