Case Study: From Signed Deal to Project Kickoff in 30 Seconds

For service businesses, the moment a client signs a proposal should be a celebration. But for many, it's the start of a chaotic, manual scramble. The sales team has won, but now the real work of actually *starting* the project begins.

A digital agency we worked with was stuck in this "post-sale paralysis." It could take them up to 48 hours to get a new client fully set up in their systems. This created a poor first impression for the client and was a major source of internal stress.

We built them an "Instant Onboarding Engine" that triggers the moment a contract is signed, getting a new project ready for kickoff in under 30 seconds.

The Problem: The Post-Sale Scramble

After a client signed their PandaDoc proposal, a flurry of manual tasks began:

• The salesperson would email the project manager, the account manager, and the finance team.
• The project manager would manually create a new project in Asana from a template.
• Someone in finance would manually create a new customer and the initial invoice in QuickBooks.
• An account manager would manually create a new shared folder in Google Drive.
• Finally, someone would create a private Slack channel and invite the correct team members.

The Solution: An "Instant Onboarding Engine"

We designed a single, unified workflow that orchestrates every step of the onboarding process, triggered by one single event: a legally signed contract.

Here is the architecture of the new, automated system:

• Step 1: The Trigger (PandaDoc)
  The moment a client signs their proposal, a webhook is sent to our automation engine. This is the starting gun for the entire process.
• Step 2: The Conductor (Make.com)
  Our workflow engine, Make.com, catches the webhook and instantly orchestrates a series of parallel actions, using the client data from the signed proposal:
• Step 3: The Actions (The "Team")
  • Slack: It automatically creates a new private channel (e.g., `#client-acme-corp`) and invites the correct team members based on the proposal.
  • Asana: It creates a new project by cloning a master "New Client Onboarding" template, pre-filling the project brief with client details.
  • Google Drive: It creates a new shared folder for the client and sets the correct permissions.
  • QuickBooks: It creates a new customer record and generates the initial deposit invoice, ready to be sent.

The Results: A World-Class First Impression

The impact was immediate and profound, transforming their first interaction with a new client.

• 9% Faster Onboarding: A process that took up to 2 days of manual work now happens in under 30 seconds.
• Zero Errors: All systems are set up per fectly every time, eliminating embarrassing mistakes like misspelling a client's name in a project folder.
• World-Class Client Experience: The client receives their welcome information and initial invoice moments after signing, which signals extreme professionalism and efficiency.
• Happier, More Focused Team: The team can now focus on welcoming the client and starting the project, not on tedious administrative setup.