# Client onboarding with structured forms

Canonical: https://useformwork.com/use-cases/client-onboarding

Updated: 2026-09-17

A walkthrough for collecting companies, contacts, and supporting information, then handing structured answers to an operational team.

FormWork can support an onboarding process in which a client supplies structured information and your team reviews it. The example below is a configuration pattern, not a preconfigured customer portal or a customer case study.

## 1. Collect the structure you actually need

Define company details, the requested services, and supporting uploads. Use a [repeatable group](/product/nested-data) for each company and a nested group for its contacts. Conditional sections let you ask additional questions only when the relevant service is selected.

Use [validation rules](/docs/logic/validation-rules) for required information. File upload fields collect supporting documents; configure and test the permitted file behaviour described in [files and uploads](/docs/entries/files-uploads).

## 2. Keep internal review separate

Attach a metafield form to hold internal answers such as review status, assigned reviewer, or follow-up notes. [Metafields](/docs/entries/metafields) are linked form entries, so internal information has its own structure and revision history.

They do not create a separate permission boundary inside an account. Account members have broad access to account resources. Put clients or teams requiring separation in different accounts, and review [users and permissions](/docs/platform/users-permissions) before inviting people.

## 3. Connect the handoff

Configure a submission workflow to send selected information to your own system through an [API Connector](/docs/extensions/api-connectors). Record and inspect the workflow result. A submitted entry does not prove that a downstream request or email succeeded.

## 4. Change the process deliberately

When the onboarding requirements change, publish a [new form version](/product/versioned-forms). Existing entries remain on their original version; there is no automatic migration of previously collected answers.

## What success looks like

Test with multiple companies, reordered contacts, missing required information, and a failed downstream request. A useful outcome is an entry your team can understand, a clear internal review state, and a verified handoff. Set your own completion-time and follow-up targets; this walkthrough does not claim a measured efficiency gain.

Start with the [quick start](/docs/getting-started/quick-start), compare [pricing](/pricing), or [talk through your process](/#contact).