If you’re tired of new client onboarding being a mess of spreadsheets, endless emails, and “wait, did we send them the contract?” moments, this is for you. Folk isn’t a magic fix for dysfunctional processes, but it is a CRM built for humans, not pipeline robots. If you want to actually finish onboarding tasks, not just track them, read on.
This guide walks you step-by-step through setting up custom workflows in Folk that’ll streamline onboarding without creating more busywork. I’ll call out what works, what’s just shiny buttons, and where to skip the fluff.
Why use Folk for onboarding?
Quick reality check: There are a million CRMs and project tools, and most will let you build onboarding workflows if you’re stubborn enough. So why Folk?
- It’s flexible, but not overwhelming. You can actually set it up in an afternoon.
- It’s people-first. Folk centers around contacts, not just deals or tickets.
- Shared context. Your team sees the same info, so fewer “who’s got the latest file?” moments.
But: Folk won’t magically fix unclear processes or turn chaos into calm overnight. You need a basic onboarding checklist before you try to automate it.
Step 1: Map your onboarding process before touching Folk
Before you even open Folk, sketch out your onboarding process. Grab a notepad or whiteboard—don’t overthink it.
Ask yourself: - What steps always happen when a new client signs? - Who’s responsible for each step? - What’s tripped us up in the past? (Waiting on info? Lost docs? Too many “just checking in” emails?)
Typical steps might include: - Welcome email sent - Contract signed - Payment received - Info/form filled out by client - Kickoff call scheduled - Project workspace set up
Pro tip: Keep it simple to start. You can always add bells and whistles later.
Step 2: Set up your Contacts and Groups in Folk
Once you’re clear on your process, jump into Folk.
Add your contacts
- Import your new and upcoming client contacts. You can do this via CSV or zap them in from Google Contacts, LinkedIn, etc.
- Make sure you include key details: company name, main point of contact, email, phone, and any custom fields you use (like industry, contract date, etc.).
Organize with Groups
- Create a Group for “Onboarding Clients” (or whatever makes sense for your flow).
- You can use subgroups for different stages, like “Signed—Not Started” or “Needs Info.”
- Don’t create 10 groups for every possible status. It gets confusing fast.
What works: Keeping groups broad and using tags or fields for fine details.
Step 3: Build your onboarding workflow with custom fields
Here’s where Folk gets useful. You can add custom fields to contacts or groups—these act like checklist items or status markers.
Add custom fields for each onboarding step
- Go to your Group, click “Add custom field.”
- Create fields like:
- “Welcome Email Sent” (checkbox)
- “Contract Signed” (date or checkbox)
- “Kickoff Call Scheduled” (date)
- “Onboarding Docs Received” (checkbox)
- “Assigned Team Member” (dropdown or text)
- For anything that’s just “done/not done,” use a checkbox. For steps with dates or owners, use date or text fields.
What works: Fewer fields, clearly labeled. Don’t try to track every tiny detail—you’ll stop updating them.
Example:
| Client Name | Welcome Sent | Contract Signed | Docs Received | Kickoff Call | Owner | |---------------|--------------|----------------|---------------|--------------|------------| | Acme Corp | ☑️ | 2024-03-18 | ☑️ | 2024-03-20 | Jess | | Beta LLC | ❌ | 2024-03-19 | ❌ | | Mike |
Step 4: Automate follow-ups with Folk’s integrations
You can’t automate everything, but you can cut out a lot of manual reminders.
Use Folk’s email integration
- Connect your email account (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).
- Send onboarding emails directly from Folk, and log them to the contact record.
- Create email templates for common steps (“Welcome,” “Doc reminder,” etc.).
- Use merge fields to personalize without copy-paste hell.
What’s worth it: Email templates and tracking. Don’t bother trying to automate every single message—personal context still matters.
Set up reminders and tasks
- Folk lets you add tasks to contacts. Use these for follow-ups (“Chase contract” or “Send intro deck”).
- Assign tasks to team members if you’re not flying solo.
- Set due dates so things don’t fall through the cracks.
Integrate with other tools (if you must)
- Folk plays nice with Zapier and has a public API. You can trigger updates in Slack, add entries to Notion, etc.
- Only do this for steps you actually repeat often. Connecting everything for its own sake? That’s just more stuff to fix when it breaks.
Step 5: Create and use onboarding templates
If your onboarding checklist is pretty standard, turn it into a template so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time.
- In Folk, set up a “template group” with your custom fields, tags, and email templates in place.
- When a new client signs, duplicate this group or copy the structure to their record.
- This keeps your process consistent—and stops steps from getting lost.
Pro tip: Review your template every few months. If nobody checks “Welcome Call” anymore, maybe it’s time to drop or tweak it.
Step 6: Track progress and communicate as a team
The whole point of this setup is shared visibility. Here’s how to make it actually work:
- Use filters to see which clients are stuck or missing info.
- Share the group with your team so everyone sees the same status.
- Leave comments on contacts if you need to clarify details (no more “let me forward that email” chains).
- Schedule a quick weekly review to catch anything lagging.
What doesn’t work: Relying on Folk alone to notice stuck clients. Someone needs to check in regularly.
Step 7: Clean up and iterate
Your first workflow won’t be perfect. That’s normal.
- Every month or so, look at your onboarding group:
- Are there fields nobody updates?
- Steps that always get skipped?
- Bottlenecks where clients get stuck?
- Trim the fat. Update your template. Make it easier for your future self.
Pro tip: Ask your team (and even clients) what’s confusing or annoying. Fix the top pain point first, not everything at once.
What to skip (for now)
- Over-customizing: Don’t spend hours building nested workflows before you’ve run through the basics a few times.
- Heavy-handed automation: If a step needs a personal touch, don’t automate it.
- Tracking “nice to have” but useless data: If you never use it, don’t collect it.
Wrapping up
Folk gives you just enough structure to keep client onboarding from turning into a dumpster fire, without drowning you in features you’ll never use. Start simple: a basic group, a handful of fields, and a couple of email templates. Run it for a few weeks, then tweak as you go. The best workflow is the one your team actually uses.
Now get back to real work.