How to onboard a new client in Uku — the complete playbook

A new engagement has just been signed. You know what work you’ll be doing, you have the client’s details, and now you need to set everything up so the right tasks land on the right people’s desks on the right dates — without any manual chasing. This playbook walks you through the full setup, from day zero to a client who is actively managed and correctly billed.

Quick answer

A complete client onboarding has six stages: create the client record → add contacts → set up the Workflow → configure billing → activate Monitoring (optional) → enable the Client Portal (optional). AML fields should be filled in if your firm requires compliance checks. Give yourself 15–30 minutes for a straightforward client; allow extra time if setting up billing from scratch.

Who does this

• Company Admins and Company Owners can do everything in this guide.
• Company Members with Client Admin permission on the client can set up Workflows and basic tasks, but cannot configure billing or Monitoring.

Stage 1 — Create the client record

Everything in Uku revolves around the client record. Get this right first.

1. Go to Clients in the left navigation and click Add client.
2. Fill in the Company name (required). Add the registration number, address, and any other fields your firm tracks.
3. Assign a Primary member — the team lead responsible for this client. This person receives AML reminders and is the default owner of client tasks.
4. Assign any other team members who will work on this client. They need to be assigned here before they appear as options in task assignment.
5. Set a Client group if you use groups to segment your portfolio (for example, by industry or service tier).
6. Save the client.

Take a moment to check that the spelling is exactly how it should appear on invoices. Invoice PDFs pull the client name and address directly from the client record, and correcting them later means re-editing already-sent documents.

Stage 2 — Add contacts

A client record without a contact is incomplete. You need at least one contact before you can send portal invitations or assign a default contact for correspondence.

1. Open the client and go to the Contacts tab.
2. Click Add contact and enter the person’s name, email address, and phone number.
3. If this person should receive invoices, note their email here — it will be used as the default recipient when you send invoices.
4. If your firm uses AML and this person is a beneficial owner or authorized signatory, their details will be needed for the AML fields in the next stage.

For most clients, one or two contacts is enough. For larger clients with multiple departments, you may add several — but only invite the contacts who genuinely need portal access.

Stage 3 — Set up the Workflow

The Workflow is the heart of how you manage recurring client work. This is where you define which tasks repeat, how often, and who is responsible.

1. Open the client and go to the Workflow tab.
2. Click Choose template and select a template that matches the services you provide. Uku includes country-specific templates for common engagements (monthly bookkeeping, quarterly VAT, annual reports). Use your own company templates if you have them.
3. Review the task list. Uncheck tasks that do not apply to this client. A client on a basic bookkeeping package probably does not need the full annual-accounts workflow.
4. Set the Repeat tasks from date — this controls when recurring tasks start generating. If the client starts this month, set it to the start of the current month.
5. Click Confirm task plan.

Do not worry about getting the Workflow perfect on day one. You can always add tasks, remove tasks, or adjust recurrence later from the Workflow tab. Think of the template as a starting point, not a commitment.

For more detail, see How to add a task plan (Workflow) and How to add a recurring task.

Stage 4 — Configure billing

If your firm bills this client (most do), set up their contract now so invoices can be generated automatically.

1. Open the client and go to the Financials tab, then select Contracts.
2. Click Add contract. Choose the billing type that matches your engagement: fixed monthly fee, hourly, per-piece (for payslips, VAT returns), or a combination.
3. Set the contract start date and billing period (monthly is most common).
4. Add products to the contract — these are the billable line items that will appear on invoices.
5. Save the contract.

If you do not have a contract set up, you can still create invoices manually — but the contract is what enables automatic invoice generation and Missed Billing tracking. It is worth the 10 minutes now.

See How to set up contracts and Billing overview for detailed product and contract configuration.

Stage 5 — Set up Monitoring (optional but recommended)

Monitoring lets you track whether you are meeting the service commitments in this client’s contract. For a new client, setting up basic monitoring targets takes about two minutes and saves a lot of guesswork later.

1. Go to Monitoring from the main navigation.
2. Find the client in the list and click the edit icon on their row.
3. Set a Total time target that reflects the hours you expect to spend monthly.
4. If you have topic-specific agreements (for example, 4 hours of payroll per month), add topic-level targets too.
5. Save.

Once targets are set, Uku carries them forward automatically each month — you only need to revisit when something changes. See How to use Monitoring for the full guide.

Stage 6 — AML compliance (if required)

If your firm operates in a regulated jurisdiction and requires AML due diligence on new clients, fill in the AML fields before you start work. These fields are added automatically when the AML app is activated.

1. Open the client record and scroll to the AML section (visible when the AML app is active).
2. Fill in the Risk profile (Low / Medium / High), Document type, Document number, and Document valid until date.
3. Do the same for any contacts who are beneficial owners.

Uku will automatically create reminder tasks before identity documents or risk profiles expire, based on the dates you enter here. Do not skip this step if AML compliance is part of your onboarding checklist. See Anti-money laundering (AML) compliance for full setup instructions.

Stage 7 — Invite to the Client Portal (optional)

The Client Portal is worth setting up for clients who send documents, sign agreements, or communicate regularly about their tasks. It reduces email back-and-forth and gives clients a single place to interact with your firm.

1. Enable the portal for this client: open the client record, click Edit client, and turn on the Client portal toggle.
2. Go to the Contacts tab, open the contact who should have portal access, and enable the Access enabled checkbox.
3. Click Send invite. The contact receives a magic-link email — no password required.

Before inviting, make sure your portal subdomain and branding are already configured. A client’s first impression of the portal is the login screen — it should look like your firm, not a generic tool. See How to set up and configure the Client Portal and Grant Client Portal access to a contact.

Day 30 check-in

A month after onboarding, do a quick review:

• Are recurring tasks appearing on time and being completed?
• Did the first invoice generate correctly? Was the amount right?
• Is the Monitoring status on track — or are there already signs of scope creep?
• Has the client used the portal, or do they still communicate only by email?

The first month of a new engagement is the best time to catch configuration mistakes, before they compound. A 15-minute review now saves hours of cleanup later.

Troubleshooting common first-week issues

Tasks are not appearing on anyone’s dashboard

The most common cause is that the Workflow was not confirmed. Go to the client’s Workflow tab and check whether tasks are listed. If the workflow is in draft state, click Confirm task plan. Also verify that the Repeat tasks from date has passed — tasks don’t appear until their start date.

The contract amount looks wrong on the invoice

Check that the products in the contract match what was agreed. For hourly clients, also verify that time entries are being logged against billable topics. See Manage billable and non-billable time.

The portal invitation bounced or was not received

Verify the contact’s email address is correct in Uku. Ask the client to check their spam folder. You can resend the invitation from the contact’s panel at any time — the new link invalidates the old one. See How clients log into the Client Portal.