Output

SOPs

Source:Notion·SAMPLE
← Back to SOPs
Client Onboarding SOP
From contract signature to first L10
approved
Owner
Curtis
Occurred
Jun 29
Type
sop

Purpose

Every new client engagement needs to feel the same on day one — professional, prepared, and pre-organized. This SOP exists so the first 15 business days after a signature are executed the same way every time, no matter which prospect converts or when. It exists because the founder-brain default is to ad-lib the first two weeks, and that produces a wobble the client feels for the rest of the relationship.

When to trigger

Trigger the moment the signed engagement letter comes back or the first invoice is paid — whichever is first. Do not wait for the kickoff call to start the SOP; the kickoff call is step 4, not step 1.

Owner and status

The engaged consultant (currently Curtis) owns this SOP end-to-end. Status: approved and running since Q2. Next review: after every 3rd new-client onboarding, or Q4 whichever comes first.

Prerequisites

  • Signed engagement letter in Google Drive /Clients/[Client Name]/Contracts/
  • First invoice generated in Stripe (retainer or setup fee — whichever the engagement calls for)
  • Google Workspace user account provisioned for the client folder access
  • Command Center context row created in Supabase (INSERT INTO cc_contexts...)

Step-by-step

  1. Welcome email within 4 business hours of signature. Send the standard welcome template from Documents > Client onboarding pack. Personalize the opening paragraph — do not send the template raw. Reference something specific from the sales conversation (their top fire, their most-loved team member, the reason they said yes). Attach the intake questionnaire as a fillable PDF and link the shared Drive folder they now have edit access to.

  2. Calendar block the first 90 days. Book the following invites on the client's calendar the same day: (a) 90-minute intake call within 5 business days; (b) 14 weekly L10 slots at the client's preferred day/time; (c) 6 monthly leadership syncs with the client principal; (d) two quarterly Rocks sessions (day 65 and day 155). If the client protests the L10 cadence, do not soften — schedule anyway and let them cancel later. In practice, they never do.

  3. Provision the Command Center context. Create the client context row, enable the 12 standard client modules, set health status to grey (unset), copy the client's brand color into color_token. Seed the module registry with the vendor systems the client already uses (Applied Epic, ClickUp, whatever). Do not seed content yet — content is generated in the intake call.

  4. Run the 90-minute intake call. Use the intake questionnaire as the spine. Walk through: org chart on a whiteboard, top 5 goals for the next 6 months, top 5 fires currently burning, the last 3 fires that were solved and how, the scorecard baseline (what numbers do they currently measure weekly), the top 3 people they'd be most sad to lose. Record the call. Do not offer solutions during the call — this is capture-only.

  5. Same-day recap email. Send a 5-bullet recap of the intake within 4 hours of the call ending. Include the 3 things you heard as their biggest constraints, the two things you noticed they aren't yet worried about but should be, and the date of the first L10. Send from the founder's email, not from a shared inbox.

  6. Populate the Command Center over the next 3 business days. Seed the Overview narrative, Rocks (start with what was discussed on the intake — you can adjust after the first Rocks session), Issues List (start with the 5 fires from the intake), Scorecard baseline measures (use the 3-5 numbers they said they already track, even if imperfect — you can improve them later), People chart, and the first 2 SOPs (typically New Business and Delivery).

  7. First L10 within 15 business days of signature. Non-negotiable. Even if the workspace isn't fully populated, run the L10. Missing content is itself a topic for IDS. Ending the first L10 with a full to-do list is the first proof of working system to the client.

  8. Send the "here's what we did in your first 15 days" summary. Two-paragraph email at day 15 to the principal. Reference the 5 workstreams populated, the first L10 to-do count, the 1 fire that already got smaller. This is the deliverable that anchors the value story for the first billing cycle.

Edge cases

  • Client is slow to send intake questionnaire back. Do not chase more than twice. Book the intake call anyway and walk through it live — often faster.
  • Client wants to change the L10 day of week mid-engagement. Fine, but require 2 weeks' notice and change the whole cadence, not one meeting.
  • Client wants to add a second location or division. This is a re-scoping conversation, not a change order. Book a 30-min call with the principal to walk through impact.
  • Client wants to fire the L10 attendees you recommended. Explore why. Sometimes right, sometimes ego. Push back once, then defer.

Success criteria

  • First L10 held within 15 business days of contract signature.
  • Client has logged into Command Center at least 3 times in the first 30 days.
  • Zero missed L10s in the first 60 days.
  • By day 60, the principal can articulate 2 things the engagement has made better.

Related SOPs

  • Weekly Client Meeting (L10) SOP
  • New Client Discovery and Proposal SOP
  • Financial Operations SOP (for invoicing rhythm)
  • How We Use This System (for the Command Center walkthrough)