Valentina Akpan: Founder, Rellatech. Admin and technical virtual assistant for businesses and startups with teams.
The Starting Point
The client runs a high-touch executive coaching business. Every welcome email, contract, onboarding sequence, and phase follow-up was being sent by hand. Clients slipped through the cracks, follow-ups were missed, and the business owner was spending time on operations instead of coaching.
They needed the client journey to run on its own from payment through closeout, but they also needed to keep their existing Stripe payment setup, including Klarna. The goal was not to replace everything. It was to connect the tools they already had and remove the manual sending in between.
What I Did
I built a phase-based automation system in HoneyBook. The email a client receives changes based on where they are in the program journey. A new client who just paid gets a different message than a client who is three phases in, and neither message is sent manually.
The payment-to-onboarding flow is the backbone. When a client pays through Stripe, Zapier triggers the welcome email and contract in HoneyBook. Once the contract is signed, HoneyBook automatically moves the client to onboarding and fires the next set of emails. The business owner does not need to check whether the contract came in or remember to send the next step.
I also rebuilt the HoneyBook pipeline so there is a stage for every phase of the program. As a client moves from one phase to the next, the stage change triggers the right email. The pipeline is now the source of truth for where the client is and what they have received.
The Stripe integration was the trickiest part. The client wanted to keep their existing Stripe checkout, including Klarna, rather than move payments directly into HoneyBook. I built a Zapier workaround that listens for Stripe payments and creates the corresponding HoneyBook records and automations so the operations flow still starts at the right moment. Payments stay where they are, and the back office still knows what to do next.
For post-booking intake, I set up a Flodesk automation triggered by a Calendly booking. The sequence sends the intake form with reminders, and the reminders stop automatically once the form is completed. The client no longer has to chase people for intake responses; the system stops nagging the moment the form comes in.
Everything was documented with written SOPs. Each automation has a clear trigger, expected outcome, and troubleshooting step. The system is built to run without me.
What Went Into the Build
Phase-based automation in HoneyBook
Each email a client receives changes based on where they are in the program journey, so a welcome message does not land after someone is already three weeks in.
Payment-to-onboarding flow
A payment triggers the welcome email and contract. A signed contract triggers onboarding. No one has to press send manually at any step.
Pipeline with a stage for every program phase
The HoneyBook pipeline has a stage for every phase of the program, and each stage change fires the right email automatically as the client advances.
Stripe-to-HoneyBook workaround
I built a workaround that kept the client's existing Stripe payment setup, including Klarna, while still triggering HoneyBook automations so the operations flow could move without forcing a payment migration.
Post-booking intake automation in Flodesk
A booking in Calendly triggers a Flodesk intake sequence with reminders that stop automatically once the form is completed, so no one has to chase incomplete responses.
Written SOPs for the whole system
Every automation, trigger, and exception is documented so the system can be run, adjusted, and handed off without me being in it.
Why It Matters
In a coaching business, the experience is the product. If a welcome email is late, a contract is forgotten, or a phase follow-up never arrives, the client notices. The automation does not remove the human parts of coaching. It removes the administrative parts that were getting in the way.
The biggest change is that the business owner now has a system that runs whether they are in the inbox or not. The client gets the right message at the right time, every phase is tracked, and the SOPs mean the system can be maintained or handed off without rebuilding it from scratch.
The best client operations system is the one that keeps the human experience consistent while removing the manual work behind it.
Tools Used
Who This Is For
This case study is worth reading if you are:
- ●Running a coaching or consulting business where client emails, contracts, and follow-ups are still sent manually
- ●Using HoneyBook but not using its automation, or using it only for invoices and contracts
- ●Needing to keep Stripe payments, including options like Klarna, while still triggering automations elsewhere
- ●Wanting SOPs so your client operations system can run without the operator or a single contractor holding it together
Work with Rellatech
I build client operations and automation systems for coaches, consultants, and service businesses that need the back office to run without constant attention. If your client journey still depends on manual emails, contract chasing, or intake reminders, a short call is the fastest way to see whether I can help.
Contact Me