1.4 Client Onboarding

Client Onboarding

Full process from Discovery Call through Customer Active, with automation status per step, pain points, and open improvement candidates. Zero assumed context.

Field	Details
Owner	Manuel Torres — Architect Success Manager
Last updated	April 2026 — rebuilt from Cycle Automation Log onboarding checklist
Source	Cycle_Automation_Log_-_Onboarding_Checklist.pdf
Replaces	SOP 1.5 v1 (simplified version in Section 1 knowledge base)
Intended reader	Anyone covering for Manuel, new ASM hire, Phil, or a new architect

Automation status legend

Every step in this SOP is tagged with its current automation status. Use these tags to quickly understand what requires manual action vs. what runs automatically.

Done in Make	This step is fully automated via Make.com. No manual action required unless the automation breaks.
Not Possible in Make	This step cannot be automated with Make.com due to tool limitations (e.g. Trello lacks a viable API path for this use case). Must be done manually.
IDEA	Automation has been proposed for this step but not yet built. Currently manual. Candidate for a future cycle.
Manual	This step is intentionally manual — it requires human judgment, relationship, or context that automation cannot replicate.

Phase 1 — Intro / Initial Sales Process

This phase covers everything from the first discovery call through agreement signing and scheduling of the prep session. Phil owns most of these steps. The architect becomes involved at the Architect Handoff step.

Phase	Task	Owner	Tool	Automation Status
PRE-SALES
Pre-Sales	Discovery Call Scheduled (Intro Call)	Phil	Google Meet	Manual
Pre-Sales	Architect Handoff — review HubSpot portal, watch Call 1 recording, add findings to Roadmap doc, update 'Architect Prep Status' field to 'Ready for Alignment Call' ≥24 hrs before Call 2	Architect	Fellow, HubSpot	IDEA
Pre-Sales	Alignment Session Preparation (2nd Call) — review customer data, prepare three roadmap options: Fast, Budget, Largest Scope	Phil	Google Docs	Manual
Pre-Sales	Conducting the Alignment Call (2nd Call) — present chosen roadmap with timeline, deliverables, goals. Assign architect before customer signs.	Phil + Architect	Google Meet	Manual
Pre-Sales	Sending Agreement — send via Upwork or email after roadmap is decided. Customer signs and makes first payment.	Phil	Stripe / Upwork	Manual
Pre-Sales	Scheduling the Prep Session (3rd Call) — schedule within 10 days of agreement signing and payment received.	Phil + Architect	Google Meet	Manual

Architect Handoff — detail

This step is critical and currently an IDEA (partially manual). When a deal moves to 'Alignment Call Booked' in HubSpot, the architect must complete all of the following before Call 2:

Review the client's HubSpot portal: contacts, lifecycle stages, pipelines, workflows, properties, reporting
Watch the Call 1 recording in Fellow.ai
Add technical findings, risks, and opportunity notes inside the Roadmap document
Refine or validate the proposed factory priorities
Update the 'Architect Prep Status' field on the deal to 'Ready for Alignment Call' — no later than 24 hours before Call 2

Proposed automation

When a deal moves to 'Alignment Call Booked': (1) require Architect Prep Status field to be populated, (2) auto-create an internal task/Slack notification: 'Architect review before Alignment Call', (3) architect completes the task or replies to the note. This is an IDEA — not yet built.

Phase 2 — Customer Won

Triggered when the deal is moved to Won in HubSpot. Customer has paid. This phase covers all setup tasks that must be completed before the first active session.

Phase	Task	Owner	Tool	Automation Status
CUSTOMER WON
Won	Update HubSpot Deal to Won — add: Product, Start Date, HubSpot Subscription, Architect, Billing Cycle, Billing Contact, Who should get the Welcome Email?	Phil	HubSpot	Manual
Won	Create SOP Scribe — copy most recent Scribe, rename it to match the new customer	Manuel	Scribe	Not Possible in Make
Won	Create Google Drive folder — create new folder on admin@revgravy.com's drive with customer's name	Manuel	Google Drive	Done in Make
Won	Create Trello board — use RevGravy Trello template. Name: Client X RevGravy Template. Add: Google Drive link, FigJam link, Roadmap link, Scribe link	Manuel	Trello	Not Possible in Make
Won	Invite users to Trello board — invite users from 'Who should get the Welcome Email?' list	Manuel	Trello	Not Possible in Make
Won	Create Slack channel — create #customer-name channel	Manuel	Slack	Done in Make
Won	Update HubSpot Company Record — add: Trello link, GDrive link, Roadmap link (if not linked), FigJam link (if not linked), Project Planner Template (if not linked). If you don't have the links, ask Architect or Phil.	Manuel	HubSpot	Done in Make
Won	Send Welcome Email to client — use 'welcome, what's next' template, send to everyone on the 'Who should get this email?' list	Manuel	Gmail	Manual
Won	Brief architect on client context — post in #client-[name]: deal notes, what was sold, any special expectations. 3–5 sentences.	Manuel	Slack	IDEA

Customer Won — step details

HubSpot Deal — required fields when moving to Won

Field	What to enter
Product	90-Day Roadmap or RevGravy Consulting — must use the standard Stripe product, not a custom one
Start Date	The contract start date agreed with the client
HubSpot Subscription	Which HubSpot plan the client is on
Architect	The assigned architect — this drives ticket routing, automation assignment, and dashboard tracking
Billing Cycle	Monthly or one-time — affects how Stripe is set up
Billing Contact	Who receives invoices — may differ from the main client contact
Who should get the Welcome Email?	List of client-side contacts to receive the welcome email and Trello invite
Payment Method	Is the customer invoiced via Upwork, Stripe, or ACH.

Steps Done in Make.com — what the automation handles

Google Drive folder creation
Slack channel creation
HubSpot Company Record update
Architect briefing Slack post

Steps NOT possible in Make.com — must be done manually every time

Manual steps required

The following steps cannot be automated due to tool limitations and must be done by Manuel for every new client. Build these into your personal checklist.

SOP Scribe
Trello board creation
Trello user invitations

Welcome email

Phase 3 — Customer Active

Once onboarding setup is complete, the client moves to Active. The architect takes over as the primary relationship owner for all delivery work.

Phase	Task	Owner	Tool	Automation Status
ACTIVE
Active	Conducting the Prep Session — 60-minute session to gather: customer's product lines, tech stack, factories mapped. Schedule recurring calls.	Architect	Google Meet	Manual
Active	Architect's Follow-Up — 7-day delay for architect to assess work needed based on the prep session findings.	Architect	—	Manual
Active	First Cycle Call Preparation — design the priority factory with the client.	Architect	—	Manual
Active	Continuous Engagement — schedule conversations about future projects or contract extensions before the current roadmap ends.	Architect	—	Manual

Continuous engagement — expansion trigger (known gap)

There is currently no automation or reminder to prompt expansion conversations before a client's roadmap ends. This is a documented pain point from the onboarding checklist.

Proposed fix

Step 1: Add two HubSpot properties to the deal record: Roadmap Start Date, Roadmap End Date (auto-calculate Roadmap Duration).

Step 2: Build a workflow that triggers X days before Roadmap End Date and: (1) creates a task for the architect: 'Schedule Future Roadmap Strategy', (2) sends a templated email to the client: 'Let's plan phase 2'. This is an open IDEA — candidate for a future cycle.

Known Pain Points and Improvement Candidates

These are documented friction points identified in the onboarding checklist. Each has a proposed fix. None are yet built.

Pain Point 1 — Architect involvement is inconsistent

Problem	Impact	Proposed fix
Architect sometimes not looped in before Call 2	Architect shows up unprepared. Risks looking like an assistant rather than a strategic partner. Client trust is damaged in the first impression.	HubSpot automation: when deal moves to 'Alignment Call Booked' → require architect assignment → create internal task/Slack notification → architect completes task before Call 2

Pain Point 2 — Roadmap exists in multiple formats

Problem	Impact	Proposed fix
Roadmap exists in both slides and Google Doc	Architect may not know which is source of truth. Duplication creates confusion and version drift.	Eliminate slides entirely. Generate Roadmap Doc from template immediately after Call 1. Auto-create Roadmap Doc when deal hits 'Discovery Completed' stage.

Pain Point 3 — Expansion and retention blind spot

Problem	Impact	Proposed fix
No trigger when a client's roadmap is ending	No expansion conversation gets initiated. No renewal workflow. Client relationship ends by default rather than by choice.	Add Roadmap Start Date and Roadmap End Date to HubSpot deal. Build workflow: X days before Roadmap End Date → create architect task 'Schedule Future Roadmap Strategy' + send client email 'Let's plan phase 2'.

Quick Reference — Manual Steps Checklist

Use this checklist every time a new client is won. Copy it into a HubSpot note on the deal record and check off each item as you go.

Phase 2 — Customer Won (Manuel's tasks)

Complete these in order. The Make.com automation handles Google Drive, Slack channel, and HubSpot Company Record updates automatically — focus on the manual steps.

✓	Task	Status	Notes / Standard
☐	Confirm HubSpot deal has all required fields	Manual	Product, Start Date, Architect, Billing Contact, Welcome Email list
☐	Create SOP Scribe	Not Possible in Make	Copy most recent Scribe → rename to client name
☐	Create Trello board	Not Possible in Make	Use RevGravy Trello template. Name: [Client] RevGravy Template. Add GDrive, FigJam, Roadmap, Scribe links.
☐	Invite users to Trello	Not Possible in Make	Invite everyone from 'Who should get the Welcome Email?' list
☐	Confirm GDrive folder exists	Done in Make	Verify automation created it — check admin@revgravy.com Drive
☐	Confirm Slack channel exists	Done in Make	Verify automation created #[client-name] channel
☐	Confirm HubSpot Company Record updated	Done in Make	Verify all links populated: Trello, GDrive, Roadmap, FigJam
☐	Send Welcome Email	Manual	Use 'welcome, what's next' template. Send to Welcome Email list.
☐	Post architect briefing in Slack	Done in Make	Post in #client-[name]: deal notes, what was sold, special expectations. 3–5 sentences.