Client onboarding, approvals, and retainer invoices on autopilot
Every new client means the same set-up. A folder in Google Drive, a project in Asana, a channel in Slack, a welcome email, and a retainer invoice in Xero. Every piece of work then waits on client approval, and someone has to chase it. We set those steps to run on their own, so a signed proposal starts the set-up and approval reminders go out on time. Your team spends the hours on the work clients pay for.
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Agency jobs that can run themselves
New client set-up
A signed proposal creates the Drive folder, the Asana project, the Slack channel, and a welcome email with your onboarding questions.
Approval chasing
Work waiting on a client gets a polite reminder after the number of days you choose, and you're told when it's been waiting too long.
Retainer invoices
Monthly retainer invoices are drafted in Xero on the same day each month, ready for you to check and send.
Timesheet nudges
Team members who haven't logged hours get a friendly Slack reminder before the week closes.
The jobs nobody bills for
A small agency signs a new client and then does the same ten things it did for the last one. Make a folder. Make a project. Make a channel. Send the welcome email with the brand questionnaire. Set up the retainer invoice. Then, every week, work goes out for approval and someone has to remember to chase it. Each job is small, but they add up to hours that never make it onto a timesheet.
How the repeat work runs itself
Automating repeat work (the industry calls it workflow automation) means writing down the steps you already follow and setting them to run on their own. For an agency, a good place to start is client set-up. A signed proposal triggers the folder in Google Drive, the project in Asana, the Slack channel, and the welcome email. Then we add approval chasing, so work waiting on a client gets a reminder on the day you choose, and retainer invoices drafted in Xero each month.
What we’ve seen in agency work
We work with Saltbush Studio, a six-person design agency in Fremantle. Their work with us was an AI helper that drafts Friday updates for twelve retainer clients from the week’s tasks in Asana. All twelve now take the director under an hour, with the director adding a personal line to each. At Saltbush, the team’s Slack chat was too messy to draft from, so it came out. We take the same care over anything an automation reads.
What still needs a person
An automation follows steps, so anything off the usual path comes back to you. A client asking for a rush job, a scope argument, or a quiet client who might be unhappy all need a person. We also don’t automate anything that sends money or signs a contract.
If your team loses hours to set-up and chasing, get your AI Starter Plan and tell it which steps repeat.
Related
Read about our Automating repeat work service, and how we help small teams in marketing and creative agencies.
Small teams we work with
How an animal rescue builds its 45-volunteer roster in an hour instead of an evening
How a five-person online homewares store stopped typing 60 supplier invoices a month into Xero
How a solo property manager with 140 rentals logs every repair request the same day
Common questions
Won't clients find automated reminders pushy?
Can it handle out-of-scope requests?
Do we need new tools?
What does it cost?
What stays manual?
See which agency jobs can run themselves
Tell us which steps repeat every time a client signs or a job goes out for approval. Get your AI Starter Plan and you'll see where to start.
Get your AI Starter Plan