Glossary
What is client onboarding?
Client onboarding is everything that happens between a client agreeing to work with you and the work starting: collecting their answers, documents and access, confirming scope, and setting expectations. It stalls when requests are vague, split across emails, or never followed up. Asking once, clearly, with a reminder schedule, fixes most of it.
What it includes
- Answers to the questions you need before starting.
- Documents and files, checked for being the right ones.
- Access to the accounts or systems the work needs.
- Agreement on what happens next and who does what.
Where it stalls
Onboarding usually stalls on missing files, wrong uploads and half-answered questions, then on the email thread chasing them. Our guide on this problem covers how to ask once and stop chasing.
Where Tallyn fits
Tallyn asks each client the questions that apply, checks every upload, reminds them about anything still missing, and hands you a ready-to-start file.
Questions
Is client onboarding the same as client intake?
They overlap. Intake is gathering the facts and documents you need; onboarding also covers agreeing scope and expectations. Most firms treat intake as the first step of onboarding.