Project: Onboarding

Sofia Kakkava is a coaching psychologist and founder of “Coach the Coach,” a training program for aspiring coaches.

Schlicht & Partner supported the development of an automated onboarding and payment system that relieves the burden on their team and guides new customers through the start-up process in a structured manner.

“ Thanks to the collaboration with Schlicht & Partner, I was able to fully automate 80% of my internal processes, from initial contact through onboarding to customer communication .

It feels like I've gained a whole back office team.
Only digitally.”

Sofia Kakkava, Founder and CEO

This is how Onboarding works today

Automated.

Challenges Faced

Before automation, Sofia's onboarding process was manual and time-consuming:

Manual Data Entry: Client information was collected through emails and manually entered into spreadsheets.
Manual Contract Drafting: Contract creation was manual and repetitive. Each new client required a custom agreement tailored to their coaching package, which slowed down the onboarding and left room for inconsistencies or errors.
Inconsistent Communication: Tracking client progress and communication history was challenging without a centralized system.
Scheduling Conflicts: Coordinating session times via email often resulted in scheduling conflicts.
Limited Scalability: The manual process limited the number of clients she could onboard simultaneously.

Solution Implemented

To address these challenges, Sofia implemented an automated onboarding system, streamlining the process and enhancing client experience.

Step 1: Auto-Drafting Client Contracts Based on Purchased Package

An automated contract drafting system was created using Google Docs templates and Zapier. When a client purchased a specific coaching package (e.g., 6-week or 12-week 1:1 coaching), the system dynamically filled a pre-set contract template with the client's details and package-specific terms. This contract was then automatically sent for signature via HelloSign, with a copy saved in Google Drive and logged in the CRM.

Tools Used:
Google Docs (Template), PandaDoc, Google Sheets, Zapier, Stripe (or payment gateway for package selection)

Step 2: Automated Contract Signing

Utilized HelloSign to send contracts automatically after the intake client program registration. Clients could sign electronically, and copies were stored securely.

Tools Used: PandDoc, HelloSign, Zapier

Step 3: CRM Integration & New Client Record

Integrated HubSpot CRM to automatically create new client profiles upon intake client program registration, enabling better tracking of client interactions and progress.

Tools Used: HubSpot CRM, Zapier

Step 4: Automated Welcome Email Sequence & Onboarding Docs

Set up an automated email sequence using Mailchimp. Once a client was updated in the CRM, they received a personalized welcome email with program details. All the onboarding docs with detailed instructions and next steps were included.

Tools Used: Mailchimp, Zapier

Step 5: Self-Scheduling of Sessions

Integrated Calendly to allow clients to self-schedule sessions based on Sofia's availability. Confirmations and calendar invites were sent automatically.

Tools Used: Calendly, Google Calendar, Zapier

Step 6: Automated Reminders and Follow-Ups

Set up automated email reminders 24 hours before each session and follow-up emails after sessions using Mailchimp.

Tools Used: Mailchimp, Calendly, Zapier

Result: Saving hours per client onboarded

Total time saved = 5-10 hours per client

Although some client onboarding will take less time than others, the time saved with these automations eventually stack up—and that’s a great thing not only for your business but for your personal life as well.

With the time savings gained on each step, you’ll have more time to spend on actually meeting your client’s goals, fulfilling expectations, taking in more clients, or just spending time with your loved ones.