Onboarding a new client means turning “yes, let’s work together” into written answers to six questions before you touch their accounts: what you do, what you may decide alone, how and when you communicate, what access you get, how you are paid, and how the arrangement ends. Most early problems between VAs and clients (surprise tasks, a deleted email thread, a late invoice) trace back to one of these being left vague.

The checklist below runs from the day the client says yes to the end of week two. The examples use one fictional client throughout: Harbor Point Realty, a small real estate office in Austin, Texas, hiring a VA in Manila for inbox and calendar support.

The timeline at a glance

When What happens Output
Day -5 to -3 Agree terms, send client brief for confirmation Signed or emailed agreement, confirmed brief
Day -2 Access set-up (delegation, invites) Access register filled in
Day -1 30-minute kickoff call Recap email sent the same day
Days 1 to 5 First small deliverable, daily summaries Inbox sorted, labels and templates approved
Day 5 First review List of changes
Day 10 to 14 Second review, first invoice Updated procedures, invoice sent

Time zones for this example

Austin is on US Central Daylight Time, 13 hours behind Manila until US clocks change on 1 November 2026, then 14 hours behind. So the client’s 8:00 a.m. is 9:00 p.m. in Manila now, and 10:00 p.m. after 1 November. Put both times in every scheduling message until the client stops needing it.

1. Agree the terms in writing

An email the client replies “Agreed” to is enough for a small engagement. Cover:

  • Services included, and specifically what is not included
  • Hours per week and the working window in both time zones
  • Rate, currency, billing schedule, due date and payment method
  • Trial or review point
  • Confidentiality and who owns the work
  • Notice period for either side to end it

If you are working through Upwork or Fiverr, the platform contract covers payment; you still need the rest. For invoicing terms you can copy, see Invoice Template and Payment Terms.

2. Write a one-page client brief

Turn your discovery call into a page you will refer to every day. Send it to the client to correct. A filled-in example:

CLIENT BRIEF: Harbor Point Realty
Main contact:      Jordan Lee, Office Manager (jordan@harborpointrealty.example)
Decision maker:    Sam Ortiz, Broker (for anything involving money or listings)
Primary outcome:   No buyer or seller email waits more than 4 business hours
First deliverable: Inbox sorted into labels + 5 approved reply templates, by Fri 9 Oct
Included:          Inbox triage, showing bookings in Google Calendar,
                   lead tracker updates, daily summary
Not included:      Phone calls, social media, bookkeeping, contract paperwork
Expected volume:   About 70 emails a day; 10 to 15 showings a week
Working hours:     Mon to Fri, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central
                   (9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Manila until 1 Nov)
Channel:           Slack for questions; email only for client-facing work
Urgent:            Text Jordan for anything about an offer deadline
File location:     Shared Drive > Operations > VA
Weekly report:     Friday, 5 bullet points in Slack
Invoices:          Every second Wednesday, due in 7 days, by Wise
Review dates:      Fri 9 Oct (week 1), Fri 16 Oct (week 2)

3. Write the authority list

This is the part beginners skip and regret. Agree three columns before you send a single email from the client’s account.

I can do without asking I draft, client approves I never do
Label, archive and file email Replies to complaints Delete email permanently
Book showings in open calendar slots Anything involving price or offers Sign or send contracts
Send booking confirmations from approved templates First reply to a new seller lead Change account passwords or settings
Update the lead tracker Messages to other agents or lenders Make payments or give card details
Decline spam and vendor cold pitches Rescheduling Sam’s personal appointments Speak for the client on legal or financial matters

Revisit it at each review. As trust builds, items move left.

4. Set up access without passwords

Keep an access register from day one:

Tool Access type Permission Granted Removed
Gmail (jordan@…) Delegation Read, send, delete 1 Oct
Google Calendar (Sam) Shared calendar Make changes and see event details 1 Oct
Shared Drive > Operations > VA Shared folder Content manager 1 Oct
Lead tracker (Google Sheet) File share Editor 1 Oct
Slack Guest account Two channels only 1 Oct

Gmail delegation

The client does this from their account, per Google’s Gmail Help:

  1. Open Gmail on a computer, click Settings, then See all settings.
  2. Open the Accounts and Import tab (or Accounts).
  3. Under Grant access to your account, click Add another account.
  4. Enter your email address, click Next Step, then Send email to grant access.

You accept from the email you receive. As a delegate you can read, send and delete the client’s mail, and messages you send show your address as the sender. You cannot change their password or use their Chat. A personal Gmail account can have up to 10 delegates.

If the client uses Google Workspace (a company email on their own domain), Google only lets them delegate to people inside their organization. The usual fix is for the client to create a Workspace user account for you, or for their admin to change the setting. Raise this before the start date, because it may involve their IT person and an extra license.

Google Calendar

The client opens the calendar’s Settings and sharing, goes to Shared with, clicks Add people and groups, and picks a permission. For booking showings, Make changes and see event details is enough. Avoid Make changes and manage sharing unless you are meant to share their calendar with others.

When there is no delegation option

Some tools only have one login. Ask the client to share it through a password manager’s sharing feature, so the password is never pasted into chat or email. Never accept or ask for a one-time code (OTP); if a login needs one every time, ask the client to add you as a user instead.

Your own security

Turn on multi-factor authentication on your own email and work accounts, which CISA recommends for email and file storage in particular. Use a separate browser profile for each client so their tabs, logins and bookmarks stay apart.

5. Run a 30-minute kickoff

Agenda:

  1. Confirm the brief and the first deliverable (5 min)
  2. Walk through five real emails together: what each is, what the client would do (10 min)
  3. Confirm the authority list (5 min)
  4. Test access live: you open the inbox and the calendar while on the call (5 min)
  5. Confirm daily summary format, review dates and urgent contact (5 min)

Send the recap the same day:

Subject: Kickoff recap and first week

Hi Jordan,

Thanks for today. Here is what we agreed:

First deliverable: inbox sorted into 5 labels and 5 reply templates for
your approval, by Friday 9 Oct.
I will: triage the inbox and book showings Mon to Fri, 8 a.m. to noon Central.
I will ask first before: replying to complaints, anything about price or
offers, and first replies to new seller leads.
You will send me: the 3 most common buyer questions with your usual answers,
by Wednesday.
Daily summary: in Slack at 12:00 p.m. Central.
Week-one review: Friday 9 Oct, 11:30 a.m. Central (12:30 a.m. Saturday Manila).

Please correct anything I have misunderstood.

Maria

6. Make the first deliverable small

Week one is a test of the process, not a chance to transform everything. For this client:

  • Days 1 and 2: sort the last two weeks of email into labels; archive nothing older without asking.
  • Day 3: draft five reply templates from the client’s own past replies.
  • Day 4: client approves or edits templates; you start using them.
  • Day 5: review call.

Nothing is permanently deleted, no filters run automatically until the client has seen them work on real mail, and every day ends with a five-line summary:

Thu 8 Oct, end of shift New leads: 3 (logged in tracker) Showings booked: 4 (calendar updated) Needs you: 1 complaint about a canceled showing, draft reply in “1-Action” Waiting on others: 2 lenders Inbox: 0 unread

The detailed inbox method is in Email and Calendar Management for VAs.

7. Review at the end of week one and week two

Ask four questions:

  1. What did I get wrong or do differently from how you would?
  2. Which approvals slowed things down and could move to “do without asking”?
  3. Is the volume what we expected?
  4. Is there access I no longer need?

If the work has grown beyond the brief, say so and quote for it before continuing. “Since Tuesday I have also been handling vendor invoices, about 3 hours a week. Happy to keep doing it at the same rate; shall I add it to the scope?”

8. Plan the ending on day one

When the work ends, whether next month or in three years, you should be able to:

  • Hand over open tasks with a status list
  • Return all files to the client’s own Drive or system
  • Remove your delegation, calendar access, guest accounts and any saved logins, and confirm each removal by email
  • Send the final invoice
  • Delete client data from your own devices, unless the agreement says otherwise

Add this to the brief now so nobody is surprised later.

Handling personal data

Your client’s inbox is full of other people’s personal information: buyers’ names, phone numbers, sometimes financial details. Treat it as confidential, keep it in the client’s systems rather than downloading it, and never use it in your portfolio. In the Philippines, the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10173) governs personal data processing, and EU and UK clients have their own rules for people who process data on their behalf. If a client asks you to sign a data processing agreement, read it; it is a normal request, not a red flag.

The checklist

Before day one

  • Terms agreed in writing (scope, hours, rate, payment, notice)
  • Client brief sent and confirmed
  • Authority list agreed
  • Access granted by delegation or invitation; access register started
  • MFA on your own accounts; separate browser profile set up

Kickoff

  • Five real examples walked through
  • Access tested live
  • Recap email sent the same day

Week one and two

  • Small, reversible first deliverable
  • Daily summary every shift
  • Review on day 5 and day 10 to 14
  • Scope changes quoted before they continue
  • First invoice sent on schedule

FAQ

What if the client just sends me their password?

Thank them, explain you would rather use delegation so they keep control, and send the steps above. If there is truly no alternative, ask them to share it through a password manager and change it when you finish.

How long should onboarding take?

For a small inbox-and-calendar client, a few days of set-up and two weeks to settle. Larger or more sensitive roles take longer.

Do I need a formal contract?

A written email agreement covers most small engagements. For larger or longer work, a simple service agreement protects both sides; see the payment-terms section of the invoice guide.

Sources and further reading

Video references

Watch the workflow

How to get started with Asana | Beginner overview 2024Asana · Use Asana's beginner overview to turn onboarding steps, owners, and due dates into a trackable project.

Fees, limits and platform rules change. The date at the top shows when this guide was last updated, and the sources section links to the official pages it relies on. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it.