4-Week Client Onboarding Playbook
The first 28 days from contract-signed to first session delivered. Every paying client runs this playbook unchanged. Variation in onboarding is the #1 predictor of churn at 90 days.
Why 4 weeks (not 2, not 8)
- 2 weeks doesn't give enough runway to design, brief managers, and pre-publish comms.
- 8 weeks loses the energy of the signed contract; sponsors disengage.
- 4 weeks is enough to do the diagnostic properly AND start delivery before the sponsor's next board.
Roles
| Role | Org | Time commitment |
|---|---|---|
| MEM Programme Lead | MEM | 8h across the 4 weeks |
| MEM Coach(es) | MEM | 2h pre-launch briefing + delivery from W4 |
| Client Exec Sponsor | Client | 60 min W1 + 30 min W4 readout |
| Client HR Sponsor | Client | 1h/week, weekly stand-up |
| Client Comms Owner | Client | 4h W3 (publishing the comms pack) |
RACI overview
| Deliverable | MEM Programme Lead | MEM Coach | Exec Sponsor | HR Sponsor | Comms Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic survey | A | C | I | R | I |
| Programme design doc | R/A | C | C | R | I |
| Coach matching | R/A | C | I | C | I |
| Comms publication | A | I | I | C | R |
| First session delivery | A | R | I | I | I |
| Day-30 pulse | R/A | I | I | C | C |
| Q1 board report | R/A | C | I | C | I |
R = Responsible · A = Accountable · C = Consulted · I = Informed
Week 1 — DIAGNOSE
Outcome: We know what the client actually needs, not what they bought.
| Day | Owner | Deliverable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | MEM PL | Welcome call (60 min, exec + HR sponsor + MEM PL) | Confirms scope, success measures, board reporting cadence |
| D2 | MEM PL | Diagnostic survey live | 12 questions, all-staff or sample, closes D7 |
| D3 | HR Sponsor | Manager-cohort list confirmed | Names, locations, contractual hours, prior wellbeing training |
| D5 | MEM PL | EAP, OH and internal escalation routes captured | These print on the manager pocket-card — must be exact |
| D7 | MEM PL | Diagnostic closes; raw data anonymised | Analysed over the weekend |
W1 templates
- Welcome call agenda (60 min)
- Diagnostic survey (12 Qs — see
05-day-30-pulse.mdbaseline section) - Manager-cohort intake form
- Escalation-routes capture sheet
W1 quality bar
- Was the exec sponsor in the welcome call? (If no, reschedule. No exception.)
- Did the diagnostic clear 40% response in 7 days? (If no, the comms warm-up failed — re-run the W3 plan as W1 fix.)
Week 2 — DESIGN + MATCH
Outcome: A one-page programme design the exec sponsor signs, and the right coach matched to the cohort.
| Day | Owner | Deliverable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| D8 | MEM PL | Programme design doc (1 page) | Outcomes, scope, cadence, success metrics, SROI line |
| D10 | MEM PL | Coach-matching scored (see 02-coach-matching-rubric.md) | Sector · demographic fit · lived experience |
| D11 | MEM PL + HR Sponsor | Design walkthrough (30 min) | Sign-off OR one round of changes |
| D12 | MEM PL | Final design doc sent to exec sponsor | One-pager — board-ready |
| D14 | MEM Coach | Coach briefed by MEM PL (60 min) | Diagnostic insights, escalation routes, named risk areas |
W2 templates
- Programme design doc (1-page DOCX — pre-filled with the diagnostic numbers)
- Coach-matching scoring sheet (
02-coach-matching-rubric.md) - Coach-briefing agenda
W2 quality bar
- Did the exec sponsor sign the design doc by D12? (If no, do not advance to W3 — the gate matters.)
- Did the coach-match score clear 7/10 on at least 2 of the 3 dimensions? (If no, re-match — never push a 5/10 to delivery.)
Week 3 — LAUNCH COMMS
Outcome: Every employee in scope knows the programme exists, why, and how to opt in, before any session runs.
| Day | Owner | Deliverable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| D15 | MEM PL | Comms pack handed to Comms Owner | Editable email, Slack/Teams, poster, FAQ |
| D16 | Comms Owner | Exec sponsor email goes out | Set the tone — exec voice, not HR voice |
| D17 | Comms Owner | Slack/Teams channel announcement | Pinned + thread for Qs |
| D18 | Comms Owner | Posters in physical locations (if applicable) | Print spec in 04-launch-comms-pack.md |
| D19 | MEM PL + HR | Manager briefing (30 min) | What managers say + don't say when staff ask |
| D21 | MEM PL | Comms reach checked | At least 80% staff confirmed reached (Slack/email open data) |
W3 quality bar
- Did the exec sponsor email go out under their name? (If HR sent it under HR, reschedule and re-send. The exec name is the credibility.)
- Did manager briefing happen BEFORE staff opt-in opened? (Sequence matters — managers must answer Qs before they receive them.)
Week 4 — DELIVER + INSTRUMENT
Outcome: First sessions delivered. Day-30 instrument armed.
| Day | Owner | Deliverable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| D22 | MEM Coach | First sessions delivered | Schedule chosen by participants |
| D24 | MEM PL | Day-30 pulse scheduled | Will fire 30 days after each participant's first session |
| D25 | MEM PL + Exec Sponsor | 30-min readout booked for D90 | Q1 board report walkthrough |
| D28 | MEM PL | Week-4 close-out memo (1 page) | Sent to exec + HR — what got built, what's running |
W4 quality bar
- Did first sessions deliver on the dates promised? (Any slip = root-cause memo back to MEM PL.)
- Is the day-30 pulse scheduled per participant, not per cohort? (Per-participant is what gives the Q1 report its sample size.)
Standing weekly stand-up (W1–W4 and beyond)
15 minutes, every Tuesday 09:30, MEM PL + Client HR Sponsor.
Agenda (same every week):
- What landed last week?
- What's at risk this week?
- Anything escalating to exec sponsor?
- One number that moved.
Onboarding closure
At end of W4 the client receives:
- The signed design doc (1 page)
- The W4 close-out memo (1 page)
- The Q1 board report calendar invite (D90)
- Coach-matching scoring sheet (so they know HOW their coach was chosen)
- Confirmation that the day-30 instrument is armed
If any of these are missing, the onboarding is not closed.
Common failures + how this playbook prevents them
| Common failure | What this playbook does |
|---|---|
| Sponsor disengages between contract and launch | Welcome call in 24h; design sign-off gate at D12 |
| "Wrong" coach matched | Scoring rubric makes fit measurable, not vibes |
| Staff hear about the programme via word-of-mouth, suspicion | W3 comms pack runs in sequence with exec voice first |
| Q1 report scrambles for data | Day-30 instrument armed per participant in W4 |
| Manager doesn't know what to say when staff ask | Manager briefing in W3 BEFORE opt-in opens |
Cross-cutting promise Every UK employee seat in MEM funds a free seat for someone leaving prison. Audited SROI lands in the Q1 board report. Want this adapted for your sector? Book a 20-min discovery call: memacademy.org/corporate/programme