Case Study
How We Reduced a Consulting Firm's Client Onboarding Time by 74%
A 12-person consulting firm was spending an average of 6 hours manually onboarding every new client. Here is exactly how we redesigned their intake process with AI agents and reduced that to under 90 minutes.
The Problem
The client — a 12-person management consulting firm serving mid-market companies — had a client onboarding process that was, by their own description, "organized chaos." Every time a new engagement was signed, the same manual sequence began: a project manager would spend 1–2 hours gathering information from the client via email, another hour setting up project folders and tools, another hour drafting the kickoff agenda, and more time sending and chasing contracts and NDAs.
Total time per onboarding: 5.5–7 hours across two or three team members. With 3–5 new clients starting each month, the firm was spending 18–35 hours per month just on onboarding administration — time that could otherwise go to billable delivery.
What the Audit Revealed
When we mapped the onboarding process in detail, we found that roughly 80% of the steps were fully repeatable: the same questions were always asked, the same documents were always needed, the same folder structure was always created, and the same kickoff template was always used — just with different client details filled in.
The remaining 20% — the actual strategic kickoff discussion and relationship-building — was the part that required a human. That part was being delayed and compressed because the team was so consumed by the administrative 80%.
What We Built
Automated intake form and data extraction
We built a structured intake system that triggered automatically upon contract signature. The client received a branded intake form that collected all necessary information — company background, stakeholders, project context, technical environment. The AI extracted and structured this data for downstream use.
Automated workspace setup
Upon intake completion, an automation created the project folder structure in their document system, provisioned client access to the relevant tools, and populated project templates with client-specific details — all without human involvement.
AI-generated kickoff agenda
Using the intake data, an AI system generated a first-draft kickoff agenda tailored to the engagement type and client context. The project manager reviewed and approved it in under 10 minutes rather than drafting from scratch.
Document and NDA automation
Contract documents were automatically populated, sent for e-signature, and tracked — with automated reminders for unsigned documents. No more manual chasing.
The Results
Reduction in total onboarding time per client
Average onboarding time, down from 6+ hours
Recovered for billable delivery work
Reduction in missed or delayed document requests
Beyond the numbers, the team reported a meaningful improvement in the client experience. New clients received a faster, more consistent, and more professional first impression — before the first kickoff call had even happened.
Is This Replicable?
Yes — but only if the underlying process is documented first. The reason this engagement moved quickly was that the team could describe, in reasonable detail, what the onboarding process was supposed to look like. If your onboarding is genuinely different every time based on judgment calls, the first step is to standardize before you automate. Once you have a consistent process, the automation layer is straightforward to build — and the returns are immediate.
Ready to build?
Put these ideas to work in your business.
We work with a limited number of clients each quarter to design and deploy custom AI automation systems. Apply to see if we're a fit.
Apply to Work With Us