/dm:client-onboarding

Purpose

Generate a comprehensive client onboarding workflow for a new marketing engagement. Covers kickoff planning, discovery, stakeholder alignment, access provisioning, milestone setting, and communication protocols to ensure a smooth transition from signed contract to active account with clear expectations on both sides.

Input Required

The user must provide (or will be prompted for):

• Client name and industry: The new client's business name, vertical, and market segment
• Services contracted: Which marketing services are included in the engagement (SEO, PPC, social, content, email, analytics, etc.)
• Engagement timeline: Contract duration and key dates — start date, first deliverable, first review, contract end
• Team structure (agency side): Account lead, strategist, specialists, and any shared resources assigned to the account
• Team structure (client side): Primary contact, marketing lead, approvers, and subject matter experts available
• Account access needs: Platforms, tools, and accounts requiring credentials or permissions (Google Ads, Analytics, CMS, social accounts, CRM, etc.)
• Client maturity level: Startup, SMB, or enterprise — determines complexity of onboarding, approval layers, and compliance requirements
• Stakeholder list: All individuals involved in the engagement with roles, decision authority, and communication preferences
• Communication preferences: Preferred channels (Slack, email, calls), timezone, meeting availability, and response time expectations
• Success criteria: What the client considers a successful engagement at 30, 60, and 90 days — and contractual KPIs if defined

Process

1. Load brand context: Read ~/.claude-marketing/brands/_active-brand.json for the active slug, then load ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/profile.json. Apply brand voice, compliance rules for target markets (skills/context-engine/compliance-rules.md), and industry context. Also check for guidelines at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/guidelines/_manifest.json — if present, load restrictions and relevant category files. Check for custom templates at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/templates/. Check for agency SOPs at ~/.claude-marketing/sops/. If no brand exists, ask: "Set up a brand first (/dm:brand-setup)?" — or proceed with defaults.
2. Research client industry onboarding best practices: Identify industry-specific onboarding considerations — regulatory requirements, seasonal timing, common data sources, and typical ramp-up periods for the client's vertical
3. Build kickoff meeting agenda: Structure a 60-90 minute kickoff covering introductions, engagement overview, goals alignment, process walkthrough, access handoff, communication setup, and immediate next steps
4. Create discovery questionnaire: Draft 20-30 questions covering business context, competitive landscape, past marketing efforts, brand guidelines, content assets, data access, approval workflows, and success definitions
5. Map stakeholders and decision-makers: Build a stakeholder map with RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for key activities — content approval, budget changes, strategy shifts, reporting, and escalations
6. Define access and permissions checklist: Create a platform-by-platform checklist of all accounts, tools, and systems needing access — with permission level, owner, and deadline for provisioning
7. Set 30-60-90 day milestones: Define specific, measurable milestones for each phase — discovery and setup (30 days), optimization and early results (60 days), full operation and first performance review (90 days)
8. Establish communication cadence: Design the recurring meeting and reporting schedule — weekly status calls, monthly performance reports, quarterly business reviews, and ad-hoc escalation triggers
9. Create escalation protocol: Define severity tiers (informational, urgent, critical), response time expectations, escalation paths on both agency and client sides, and resolution tracking
10. Build knowledge transfer checklist: List all assets, documents, logins, brand files, historical data, and institutional knowledge the client needs to provide for the agency to operate effectively
11. Compile into unified onboarding document: Assemble all components into a single structured onboarding package with clear ownership, deadlines, and a first-week action plan for immediate momentum

Output

A structured client onboarding package containing:

• Kickoff meeting agenda: 60-90 minute structured agenda with discussion topics, time allocations, presenters, and pre-read materials
• Discovery questionnaire: 20-30 targeted questions organized by category (business, competitive, brand, technical, process) with space for responses
• Stakeholder map with RACI matrix: Visual map of all stakeholders with decision authority, RACI assignments for key activities, and contact details
• Account access checklist: Platform-by-platform list with required permission levels, current owner, agency contact, and provisioning deadline
• 30-60-90 day milestone plan: Phase-based milestone schedule with specific deliverables, success criteria, and checkpoint dates per phase
• Communication cadence: Complete meeting and reporting schedule — weekly, monthly, and quarterly touchpoints with attendees and agenda templates
• Escalation protocol: Severity tier definitions (informational/urgent/critical) with response times, escalation paths, and resolution tracking process
• Knowledge transfer checklist: Categorized list of all assets, documents, data, and access the client must provide with deadlines and responsible parties
• Welcome email template: Ready-to-send email introducing the account team, confirming kickoff details, and listing pre-kickoff action items
• Internal team brief: Agency-internal document summarizing client context, key stakeholders, sensitivities, opportunities, and account strategy
• Risk register with mitigation: Identified onboarding risks (delayed access, stakeholder availability, data gaps) with likelihood, impact, and mitigation steps
• First-week action plan: Day-by-day schedule for the first five business days with specific tasks, owners, and completion criteria

Agents Used

• marketing-strategist — Stakeholder mapping, milestone planning, communication design, discovery questionnaire development, risk assessment, and onboarding workflow orchestration