If you run a small business or creative agency, onboarding new clients can eat up hours you’d rather spend doing actual work. The back-and-forth emails, reminders, paperwork—none of it’s why you started your business. This guide is for anyone who wants to automate onboarding in Honeybook and get back to running projects, not chasing signatures.
Let’s cut through the hype and get real: Honeybook can automate a lot, but it won’t read your mind or fix every workflow. Still, if you set it up right, you can turn your onboarding from chaos into a couple of clicks. Here’s how.
Step 1: Map Out Your Onboarding Process (Before You Touch Honeybook)
I know you want to get into the tech, but trust me—if you skip this, you’ll just automate a mess.
Grab a notepad (or a doc) and write out:
- What do you actually need from a new client?
- What documents do you send (contracts, questionnaires, brochures)?
- When do you send each thing?
- Are there approval steps or customizations?
- What’s tripped you up in the past?
Pro tip: Look at your last 3–5 projects. Where did you get stuck? That’s probably what you need to fix first.
If you don’t have a process, don’t stress. Just jot down the steps you think you need. You’ll tweak them as you go.
Step 2: Get Your Building Blocks Ready in Honeybook
Before you can automate anything, you need templates. Honeybook calls these “files,” but think of them as reusable assets.
2.1. Set Up Templates
- Contracts: Upload your standard contract or service agreement. Use Honeybook’s fields (like client name, project date) for auto-filling.
- Questionnaires: Create a template for info you always need (brand details, project goals, etc.).
- Invoices: Build a basic invoice template—add packages, payment schedules, or whatever you typically charge for.
- Welcome Emails: Draft a warm, but not cheesy, email to send automatically.
Don’t overthink it. Start with your most common client type. You can always add more templates later.
2.2. Build Your Brochures or Service Guides
If you send a pricing guide or portfolio, make a digital brochure in Honeybook. This lets clients pick packages or services, and you can automate follow-up based on what they choose.
Skip this if: You don’t use brochures, or you only send them after a call. Don’t automate just for the sake of it.
Step 3: Create an Automated Workflow in Honeybook
Here’s where the magic (and the grunt work) happens.
3.1. Go to the “Automations” Section
- Click “Tools” > “Automations.”
- Hit “Create New Automation.”
3.2. Add Steps to Your Workflow
Typical onboarding steps might look like:
- Send a welcome email (immediately)
- Send a questionnaire (after the welcome email is viewed)
- Send contract & invoice (after they submit the questionnaire)
- Send a payment reminder (3 days before invoice is due)
- Send a “next steps” email (after contract is signed and payment is received)
You can set triggers like: - When a client is moved to a certain pipeline stage - When a form is submitted - After a certain number of days
Be realistic: Don’t try to automate every tiny thing. If you need to customize a contract for every client, keep that manual for now.
3.3. Customize Messaging
Personalize emails with smart fields (like the client’s name, project date, etc.), but keep it human. Automated doesn’t have to mean robotic.
3.4. Test Your Automation
Run through the workflow yourself using a dummy client. Check: - Do emails sound right? - Are the files attached correctly? - Are there awkward gaps or too many emails at once?
Don’t skip this. You’ll spot embarrassing mistakes now, not in front of a paying client.
Step 4: Trigger Automations with the Pipeline
Honeybook’s pipeline is basically a visual sales funnel. You move clients through stages (like “Inquiry,” “Booked,” “Onboarding,” etc.). You can set your automation to kick in when you move a client to a certain stage.
Here’s how:
- Go to “Pipeline Settings.”
- Add or rename stages if you need to (e.g., add “Onboarding”).
- When you move a client to “Onboarding,” your automation starts.
Tip: Don’t overcomplicate your pipeline. Too many stages = confusion. Stick to the 4–6 that matter.
Step 5: Keep It Tidy—Monitor, Adjust, Repeat
Even the best automation breaks when reality hits. Stuff will go wrong: emails end up in spam, a client doesn’t fill out a form, or you realize you forgot to include your Zoom link.
What to do:
- Check in weekly: Look at where clients get stuck or drop off.
- Tweak templates: Update confusing language or add missing info.
- Pause automations: If you’re getting complaints, pause the offending step and fix it.
Don’t buy the hype: Automation is not “set it and forget it.” It’s “set it, watch it, and fix it as you go.”
What Works Well in Honeybook (and What Doesn’t)
The Good: - Automates boring, repetitive stuff—emails, contracts, invoices. - Keeps everything in one place: no more searching Gmail for that one file. - Reminders actually go out (and clients do pay faster).
The Not-So-Good: - Some things are still manual. If you need heavy customization, you’ll be editing templates every time. - Automations can feel clunky if you try to jam in too many “if this, then that” scenarios. - Not all clients like portals and forms—some just want to email you. That’s life.
Ignore This: - Don’t bother with automating “thank you” emails for everything. Too many emails = annoyed clients. - Don’t automate follow-ups before you’ve at least tried it by hand. Automation makes a mess go faster.
Pro Tips for Real-World Automation
- Start simple: Automate the steps you always do. Add complexity later.
- Keep it personal: Tweak automated emails for big projects or VIP clients.
- Backup plan: Have a manual checklist for when automations break (because they will).
- Ask for feedback: If a client gets stuck, ask them what confused them. Fix it for next time.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automation in Honeybook isn’t magic, but it can save you hours if you set it up with your real process—not your fantasy one. Start small, watch what happens, and tune as you go. Don’t try to automate everything at once. You’ll get fewer headaches and, honestly, your clients will thank you for not bombarding them with pointless emails.
Keep it human, keep it simple, and tweak as you learn. That’s how you actually get more efficient—no buzzwords required.