To automate customer onboarding on the levelpartner.ai platform, start it from the one moment that never moves: the deal being marked won. A workflow built on the Opportunity Status Changed trigger then sends the client agreement from Documents & Contracts and creates the internal tasks your team needs, at the same second. The client gets their paperwork while they still remember why they said yes, and nobody on your side has to remember to start anything. This article covers that build, the second workflow that reacts when the agreement is signed, and the mistakes that make onboarding stall in week one.
What this build does and what it replaces
In most service firms, onboarding starts when someone notices a deal has closed. The salesperson tells the account manager, who asks finance for the agreement, who sends it two days later. Each handover is a chance for the client to wait.
The build replaces those handovers with three linked parts:
- A won deal starts a workflow. No one has to announce it.
- The workflow sends the agreement as a document template, already filled with the client's details, for an electronic signature.
- The same workflow creates the internal tasks: set up the client folder, book the kickoff, brief the delivery lead, each assigned to a named person with a due date.
A second workflow watches the document. When it is signed, the kickoff booking link goes out. If it is still unsigned after a few days, the account owner gets a reminder task.
Before you start
- A pipeline whose won status your team actually uses. If deals are left open after the client agrees, fix that habit first.
- An agreement template in Documents & Contracts with signature fields assigned to the client.
- A list of the internal tasks every new client needs, with the role that owns each one.
- Users for everyone who will receive tasks, so they can be assigned.
- A kickoff calendar for each account lead.
Step 1: build the agreement template
Build the agreement once as a template, so the workflow can send a fresh copy for every client. Documents are static once created, so if two services need different terms, make two templates rather than one with options.
- Go to Payments, then Documents & Contracts.
- From the dropdown, select All Documents & Contracts.
- Click New at the top right.
- Choose New Document to build from scratch, Upload Existing PDF to place fields over your current agreement, or Import from Template Library.
- In the editor, insert a Signature field, plus any Text Field, Date or Initials fields the agreement needs.
- Select each field and, in the Properties panel, set To be signed by to the correct signer.
- Open the Recipients section and add each person who must sign.
- Set the signing order to sequential or simultaneous.
If the client's director signs first and your managing partner countersigns, use sequential order. A document with some signatures missing stays in "Waiting for others" until everyone has signed.
Step 2: start the workflow when the deal is won
- Open Automation, then Workflows, and create a new workflow.
- Click Add New Trigger and choose Opportunity Status Changed.
- Give the trigger a clear name, such as "Client won: start onboarding".
- Add the filters: In Pipeline set to your sales pipeline, and Moved To Status set to Won.
- Save the trigger, and leave the workflow in draft until the actions below are in place.
The trigger fires every time the status changes. A deal that is reopened and marked won again will start onboarding twice, so add an If/Else that skips contacts already tagged "onboarding started", and add that tag as the first action on the main path.
After the trigger, add the action that sends your agreement template to the contact. Then add the task actions.
Step 3: create the internal tasks in the same workflow
Use the Add Task workflow action once per task. Give each a title the assignee will understand without context, set the assignee, and set Due In relative to the won date. Tasks attach to the contact automatically, so they show on the client record as well as in the task list.
Your team works the tasks from the task list, which is also the place a manager checks what is late.
- Go to Contacts, then Tasks.
- Click Advanced Filters.
- Filter by Assignee and by Status, choosing Overdue or Due Today.
- Click Sort and order the list by Due Date.
Tasks do not send reminders by themselves. If you want a nudge before a task is due, build a small workflow on the Task Reminder trigger with an internal notification.
When the send and the task actions are in, test the workflow with a sample opportunity, then turn on the Publish toggle.
Step 4: react when the agreement is signed
Build a second workflow on the Documents & Contracts trigger, filtered on your agreement's template name and a signed status. Its job is to send the kickoff booking link, add an "agreement signed" tag and move the opportunity, or the client's onboarding record, to the next stage.
Unsigned agreements are caught in the first workflow, not this one. After the send, add a Wait of three days, then an If/Else that checks for the "agreement signed" tag. On the branch without it, create a task for the account owner to call the client. A call about a stuck signature usually reveals a question, not a refusal.
Imagine the gap from verbal yes to signed agreement runs at about six days, with kickoff eleven days after the yes. If the agreement went out on the won status and five tasks were created at once, a two-day signature and a five-day kickoff would be a reasonable target. Say onboarding admin also falls from about four hours per client to one, mostly reading the intake answers. At eight clients a month, that would be 24 hours back each month. The inputs are illustrative, so use your own.
How long it takes to run each week
Once live, a manager spends about half an hour a week on it: the overdue task filter, any agreements waiting for others, and any client that signed but has not booked a kickoff. Building it takes a day for a firm with one service, longer if every service has its own agreement.
This differs from onboarding a new salesperson, which is covered in sales onboarding. If you want to write the onboarding procedure down as a checked sequence first, see turning an SOP into a workflow.
The mistake most people make
They automate what the client sees and forget their own side. The client receives a polished agreement while the delivery lead learns about them at the kickoff call. Creating the tasks in the same workflow, at the same moment, fixes that.
Editing the agreement template after sending it and expecting live documents to change. Template edits only apply to documents created afterwards. If you correct a clause, resend to any client who has not yet signed.
When not to automate onboarding
A handful of very large clients each year may warrant a partner-led onboarding with a tailored agreement. Use the workflow for the tasks only and send the agreement by hand. For a wider set of ideas, see workflow automation examples.
Troubleshooting
Onboarding does not start when a deal is won. The In Pipeline filter points at a different pipeline, or the workflow is still in draft. Check both, then mark a test deal won.
The agreement goes out twice. The deal was reopened and won again. Add the "onboarding started" tag check before the send.
Tasks land with no one. The assignee in the Add Task action was left empty or the user was removed. Set a named user in every task action.
The signed workflow never fires. The trigger filter names a different template. Match the template name exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Can we automate customer onboarding for several services?
Yes. Use one workflow with an If/Else on the pipeline or a tag, sending a different template on each branch, or build one workflow per service if the tasks differ a great deal.
Can the client pay when they sign?
Documents & Contracts has payment settings for one-time or recurring billing, collected on signing or invoiced. Use it if the first payment belongs at signature.
What happens if the agreement expires?
You can set an expiry date on a document. After it passes, the document moves to Expired and cannot be signed, so the owner's call task should come before that date.
Do clients see the internal tasks?
No. Tasks are visible to your users only. The client sees the agreement, the booking link and any messages you send.