The first 90 days of a client relationship in financial services are when lasting impressions form. They're also when most onboarding processes break down.
The client was courted carefully. They signed. Accounts transferred. Then comes a period of relative silence, punctuated by document requests from operations. The first planning meeting happens four to six weeks in and spends part of the time catching up on context that should have been confirmed weeks earlier.
Research on advisory firm attrition consistently shows early engagement as a retention predictor. Clients who feel well-served in the first 90 days stay. Clients who experience a bureaucratic intake and then don't hear much start questioning what they're paying for.
What the first 90 days should look like
Weeks 1-2: Document collection completes, accounts are in transfer, and the client gets a clear status update on where things stand and what comes next.
Week 3: Introductory planning session. This isn't a data review. It's a conversation about what the client is actually trying to accomplish and what the advisor needs to understand about their situation.
Week 4: First draft of the financial plan delivered for review before the formal meeting.
Month 2: Formal plan review, priorities set, questions answered.
Month 3: Check-in on action items, any changes, and a preview of what to expect going forward.
This is a defined process. Because it's defined, it's manageable with automation: proactive status updates to the client, workflow tracking for operations, and alerts when something slips outside the expected timeline.
The gap most firms have
Between signing and the first substantial meeting, clients typically hear from the firm only when something is needed from them. A proactive automated sequence — status updates, a welcome note from the advisor, a brief pre-meeting questionnaire — bridges that gap without requiring manual attention for every new client.
