Last year, I had a client who swore they’d “send me everything by Friday.” Famous last words.
Friday came and went. Monday rolled around. Two weeks later, I was still waiting on their About page content, their logo, and a WordPress login that didn’t bounce back with “The username or password you entered is incorrect.”
If you’re nodding along, you’ve lived the nightmare of client onboarding chaos.
Onboarding should be the smooth runway that gets a project off the ground. Instead, it often feels like herding lunatic llamas through an airport. Missing content delays timelines. Forgotten logins stall development. Vague brand direction means endless revisions.
And every extra email you send, with phrases like “Just checking if you’ve had a chance to…”, chips away at your professionalism and drains your time, energy and life essence.
So, how do you fix it?
That’s where ChatGPT comes in. Not as some magic silver bullet, but as a very handy assistant who can spit out polished drafts in seconds, drafts you can copy, tweak, and send to your clients to make onboarding much smoother.
Here are 5 prompts I’ve used (and you can steal right now):
1. Client Welcome Pack Draft
Prompt:
“Act as a web design consultant. Write a friendly, professional welcome message for a new client that explains the project process, what I’ll need from them, and how to communicate with me. Keep it under 300 words.”
👉 Saves you reinventing the wheel every time you onboard someone new.
2. Content Collection Checklist
Prompt:
“Create a checklist of all the content a small business website project typically requires (home, about, services, contact, etc.) in plain, client-friendly language.”
👉 Helps clients remember the bits they always forget (usually the About page or staff bios).
3. Login & Access Request Email
Prompt:
“Write a short, professional email template asking a client for WordPress, hosting, domain registrar, and Google Analytics access, explaining why each is needed.”
👉 Get the logins you need without sounding pushy or tech-jargony.
4. Brand Guidelines Gap Filler
Prompt:
“Draft 5 questions I can ask a client who doesn’t have brand guidelines to help me capture their brand voice, colours, and style preferences.”
👉 No brand guide? No problem. This gives you enough to design with confidence.
5. Expectation-Setting FAQ
Prompt:
“Write a simple FAQ for new web design clients that explains things like revision rounds, turnaround times, and how scope changes are handled.”
👉 A quiet scope-creep killer. It sets boundaries without you needing to have “that awkward conversation” later.
These prompts won’t replace your expertise. They will give you a head start, save you hours, and make you look like the organised professional your clients want to work with.
That’s exactly what I cover in my WP Accelerator program: systems, strategies, and templates to help freelance WordPress developers and designers run their businesses like pros, instead of flying by the seat of their pants.
Think of ChatGPT as your friendly assistant, handing you polished drafts while you focus on high-value, creative work.
Until next time, keep thriving!
Wil.