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Client onboarding questionnaire prompt: ask once, start right

SOPs and operationsMarketingAccountingOperationsWorks in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot

Updated · By Robert Breen

Use this when a new client signs and you are about to spend the first two weeks chasing basics: who approves work, which logins you need, what the deadline really is. Copy the prompt, fill in your service and what you need to start, and ChatGPT writes a short questionnaire you can send as a form or an email.

The prompt keeps it short on purpose. Clients abandon long forms, so it asks only what you need before the first meeting and saves the rest for the call. It also tells clients never to send passwords, ID numbers or bank details in the form.

The prompt

Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.

Role: You are the client service lead at [COMPANY], which provides [SERVICE].
Context: A new client, [CLIENT], has just signed. Before our kickoff meeting I need: [WHAT WE NEED]. Things we will cover live on the call, so do not ask now: [SAVE FOR THE CALL]. Clients must never send passwords, ID numbers or bank details in this questionnaire; tell them how we collect those instead: [SECURE METHOD].
Task: Write a client onboarding questionnaire we can send today. Group the questions under short headings, ask each question once in plain words, mark which ones are required, and add one line at the top saying why we ask and how long it takes.
Format: A title, a two-sentence intro, then three to five headed groups with no more than 15 questions in total. Each question on its own line, with an example answer in brackets where it helps. End with the secure-method note and a thank-you line.

Fill in the blanks

[COMPANY]
Your business name.
[SERVICE]
What you do for clients, in a few words, such as "local marketing for clinics".
[CLIENT]
The client's business name.
[WHAT WE NEED]
The facts you need before kickoff: contacts, approver, goals, deadlines, budget range, brand files, tools you need access to.
[SAVE FOR THE CALL]
Topics you would rather discuss live, such as scope details or pricing questions.
[SECURE METHOD]
How you collect sensitive items, such as "a secure portal invite" or "we add you as a user in your own account".

Example, filled in

A made-up example from the free lesson Turn a Client Kickoff Call into a Proposal Outline with ChatGPT (Agencies & Consultants). Lantern Street Marketing is the made-up agency in the kickoff lesson. Its prospect, Alder Creek Physical Therapy, is opening a third clinic in Maple Heights on March 2. The details below show how the agency might fill in the prompt once Alder Creek signs, so the kickoff starts with the basics already answered.

Role: You are the client service lead at Lantern Street Marketing, which provides local marketing and websites for healthcare clinics.
Context: A new client, Alder Creek Physical Therapy, has just signed. Before our kickoff meeting I need: the main contact and who approves work, the opening date for the Maple Heights clinic, the services they most want booked, current website and booking tool, brand files, and which ad and analytics accounts we need access to. Things we will cover live on the call, so do not ask now: monthly ad spend and the full scope. Clients must never send passwords, ID numbers or bank details in this questionnaire; tell them how we collect those instead: we send an invite so they add us as a user in their own accounts.
Task: Write a client onboarding questionnaire we can send today. Group the questions under short headings, ask each question once in plain words, mark which ones are required, and add one line at the top saying why we ask and how long it takes.
Format: A title, a two-sentence intro, then three to five headed groups with no more than 15 questions in total. Each question on its own line, with an example answer in brackets where it helps. End with the secure-method note and a thank-you line.

What a good answer looks like

  • Every question maps to something on your "what we need" list, and nothing from "save for the call" appears.
  • It fits on one screen per group and takes a client about ten minutes.
  • The approver question is required, because unclear approvals slow every project.
  • The note at the end tells clients how access is shared without asking for any password.

How to check it before you use it

An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.

  • Read every question and delete any you would not act on before kickoff.
  • Make sure nothing asks for passwords, ID numbers or bank details.
  • Test the form yourself and time it. Over 15 minutes is too long.

Why this prompt works

Onboarding stalls on missing basics. Naming the secure method up front stops clients from emailing a password to be helpful.

Practice it in the free lesson

Turn a Client Kickoff Call into a Proposal Outline with ChatGPT (Agencies & Consultants): Turn the transcript of a client kickoff call into the scope, budget and timeline the client stated, an action items table, open questions, and a recap email with a proposal outline. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.

Start the free lesson

Also useful: Onboard New Clients Without the Back-and-Forth Using Airia · n8n: Weekly Client Status Emails from a Google Sheet, Written by AI

Terms used here

Customer onboardingOnboarding checklistKickoff meeting

More sops and operations prompts

Frequently asked questions

What should a client onboarding questionnaire include?
Contacts and the approver, goals, key dates, budget range if relevant, brand or account files, and which tools you need access to. Leave detailed scope for the kickoff call.
How long should a client onboarding form be?
Short enough to finish in about ten minutes, usually 15 questions or fewer. Ask only what you need before the first meeting.
Can ChatGPT write a client intake form?
Yes. Tell it what you need, what to leave out and how you handle sensitive details, then read every question before you send it.

All free prompt templates · AI glossary