Coaches: client onboarding and applications

Client Onboarding is how new clients join a coach: they answer your questions, pay for a package, then get the app. It is the only way to add a client.

Available on Pro and Studio, for Owners and Admins.

Before you start

You need three things:

1. Stripe connected, under Integrations. See Packages, payments and earnings.
2. A coaching package to sell, under Products.
3. An onboarding form, under Forms. Straton provides a ready-made “Client onboarding” form you can copy.

Creating an onboarding

1. Go to Client Onboarding and click New onboarding.

2. Fill in:

   Field	Notes
   Internal name	Only you see this
   Link slug	The end of your link. 2 to 80 characters
   Headline clients see	Default: “Apply for coaching”
   Intro clients see	Up to 2,000 characters
   Application form	One of your onboarding forms
   Eligible coaching packages	1 to 20 packages the applicant can choose from
   Payment timing	Review first or Instant checkout
   Reminders	Emails applicants who stop part-way
   Completion message	Shown after payment

3. Click Create onboarding.

4. Open the row menu and choose Publish.

5. Use Copy link to share it, or invite people by email from Clients > Invite client.

Payment timing

Applicants aged 16 or 17 always go through Review first, whatever the setting.

Reminders

If switched on, an applicant who stops before submitting gets at most two emails: one about 4 hours after they stop, and a final one about 2 days after they last saved. Nothing is sent once they submit.

Things to know

• An onboarding can be Draft, Published or Archived. Only published onboardings accept applications.
• Once a package is part of a published onboarding, it can no longer be bought directly from its package page. Buyers are sent through the onboarding instead.
• “Complete the form and package setup before publishing” means the onboarding is missing a form or a package.

Onboarding forms

An onboarding form is a special intake form. It must include these required questions, which fill in the client’s profile automatically:

• Sex
• Date of birth
• Height
• Daily activity
• Goal

Body weight is always collected. You can add more profile questions (for example diet, allergies, sleep, equipment, limitations, goal weight) and your own questions. See Forms, check-ins and intakes.

What the applicant sees

1. Landing page with your headline and intro. They enter their name, confirm their age and agree to their information being used to assess the application.

2. Package choice, if you offer more than one.

3. Your questions, a few per page, including their current weight.

4. Contact email, then Submit application.

5. One of the following:

   Screen	Meaning
   Your application is in	Waiting for you to review it
   {Workspace} accepted your application	They can now pay, and enter a coupon code
   Payment is still in progress	Checkout was started but not finished
   You’re all set	Paid. Shows your completion message and their invitation code
   This application is closed	You declined it
   This application has expired	No activity for too long. They can apply again

Age rules on the landing page:

• “I’m 18 or older”, or
• “I’m 16 or 17, and a parent or guardian has agreed to this coaching”.
• Straton is not available to anyone under 16.

Applicants can use Download my data or Cancel & delete application at the bottom of the page any time before they pay.

Emails the applicant gets

Reviewing applications

New applications appear in Inboxes as “Coaching application”. You also get an email, “New coaching application from {name}”. Click Review.

The application page shows the answers, a timeline and badges such as “Unverified email” or “Aged 16 or 17”.

While the status is Awaiting review:

1. Choose the package to accept them for.
2. For an applicant aged 16 or 17, tick the box confirming that a parent or guardian agrees to the coaching. This is required.
3. Click Accept and send booking link, or Decline application.

After accepting you can Resend booking link. The booking link is valid for seven days.

Application statuses: Draft, Awaiting review, Awaiting booking, Checkout started, Paid, Invited, Active, Declined, Expired.

After payment: getting the client into the app

Once the applicant pays:

• They become a client with the status Onboarding.
• They receive an email with a link to download the app and a six-character invitation code. The invitation is valid for 7 days.
• The same code is shown on the application page. You can copy it and send it to them yourself, or click Resend invitation.

If the person already has a Straton account under the same email, no code is needed. They are connected automatically and get an email titled “Your {workspace} coaching access is ready”.

The client’s side of this is covered in Joining your coach.

Package purchases without an onboarding

If someone buys a package directly from its package page, they appear in Inboxes as “New client onboarding”:

A package with Instant access switched on sends the invitation as soon as payment lands, without waiting for approval.

Adding a client for free

Create a 100% coupon under Products > Coupons, then invite the client with that coupon selected. They go through your onboarding and the checkout is free, with no card needed.

Common questions

An applicant says their link expired. Open their application and click Resend booking link. If the application itself has expired, they need to apply again.

The invitation code doesn’t work. Codes are single use and expire after 7 days. Click Resend invitation on the application or in Inboxes to issue a new one.

Can I skip the form and just add a client? No. Every client joins through an onboarding. Keep the form short if you want a quick path.

Can I change the package after accepting? The package is chosen when you accept. If it needs to change before payment, contact support.

Client Onboarding isn’t in my sidebar. It needs Pro or Studio and an Owner or Admin role.