Onboard every new client from one prompt

What is agency client onboarding and how does it work with an AI agent?

Agency client onboarding is the process of setting up a new client after they sign. It covers the contract, the kickoff call, the questions about their goals, access to their accounts, and the setup of their data and reports.

Where AI agents help the most is setting up their data and reports since it’s a lot of manual, recurring work. One Dutch agency described this process of client onboarding:

"Currently, that's still a lot of manual work connecting the data sources and everything." [/quote]

All you need to do is describe the new client in one prompt: their name, their ad account IDs, the type of business they are and who looks after them. The agent then:

• Connects their ad accounts and analytics.
• Applies your tags, like business type and account manager.
• Builds their report from your template.
• Files the report in the client's folder.
• Applies the client's branding, if you've set a theme.

The agent uses your existing templates, tags and naming. The more consistent they are, the better the setup. Your team still owns the contract, the kickoff and the relationship, and someone checks the finished report before the client sees it.

How do marketing agencies use AI agents to onboard new clients?

Marketing agencies use an agent to do the same setup steps for every new client. A person describes the client, the agent does the setup, and the team checks the result. Here's how one agency does it.

A UK PPC agency: a new client set up from one prompt

This agency sets up every new client the same way. They connect the Google Ads account, tag the client by business type and account manager, build the report from the template for that type of business (ecommerce or lead generation), and put it in the right folder.

They built an onboarding agent that does all of that from one prompt. The prompt gives it the client's Google Ads ID from their CRM, the type of business, and the tags to apply.

The agent connected the client's Google Ads account, applied the tags, built the report from the agency's own template and filed it in the right folder. It worked immediately on the first run and it only took 1 minute to onboard a new client.

How to streamline agency client onboarding processes?

To streamline client onboarding processes in the long run, it’s important to make sure you have a solid foundation first in the short run.

When you have the first iteration of a solid foundation built -report templates, connectors, custom metrics, standardized dimensions - it’s so much easier and faster for AI agents to replicate this for the next client you onboard. The output is also high-quality and exactly to your standard as agents replicate your setup rather than reinventing the wheel.

[quote color-variant="1"] "The agents are both extending and leveraging the depth of the Whatagraph platform and all of the work that went into it."

Here's how to set up your foundation, specifically in Whatagraph:

1. Connect the client's data sources. Start with the client's ad platforms, analytics, CRM and sheets. An agent can connect these for you. Give it the client's account IDs, and it finds the accounts and connects them as sources in Whatagraph, including accounts that aren't in Whatagraph yet. You can also connect them yourself.

2. Build a governed data layer for each client. This makes every number consistent across reports and agents. In the Data Hub:

• Build custom metrics for the numbers the client cares about, like cost per lead, ROAS or lead value. Define them once, and every report and agent uses the same formula.
• Standardize dimensions with custom dimensions. For example, group messy campaign names into clean campaign types, or map country codes to regions.
• Create source groups. A source group combines several accounts from the same platform into one source. A client with four Google Ads accounts becomes one Google Ads source, so the totals are right in every report.

Agents use this layer too. They check for existing source groups and reports before they build anything new:

"I think now agents are looking for source groups first, or existing reports first, before... trying to reinvent the wheel."

3. Create a Space for the client. A Space is the client's folder in Whatagraph. Tag the client's sources, source groups and custom metrics, so everything for that client is in one place and an agent can find it by name.

4. Build a branded report template. Use the client's logo and colors, the key metrics they want to see, and a structure that fits how they work, like a summary tab, a campaign breakdown tab and a channel tab. For ideas, see these PPC reporting examples built with marketers. Once you have a few reports like this, agents learn from them:

"I have a wealth of prior reporting available in the platform, and so the agent was able to, without even me telling it to... match the output to what the previous reports looked like."

5. Hand the repeat setup to an agent. Duplicate Intake, the pre-made client onboarding agent, or describe a custom onboarding agent to IQ Agent in plain words. Then give it each new client in one prompt. Paste this brief and fill in the brackets:

6. Check the result before the client sees it. Open the report. Check that every source is connected, the numbers look right for this client, and the report is in the right Space. Then send it.

After that, each new client takes one prompt and one check.

What are the benefits of onboarding clients with an AI agent?

The main benefit is consistency. Every client starts on your standard setup, with a working report from day one.

✅ Every client starts on your standard. The agent applies your templates, tags and naming, so a new client's setup matches every other client's.

✅ A working report on day one. The client's sources are connected, tagged and reporting before the first check-in.

✅ Busy months don't slow setup down. When several new clients sign in the same week, the agent sets them up in parallel instead of in a queue.

✅ Fewer setup mistakes. No missed tag, no report in the wrong folder, no source left out of a source group.

✅ Anyone can onboard a client. The setup lives in the agent, not in one person's head, so a new client doesn't wait for the one person who knows the steps.

What are the best practices for onboarding clients in an agency setting?

A few habits make onboarding faster and easier on the client:

1. Use one standard setup per type of client. One template for ecommerce, one for lead generation, and so on.
2. Ask for access before the kickoff call. Send the access requests with the welcome email, so the setup isn't waiting on it.
3. Agree on KPIs in the kickoff, then build them as custom metrics. The report then shows exactly what you agreed on.
4. Name everything the same way. Spaces, tags, sources and reports. An agent finds things by name.
5. Send the first report early. A report in the first week shows the client their setup is working.
6. Review the setup after the first month. Check that the report answers what the client actually asks about, and adjust.

For more on the people side, see our guide to client onboarding best practices.

Challenges agencies face during client onboarding, and how to solve them

1. Messy templates and tags

If every account manager builds reports their own way, there's no standard to apply. Pick one template per type of client and one set of tag names, and use them everywhere. The agent then uses them for every new client.

2. Reports with the wrong data and branding

An agent may create something you didn't expect, like a random report with random branding. This is why it’s important to set up a dedicated client space for each client in Whatagraph with their branding, report template, data sources, and custom metrics and dimensions.

4. A new service for an existing client

When an existing client adds a service, they don't need a new setup. They need their existing report updated. Tell the agent to add to the current report, or see bulk edits for changes across many reports.

5. Skipping the check

A wrong number in the first report can cost you your client’s trust. Every report should be checked by someone who knows the account (like a PPC specialist) before it goes out to clients.

What tools can assist with client onboarding in agencies?

Most agencies use a few tools together. Each one covers a different stage.

The first seven help you sign the client and collect what you need from them. Whatagraph then uses that to set up their data and first report.