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The moment it happens

Start client onboarding with a Trello card and welcome email

The moment a client signs, they get a welcome email and your board gets a Trello card with the full onboarding checklist and due dates.

Runs
The moment it happens
Apps
Gmail, Trello
AI
Not needed
Access
Trello write; gmail.send

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: when a contract-signed webhook arrives, create a Trello card from my onboarding template with due dates and email the client a welcome from Gmail.

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

A small design studio signs two or three new clients a month. Each signing kicks off the same routine: a welcome email with next steps, a card on the projects board, a checklist for the kickoff call, brand assets and invoices. When the account lead is travelling, the welcome goes out two days late and the kickoff call slips. A new client's first impression is silence right after they paid.

Starting onboarding the moment the contract is signed means every client gets the same prompt welcome and every project starts with the same complete checklist, no matter who is busy that week.

What you get out of it

  • Clients hear from you within minutes

    A welcome email lands right after the signature, while the client is still thinking about the project. It sets the tone that you are organised and ready to start.

  • Every project starts with the full checklist

    The card is copied from your template, so steps like collecting logins or booking the kickoff call are never left out. The checklist improves once and every new client benefits.

  • Due dates set from the signing date

    Each card gets a due date counted from the day the contract was signed. The team can see at a glance which onboardings are on track.

  • No one has to be at their desk

    Signings that happen on a weekend or while the account lead is on a flight are handled the same way. Monday starts with the card already on the board.

  • One signing, one card

    If the signing tool sends the same event twice, the card is only created once. The board does not fill up with duplicate clients.

How it works

What happens, step by step

  1. When your signing tool reports a newly signed client, ClickRuntime receives the details straight away.

  2. It copies your onboarding template card in Trello, names it after the client and sets a due date.

  3. It sends the client a welcome email from your Gmail with your next steps.

  4. Each signing is remembered, so a repeated notification never creates a second card or email.

Before it runs live

  • Connect Google through your own Google app (a one-time, 10-minute setup), so it works with your own Gmail
  • Connect Trello
  • Paste your automation's link into the other app's webhook settings

What you get

RunsThe moment it happens
Start client onboarding with a Trello card and welcome emailjust nowSucceeded
Trello · OnboardingOnboarding: Northwind Traders, due in 14 days, checklist 0/8

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.
  • Your own rules

    Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.

  • Any number of apps

    One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.

  • AI where it helps

    Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.

  • On a schedule or on each event

    Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

  • Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
  • Add an AI step, for example to summarize, sort or draft a reply
  • Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
  • Combine it with other Gmail and Trello steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.
client_onboarding_board_with_welcome_email.pyexample
import base64
from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
from email.message import EmailMessage
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from googleapiclient.discovery import build
from clickruntime import on_event, credentials, http, state

LIST_ID = "your-onboarding-list-id"
TEMPLATE_CARD_ID = "your-template-card-id"

@on_event
def handle(event):
    if state.get(event.event_id):
        return {"skipped": "duplicate"}
    client = event.json or {}
    auth = {"key": credentials.secret("TRELLO_API_KEY"), "token": credentials.secret("TRELLO_TOKEN")}
    due = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) + timedelta(days=14)).isoformat()
    card = http.post("https://api.trello.com/1/cards", params={**auth, "idList": LIST_ID, "idCardSource": TEMPLATE_CARD_ID,
                     "keepFromSource": "checklists", "name": f"Onboarding: {client['name']}", "due": due}).json()
    msg = EmailMessage()
    msg["To"], msg["Subject"] = client["email"], "Welcome aboard"
    msg.set_content(f"Hi {client['name']},\n\nThanks for signing. Next step: book your kickoff call and we'll take it from there.")
    gmail = build("gmail", "v1", credentials=Credentials(credentials.connection("google", "work")), cache_discovery=False)
    gmail.users().messages().send(userId="me", body={"raw": base64.urlsafe_b64encode(msg.as_bytes()).decode()}).execute()
    state.set(event.event_id, card["id"])
    return {"card": card["id"]}

FAQ

Common questions

Which signing or form tools can trigger it?
Any tool that can send a webhook when a contract is signed or a form is submitted, such as an e-signature service or an intake form. It needs to include at least the client's name and email address.
Can the welcome email include my own wording and links?
Yes. The email text is written once, with the client's name filled in, and can include links to your scheduling page, intake form or welcome pack.
Where does the checklist come from?
From a template card on your Trello board. The new card is a copy of it, checklist included, so updating the template changes every future onboarding.
What permissions does it need?
Trello write; gmail.send. Nothing else in your accounts is used.
Does it need AI?
No. It runs without AI, so it doesn't use your plan's AI allowance.
How many runs does it use?
One run for each event the app sends.
Can I change how it works?
Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

Set up “Start client onboarding with a Trello card and welcome email” from your assistant

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