Client Onboarding Questionnaire: 30 Questions Your AI Agent Sends and Sorts for Your Agency (2026)
Client onboarding questionnaire for agencies: 30 questions on goals, audience, assets and access, plus how your AI agent sorts every answer.
Josue HernandezAI Specialist
A client onboarding questionnaire is the first piece of real work you do for a new client. The contract is signed, the client is excited, and your team wants to start. Yet most agencies still collect the basics over three calls and a long email thread.
That slow start costs more than time. A client who waits two weeks for a kickoff starts to doubt the decision. Meanwhile, your team guesses at goals, chases logins and asks for the logo four times. So the relationship begins with friction instead of momentum.
This guide gives you 30 questions, grouped by what you need to start the work. Each one comes with what a good answer looks like and what your AI agent should flag. Then we show how your agent builds the form, sends it and sorts the answers into a kickoff brief.
What a client onboarding questionnaire is for (and when to send it)
A client onboarding questionnaire collects everything your team needs before the first deliverable. That means goals, audience, brand assets, tool access and how the client will judge success. It replaces the scattered emails with one structured record.
It is not the same as an intake form. An intake form qualifies a prospect during the sales process. If you need that step, our guide on how to qualify a sales lead covers it with 25 scored questions. The onboarding questionnaire comes after the signature, when the client is already yours.
When to send it
Send it the same day the contract is signed, before the kickoff call. Typeform's own template guidance says to send it "immediately after contracts are signed" and to keep it short enough to finish that day. The kickoff call then confirms answers instead of collecting them.
Why it matters to retention
The first weeks set the tone for the whole account. Research by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, cited in Harvard Business Review, found that a 5% increase in customer retention can raise profits by 25% to 95%. For an agency, retention starts with a smooth onboarding.
How long it should be
Long lists are common. AgencyAnalytics publishes 37 questions, for example. However, clients rarely finish a form that long in one sitting. So treat the 30 questions below as a bank. Pick 12 to 18 for each client, and use conditional logic to show the rest only when they apply.
The 30 client onboarding questions, by section
The questions are grouped into six sections. For each one, the table shows a good answer and what your agent should flag. A flag is not a problem in itself. Instead, it is something your account manager should raise on the kickoff call.
Business and goals
Start here, because every other answer depends on it.
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | In one sentence, what does your business sell, and to whom? | A clear product and a clear buyer | It describes everything to everyone |
| 2 | What is the single most important outcome of this project? | One measurable outcome | Three or more "top priorities" |
| 3 | What does success look like 90 days from now? | A number or a visible change | "We'll know it when we see it" |
| 4 | Which metric will you use to judge our work? | A named metric with a baseline | No baseline, or a vanity metric only |
| 5 | Is there a deadline outside our control? | A launch, an event or a season with a date | A hard date inside the first two weeks |
These five answers become the first paragraph of the kickoff brief. If the client cannot answer question 2, that is the first thing to fix together.
Audience and market
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Describe your best customer: role, company size and why they buy. | A specific profile | "Everyone could use this" |
| 7 | Which three competitors do you lose deals to? | Named competitors | "We have no competitors" |
| 8 | What do customers praise most about you? | A concrete strength | Blank |
| 9 | What do lost prospects say when they say no? | A real objection | Never asked |
| 10 | Which markets or languages should we target? | A clear list | Markets the budget cannot cover |
Questions 8 and 9 often produce the best copy of the whole project. In fact, the client's own words usually beat anything your team writes from scratch.
Brand and assets
This is where file uploads save the most email. Instead of asking for files later, collect them in the form.
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Upload your logo files (vector if you have them). | SVG or high resolution PNG | Only a screenshot |
| 12 | Do you have brand guidelines? Upload them or link them. | A PDF or a link | None exist |
| 13 | Share three websites or campaigns you like, and why. | Links with a reason each | Links with no reason |
| 14 | Which words or claims must we never use? | A short list | Blank in a regulated industry |
| 15 | Who approves creative work, and how fast? | A name and a turnaround | A committee with no owner |
Access and tools
Access is the most common reason a project stalls in week one. Therefore, ask for it before the kickoff, not after.
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Which tools should we get access to (analytics, ads, CRM, website)? | A checklist with owners | "I'll check with IT" |
| 17 | Who on your team can grant that access this week? | A name and an email | Nobody |
| 18 | Which CRM do you use, and who owns it? | A named CRM and an owner | No CRM |
| 19 | Where do your leads go today after a form submission? | A clear path | "Into an inbox nobody checks" |
| 20 | Do you have existing reports or dashboards we should keep? | Links | Reports nobody trusts |
Questions 18 and 19 often reveal a quick win. If leads land in an inbox, your agent can route them to the CRM instead. Our guide on the AI SDR lead qualification form shows that flow.
Working together
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Who is our day-to-day contact? | A name, role and channel | Two people with different answers |
| 22 | How often do you want updates, and in what format? | A cadence and a channel | "Whenever" |
| 23 | Have you worked with an agency before? What went well or badly? | A specific story | Blames the last three agencies |
| 24 | What is the best time for a weekly or monthly review? | A slot | No time available |
| 25 | How do you prefer to give feedback on drafts? | Comments in one place | Feedback by phone only |
Success and risk
| # | Question | A good answer | Flag when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | What budget is approved for this project, and for media if any? | A number | Budget "to be confirmed" |
| 27 | What would make you end this engagement early? | An honest answer | Blank |
| 28 | What worries you most about this project? | A named risk | Nothing at all |
| 29 | Is there anything you tried before that we should not repeat? | A specific lesson | Blank |
| 30 | Is there anything else we should know before we start? | Open context | Blank is fine here |
Questions 27 and 28 feel uncomfortable to ask. However, they surface the risks while you can still plan for them. A client who answers them honestly is usually a good partner.
Sort the answers: scores, flags and the kickoff brief
Collecting answers is only half the job. The other half is reading them fast and acting before the kickoff. This is where most agencies lose a week, because someone has to read every response and copy it into a brief.
A readiness score instead of a gut feeling
Give each multiple choice answer points for readiness. For example, "logo files uploaded" scores higher than "we'll send them later", and "access granted this week" scores higher than "I'll check with IT". The total tells you whether the client is ready to start.
- Ready (70% or more of the maximum): confirm the kickoff and start the work.
- Almost (40% to 69%): send a short follow-up with the missing items.
- Not ready (under 40%): book a working session before any deliverable.
These thresholds are a starting point. After a few clients, compare scores with how each project actually went, then adjust. The same scoring model appears in our lead qualification template, applied to new clients instead of prospects.
Flags your agent writes, not just counts
Open answers need judgment, so give your agent a short rubric. For example: "Flag question 2 if the client names more than one top priority." Your agent reads each open answer against the rubric and lists the flags in plain words.
The kickoff brief
Finally, ask your agent to turn the answers into a one page brief: goals, audience, assets received, access pending, flags and the agenda for the kickoff call. As a result, your team starts the call with a brief instead of a blank page.
How your AI agent builds and sends the client onboarding questionnaire
dForms is the form builder for AI agents, so your agent does this part. You connect dForms once, ask for the form in one message, and the agent builds it, publishes it and reads the answers.
Step 1: Connect your agent
You have two options. In Claude, add the dForms connector at https://mcp.dforms.ai/mcp and sign in with your dForms account. Our guide on how to create a form with Claude walks through it in four steps. For a script or another agent, create an API key on the Developers page instead.
Step 2: Ask for the form in one message
Paste this prompt and change the details:
Create a form in dForms called "Client onboarding: {client name}".
Use these sections: business and goals, audience and market,
brand and assets, access and tools, working together, success and risk.
Use questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 26 and 28
from the client onboarding questionnaire I pasted below.
Make 11 and 12 file uploads. Make 18 a choice: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive,
Other or None. Show 19 only if they pick a CRM in 18.
Give every multiple choice answer readiness points (ready answers score higher).
Show a thank you screen that says we will confirm the kickoff within one day.
Leave it as a draft and send me the preview link.
Your agent builds the questions, the logic and the points from that description. It also applies your workspace's logo, colors and fonts. Then review the preview, ask for changes in plain words, and publish when it looks right.
Step 3: Read the answers and write the brief
When the client submits, ask your agent for the result:
Read the latest response to "Client onboarding: {client name}".
Give me the readiness score, every flag with the question number,
and a one page kickoff brief with the agenda for our first call.
Each response already carries its score, so the agent starts from the numbers. If your team works in HubSpot, set the form's destination to HubSpot or a webhook so every answer lands in the CRM too.
What to know before you hand it to the agent
- A published form goes live at its link right away. So ask your agent to leave it as a draft until you review it.
- A published form can be reverted to the version that was live before.
- An API key acts as the person who created it, with that person's role. There are no per-key scopes.
- dForms is free with unlimited responses, and it is open source under the MIT license.
Want the bigger picture of what an agent needs from a form builder? Read the AI form generator guide. If your forms live in Typeform today, the open source Typeform alternative guide compares the two.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should a client onboarding questionnaire have?
Between 12 and 18 questions is enough for most agencies. Use the 30 above as a bank, pick what fits the service, and show the rest with conditional logic only when they apply.
Is a client onboarding questionnaire the same as an intake form?
No. An intake form qualifies a prospect before the deal, while the onboarding questionnaire collects what you need after the contract is signed. Some small agencies combine them, but the questions and the timing differ.
When should I send the onboarding questionnaire?
Send it the same day the contract is signed, before the kickoff call. That way the call confirms answers and plans the work instead of collecting basics.
Can my AI agent send the questionnaire and read the answers?
Yes. With the dForms connector in Claude or an API key, your agent builds the form, publishes it and reads every response with its score. It can also write the kickoff brief from the answers.
Can clients upload files in the questionnaire?
Yes. dForms supports file uploads, so clients can send logos, brand guidelines and other assets in the same form instead of by email.
Does it cost anything to use dForms for client onboarding?
No. dForms is free, responses are not counted or billed, and the project is MIT licensed, so you can also self-host it.
