Client onboarding
What's a good client onboarding tool for freelance designers?
Short answer
Look for one that turns a first enquiry into a signed, paid project without retyping: an intake form the client fills in without an account, a scope drafted from their answers, an agreement they sign online and a deposit invoice. PaloWorks runs that sequence from one client record, with question sets for design, web, brand and other niches.
Free for 1 client, 3 active projects. No card to start. Updated by PaloWorks.
What to look for
An intake form that asks the right things
A brief missing budget, deadline or brand files costs a call to fix.
In PaloWorks
Intake forms with long and short answers, choices, dates, budget, links and file uploads, with presets for brand, web, illustration and more.
Clients who can finish later
Long briefs get abandoned halfway.
In PaloWorks
A resume link lets the client pick up where they left off for seven days, with one reminder.
A way in for new enquiries
Enquiries arriving by DM and email get lost.
In PaloWorks
A Book me inquiry form for your site or a link, feeding leads and a pipeline.
From brief to scope without retyping
Copying the brief into a proposal is where details go missing.
In PaloWorks
The brief sits beside the scope you write; on Pro and Studio, an AI summary of the brief and a scope drafted from it for you to edit.
A clear start
Clients relax when they can see what happens next.
In PaloWorks
A kickoff page built from your project records, so the client sees what happens next.
How it works in PaloWorks
Step 1
The enquiry arrives
From your Book me form, or you add the client yourself.
Step 2
Send the intake form
The client fills it in from a link, uploads files, and can resume later.
Step 3
Scope and agreement
Write the scope with their answers beside you; the client approves and signs from the one-time link emailed to them.
Step 4
Deposit and kickoff
The deposit invoice goes out on signature, and the kickoff page shows what happens next.
When PaloWorks is the wrong pick
- Book me is an inquiry form, not a booking calendar: there are no time slots. If clients must book a call slot, pair it with a scheduling tool.
- If you only take one or two clients a year, a shared document and an email may be enough onboarding.
Comparing tools? Read PaloWorks compared, including what the others are better at.
Questions people ask
- What should a design client intake form ask?
- The goal, the audience, deliverables, deadline, budget, brand assets and examples they like. The intake presets start from those, and you can edit every question.
- Does the client need to create an account?
- No. Every step, from the intake form to signing and paying, works from links. A client can sign in to see all their projects if they want to.
- Can I use my own questions?
- Yes. Build your own intake templates. Free includes one template; Pro and Studio include as many as you need.
- Can PaloWorks schedule discovery calls?
- No. Book me collects enquiries, not appointments. Link your scheduling tool from the form if you take calls.