You wrote the same onboarding steps for a third client this month, typed from scratch again. The same happens with handoff notes, Friday updates and the action list after a call. Each one takes twenty minutes and feels too small to fix, which is why it never gets fixed.
The fix is to write each one once, as a template with blanks, and reuse it. This page gives you four templates you can copy today, a worked example for each, and a check to run before anything reaches a client. An AI helper can fill the blanks faster, and that is covered near the end as one option, not a requirement.
Template 1: the client onboarding checklist
Use this the first time you onboard a client, then copy it for the next. Turn every step into a yes-or-no check.
- Access: accounts and shared folders you need are shared with you [yes or no].
- Contact: the client's preferred channel and reply window are written down.
- Scope: the three tasks you will do first are listed, with how often.
- Rules: what you may send without asking, and what needs approval.
- Files: where each type of file lives, and who owns it.
- First week: one small task done end to end, reviewed by the client.
Worked example. Client Sam wants weekly invoices chased. Access: billing inbox shared, yes. Contact: email, same-day reply. Scope: chase unpaid invoices every Monday. Rules: first reminder you may send, second needs Sam's approval. Files: invoice folder, owned by Sam. First week: chase two invoices, Sam reviews the wording. Copy the list, change the names, done in five minutes.
Template 2: the handoff note
One note per client, updated at the end of each working day, so anyone (including you next week) can pick the work up.
- Done today: [one line per task finished].
- Next: [the next action and who does it].
- Waiting on: [person and what, since when].
- Where things are: [links to files and threads].
- Deadlines: [date and task].
Template 3: the weekly client update
Send it at the same time each week. Fill it from your task log, not from memory.
- Finished this week: [three bullets at most].
- In progress: [what and expected finish].
- Blocked: [what you need from the client].
- Next week: [top three].
Template 4: the meeting action list
Write actions during the call, not after it. Send within ten minutes.
- [Owner] will [task] by [date].
- [Owner] will [task] by [date].
- Decisions made: [one line each].
- Open question: [who answers by when].
If meetings are the bigger problem, see how to run effective meetings at work and the meeting agenda template.
What to check before any of these reach a client
- Names, dates and amounts match your source (the task log, the call notes, the invoice).
- Nothing is promised that the client did not agree to.
- It reads in your voice and fits on one screen.
- You have read it once, start to finish.
Where a helper can save time
Once a template exists, a helper can fill the blanks from your notes. A prompt you can paste into any assistant: Fill this template from the notes below. Use only facts in the notes. If something is missing, write MISSING instead of guessing. Then paste the template and your notes. You still do the check above.
One tool that can do this is Creao, an AI agent platform. Its public pages say it can connect to Gmail and Slack, run on a schedule, and use approval gates so write actions pause for your sign-off. Its pricing page lists a free plan with no credit card and 30 one-time credits. Check the current details on its site. We have not tested Creao ourselves.
If you want to try it on one of these templates, here is the Creao link. We may earn a commission if you sign up.
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Keep going
Our guides on how to write an SOP, documenting business processes and the onboarding checklist for managers go deeper. The Client Onboarding System and the VA Delegation Toolkit in the Academy store are ready-made versions.
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