Airtable Client Workspace Provisioning (Onboarding)

Airtable Client Workspace Provisioning (Onboarding)

1. 01

   Create the client base inside the agency workspace, not a standalone account

   Keep the base under the agency's paid workspace so editor seats stay on the agency's Team plan at $20/mo annually per seat rather than pushing the client onto their own billing. Name the base with the client code so billing reconciliation stays clean.

2. 02

   Build the relational table structure before importing any records

   Define linked-record fields for clients, projects, and deliverables up front. Airtable's Free plan caps at 1,000 records per base, so confirm the client's expected volume against the Team plan's 50,000 records per base before committing to a tier.

3. 03

   Connect the client's source tools through standard sync integrations

   Wire Slack, Google Drive, and any CRM the client already runs into the base. Standard sync integrations are a Team plan feature, so a client still on Free cannot be handed a synced workspace without an upgrade.

4. 04

   Configure the automations that replace the client's recurring manual tasks

   Map each manual task to a trigger and action pair, then watch the run counter. Free allows 100 automation runs and Team allows 25,000, so a client with daily reporting cadences will exhaust the Free ceiling inside the first week.

5. 05

   Set role-based views and interface dashboards for each stakeholder group

   Build separate views for client executives, the client's team leads, and the agency delivery pod. Use the interface designer to expose only the fields each group needs, which keeps the client from editing schema they should not touch.

6. 06

   Assign AI credits deliberately across the seats that will use agents

   Free grants 500 AI credits per editor each month and Team grants 15,000 per paid user each month. If the client wants AI agents running on intake or summarization, size the seat count against that credit pool before promising agent coverage.

7. 07

   Run a handoff session and document the base for the client team

   Walk the client through base usage, view switching, and what they are and are not allowed to change. Leave a written record of the table relationships so the next agency operator can pick up the base without reverse-engineering it.

8. 08

   Log the seat count and plan tier in the agency's own project base

   Because Airtable bills per editor and not per client account, margin compresses as the client's team grows. Track seats monthly so the retainer can be repriced before the agency absorbs the delta.