# Onboard New Clients in Under 15 Minutes

> A step-by-step process for setting up new clients in Lifted Work, from creating the client to previewing their portal.

Source: https://www.liftedwork.com/how-tos/onboard-new-clients-in-15-minutes
Published: 2026-02-01
Updated: 2026-09-15

## Step 1: Create the Client

- Click **Create Client**
- Enter the client name and website URL
- The system auto-extracts brand colors, fonts, and logo from the website

## Step 2: Fill in the Overview

- Add a clear **client description** covering objectives, services provided, and key background info
- This description follows every task and is visible to your team and AI, so make it useful

## Step 3: Add Contacts

- Add client team members who need portal access
- When drafting emails through Lifty, you'll select the recipient from this contact list

## Step 4: Assign Services

- Mark which services are **active** for this client
- Flag potential **upsell opportunities**, which show in the client's **Services** tab

## Step 5: Set Up Milestones and Tasks

You can do this manually or let AI handle it.

**Manually:** Create 1-2 tasks (e.g., "Kickoff call", "Brand asset review") and a few milestones (kickoff, first deliverable review, 30-day check-in) so the portal looks active from day one. Use task templates for consistency across clients.

**With AI:** Open the Lifty sidebar and create your milestones and initial tasks in one prompt:

> Create a milestone called "Kickoff Call" for 2 business days from now for @AcmeDesign.
> Create a milestone called "First Deliverable Review" for 2 weeks from now for @AcmeDesign.
> Create @Brand Asset Collection due in 3 business days for @AcmeDesign assigned to @Sarah.
> Create @Initial SEO Audit due in 1 week for @AcmeDesign assigned to @Marcus.
> Create @Kickoff Call Prep due tomorrow for @AcmeDesign assigned to @Sarah.

The @mentions pull in your saved task templates (with their SOPs, time estimates, and settings), assign to the right person, and associate with the client. One prompt, and the client's first two weeks of work are scheduled.

## Step 6: Build an Onboarding Template for Next Time

Once you've onboarded a few clients, save the pattern as a reusable task template:

1. Create a template called "Client Onboarding" in **Settings > Templates**
2. Add a **Lifty Prompt** with your standard onboarding schedule (milestones, tasks, and assignments using @mentions and relative dates)
3. Enable **Autocomplete** so it runs as soon as you create a task from this template

Next time you sign a new client, create one task from your onboarding template and the AI builds out the entire first month: milestones, tasks with SOPs, and assignments. Every new client gets the same consistent start. Or skip building your own template and use the [Client Onboarding AI Playbook](https://www.liftedwork.com/automations/automate-new-client-onboarding), which researches the client's website, creates milestones, and builds out tasks automatically.

## Step 7: Preview the Portal

- Click into the **client portal** view to verify everything looks polished before sharing access with the client. The [Client Portal guide](https://www.liftedwork.com/guides/client-portal-and-requests-guide) covers how each tab works and what clients see

## Frequently asked questions

### What should an agency set up before inviting a client to the portal?

Complete the client description, website and brand details, primary contacts, active services, portal visibility, starting milestones, and first tasks. Preview the portal to catch empty or internal-only sections before the client sees it.

### How many tasks should be created during client onboarding?

Create enough work to cover the first clear phase, usually kickoff, access or asset collection, initial analysis, and the first review milestone. Avoid scheduling months of detailed work before discovery confirms the scope and priorities.

### What if the client has not supplied all brand assets yet?

Create the account with the confirmed information, assign a client-visible task for the missing assets, and identify which delivery tasks depend on them. Do not fill gaps with guessed brand rules that may later spread into reports or AI-generated work.