Your client onboarding process is your first opportunity to build trust and set the tone for your entire working relationship. But many consulting firms unknowingly make onboarding mistakes that lead to confusion, frustration, and even lost clients.

If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to gather information, sending endless follow-ups, or managing inconsistent communication, you’re not alone. These are signs that your onboarding process needs attention.

Let’s explore five common onboarding mistakes and how the SASS framework—Simplify, Automate, Systematize, and Streamline—can help you avoid them.

1. Overloading Clients with Too Much Information

Clients can feel overwhelmed when they’re bombarded with forms, documents, and instructions all at once. This creates confusion and sets the wrong tone.

Solution: Simplify your process by breaking it into manageable steps. Start with a welcome email that includes only the essentials, like what they need to know and how to get started.

2. Lacking a Clear Onboarding Structure

If your onboarding process feels scattered, your clients will notice. Without a structured plan, it’s easy to miss key steps or appear unorganized.

Solution: Systematize your onboarding with a checklist or pipeline. For example:

1. Step 1: Send a welcome email.

2. Step 2: Collect client details via an intake form.

3. Step 3: Schedule a welcome call.

Download our free Onboarding Checklist Template to start building your own structured process.

3. Failing to Automate Follow-Ups

Do you find yourself manually reminding clients to complete forms, sign documents, or attend meetings? Manual follow-ups waste time and lead to inconsistencies.

Solution: Automate follow-ups using tools like email workflows or SMS reminders. This ensures no step is missed while saving you hours of manual effort.

4. Inconsistent Communication Across Platforms

Scattered communication—emails, texts, calls—makes it hard for clients to keep track of important information.

Solution: Streamline communication by using a central system where all messages, reminders, and updates are housed. This keeps everything organized and accessible.

5. Skipping Feedback Collection

Without client feedback, you can’t improve your onboarding process. Skipping this step limits your ability to refine your approach.

Solution: Add a feedback form at the end of onboarding. Ask clients about their experience and use their responses to make improvements.

Want to transform your onboarding process into a seamless, client-focused experience? Download our Client Onboarding Checklist to get started, or join The Perfect Onboarding Challenge to learn how to create a system that saves you time and delivers results.