Client onboarding can be a mess. You’re juggling emails, documents, spreadsheets, and reminders—half of which are probably sticky notes on your monitor. If you’re tired of chasing down details and want to actually enjoy onboarding new clients (or at least not dread it), you’re in the right place.
This guide is for anyone using Monday who wants to make client onboarding a heck of a lot less tedious. Whether you’re a solo consultant or wrangling a whole team, I’ll walk you through how to set up automations that do the heavy lifting—without drowning you in “integration” headaches or endless configuration.
Why Automate Client Onboarding?
Before you get into the weeds, let’s get real about what automations can—and can’t—do for you:
What works: - Handling repetitive, predictable steps (think: assigning tasks, sending reminders, moving items). - Reducing human error—no more forgetting to send that “Welcome!” email. - Keeping everyone in the loop, automatically.
What doesn’t: - Automations won’t magically fix a broken process. If your onboarding is chaos, automating it just makes chaos happen faster. - They’re not great for tasks that need judgment or a human touch—like tricky client questions or nuanced approvals.
If your onboarding is pretty standard but just clunky, automations will help. If it’s a custom circus every time, fix your process first.
Step 1: Map Out Your Onboarding Process
You can’t automate what you haven’t defined. Grab a notepad (or open a doc) and answer these:
- What are the exact steps from “client signs” to “client is fully onboarded”?
- Who needs to do what, and when?
- Where do things fall through the cracks now?
Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate it. Aim for 5–10 steps max, even if your process is more nuanced. You can always refine later.
Here’s a super basic example to get you thinking: 1. Client signs agreement. 2. Send welcome email and intake form. 3. Collect info/documents. 4. Assign account manager. 5. Kickoff call scheduled. 6. Internal setup tasks.
That’s more than enough for a first automation build.
Step 2: Set Up Your Monday Board
Now, turn those steps into a board. Monday’s flexibility is a double-edged sword—it can do almost anything, but it’s easy to get lost fiddling with columns.
Essentials for a client onboarding board: - Item = Client: Each client is a row/item. - Columns: Use columns for things like status, assigned team member, key dates, document links, and client info. - Groups: Optional, but helpful—try “New,” “In Progress,” “On Hold,” “Completed.”
What to skip: Don’t add columns for every tiny detail. If you’re not sure you’ll use it, leave it out for now.
Pro tip: Use the “Status” column as the backbone of your automations.
Step 3: Identify Your Key Automations
Here’s where the magic happens—or at least, the grunt work disappears.
Focus on these common onboarding pain points:
1. Assigning Team Members Automatically
Example: When the “Status” changes to “In Progress,” assign the onboarding specialist.
Monday Recipe:
“When status changes to In Progress, assign to [person].”
2. Sending Automatic Emails or Updates
You can use Monday’s email integrations (like Gmail or Outlook) or its built-in notifications.
Example: When “Status” changes to “Welcome Sent,” email the client their welcome kit.
Monday Recipe:
“When status changes to Welcome Sent, send email to [email address].”
Honest take: Monday’s built-in email options are basic. For anything fancy (personalized templates, attachments), you’ll want to connect something like Outlook, Gmail, or even Zapier.
3. Creating Tasks or Subitems
If every client needs the same checklist—say, “Collect documents,” “Set up billing,” “Schedule kickoff”—have Monday create those automatically.
Monday Recipe:
“When item is created, create subitems from template.”
4. Reminders for Stalled Clients
Don’t let things gather dust. Automate reminders if a client is stuck.
Monday Recipe:
“If status is ‘Waiting on client’ for 3 days, notify [team member].”
5. Moving Clients Through Stages
As things progress, let automations move items between groups.
Monday Recipe:
“When status changes to Completed, move item to ‘Onboarded Clients’ group.”
What to ignore:
You don’t need an automation for every possible thing. Focus on steps that eat up your time or routinely get missed.
Step 4: Build Your Automations (Without Losing Your Mind)
You don’t need to be an engineer. Monday’s automation builder is point-and-click, but it’s easy to get lost in the options.
How to build: 1. Open your onboarding board. 2. Click “Automate” at the top. 3. Either pick a template (“recipe”) or build your own. Most common needs are covered. 4. Fill in the blanks (which status, which person, which email, etc.). 5. Save and test—always test with a dummy client before using live.
Pro tip:
Automate one thing at a time. Test, tweak, then move to the next. If you set up ten automations at once and something breaks, you’ll have no idea what went wrong.
Honest take:
Some automations (like email) need integrations and permissions set up first. Monday’s native email automations are limited—don’t expect marketing-level personalization.
Step 5: Test the Whole Flow
Run a fake client through your process. Actually click every button and see what happens. You’ll spot missing steps, weird notifications, or columns you forgot.
Checklist: - Did the right people get assigned? - Did clients get the right emails? - Are reminders firing off at the right time? - Are status updates and moves working?
What to watch for:
Automations sometimes overlap. For example, if two automations trigger on the same status change, you might get duplicate notifications. Keep things as simple as possible.
Step 6: Share With Your Team (and Actually Listen)
Roll it out to your team. Ask what’s working, and what’s tripping them up.
- Set up a quick training or screen share.
- Encourage people to flag annoying notifications or steps that don’t make sense.
- Make small tweaks—don’t be afraid to delete or pause automations that cause clutter.
Pro tip:
Set a reminder to review and update automations every couple of months. Your process will change, and so should your automations.
What About Integrations?
Monday plays nicely with a bunch of tools (Google Drive, Slack, DocuSign, etc.). If you need to pull in contracts, push updates to Slack, or sync with your CRM, check out the integrations menu.
Honest take:
Integrations sound great, but each one is another thing to maintain. Only connect what you really need. If an integration breaks, it can mess up the whole flow.
Pitfalls and Things to Skip
- Too many notifications: If everyone’s getting pinged every step, they’ll start ignoring all of them. Only notify when action is needed.
- Automating bad processes: Don’t automate clutter. Clean up your workflow first.
- Complicated “if/then” chains: Every layer adds risk of bugs or confusion. When in doubt, keep it simple.
- Forgetting to update automations: Set a calendar reminder to review them quarterly.
Example: A Simple Automation Stack
Here’s what a basic client onboarding flow might automate:
- Auto-assign account manager when client is added.
- Send a templated welcome email when status is “Welcome Sent.”
- Create subitems for “Send intake form,” “Schedule kickoff,” and “Collect documents.”
- Notify manager if “Waiting on client” lasts more than 3 days.
- Move client to “Onboarded” when status is “Completed.”
That’s it. No need for a 20-step Rube Goldberg machine.
Keep It Simple (and Iterate)
Automating onboarding in Monday isn’t about showing off how many recipes you can stack up. It’s about saving time and making sure nothing falls through the cracks. Start small, test as you go, and don’t be afraid to delete what’s not working.
Most importantly: if an automation makes things more complicated, pause it. The whole point is to make life easier—for you and your clients.
Good luck, and remember: the best system is the one you’ll actually use.