> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://assembly.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Client onboarding

> Walk new clients through a guided onboarding form in your client experience, and see who has finished, who is in progress, and who has stalled.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Template.** You can change anything about this app by describing it in its build chat. See [App templates](https://assembly.com/docs/building-new-apps/app-templates.md).

Send new clients a step-by-step onboarding form they complete in your client experience. Their progress saves as they go, so they can stop and pick up where they left off. Your team sees every onboarding in one list, with each client's answers and files, and is notified when a client finishes or stalls.

**Category:** Onboarding · **Used by:** your team and your clients · **Works with:** CRM

## Features

* A ready-to-send form, **Standard onboarding**, with five steps: **Welcome**, **Your details**, **Goals**, **Communication**, and **Documents**
* A form builder with steps, question types (short text, paragraph, email, phone, number, date, dropdown, multiple choice, checkboxes, and file upload), and content blocks (text, callout, image, and video)
* Several forms, with one set as the default for new onboardings
* Onboardings for a single client or a whole company, where everyone in the company fills in one shared form
* Four statuses: **Not started**, **In progress**, **Stalled**, and **Completed**
* A list with a count for each status, filters by client or company, and sortable columns for form, status, progress, last activity, and assignee
* Automatic saving, so clients return to the step they left
* Each onboarding's answers and uploaded files in one place, with a PDF download
* Reopening a completed onboarding with a reason the client sees
* An **Onboardings** section on each client's and company's CRM profile

## How to use it

### For your team

> [accordion] Start an onboarding
>
> 1. Open the app and click **Start onboarding**.
> 2. Under **Recipient**, pick a client or a company. Picking a company gives everyone in it one shared form to fill in together.
> 3. Under **Form**, pick the form to send. The default form is selected for you. Choose **New form** to build one first.
> 4. Optionally, under **Assignee (optional)**, pick the team member who owns this onboarding.
> 5. Click **Start onboarding**. The client is notified and the onboarding appears in your list as **Not started**.
>
> Each client or company can have only one active onboarding at a time. To send a new one, archive the existing one first.
>
> You can also start an onboarding from a client's or company's CRM profile: open the **Onboardings** section, pick a **Form**, and click **Start onboarding**.

> [accordion] Build or edit a form
>
> 1. From the actions menu at the top of the app, choose **Edit onboarding form**.
> 2. Use the form switcher to pick a form, or click **New form** to create one.
> 3. Click **Add step**, give the step a **Name** and an optional description, then click **Add field** to add questions or content. Mark a question **Required** if clients must answer it to continue.
> 4. Switch to **Preview** to see the step the way your client will.
> 5. Click **Save form**. Changes also save automatically as you work.
>
> From a form's menu you can **Duplicate**, **Rename**, **Set as default**, **Archive**, or **Delete** it. The default form can't be archived or deleted. Set another form as the default first. Archived forms can't be sent until you restore them.

> [accordion] Track progress
>
> The status cards at the top of the list show how many onboardings are in each status. Click a card to filter the list to it. Use the filter to narrow by client or company, and turn on **Show archived** to include archived onboardings.
>
> An onboarding moves to **In progress** when the client completes its first step. It's marked **Stalled** after seven days with no client activity, and goes back to **In progress** as soon as the client picks it up again.

> [accordion] Review answers and files
>
> Click an onboarding to open it. You see its progress, when it was started, its last activity, and when it was completed or reopened, and every step with the client's answers and uploaded files, which you can preview or download. Click **Download PDF** to save a copy.
>
> You can change the **Assignee** at any time. You can change the form only while the onboarding is still **Not started**.

> [accordion] Reopen a completed onboarding
>
> A completed onboarding is locked for the client. To let them change their answers:
>
> 1. Open the onboarding and click **Reopen onboarding**.
> 2. Enter a **Reason**. It's required, and the client sees it.
> 3. Click **Reopen and notify**. The client gets an email with your reason, and can edit and resubmit the form.

> [accordion] Archive or delete an onboarding
>
> Open an onboarding and click **Archive onboarding** to hide it from the client and from your list. Turn on **Show archived** to find it, then click **Restore onboarding** to bring it back.
>
> **Delete** permanently removes the onboarding, including all answers and uploaded files. This can't be undone.

### For your clients

> [accordion] Fill in the onboarding form
>
> Clients open the app in your client experience and see their form one step at a time, with their place in the form, such as "Step 2 of 5", shown at the top. They answer the questions, upload any files, and click **Continue** to move to the next step, or **Back** to return to the previous one. Required questions must be answered before they can continue.
>
> Answers save automatically. Clients can leave and come back later, and they return to the step they left. If they have more than one onboarding, they pick one from **Your onboardings**.

> [accordion] Submit and download a copy
>
> On the last step, the client clicks **Submit**. Their answers are then locked, and they see a summary of what they submitted. They can click **Download PDF** to keep a copy.
>
> If your team reopens the form, the client sees **Your onboarding was reopened** with your reason, and can update their answers and submit again.

Clients only see onboardings sent to them or to their company. They never see archived onboardings.

## Notifications

* **When you start an onboarding**, the client, or every client in the company, gets an email and an in-product notification.
* **When you reopen an onboarding**, the client gets an email and an in-product notification with your reason. Restoring an archived onboarding that isn't finished sends an in-product notification only.
* **When a client completes an onboarding**, your team gets an email and an in-product notification.
* **When an onboarding stalls** after seven days without client activity, your team gets an email and an in-product notification. The check runs when someone on your team opens the app.
* **When a stalled client picks it up again**, your team gets an in-product notification.

Team notifications go to the onboarding's assignee. If no one is assigned, every team member who has access to that client or company is notified.

To change who's notified or what the messages say, see [Configuring notifications](https://assembly.com/docs/building-new-apps/configuring-notifications.md).

## Set it up

**1. Add the template**

Click **Add App** in the Dashboard sidebar. Find **Client onboarding** under **Start from a template**, or scroll down to **Browse all apps** and pick the **Onboarding** filter.

**2. Try it as your team**

The app lands in your sidebar as a draft. Review the **Standard onboarding** form, then start an onboarding for your test client.

**3. Check the client side**

In the builder's **Client view**, pick your test client, fill in a few steps, leave, come back, and submit the form.

**4. Publish it**

Publish the app with visibility set to **Hidden from all people**, or on plans with custom visibility, limited to your test client. Sign in as your test client to try it in the real client experience, then make it visible to the clients who should use it. See [Launching apps](https://assembly.com/docs/building-new-apps/launching-apps.md).

## Change it with the app builder

This app is a template, so you can change anything about it by describing what you want.

**1. Open the build chat**

Open **Client onboarding** from your Dashboard sidebar, click its name at the top, then click **Switch to builder**.

**2. Describe the change**

Write what you want the way you'd ask a teammate. Say who it's for and where it shows up, such as your team's onboarding list or the client's form.

**3. Check the preview**

The app builder makes the change and updates the preview. Switch between **Team view** and **Client view** to check both sides, and pick a client to see it as them.

**4. Publish**

Click **Publish** when you're happy. Until you do, your clients keep seeing the last published version.

Changes people often make to this template:

* "Add a step that collects each client's billing details"
* "Mark an onboarding as stalled after three days instead of seven"
* "Email the client a reminder when their onboarding stalls, not just my team"
* "Only show the Documents step if the client picks Compliance as a goal"
* "Add a due date to each onboarding and flag the overdue ones in the list"
* "Start an onboarding automatically for every new client"

See [Iterating on apps](https://assembly.com/docs/building-new-apps/iterating-on-apps.md) for how to describe changes well and how to go back to an earlier version.

To rename the app, or change who can see it and how it notifies people, click its name at the top and choose **Rename app** or **Manage app**.

## Related

> [card] [Client intake form](https://assembly.com/docs/apps/client-intake-form.md)
>
> Collect scope, goals, budget, and timeline from new clients

> [card] [Document collector](https://assembly.com/docs/apps/document-collector.md)
>
> Request documents from clients with an upload checklist

[View this template on assembly.com](https://assembly.com/templates/client-onboarding-wizard)


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