Are you struggling with client onboarding? If you’re manually creating project spaces, sending welcome emails, and tracking onboarding progress, you’re not alone. As a Monday.com Certified Expert, I’ll show you how to transform your client onboarding process using a combination of forms, boards, and automation in Monday.com.
Creating a Comprehensive Client Onboarding System
A successful client onboarding process combines multiple tools within Monday.com to create a seamless experience. Here’s how to build a system that works:
Step 1: Set Up Your Client Intake Form
Start by creating a custom intake form to gather essential client information:
- Company details and contact information
- Project scope and requirements
- Brand assets and documentation
- Team member information
- Preferences and goals
Pro Tip: Use Monday.com’s form customization options to:
- Add conditional logic to show/hide relevant fields
- Include file upload capabilities for important documents
- Create a professional branded experience
- Set up automatic notifications when forms are submitted
Step 2: Design Your Onboarding Board Structure
Once client information is collected through the form, organize it in a comprehensive board with these essential groups:
- Welcome and Orientation
- Document Collection
- Project Setup
- Training and Resources
- Review and Feedback
Step 3: Set Up Progress Tracking
One of the most common questions we get is how to change progress in Monday.com effectively. Here’s how to set up and manage progress tracking:
Status Column Setup:
- Create custom status labels that match your workflow
- Use color coding for visual progress tracking
- Add percentage complete column for detailed progress
Essential Columns:
- Timeline for scheduling
- Owner for accountability
- Priority level
- File storage
- Notes for context
- Dependencies to manage workflow
Client Portal Setup:
While Monday.com doesn’t have a built-in client portal feature yet, you can create an effective client-facing solution by setting up a private board and sharing specific access with your clients. Here’s how to create a client-friendly workspace:
- Create a dedicated private board for each client
- Use shareable views with restricted permissions
Enable clients to:
- Track their onboarding progress
- Access important documents
- Submit requests through forms
- View project timelines
- Communicate with your team
Pro Tip: When sharing board access with clients, always use view-only permissions for sensitive information while allowing them to comment and interact with specific columns as needed.
Step 4: Implement Automation
This is where the magic happens. Here are some powerful automations to set up:
When a new form submission comes in:
- Automatically create a new item in your onboarding board
- Generate a dedicated client board from your template
- Create necessary Google Drive folders
- Send welcome emails with next steps
- Assign team members to specific tasks
During the onboarding
process:
- Trigger notifications when tasks are completed
- Update status across linked boards
- Send reminder emails for pending items
- Schedule check-in meetings based on progress
From 8 Hours to 30 Minutes: A Client Automation Success Story
Let me share how this approach transformed operations for a design and renovation company. They were spending 8+ hours manually onboarding each client, with tasks scattered across different tools and team members.
By implementing a Monday.com system with Make.com integrations, we automated:
- Board creation from templates
- Google Drive folder structure replication
- Document personalization
- Link management and storage
The result? Onboarding time dropped from 8 hours to under 30 minutes, with zero manual data entry and perfect consistency every time.
How to Best Use Monday.com for Maximum Productivity?
Getting the most out of Monday.com requires a strategic approach. Here are key practices to maximize your productivity:
Start with a Clear Process Map:
Document your current onboarding steps before building in Monday.com
Use Status Labels Effectively:
Create clear, action-oriented status labels like:
- Waiting for Client Input
- In Progress
- Ready for Review
- Completed
Leverage Views:
Create different views for:
- Team oversight (Timeline view)
- Time Tracking (Gantt view)
- Management reporting (Dashboard view)
Build in Accountability: Use assignees and due dates for every task.
Optimize Your Forms:
Keep forms focused and relevant:
- Only ask for essential information
- Use clear section headers
- Include help text for complex fields
- Test the form flow regularly
Client Onboarding Checklist Template
Here’s a comprehensive checklist template that we use with our clients to ensure nothing falls through the cracks during onboarding:
Pre-onboarding Phase
- Confirm contract is signed (Sales, 5m)
- Confirm invoice for the initial phase is paid (Finance, 5m)
- Set client status to ‘Onboarding’ under Active Clients (Sales, 5m)
Documentation & Setup Phase
- Create client folder structure in Google Drive
- Set up client workspace in Monday.com
- Create client access credentials
- Document client requirements and objectives
- Collect necessary brand assets and guidelines
Kickoff & Training Phase
- Schedule kickoff meeting with client
- Conduct platform orientation session
- Set up initial project timelines
- Configure custom workflows based on client needs
- Train client team on basic platform features
Implementation Phase
- Configure automation workflows
- Set up reporting dashboards
- Import existing client data
- Create custom views for different team members
- Test all integrations and automations
Review & Handoff Phase
- Conduct final review of all setups
- Get client sign-off on configurations
- Schedule follow-up training sessions if needed
- Document any custom processes
- Set up recurring check-in meetings
Pro Tip: Use this checklist as a starting point and customize it based on your specific client needs. You can import this directly into Monday.com as a template board.
See It In Action: Non-Profit Success Story
Want to see how these strategies work in the real world? Check out our detailed case study with SYDRC, a youth development organization that was struggling with disconnected tools and manual processes. We helped them:
- Save over 20 hours per week through automation
- Transform their student registration and progress tracking
- Replace multiple tools with a single, centralized Monday.com solution
- Create powerful reporting dashboards for better decision-making
Read the full case study here.
Ready to Transform Your Onboarding?
If you’re ready to take your client onboarding to the next level with Monday.com, let’s talk about our consulting services. We’ll help you:
- Design your perfect onboarding workflow
- Create effective intake forms
- Set up automated systems
- Train your team
- Create client-facing processes that wow
Remember: Great onboarding combines efficient information collection with organized project management to create an exceptional first experience for your clients while saving your team valuable time.
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