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Agency Client Onboarding

Successful client onboarding sets the foundation for productive agency relationships by establishing clear workflows and communication channels from the start. GitScrum's client workspace templates, permission systems, and project scaffolding features help agencies bring new clients up to speed quickly while maintaining professional service delivery standards.

Creating Your Onboarding System

Pre-Onboarding Checklist

BEFORE CLIENT KICKOFF:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CLIENT ONBOARDING PREPARATION                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│ WORKSPACE SETUP:                                            │
│ □ Create client workspace in GitScrum                       │
│ □ Configure billing and plan settings                       │
│ □ Set up project templates for client type                  │
│ □ Configure default labels and workflows                    │
│                                                             │
│ ACCESS CONFIGURATION:                                       │
│ □ Create client user accounts                               │
│ □ Set appropriate permission levels                         │
│ □ Configure which projects are visible                      │
│ □ Set up notification preferences                           │
│                                                             │
│ COMMUNICATION CHANNELS:                                     │
│ □ Connect Slack/Teams integration                           │
│ □ Set up email notification rules                           │
│ □ Create shared documentation space                         │
│ □ Establish escalation paths                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Permission Structure

CLIENT PERMISSION LEVELS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ROLE             │ ACCESS LEVEL                             │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Client Admin     │ • View all projects                      │
│                  │ • Manage client users                    │
│                  │ • Access reports and dashboards          │
│                  │ • Approve deliverables                   │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Client Reviewer  │ • View assigned projects                 │
│                  │ • Comment on tasks                       │
│                  │ • Access client-facing reports           │
│                  │ • Review and approve work                │
├──────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Client Viewer    │ • View project progress                  │
│                  │ • Access shared documents                │
│                  │ • View milestone status                  │
│                  │ • Read-only dashboard access             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Project Scaffolding

Standard Project Structure

CLIENT PROJECT TEMPLATE:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📁 [Client Name] Workspace                                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ├── 📋 Active Projects                                      │
│ │   ├── Project Alpha                                       │
│ │   └── Project Beta                                        │
│ ├── 📊 Client Dashboard                                     │
│ │   ├── Progress Overview                                   │
│ │   ├── Milestone Timeline                                  │
│ │   └── Budget Tracking                                     │
│ ├── 📝 Documentation                                        │
│ │   ├── Project Requirements                                │
│ │   ├── Technical Specs                                     │
│ │   └── Meeting Notes                                       │
│ └── 📈 Reports                                              │
│       ├── Weekly Status                                     │
│       ├── Sprint Reviews                                    │
│       └── Deliverable Tracking                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Workflow Configuration

Client-Facing Workflows

SIMPLIFIED WORKFLOW FOR CLIENTS:
┌────────────┐   ┌────────────┐   ┌────────────┐   ┌─────────┐
│  Planned   │ → │ In Progress│ → │  Review    │ → │ Complete│
└────────────┘   └────────────┘   └────────────┘   └─────────┘
       │              │                │                │
       └──────────────┴────────────────┴────────────────┘
                      Client sees these stages
                      
INTERNAL WORKFLOW (hidden from clients):
┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐
│Backlog │→│Design  │→│Dev     │→│QA      │→│Review  │→│Done    │
└────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘

Communication Setup

Automated Updates

CLIENT NOTIFICATION RULES:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EVENT                     │ NOTIFICATION                    │
├───────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│ Milestone completed       │ Email + Dashboard alert         │
│ Task moved to Review      │ Dashboard notification          │
│ Blocker identified        │ Email to client contact         │
│ Weekly progress           │ Automated email report          │
│ Deliverable ready         │ Email + Slack notification      │
│ Budget threshold reached  │ Email to client admin           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Best Practices

Onboarding Timeline

STANDARD ONBOARDING FLOW:
Day 1:  Client kickoff meeting
        └── Gather requirements, introduce GitScrum
        
Day 2:  Workspace setup
        └── Create projects, configure permissions
        
Day 3:  Client training
        └── Walkthrough of dashboards and workflows
        
Day 4:  Process validation
        └── Test notification flow, confirm access
        
Day 5:  Go-live
        └── Begin active project work

Success Metrics

  • Time to first client action in GitScrum
  • Client satisfaction with visibility
  • Reduction in status inquiry emails
  • On-time deliverable approvals