Kickoff call
The first working meeting after signing, where goals, approvers, dates, and who-sends-what get agreed out loud and written down.
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What it is
The kickoff call is the first working session after the contract is signed, and its job is boring on purpose: confirm the goal in the client's own words, name who approves what, agree the schedule, and list every asset or access you need from them before you can move. It is not a sales call and not a discovery call. Those happened already, and repeating them wastes the one meeting where everyone is still paying attention.
Reach for a real kickoff whenever more than two people on the client side will have opinions. The three questions that earn their keep: who is the single point of contact who consolidates feedback, what does 'done' look like for the first deliverable, and what happens to the timeline if their assets arrive a week late. Answer those live, then send a written recap the same day. The recap is the artifact, not the meeting.
The classic mistake is treating kickoff as a vibes session and letting someone say 'we'll figure that out as we go'. Every soft answer in the kickoff becomes a scope argument in week five. If a decision cannot be made on the call, write it down with an owner and a date rather than letting it dissolve into the general good mood.
Ask AI for it
Write a 45-minute kickoff call agenda plus a same-day recap email template for a client project. The agenda should have timed sections: 5 min introductions and roles, 10 min restating the project goal and success measure in the client's words, 10 min walking the deliverables and dates from the statement of work, 10 min naming the single point of contact, the approval chain, and the feedback turnaround we need, 5 min listing every client-supplied asset, credential, and access with an owner and a due date, 5 min communication norms (channel, weekly update day, escalation path). Include three questions that surface hidden stakeholders. Then write the recap email: decisions made, open items with owners and dates, the exact list of things we are waiting on, and one line stating that dates shift if those items land late. Keep the tone direct and friendly, no corporate filler.