Free SOP template

Agency client onboarding SOP

A 5-phase, 57-step standard operating procedure — from contract signing to 30-day handover. Copy, assign owners, adapt to your team size. No email required.

How to use this SOP: Start the moment a new client signs. The project manager owns execution. Assign step ownership to your actual roles. If you're a solo operator, all roles are "you." Remove steps that don't apply to your workflow; don't try to do everything in phase one. A complete SOP you run beats a perfect one you don't.

Pre-Kickoff

Days 0–3 after contract

1.1
Receive signed contract and payment confirmation
Owner: PM · Day 0
1.2
Create client record in CRM / tracking system
Owner: PM · Day 0
1.3
Send intake form to client auto
Owner: PM · Day 0 — use your 27-question intake form
1.4
Send welcome email
Owner: PM · Day 0
1.5
Create client folder structure
Owner: PM · Day 0
1.6
Create project board from template
Owner: PM · Day 0
1.7
Schedule kickoff meeting
Owner: PM · Day 0–1
1.8
Add client to communication channel (Slack, Teams, etc.)
Owner: PM · Day 1
1.9
Follow up on intake form if not completed in 48 hours auto
Owner: PM · Day 2
1.10
Review intake form responses AI
Owner: PM + Strategy · Day 2–3 — use LLM to flag missing inputs and generate kickoff prep
1.11
Draft stakeholder map from intake responses AI
Owner: PM · Day 2–3
1.12
Draft success metrics worksheet from intake responses AI
Owner: Strategy · Day 2–3
1.13
Send pre-kickoff email to client auto
Owner: PM · Day 3 (2 days before kickoff)
1.14
Prepare kickoff meeting agenda
Owner: PM · Day 3
1.15
Quick research: client website, socials, competitors AI
Owner: Strategy · Day 2–3
1.16
Internal pre-kickoff alignment (5–10 min team sync)
Owner: PM · Day 3

Phase 1 gate — ready for kickoff?

Intake form received and reviewed
Client folder structure and project board created
Stakeholder map and success metrics drafted
Kickoff agenda prepared · Team briefed on the client

Kickoff Meeting

Day of kickoff

2.1
Conduct kickoff meeting
Owner: PM + Team · Kickoff day
2.2
Take detailed meeting notes
Owner: PM · During meeting
2.3
Confirm access needs with client
Owner: PM · During meeting
2.4
Confirm success metrics with client
Owner: Strategy · During meeting
2.5
Confirm communication preferences and cadence
Owner: PM · During meeting
2.6
Set first check-in call date
Owner: PM · During meeting
2.7
Send meeting recap within 24 hours AI
Owner: PM · Same day or next morning — use LLM to draft from notes
2.8
Send access requests to client contacts auto
Owner: PM · Same day
2.9
Finalize and send success metrics worksheet for sign-off
Owner: Strategy · Within 2 days
2.10
Complete stakeholder map
Owner: PM · Within 2 days

Week 1–2 Post-Kickoff

Days 1–14

3.1
Complete internal team handoff
Owner: PM · Day 1
3.2
Follow up on pending access — 1st reminder auto
Owner: PM · Day 3
3.3
Begin platform audits (whatever is accessible)
Owner: Analyst / Strategy · Day 3–5
3.4
Follow up on pending access — 2nd reminder auto
Owner: PM · Day 5
3.5
Set up tracking and analytics (GA4, GTM, pixels)
Owner: Analyst / Dev · Day 5–8
3.6
Complete competitor analysis AI
Owner: Strategy · Day 5–8
3.7
Audit existing content and assets
Owner: Content · Day 5–8
3.8
Follow up on pending access — 3rd reminder (escalation) auto
Owner: PM · Day 7
3.9
Set up reporting dashboard
Owner: Analyst · Day 7–10
3.10
Draft initial strategy / plan AI
Owner: Strategy · Day 8–12
3.11
Build content calendar (first month)
Owner: Content · Day 8–12
3.12
Schedule recurring check-in calls
Owner: PM · Day 8–10
3.13
Internal strategy review
Owner: PM + Strategy · Day 12–14

Phase 3 gate — ready for strategy presentation?

All access granted (or escalated with documented timeline impact)
Tracking operational · Competitor analysis complete
Content/asset audit complete · Dashboard built
Strategy drafted and internally reviewed
Content calendar drafted · Recurring calls scheduled

Week 3–4 Delivery

Days 15–30

4.1
Present strategy to client
Owner: Strategy + PM · Day 15–17
4.2
Collect and implement strategy feedback
Owner: Strategy · Day 17–19
4.3
Produce first deliverables
Owner: Content / Design / Ads · Day 17–23
4.4
Internal QA on first deliverables
Owner: PM + Strategy · Day 22–24
4.5
Submit first deliverables for client review
Owner: PM · Day 24
4.6
Implement client feedback on deliverables
Owner: Team · Day 25–27
4.7
Launch first work
Owner: Team · Day 26–28
4.8
Prepare first performance report AI
Owner: Analyst · Day 27–29
4.9
Deliver first report to client auto
Owner: PM · Day 28–30
4.10
Conduct 30-day check-in meeting
Owner: PM + Strategy · Day 29–30
4.11
Internal onboarding retrospective
Owner: PM + Team · Day 30 — see retrospective questions below
4.12
Transition to ongoing project management
Owner: PM · Day 30

Handover to Ongoing

Day 30+

5.1
Archive onboarding board / move to "Completed Onboarding"
Owner: PM · Day 30
5.2
Set up ongoing project board (if separate from onboarding)
Owner: PM · Day 30
5.3
Confirm ongoing reporting schedule with client
Owner: PM · Day 30
5.4
Update CRM with engagement status and key contacts
Owner: PM · Day 30
5.5
Document any onboarding insights for process improvement
Owner: PM · Day 30
5.6
Confirm client satisfaction (informal check)
Owner: PM · Day 30

30-day retrospective questions — run after every onboarding, log the answers, update this SOP quarterly.

What to review with your team on Day 30

What went well? (Keep doing these things.)
Where did we hit delays? (Diagnose root causes.)
What did the client seem frustrated about? (Fix for next time.)
Did we miss anything in our templates or process? (Update the SOP.)
How long did each phase actually take vs. planned? (Calibrate timelines.)
Were there any surprise requests or needs we should anticipate for future clients? (Add to templates.)
On a scale of 1–10, how smooth was this onboarding? (Track over time.)

Escalation paths

Client not responding to emails: Slack message or phone call → loop in decision maker
Access not granted after 7 days: Access follow-up #3 (email) → call + scope discussion
Out-of-scope work requested: Scope change email → PM discusses with account lead
Team member can't meet deadline: Reassign or adjust timeline → PM communicates change to client
Client unhappy with deliverable quality: Revise + discuss feedback process → account lead joins the conversation

Other free templates in this set:

10-step onboarding checklist → 27-question client intake form →

Want the full system?

This SOP is one piece of the Agency Onboarding OS — a complete bundle of 38 practical docs, templates, email sequences, and automation recipes for running repeatable, AI-native client onboarding.

Complete intake form system (27 questions + stakeholder map + success metrics)
Kickoff meeting agenda + meeting recap template + pre-kickoff email
Access request tracker + 3 escalating follow-up emails
Client folder structure + project board setup + internal handoff templates
6 automation recipes (Zapier + Make, step-by-step)
AI-native upgrade path: 5 LLM prompt workflows for onboarding automation
Welcome email + offboarding SOP + 30-day timeline
4 agency-type variants: marketing, SEO, web design, freelance

Get the full OS — €49 one-time →

One-time purchase. Instant delivery. No subscription.