Client onboarding template
A client onboarding template is a plan for a new client's first days in a program: what they set up, what they tell you, and the first thing they do. This one covers the first two weeks of any program, 1:1 or group: a setup list and an intake on day 1, a check-in at 48 hours, a kickoff session and a first small win in week 1, and a two-week check-in that tells you who has arrived.
- 0:00Welcome & introductions10 min
- 0:10How the program works10 min
- 0:20Goals from the intake20 min
- 0:40Working agreement10 min
- 0:50First small win10 min
Client onboarding, day by day
Day 1 is the day the client joins. Each item lists what the client does and, last, what you do as the coach. For a group, start it the day enrollment closes and invite everyone at once, so the whole cohort moves through it together.
- 1
Prepare
Everything set up before the invite goes out.
- Day 0
Get ready
- Every session date and meeting link set
- A welcome message that names the first session date
- An intake of four to six questions, tested on a phone
- Kickoff session times open, if you run one
- You: put day 2 and day 7 in your calendar to check who hasn't arrived
- Day 0
- 2
Arrive
One clear next step, and a quick reply from you.
- Day 1
Welcome and intake
- Welcome lesson: what the first two weeks are for
- Setup list (task list)
- Intake: where you're starting (worksheet)
Ask for exactly one thing first: the intake. Not a reading list.
- Day 2
48-hour check-in
- 48-hour check-in
- Kickoff session booked or on the calendar
- You: read every intake answer; reply before the kickoff if an answer worries you
- Day 1
- 3
First week
Meet, agree how you'll work, and finish one small win.
- Days 3–4
Kickoff session
- The 60-minute kickoff session, with the agenda below
- Working agreement, agreed in the session
- Days 5–7
First small win
- Your first small win (worksheet)
- You: message anyone who missed the kickoff, with the recording or a new time
One action of 20 minutes or less, done before the next session.
- Days 3–4
- 4
Second week
Into the program's rhythm, and catch who's drifting.
- Days 8–11
First full week of the program
- The program's first lesson and assignment
- First between-session tasks
- You: nudge anyone who hasn't opened the program since joining
- Days 12–14
Two-week check-in
- Two-week check-in
- You: read the answers, adjust the plan for each client, and send a personal message to anyone not yet on the rhythm
- Days 8–11
Client kickoff session: one 60-minute agenda
The first live session, 1:1 or with the group. Its job is to turn the intake into a shared plan and a first action. Copy it into the invite.
| Time | Block | What the facilitator does |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:10 | Welcome & introductions10 min | 1:1: what brought them here, in their words. In a group: a round of names, roles and one line on what each person wants from the program. |
| 0:10–0:20 | How the program works10 min | Walk through where everything is: the sessions, the weekly work, how to reach you between sessions and how fast you reply. |
| 0:20–0:40 | Goals from the intake20 min | Read back what you heard in the intake and agree what success looks like by the end. In a group, pair people up to share their goal and hear it back. |
| 0:40–0:50 | Working agreement10 min | Agree the ground rules: preparation, attendance, what happens if a session is missed, confidentiality, and how feedback is given. |
| 0:50–1:00 | First small win10 min | Each client names one action of 20 minutes or less to do before the next session, and when they'll do it. Close with the next session date. |
Three checkpoints: day 1, day 2, day 14
The intake tells you where each client is starting. The two check-ins tell you whether they've arrived. Scales run from 1 (not at all) to 5 (completely).
Intake: where you're starting
- 1What do you want to be different by the end of this program? Write it in one or two sentences.
- 2Where are you today with that, in a few lines?
- 3What have you already tried, and what happened?
- 4What's most likely to get in your way over the next weeks?
- 5Which session dates, if any, can you already see you'll miss?
- 6How do you like to be contacted between sessions, and what should your coach know about how you work best?
48-hour check-in
- 1How set up do you feel? (1 to 5)
- 2Is anything not working yet: a link, a login, a calendar invite?
- 3How clear is what happens next? (1 to 5)
- 4One question you'd like answered at the kickoff
Two-week check-in
- 1How confident are you that this program will get you to your goal? (1 to 5)
- 2Did you finish your first small win? Yes, partly, not yet
- 3What's working well so far?
- 4What's getting in the way?
- 5What would make the next weeks better for you?
Five questions for the first week
A first step that's finished beats a big plan that isn't. Clients fill this in after the kickoff, then again once they've done it.
The day 1 setup list
- Add every session date and time to your calendar, with the meeting link
- Open the meeting link once and check your camera and microphone
- Save the program link somewhere you'll find it again
- Check that messages from the program reach your inbox, not spam
- Block time each week for the work between sessions
- 1What's the one action you'll take before the next session? It should take 20 minutes or less.
- 2When exactly will you do it? (Day and time.)
- 3How will you know it's done?
- 4After you've done it: what happened?
- 5What did you learn from doing it that you didn't know before?
Four rules for the coach
Onboarding is about arriving, not content.
One next step at a time
The welcome asks for one thing: the intake. Then the kickoff. Then one small win. A reading list on day 1 is how people stall.
Reply before the kickoff
Read every intake answer as it arrives. If one worries you, a goal the program can't meet or a schedule clash, reply before the first session.
Keep the content light
The first two weeks are for attendance and belonging. Save the heavy teaching for when everyone has arrived.
Catch drift in week 1
Someone who joined and hasn't opened the program since needs a nudge now, not in week 3. Check on day 2 and day 7.
What gets new clients in the door
In upcoach, these parts of a program do the onboarding work.
Onboarding flow
A welcome screen, then steps before the client lands in the program: the intake worksheet, an RSVP to upcoming events or picking a time for a first session.
Events with reminders
The kickoff and every session on the program calendar, each with up to three reminders, in the client's own time zone.
Channel
A channel for questions and introductions: private with you for a 1:1 client, shared for a group.
Reports
Who started, who is moving and who went quiet, with each client's last active date.
Client onboarding template · upcoach.com/templates/client-onboarding-template