Client onboarding is the set of steps that takes a new client from booking their first appointment to the follow-up after their first session. In a health and wellness practice it runs through six stages: booking, intake and consent, payment and card on file, portal and app setup, the first session, and follow-up.
The six steps run in this order, and each one hands something to the next.
| Step | What happens | What it hands to the next step |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Booking | The client picks a service and a time | A confirmed appointment and an accepted cancellation policy |
| 2. Intake and consent | The client completes forms and signs your agreements | History, goals, and signed consent on file before you meet |
| 3. Payment and card on file | The client pays, leaves a deposit, or saves a card | A payment method for the session, the package, or a missed appointment |
| 4. Portal and app setup | The client activates their account and learns where things live | One place for messages, resources, and bookings |
| 5. First session | You meet in person, by phone, or by video | A session note, a plan, and the next appointment |
| 6. Follow-up | The plan and the first check-in go out | A client who knows what happens next |
Put consent and payment before the first session, so the paperwork is done and the session time goes to the client.
If you offer a free discovery call, it sits in front of step 1. The end of that call is where you invite the client to book, put down a deposit, or choose a payment option (best practices for discovery sessions). If you screen clients with an application form first, that comes earlier still (client application process).
A client onboarding checklist lists every action that has to happen for each new client, grouped by step, so nothing depends on memory. Copy the one below into your own document or task list and cut the lines that do not apply to your services.
Set up once, before your next new client
Booking
Intake and consent
Payment and card on file
Portal and app setup
First session
Follow-up
Set each step up once, then let every new booking run through them in order. Here is what each step needs.
Let clients book from your website at the times you have set for each service, and send the confirmation automatically. Practice Better lets you tailor availability by service, method, and location, so you can, for example, offer discovery calls only on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and keep other times for paid sessions (scheduling).
Practice Better asks you to confirm booking requests by hand by default. You can turn on auto-confirmation for every service or only for specific ones, such as free discovery calls or follow-up consultations (feature highlight: automations).
Attach your cancellation policy at this step. A disclaimer added to a service, package, or program means the client checks a box to accept it before they can complete the booking, so your policy reaches them before they commit (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
Send the intake form the moment the appointment is booked, and schedule anything else closer to the date. With form automations in Practice Better, initial forms can go out as soon as an initial consultation is booked, with a progress worksheet sent two days before the appointment (feature highlight: automations).
Consent belongs in the same step. With forms and waivers, you can require the client's signature, and once they sign, you and the client each keep a copy. If you need to tell clients how you use and store their health information, a form scheduled ahead of the session gets that disclosure to them before you meet (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
For what the intake form should ask, see client intake forms: what to include and how to build one.
Decide now what happens when forms are still blank the day before the session: an automated reminder, a message, or a call. Writing the rule down once saves you deciding it fresh for every client.
Choose a payment rule for each service before your next new client books, so every client gets the same answer. Three setups cover it:
In Practice Better, you can require full payment or a deposit at booking by editing the service and selecting "Require to pay at booking" (scheduling). Packages can be paid in full, by a deposit followed by an invoice for the balance, or by a scheduled payment plan (cash-pay packages). When a client misses a session, you mark it as a no-show and choose to auto-charge the card on file or send an invoice (no-show billing).
Tell the client in writing when they will be charged and for what. Your cancellation disclaimer from step 1 is a natural home for it.
Invite the client to the portal as soon as they book, ask them to activate their account, and share the app download. Tell them which parts of the portal they will use in your practice, and leave the rest until they need it. State your messaging hours here too.
In Practice Better, the Client Portal is where clients book and reschedule, complete digital intake forms, and message you through HIPAA-compliant messaging.
Arrive with the intake already read. In Practice Better, clients join video sessions from their Client Portal, and the notes you capture during the call sync to the client's chart (telehealth).
Use the same note template for every first session, so each new client's record starts with the same information. Practice Better's template library includes note templates in SOAP, ADIME, GROW, and other formats, and every pricing plan includes full access to the form and note templates.
Book the next appointment before the session ends. You both leave knowing when you will see each other next, while the plan is fresh (get clients to rebook).
The follow-up closes onboarding. The client leaves with the plan, the next date, and a first check-in on the calendar. Practice Better can auto-send forms after scheduled sessions, set up tasks for you and your clients, and use tags and automations to update clients as they move through their health journey (automations).
Clients can return to protocol instructions, shared session notes, and resources in the app at any time (mobile app). If a client bought a package and has not booked their next session, you can send them a reminder to book it (get clients to rebook).
From here, onboarding hands over to your between-visit routine. The client engagement framework for integrative care covers check-ins and tracking after the first visit. For the reminder settings, see reminder notifications, and for wording you can copy, see appointment reminder templates.
A client welcome packet puts everything the client needs before the first session in one message or one page. Include these seven items:
Make the rescheduling line specific. In Practice Better, clients can reschedule from the Client Portal under My Resources > Bookings, or with the "Need to reschedule?" button in confirmation and reminder emails if you turn that option on (scheduling).
Two more Practice Better features round out the setup above: up to three reminders per appointment by email or SMS, set service by service (scheduling), and an Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability form template if your services call for a waiver (templates). If you are setting up Practice Better itself, the quick start guide gets your account running in under 30 minutes. For more on the client side, watch the on-demand session How to build a seamless client onboarding experience with Marissa Velazquez.
{{intake-questionnaire}}
List the stages a client passes through from booking to the first follow-up, then write the actions under each stage that have to happen for every new client. Mark each action as automated or manual, note who owns the manual ones, and review the list after your next few new clients.
Intake is one step inside onboarding: the forms that collect a client's history, goals, and consent. Onboarding covers the whole stretch from booking to the first follow-up, including payment, portal setup, and the first session.
Take one if you charge for missed appointments or bill per session, because a saved card lets you collect without sending and chasing an invoice. In Practice Better you can require a credit card or deposit at booking (scheduling), and when you mark a session as a no-show you can auto-charge the card on file or send an invoice (no-show billing).
Clients can complete onboarding in a web browser. Practice Better works in a browser on a laptop or computer, and the Better by Practice Better app for iOS and Android is an extension of the same portal, so any action a client can take in the browser they can also take in the app (mobile app).
Yes. In Practice Better you can add disclaimers or forms to your bookings page, so clients give consent before the session, even before they are formally entered into the system. You can also schedule consent forms to send ahead of the session (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
Copy the checklist, write your welcome packet, and set each step up before your next new client books.
Start a free trial of Practice Better to run booking, intake, consent, payments, and the client portal from one place.
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
Client onboarding is the set of steps that takes a new client from booking their first appointment to the follow-up after their first session. In a health and wellness practice it runs through six stages: booking, intake and consent, payment and card on file, portal and app setup, the first session, and follow-up.
The six steps run in this order, and each one hands something to the next.
| Step | What happens | What it hands to the next step |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Booking | The client picks a service and a time | A confirmed appointment and an accepted cancellation policy |
| 2. Intake and consent | The client completes forms and signs your agreements | History, goals, and signed consent on file before you meet |
| 3. Payment and card on file | The client pays, leaves a deposit, or saves a card | A payment method for the session, the package, or a missed appointment |
| 4. Portal and app setup | The client activates their account and learns where things live | One place for messages, resources, and bookings |
| 5. First session | You meet in person, by phone, or by video | A session note, a plan, and the next appointment |
| 6. Follow-up | The plan and the first check-in go out | A client who knows what happens next |
Put consent and payment before the first session, so the paperwork is done and the session time goes to the client.
If you offer a free discovery call, it sits in front of step 1. The end of that call is where you invite the client to book, put down a deposit, or choose a payment option (best practices for discovery sessions). If you screen clients with an application form first, that comes earlier still (client application process).
A client onboarding checklist lists every action that has to happen for each new client, grouped by step, so nothing depends on memory. Copy the one below into your own document or task list and cut the lines that do not apply to your services.
Set up once, before your next new client
Booking
Intake and consent
Payment and card on file
Portal and app setup
First session
Follow-up
Set each step up once, then let every new booking run through them in order. Here is what each step needs.
Let clients book from your website at the times you have set for each service, and send the confirmation automatically. Practice Better lets you tailor availability by service, method, and location, so you can, for example, offer discovery calls only on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and keep other times for paid sessions (scheduling).
Practice Better asks you to confirm booking requests by hand by default. You can turn on auto-confirmation for every service or only for specific ones, such as free discovery calls or follow-up consultations (feature highlight: automations).
Attach your cancellation policy at this step. A disclaimer added to a service, package, or program means the client checks a box to accept it before they can complete the booking, so your policy reaches them before they commit (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
Send the intake form the moment the appointment is booked, and schedule anything else closer to the date. With form automations in Practice Better, initial forms can go out as soon as an initial consultation is booked, with a progress worksheet sent two days before the appointment (feature highlight: automations).
Consent belongs in the same step. With forms and waivers, you can require the client's signature, and once they sign, you and the client each keep a copy. If you need to tell clients how you use and store their health information, a form scheduled ahead of the session gets that disclosure to them before you meet (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
For what the intake form should ask, see client intake forms: what to include and how to build one.
Decide now what happens when forms are still blank the day before the session: an automated reminder, a message, or a call. Writing the rule down once saves you deciding it fresh for every client.
Choose a payment rule for each service before your next new client books, so every client gets the same answer. Three setups cover it:
In Practice Better, you can require full payment or a deposit at booking by editing the service and selecting "Require to pay at booking" (scheduling). Packages can be paid in full, by a deposit followed by an invoice for the balance, or by a scheduled payment plan (cash-pay packages). When a client misses a session, you mark it as a no-show and choose to auto-charge the card on file or send an invoice (no-show billing).
Tell the client in writing when they will be charged and for what. Your cancellation disclaimer from step 1 is a natural home for it.
Invite the client to the portal as soon as they book, ask them to activate their account, and share the app download. Tell them which parts of the portal they will use in your practice, and leave the rest until they need it. State your messaging hours here too.
In Practice Better, the Client Portal is where clients book and reschedule, complete digital intake forms, and message you through HIPAA-compliant messaging.
Arrive with the intake already read. In Practice Better, clients join video sessions from their Client Portal, and the notes you capture during the call sync to the client's chart (telehealth).
Use the same note template for every first session, so each new client's record starts with the same information. Practice Better's template library includes note templates in SOAP, ADIME, GROW, and other formats, and every pricing plan includes full access to the form and note templates.
Book the next appointment before the session ends. You both leave knowing when you will see each other next, while the plan is fresh (get clients to rebook).
The follow-up closes onboarding. The client leaves with the plan, the next date, and a first check-in on the calendar. Practice Better can auto-send forms after scheduled sessions, set up tasks for you and your clients, and use tags and automations to update clients as they move through their health journey (automations).
Clients can return to protocol instructions, shared session notes, and resources in the app at any time (mobile app). If a client bought a package and has not booked their next session, you can send them a reminder to book it (get clients to rebook).
From here, onboarding hands over to your between-visit routine. The client engagement framework for integrative care covers check-ins and tracking after the first visit. For the reminder settings, see reminder notifications, and for wording you can copy, see appointment reminder templates.
A client welcome packet puts everything the client needs before the first session in one message or one page. Include these seven items:
Make the rescheduling line specific. In Practice Better, clients can reschedule from the Client Portal under My Resources > Bookings, or with the "Need to reschedule?" button in confirmation and reminder emails if you turn that option on (scheduling).
Two more Practice Better features round out the setup above: up to three reminders per appointment by email or SMS, set service by service (scheduling), and an Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability form template if your services call for a waiver (templates). If you are setting up Practice Better itself, the quick start guide gets your account running in under 30 minutes. For more on the client side, watch the on-demand session How to build a seamless client onboarding experience with Marissa Velazquez.
{{intake-questionnaire}}
List the stages a client passes through from booking to the first follow-up, then write the actions under each stage that have to happen for every new client. Mark each action as automated or manual, note who owns the manual ones, and review the list after your next few new clients.
Intake is one step inside onboarding: the forms that collect a client's history, goals, and consent. Onboarding covers the whole stretch from booking to the first follow-up, including payment, portal setup, and the first session.
Take one if you charge for missed appointments or bill per session, because a saved card lets you collect without sending and chasing an invoice. In Practice Better you can require a credit card or deposit at booking (scheduling), and when you mark a session as a no-show you can auto-charge the card on file or send an invoice (no-show billing).
Clients can complete onboarding in a web browser. Practice Better works in a browser on a laptop or computer, and the Better by Practice Better app for iOS and Android is an extension of the same portal, so any action a client can take in the browser they can also take in the app (mobile app).
Yes. In Practice Better you can add disclaimers or forms to your bookings page, so clients give consent before the session, even before they are formally entered into the system. You can also schedule consent forms to send ahead of the session (collecting consent ahead of sessions).
Copy the checklist, write your welcome packet, and set each step up before your next new client books.
Start a free trial of Practice Better to run booking, intake, consent, payments, and the client portal from one place.
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
