If you hate chasing clients for info or answering the same onboarding questions over and over, listen up. This guide is for anyone who’s tired of sending manual emails and wants to set up a smoother, more predictable client onboarding process using GuideCX. Whether you’re a project manager, onboarding specialist, or just the “get-things-done” person at your company, you’ll walk away with a clear setup (and maybe fewer headaches).
Below, you'll find a step-by-step approach to automating client communications during onboarding in GuideCX—what to do, what to skip, and where to watch out for common gotchas.
1. Get Real About What You Actually Need to Automate
Before you start poking around in GuideCX, take a minute to define what “automated client communication” actually means for your workflow. Not every touchpoint needs to be automated, and too much automation can make you sound like a robot.
Ask yourself: - Which messages are you sending over and over? (Think: "Welcome," "Here’s what’s next," "Please upload your documents," etc.) - Where do clients get stuck or drop off? - Which updates do clients need regularly, and which are just noise?
Pro tip: Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Start with the most repetitive emails or reminders—the ones you’re tired of copying and pasting.
2. Map Out Your Client Onboarding Journey
If you don’t have a standard onboarding process, now’s the time to sketch one out. GuideCX works best if you know your steps.
Do this: - List every step your client goes through from “signed contract” to “fully onboarded.” - Note where you usually communicate—welcome, task assignments, reminders, check-ins, handoffs, etc. - Decide if each step needs an automated message, a manual check-in, or both.
Why bother? If your process is a mess, your automation will be a mess. Clean it up first, automate second.
3. Set Up Project Templates in GuideCX
GuideCX runs on project templates. These templates let you pre-define tasks, timelines, and communications so you don’t reinvent the wheel every time.
How to set up a template: 1. In GuideCX, go to “Templates” and create a new project template. 2. Add all the tasks that happen in your onboarding process. 3. For each task, assign default owners (internal and/or client), due dates, and dependencies.
Tips: - Don’t overload your template with unnecessary steps “just in case.” Keep it lean. - Use clear, human-friendly task names—avoid jargon your clients won’t get. - If your onboarding varies a lot between clients, build a couple of different templates for your main scenarios.
4. Configure Automated Communications
Now for the real automation: GuideCX lets you set up automated notifications and messages triggered by project events.
Key types of automated communications: - Task Assignments: Notifies clients (or teammates) when they have a new task. - Reminders: Nudges people when tasks are overdue or due soon. - Project Updates: Sends summaries or status updates at regular intervals. - Welcome/Intro Emails: Kicks things off when a new project starts.
To set these up: 1. Go to your project template and open a task. 2. Find the “Notifications” or “Automations” section (names may vary depending on your GuideCX version). 3. Choose which events should trigger a message (e.g., task assigned, due soon, overdue, task completed). 4. Edit the default messages—make sure they sound like a person, not canned spam. Add merge fields (like client name, project name) for a personal touch. 5. Decide who gets each notification. Clients don’t need every update—choose wisely.
What works? - Automated task assignment and reminder emails save tons of time and prevent drop-offs. - Status updates are appreciated by some clients, but can annoy others if too frequent. Test and ask for feedback.
What to ignore (for now): - Over-complicated automations with branching logic or endless conditional triggers. Start simple. - Automating sensitive or complex communications. If a client’s project is stuck, pick up the phone.
5. Customize Message Content (Don’t Sound Like a Robot)
The default GuideCX templates are… fine. But “You have been assigned a new task” isn’t exactly warm or helpful.
How to make your messages better: - Rewrite the subject lines and body text to match your voice. (“Welcome to onboarding! Here’s what’s next.”) - Explain what the client needs to do, in plain English. - Include links or resources if needed (e.g., “Here’s a quick video if you get stuck”). - Set expectations (“If you have questions, reply to this email or book a call here.”)
Quick wins: - Use merge fields to personalize messages without extra effort. - Preview your emails—send a test to yourself before making them live. - Avoid jargon unless you’re sure your clients know what you mean.
6. Fine-Tune Notification Settings
GuideCX can notify people about just about everything, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Best practices: - Turn off notifications for minor updates—your clients don’t need a ping every time a checkbox gets ticked. - Make sure you’re not spamming your own team, either. - For key milestones (onboarding kickoff, project handover, etc.), keep notifications on.
How to adjust: - In your template or project settings, review each notification type. - Uncheck anything that isn’t truly needed. - Ask a client or teammate to go through a sample onboarding and see how many emails they get. Adjust based on their feedback.
7. Test Your Automation Before Going Live
Don’t assume you’ve nailed it. Run a test project with yourself or a friendly coworker as the client.
Checklist: - Did the right emails go to the right people at the right times? - Was anything confusing, unclear, or too robotic? - Did anyone get swamped with notifications, or did something important go missing? - Was there an obvious “next step” for the client at every stage?
Take five minutes to fix what’s broken before you roll it out for real clients.
8. Set Up a Feedback Loop (and Iterate)
The biggest mistake? “Set it and forget it.” Even well-set automations get stale or annoying over time.
How to keep improving: - After a client finishes onboarding, ask what worked and what didn’t (“Were the emails helpful? Annoying? Too many?”). - Check your GuideCX analytics—are tasks getting stuck? Are emails being opened? - Update your templates every quarter or when you spot a pattern.
Remember: Automation is supposed to make life easier for you and your clients. If it’s not doing that, tweak it.
What to Watch Out For
- Over-automation: Too many emails = tuning out or, worse, unsubscribes.
- Blank fields: If you don’t fill in merge fields properly, you’ll end up with “Hi [FirstName],” which looks lazy.
- Sensitive situations: Some things need a human touch. Don’t automate apologies or bad news.
- Complex onboarding: If every client’s process is wildly different, automation may do more harm than good.
Keep It Simple. Tweak as You Go.
Automating client onboarding in GuideCX isn’t magic, but it can save you real time and hassle—if you keep it simple. Start with the basics, use GuideCX’s templates and notifications, and don’t be afraid to rewrite the message text for real humans. Test, gather feedback, and adjust as you learn.
You don’t need a perfect system on day one. Build, launch, and keep making it better. Your clients (and your sanity) will thank you.