Automate Your Onboarding Process Without Enterprise HR Software
You’re onboarding new hires using spreadsheets, manual emails, Slack reminders, and endless follow-ups. Every new employee requires hours of repetitive work: sending welcome messages, creating folder structures, notifying IT about access needs, tracking task completion, and chasing people for updates. It’s exhausting, error-prone, and doesn’t scale.
You’ve looked at HRIS platforms, but they’re expensive ($8-15 per employee per month), require lengthy implementations, and include features you don’t need. You just want to automate the repetitive communication and tracking parts of onboarding without paying for enterprise software or hiring a full-time person to manage it.
Our Custom Automated Onboarding System solves this: we build a fully customized, no-code automation system using Airtable as your central database, connected to tools you already use (Google Workspace, Slack, etc.) through Zapier or Make.com. When you update a new hire’s status in Airtable, the system automatically handles welcome emails, file organization, access provisioning notifications, task assignments, and progress tracking—saving 5.5-8.5 hours of manual work per hire over the 90-day onboarding period.
Perfect for:
- Growing companies with 10-150 employees scaling hiring without an HRIS
- Startups hiring regularly (5+ people per quarter) overwhelmed by manual onboarding tasks
- Solo HR practitioners, COOs, or founders managing onboarding themselves
- Teams already using Airtable, Google Workspace, and no-code automation tools
- Companies wanting to automate communication and tracking without expensive HR software
What This System Automates
Centralized Onboarding Database (Airtable):
All new hire information managed in one visual database with real-time dashboards showing onboarding status, completion percentages, flagged items, and who’s responsible for pending tasks. Custom views for managers, IT, HR, and leadership provide role-specific visibility.
Automated Communications:
Pre-boarding email sequences triggered by status changes or dates—welcome emails, preparation instructions, day-one logistics, paperwork reminders. Day 1 and beyond: automated welcome messages with onboarding materials, weekly check-ins, milestone reminders to managers, 30/60/90-day touchpoints. All emails pull personalized details (name, role, start date, manager) from Airtable and are sent via your Gmail or Outlook account.
Automated Notifications and Task Assignments:
IT receives automatic notifications listing required system access by role, with tasks created in your project management tool (Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Monday). Managers get alerts when new hires join their team, checklists of responsibilities, and milestone reminders. Operations receives equipment requests, finance gets payroll setup notifications. Slack or Teams messages introduce new hires to relevant channels.
File and Folder Organization:
Automated creation of Google Drive folders with consistent structure (Welcome, Training, Documents, Role-Specific), automatic sharing with new hire and manager, permission setting, and email distribution of folder links.
Progress Tracking and Reporting:
Real-time dashboards with automatic completion percentage calculations, overdue item flagging, automated reminder emails when tasks approach deadlines, weekly summary reports to leadership, and bottleneck identification.
What This System Does NOT Automate (Important Realities)
Calendar Scheduling:
Automation can create calendar events at fixed times but cannot find available times across multiple calendars or handle scheduling coordination. Better approach: automation sends reminders to schedule meetings (e.g., “Please schedule [Employee]’s first 1-on-1 this week”) or provides Calendly links for self-scheduling.
Document Generation:
Cannot generate documents with employee-specific data (offer letters with specific salary/equity, contracts with detailed terms). Automation creates folders, shares template documents, and tracks completion—but you still customize the actual documents. Full document automation requires specialized tools like WebMerge or Documint (additional subscriptions and setup).
E-Signature Workflows:
Can send reminders about documents needing signatures and track completion, but full integration with DocuSign, Dropbox Sign, or HelloSign requires additional tools and complex setup.
Actual Access Provisioning:
Automation notifies IT about required access and tracks completion, but IT still manually creates accounts in each system. Automated account creation across multiple platforms requires API access and security considerations beyond no-code tools.
What This Means:
Automation handles communication, tracking, and coordination—the time-consuming parts. Humans still execute tasks (scheduling meetings, customizing documents, provisioning access), but they’re notified automatically and tracked systematically.
What’s Included
Custom Airtable Base Design:
- Database structure tailored to your onboarding workflow
- Custom fields for employee information, tasks, and status tracking
- Multiple views for different stakeholders (HR, managers, IT, leadership)
- Progress tracking and completion dashboards
- Calculated fields for completion percentages
No-Code Automation Workflows:
- Custom-built automations in Zapier or Make.com (number based on package)
- Connects Airtable to your tools (Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, task management)
- Trigger-based workflows for communication and notifications
- Conditional logic for role-specific or department-specific flows
- Date-based triggers for scheduled communications
Email Communication Templates:
- Pre-written email sequences for pre-boarding and onboarding
- Personalized with employee details pulled from Airtable
- Written in your company voice and aligned to your culture
- Scheduled based on start date or status changes
Notification Templates:
- Slack or Teams message templates for introductions and updates
- IT provisioning request emails listing required access
- Manager enablement emails with checklists and responsibilities
- Operations notifications for equipment and workspace prep
- Reminder templates for pending tasks and approaching deadlines
Task Management Integration:
- Automated task creation in your project management tool
- Tasks include all relevant details (who, what, when, why)
- Assignment to appropriate team members
- Due date calculations based on start date
- Status tracking synchronized with Airtable
File Organization Structure:
- Google Drive folder hierarchy and naming conventions
- Automated folder creation for each new hire
- Permission setting and sharing automation
- Organized structure for different document categories
Progress Tracking System:
- Real-time dashboards showing onboarding status
- Completion percentage calculations
- Overdue item flagging and alerts
- Weekly summary reports
- Manager-specific views of their team’s onboardings
Live Training Session (60-90 Minutes):
- Comprehensive walk-through of the entire system
- How to add new hires and trigger automations
- How to use dashboards and track progress
- How to update templates and email content
- Troubleshooting common issues
- Recorded for future reference
Documentation Package:
- System architecture and workflow diagrams
- Step-by-step user guide for adding new hires
- Field definitions and data entry guidelines
- Template update instructions
- Troubleshooting guide and FAQ
What’s Not Included
You must provide your own subscriptions to:
- Airtable: Free plan works for small teams; Plus plan ($10-20/user/month) recommended
- Zapier or Make.com: Starter plan or higher ($20-30+/month depending on automation volume)
- Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (for email and Drive)
- Slack or Microsoft Teams (if using for notifications)
- Project management tool (if using task automation)
Not included in automation scope:
- Calendar scheduling based on availability
- Full document generation with employee-specific data
- E-signature workflow automation
- Actual system access provisioning
- Monthly subscription costs for tools (you pay directly to providers)
- Ongoing automation maintenance beyond initial 30-day support period
- Building additional automations beyond package scope
- Custom software development or coding
You receive:
- Fully built and tested automation system
- Templates customized to your company
- Training on how to use and maintain
- 30 days of email support for questions and troubleshooting
- Documentation for ongoing use
You’re responsible for:
- Maintaining active subscriptions to required tools
- Adding new hire information to Airtable
- Updating email and notification templates as needed
- Executing actual tasks (scheduling, provisioning, document creation)
- Monitoring dashboards and addressing flagged items
How This Service Works
Step 1: Complete Quote Request Form
Fill out our detailed quote request form with: description of your current onboarding process (step-by-step), tools you currently use, approximate hiring volume (X hires per month/quarter), specific pain points or bottlenecks, and timeline for implementation.
Step 2: Discovery Call (Week 1)
We schedule 1-2 hour discovery conversation to walk through your current process in detail, identify which tasks can realistically be automated, clarify which tasks will remain manual (and why), discuss your tools and integration possibilities, and map out realistic automation scope.
Step 3: Proposal and Architecture (Week 1)
We provide detailed quote based on complexity, create visual workflow diagrams showing exactly what will happen, document what gets automated vs. what stays manual, list specific automations and their triggers, and clarify expectations and limitations. You review and approve before we build.
Step 4: System Build (Week 2-3)
We build Airtable base with your structure, fields, and views, create automation workflows in Zapier or Make, write and customize all email and notification templates, set up folder structures and file organization, build dashboards and reporting views, and test thoroughly with sample scenarios.
Step 5: Testing and Refinement (Week 3)
We run end-to-end tests with fake employees, verify all triggers work correctly, test edge cases and conditional logic, refine timing and content based on results, and ensure integrations are reliable.
Step 6: Training and Launch (Week 3-4)
We conduct 60-90 minute live training session, walk through adding a new hire step-by-step, demonstrate how to read and use dashboards, show how to update templates, cover troubleshooting common issues, record session for future reference, answer all questions, and you begin using with real new hires.
Step 7: Post-Launch Support (30 Days)
Email support for questions and issues, help troubleshooting unexpected scenarios, minor tweaks to templates or automation logic, guidance on edge cases.
Total timeline: 3-4 weeks from proposal acceptance to live system
Pricing & Packages
Every company’s onboarding complexity is different, so we provide custom quotes.
Basic Onboarding System: $2,299-2,999
- Best for: 10-50 employees with straightforward onboarding process
- Includes:
- 6-8 automation workflows (scope to be defined)
- Pre-boarding email sequence (3-4 emails)
- Drive folder creation and sharing
- Slack team introduction
- IT notification for standard access needs
- Manager notification and checklist
- Basic progress tracking dashboard
- Overdue task reminders
- One round of revisions to templates/workflows
- 15 days post-launch email support
HR Launcher Lab members save 20% — your price: $1,839-2,399
Standard Onboarding System: $3,999-4,999
- Best for: 50-100 employees with moderate complexity
- Includes:
- 11-15 automation workflows (scope to be defined)
- Extended email sequences with role-based variations
- Multiple Slack/Teams notifications to different channels
- Task creation in project management tool
- Department-specific notification workflows (up to 3 departments)
- Manager milestone reminders (day 1, week 1, 30/60/90 days)
- Equipment and operations notifications
- Finance/payroll alerts
- Weekly progress summary emails to leadership
- Comprehensive dashboard with multiple views
- Two rounds of revisions to templates/workflows
- 30 days post-launch email support
HR Launcher Lab members save 20% — your price: $3,199-3,999
Complex Onboarding System: $5,999-8,499
- Best for: 100-200 employees with complex, multi-department needs
- Includes:
- 16-25 automation workflows (scope to be defined)
- Highly conditional workflows (different flows by role, location, department)
- Integration with multiple communication platforms
- Advanced task routing and assignment logic
- Multi-step notification chains to various stakeholders
- Escalation workflows for overdue items
- Department-specific workflows (up to 5 departments)
- Detailed reporting and analytics dashboards
- Integration with 5+ tools
- Custom dashboard views for multiple stakeholders
- Two rounds of revisions to templates/workflows
- 45 days post-launch email support
HR Launcher Lab members save 20% — your price: $4,799-6,799
Enterprise Onboarding System: Custom Pricing
- Best for: 200+ employees or extremely complex requirements
- Includes:
- 25+ automation workflows
- Extremely complex conditional logic
- Integration with 8+ tools
- Multi-location or international variations
- Compliance-specific workflows
- Advanced reporting and analytics requirements
- Ongoing monthly support available
HR Launcher Lab members save 20% on all packages
Add-ons available:
- Additional automation workflows beyond package scope: $299 each ($239 for members)
- Additional department-specific workflow: $499 each ($399 for members)
- Monthly maintenance retainer (updates, new automations): $499/month ($399 for members)
- Rush delivery (2 weeks instead of 3-4): +$1,500
- Additional training sessions: $299 per session ($239 for members)
Not a member yet? HR Launcher Lab membership starts at $399/year and includes access to 100+ guides, templates, and toolkits across recruiting, onboarding, compensation, compliance, and HR technology—plus 20% off all custom services. Learn more about membership or sign up when you complete your quote request form.
Why Realistic Automation Still Saves Massive Time
Manual onboarding typically takes (from offer acceptance through day 90):
- 2-3 hours: Writing and sending multiple emails over time (pre-boarding sequence, welcome messages, weekly check-ins, milestone reminders, 30/60/90-day touchpoints)
- 1-2 hours: Coordinating with IT, ops, managers across multiple touchpoints (initial requests, follow-ups on pending items, status checks)
- 30-45 minutes: Creating folders, organizing documents, setting permissions for each new hire
- 1-1.5 hours: Updating tracking spreadsheets or tools throughout onboarding journey (not just once, but ongoing status updates)
- 1-2 hours: Following up on pending tasks over 90 days (chasing unsigned documents, missing access, incomplete training, overdue manager check-ins)
- 30-45 minutes: Ad hoc questions and troubleshooting (where’s the handbook, how do I access X, who do I ask about Y)
- Total: 7-10 hours per hire over 90-day period
With automation:
- 10 minutes: Add new hire to Airtable with all details
- 15-20 minutes: Upload role-specific materials to their folder
- 10-15 minutes: Review automation ran correctly, check dashboard
- 30-45 minutes: Handle exceptions, edge cases, or special requests over 90 days
- Total: 65-90 minutes per hire
Time savings: ~5.5-8.5 hours per hire
At scale:
- 5 hires/month: Save ~30-40 hours/month = ~360-480 hours/year
- 10 hires/quarter: Save ~60-85 hours/quarter = ~240-340 hours/year
- 20 hires/quarter: Save ~120-170 hours/quarter = ~480-680 hours/year
At $75/hour for HR/admin time:
- 5 hires/month: $27,000-36,000/year saved
- 10 hires/quarter: $18,000-25,500/year saved
- 20 hires/quarter: $36,000-51,000/year saved
System pays for itself after 2-4 new hires depending on package.
ROI: Compared to Alternatives
vs. HRIS Platforms:
- BambooHR onboarding module: ~$3,000-5,000/year for 50 employees
- Rippling onboarding: ~$4,000-8,000/year
- Custom automation: $3,999-4,999 one-time + $240-360/year in tool subscriptions
- Saves $2,500-7,500 annually vs. HRIS onboarding modules
vs. Hiring Admin Help:
- Part-time onboarding coordinator (15 hrs/week): $18,000-25,000/year
- Automation system: $3,999-4,999 one-time investment
- Pays for itself in 2-3 months of avoided hiring costs
vs. DIY Automation:
- Average time to build yourself: 30-60 hours
- At $75/hour opportunity cost: $2,250-4,500 in time
- Plus learning curve, mistakes, ongoing maintenance
- Professional build costs similar but delivers better results faster
Common Onboarding Challenges This Service Solves
“I spend hours writing the same emails over and over”
Automation sends all standard communications automatically, pulling in personalized details from Airtable.
“I forget to notify people and things fall through the cracks”
Automated notifications ensure IT, managers, ops, and others know what’s needed, when.
“I have no idea what’s pending across all my onboardings”
Real-time dashboard shows all active onboardings, completion status, and overdue items at a glance.
“I waste time chasing people for status updates”
Automated reminders and tracking eliminate most follow-up. System flags what needs attention.
“Every onboarding is different because I’m creating folders from scratch”
Automated folder creation ensures consistent structure every time.
“We looked at HRIS platforms but can’t justify the cost”
This solution costs a fraction of HRIS platforms and uses tools you already know.
Is This Service Right for You?
This service is ideal if you:
- Hire 5+ employees per quarter
- Currently do mostly manual onboarding communication and tracking
- Use or are willing to use Airtable and Zapier/Make
- Want to eliminate repetitive email writing and coordination
- Need better visibility into onboarding progress
- Have relatively consistent onboarding process that can be standardized
You might need something different if you:
- Hire very infrequently (1-2 people per year)
- Already have HRIS platform with built-in onboarding
- Need complex document generation or e-signature automation (requires specialized tools)
- Want fully hands-off onboarding (some manual work will always remain)
- Have extremely variable onboarding that can’t be standardized
Ready to get started?
Complete our quote request form and provide:
- Brief description of your current onboarding process (what happens from offer to day 90)
- Tools you currently use
- How many people you hire per month or quarter
- Biggest onboarding pain points or bottlenecks
- Timeline for when you’d like system operational
- Whether you’re an HR Launcher Lab member (for 20% discount)
We’ll respond within 1-2 business days to schedule a discovery call and provide a custom quote tailored to your needs.
Not a member yet? Consider joining HR Launcher Lab for 20% off this service plus access to our complete library of HR guides, templates, and toolkits. You can add membership when completing your quote request form.
Related Resources:
- Visit the Onboarding Launch Hub for new hire experience guides
- See the HR Technology Launch Hub for automation and workflow guidance
- Join HR Launcher Lab for 20% off all custom services
Legal Disclaimer:
This service is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. HR Launcher Lab is not responsible for changes to third-party APIs, platform limitations, or automation service availability. Client is responsible for maintaining active subscriptions to Airtable, Google Workspace, Zapier or Make.com, and any integrated applications. Businesses should consult qualified professionals to address specific legal, regulatory, or organizational requirements.
