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The FOSS-First Onboarding Pipeline: Automate Client Data Collection for Free

Is your client onboarding a chaotic mess of back-and-forth emails? Gathering essential data like brand assets, goals, and credentials manually is not just slow—it's a recipe for errors, delays, and a frustrating start for your new clients. This fragmented process wastes valuable time and pushes back the start of actual, billable work.

Implement the FOSS-First Onboarding Pipeline to completely automate your client data collection. This playbook shows you how to use a powerful, cost-effective stack built on Tally.so's beautiful forms and the open-source automation engine, n8n. When a new client submits their information through a structured Tally form, n8n instantly captures the data and creates a perfectly organized onboarding card in Trello. Go from manual chaos to automated clarity with virtually zero recurring cost.

Expected Outcomes

  • Eradicate time-consuming manual data entry and follow-up emails.
  • Standardize your data collection process to ensure no critical information is ever missed.
  • Drastically reduce the time from client sign-up to project start.
  • Deliver a professional, seamless, and impressive onboarding experience for every new client.
  • Build a robust, scalable automation pipeline with minimal to zero software spend.

Core Tools in This Stack

Tally.so

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Tally is a no-code form builder that allows users to create forms and surveys as easily as writing a document. It offers a generous free plan with unlimited forms and submissions, supporting features like conditional logic, payment collection, and numerous integrations.

Key Features
  • Unlimited forms and submissions
  • Intuitive 'doc-style' form building
  • Conditional logic and answer piping
  • Payment collection (Stripe integration)
  • File uploads
  • Calculations
  • Custom 'Thank you' screens
  • Integrations with Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, etc.
  • Team collaboration
  • Custom domains
Ideal For

Company Size: Micro, Small, Medium, Large

Industries: Technology & Software, Business & Professional Services, Retail & E-commerce, Creative & Media, Education & Non-Profit, Health & Wellness, Other

Pricing

Model: Freemium, Subscription

Tier: Low-cost

Ease of Use

Very Easy

n8n.io

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n8n is a source-available workflow automation platform designed for technical users. It allows for building complex, multi-step automations connecting various APIs and services, with options for both cloud hosting and self-hosting for greater control and flexibility.

Key Features
  • Node-based visual editor
  • Extensive library of integrations (1000+)
  • Self-hosting and source-available options
  • Custom code execution (JavaScript)
  • Advanced branching and error handling
  • Extensible with custom nodes
Ideal For

Company Size: Micro, Small, Medium, Large

Industries: Technology & Software, Business & Professional Services, Retail & E-commerce, Creative & Media, Education & Non-Profit, Health & Wellness, Other

Pricing

Model: Free, Subscription, Enterprise

Tier: Mid-range

Ease of Use

Moderate

Trello

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Trello is a visual collaboration tool that creates a shared perspective on any project. It uses boards, lists, and cards to organize tasks and workflows, making it easy for teams to manage projects and track progress.

Key Features
  • Kanban Boards
  • Drag-and-Drop Cards and Lists
  • Automation (Butler)
  • Power-Ups (Integrations)
  • Customizable Templates
  • Checklists and Due Dates
  • Multiple Views (Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard)
  • Team Collaboration Tools
Ideal For

Company Size: Micro, Small, Medium, Large

Industries: Technology & Software, Business & Professional Services, Retail & E-commerce, Creative & Media, Education & Non-Profit, Health & Wellness, Other

Pricing

Model: Freemium, Subscription

Tier: Low-to-Mid

Ease of Use

Very Easy

The Workflow

graph TD subgraph "FOSS-First Onboarding Pipeline" direction LR N0["Tally.so"] N1["n8n.io"] N2["Trello"] N0 -- "Sends new response via webhook" --> N1 N1 -- "Creates new card" --> N2 end classDef blue fill:#3498db,stroke:#2980b9,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff; classDef green fill:#2ecc71,stroke:#27ae60,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff; classDef orange fill:#f39c12,stroke:#d35400,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff; class N0 blue; class N1 blue; class N2 blue;

Integration Logic

  • ClientFlow Onboarder

    This integration triggers when a new response is submitted to a specified Tally.so form. The submission data is sent via a webhook to an n8n.io workflow. n8n then processes this data and connects to the Trello API to create a new card on a designated board and list. The card's title, description, and other properties are dynamically populated with the information provided in the Tally form, such as client name, email, and project details.

Build Your Free Onboarding Pipeline

Stop chasing client data and start billable work from day one.