A ClickUp client onboarding template is a saved folder or list that contains your standard onboarding tasks, statuses, custom fields and checklists, so every new client starts from the same structure. For a marketing agency, the best setup is one template list per package, applied automatically when the intake form is submitted, with ClickUp automations or an external tool handling assignments and reminders.
I build onboarding in ClickUp for agencies regularly, and the template design matters more than any automation on top of it. Here is how I structure it.
Why use ClickUp for client onboarding
ClickUp works well for agency onboarding because it combines a few things you need in one place:
- Templates at the task, list, folder and space level, so the structure is reusable
- Custom fields for package, account lead, start date and access status
- Multiple views of the same tasks: list, board, calendar
- Forms that can create tasks from submissions
- Native automations for simple status and assignment rules
- An API and webhooks for anything the native features cannot do
If you are still deciding on a PM tool, I compare the options in agency project management software.
Where the template lives in your hierarchy
ClickUp's hierarchy is Workspace, Space, Folder, List, Task. For agencies I see two common patterns.
Pattern A: one folder per client
- Space: Clients
- Folder: Acme Plumbing
- Lists: Onboarding, SEO, PPC, Reporting, Admin
This keeps everything about one client together. The onboarding list is created from a template when the client signs.
Pattern B: one list per service, clients as tasks
- Space: Delivery
- Folder: SEO
- List: Onboarding, with one parent task per client and subtasks for each step
This works better if you have many small clients and want one board showing every onboarding in flight.
I usually recommend Pattern A for agencies with fewer than about 100 active clients, because permissions, sharing and reporting are easier per client. Pattern B scales better visually. Pick one and stick with it, because automations depend on a predictable structure.
Statuses for the onboarding list
Keep statuses short and meaningful:
- Not started
- Waiting on client
- In progress
- Review
- Done
"Waiting on client" is the important one. It lets you see at a glance which onboardings are blocked on access, and it gives automations something to trigger on.
Custom fields to add
- Package (dropdown): SEO, PPC, SEO plus PPC, GHL setup
- Account lead (people field)
- Start date (date)
- Kickoff date (date)
- Access status (dropdown): Requested, Partial, Complete
- Drive folder (URL)
- Slack channel (URL or text)
- Client health (dropdown): Green, Amber, Red
These fields do two jobs. They make the list easy to filter, and they give integrations a structured place to read from and write to. The client health monitor I built, for example, triggers when a health field changes in ClickUp.
The onboarding task list
Here is the task list I start from. Adapt it to your services.
Admin
- Confirm contract signed and first invoice paid
- Add client to the master tracker
- Send welcome email
Access (one task each)
- Google Ads access
- GA4 access
- Search Console access
- Tag Manager access
- Google Business Profile access
- Meta Business Manager partner access
- Website or CMS access
- Call tracking and CRM access
Setup
- Create reporting dashboard shell
- Set up conversion tracking audit
- Create keyword or account audit doc
Kickoff
- Send kickoff agenda
- Run kickoff call
- Send kickoff recap with owners and dates
First 30 days
- Deliver first quick win
- Day 14 check-in
- Day 30 report
Use relative due dates in the template so dates shift based on the start date when you apply it. ClickUp lets you remap dates when you create from a template, which saves a lot of manual editing.
Saving it as a ClickUp client onboarding template
- Build the onboarding list once with all tasks, subtasks, checklists, statuses and custom fields.
- Save it as a list template from the list's menu.
- Give it a clear name, such as "Onboarding: SEO package v3".
- When you apply it, choose what to import (assignees, due dates, custom field values) and set the date remap.
Version your templates in the name. When you change the process, save a new version and archive the old one so nobody applies a stale copy.
ClickUp onboarding automation options
Native ClickUp automations
Native automations are good for simple rules inside ClickUp:
- When status changes to Waiting on client, assign the account lead
- When all access tasks are Done, change the parent task status
- When a task is created in the Onboarding list, apply a task template
- When the due date arrives, change priority or notify an assignee
ClickUp automations have monthly usage limits that depend on your plan, so check them before you lean on them heavily. I cover that in ClickUp automation limits and pricing, and more ideas in ClickUp automation examples.
External automation with Make
Native automations cannot create Google Drive folders, fill Docs templates or set up Slack channels. For the full onboarding, I use Make:
- Intake form submits to a Make webhook.
- Make creates the Drive folders and template docs.
- Make creates the ClickUp folder and list for the client from your template, using the ClickUp app or an API call.
- Make fills the custom fields: package, account lead, start date, Drive folder link.
- Make creates the Slack channel and posts the summary.
- Make logs the client in the tracker sheet.
That is close to the onboarding build I run for one agency, which replaced about 40 manual setup steps with one form submission.
Dashboards for onboarding in flight
Once several clients are onboarding at the same time, a simple ClickUp dashboard helps ops and leadership see where each one stands. I usually include:
- A task list widget showing every open task in all Onboarding lists, grouped by client
- A count of tasks in Waiting on client, per client, so you can see who is blocked on access
- A list of kickoff dates for the next two weeks
- Overdue onboarding tasks by assignee
Filter these widgets on the list name or a shared custom field rather than on individual folders, so new clients appear automatically without anyone editing the dashboard. This is another reason consistent naming and space-level custom fields matter.
Common mistakes with ClickUp onboarding templates
- Too many tasks. A 120-task template looks thorough and gets ignored. Group small steps into checklists inside tasks.
- No owner per task. Unassigned tasks drift. Assign by role in the template.
- Statuses that mean nothing. If "In progress" and "Working" both exist, people pick at random.
- Custom fields created per list. Create fields at the space or folder level where possible so automations and views can use them consistently.
- Editing live lists instead of the template. Improvements made on one client never reach the next one.
How I build this
I set up ClickUp onboarding templates and connect them to your intake form, Google Drive and Slack in Make, so a new client's workspace builds itself. That is the Agency Onboarding Engine. If your ClickUp is already set up and you want a second opinion, the free teardown is a good place to start.
FAQ
Does ClickUp have a client onboarding template?
ClickUp's template center includes onboarding-style templates, but most agencies get better results building their own list template that matches their packages and access checklist, then saving it as a reusable template.
How do I automate client onboarding in ClickUp?
Use native automations for status and assignment rules inside ClickUp, and an external tool such as Make to create the list from a template, fill custom fields, and set up folders and Slack channels outside ClickUp.
Should each client get its own folder in ClickUp?
For most agencies, yes. One folder per client keeps permissions, sharing and reporting simple. Agencies with many small clients sometimes prefer one onboarding list with a parent task per client.
Can ClickUp Forms start onboarding?
Yes, a ClickUp form can create a task from each submission. For a full onboarding that also creates Drive folders and Slack channels, many agencies send the form to an automation platform instead.