You signed a new client on Monday, and everyone was excited to get started. It's now Thursday, and you still don't have access to their Google Ads account.
The client intended to grant access but didn't know how. So you sent instructions, and they followed the wrong steps. You sent a Loom video, and they watched half of it before getting distracted. You scheduled a call, but they had to reschedule. Meanwhile, you can't start the work they're paying you for.
This is the reality for most marketing agencies: what should take 10 minutes turns into a week of emails, follow-ups, and awkward "just checking in" messages.
The Real Cost of Access Delays
Every day you wait for platform access is a day you're not delivering value, and your client's excitement fades quickly. That momentum you had after signing the deal disappears while everyone waits around for admin permissions.
The damage goes deeper than lost time, though. Your client's first real experience with your agency is frustration rather than progress. They wanted marketing help, but instead, they're getting homework assignments on Google Admin panels and Meta Business Manager settings. That's not exactly the professional experience they expected when they signed that contract.
Your team feels it too. They can't plan campaigns without seeing the account data, and they can't set realistic timelines without knowing what they're working with. The whole project starts on the wrong foot because everyone is stuck waiting instead of working.
Why Traditional Solutions Don't Work
Most agencies try to solve this with documentation: creating Google Docs with step-by-step instructions and recording Loom videos that walk through each platform. They build templates for every situation and hope that covers all the bases.
The problem is that every platform has different steps. Google Ads requires one process, GA4 requires another, and Meta Business Manager is its own maze entirely. Platforms constantly update their interfaces, so your carefully crafted documentation becomes outdated within months.
Even when your instructions are perfect, clients still get confused. They add the wrong email, set the wrong permission level, or complete the steps in the wrong account altogether. You have no way of knowing until you try to log in and find nothing there, which means you have to email them to ask them to double-check. They get annoyed, you get frustrated, and the relationship takes a hit before the real work even starts.
A Better Approach to Client Access
SmartMetrics built the Client Onboarding feature specifically for this problem. Instead of sending instructions and hoping for the best, you send a request through your client's portal where they can see exactly what to do.
These aren't generic instructions either. Your client sees the exact steps for each platform, with the exact email address they need to add, so there's no interpretation required. When they finish, they click Verify, and SmartMetrics confirms the access is set up correctly. You get notified instantly.
No more "did it work?" emails, no more checking accounts manually, and no more wondering if they added the right permissions. The system tells you when you're ready to go, so you can actually start working.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Say you're onboarding a new e-commerce client and you need access to Google Ads, GA4, Meta Ads, and their Shopify analytics.
The old way involves sending four separate sets of instructions, which overwhelms the client. They do Google Ads but forget about Meta, so you follow up. They grant Meta access, but with the wrong permission level, so you follow up again. Three days later, you're still missing GA,4 and everyone is frustrated.
The new way is simpler. You select all four platforms in your agency dashboard, enter your agency email, and send the request. Your client opens their portal, sees four tasks with clear instructions, and completes them in one sitting. You get four notifications confirming access, and the total time from request to ready is usually under an hour.
Beyond Just Access Requests
Once you have access, you need to keep track of account IDs like GA4 property IDs, Google Ads CIDs, Meta Business Manager IDs, and LinkedIn Campaign Manager IDs.
Most agencies store these in spreadsheets, Notion docs, or buried in email threads somewhere. When something breaks six months later, you're digging through files trying to find the right ID while a client waits for answers.
SmartMetrics stores all platform IDs in a single location for each client, making everything easier to find. Need to set up a new integration? Check the client record. Troubleshooting a tracking issue? Check the client record. Everything stays organized and up to date without requiring you to maintain separate documentation.
When Access Gets Revoked
Here's a scenario every agency knows well. Your client hired a new marketing director, who cleaned house and accidentally removed your agency's access to everything.
The old way means you email your contact, they're embarrassed, and they have to ask IT to fix it. IT needs your email addresses again, and it takes a week before you can get back to work.
The new way is much faster. You send a new access request through SmartMetrics, your client follows the same guided steps, and verification confirms everything is restored. You're back to work the same day instead of waiting around.
The Bigger Picture
Client onboarding sets the tone for your entire relationship. When it's smooth, clients trust that you know what you're doing and feel confident they made the right choice. When it's clunky, they start wondering what else will be difficult and whether they should have gone with a different agency.
Fast, professional onboarding isn't just about efficiency. It's about showing clients they made the right choice in hiring you from the very first interaction.
The agencies that figure this out have a real advantage because they start work faster, bill sooner, and keep clients happier. They also free up their team to focus on actual marketing instead of administrative headaches, which is what everyone wanted in the first place.
Getting Started
If you're tired of chasing clients for platform access, SmartMetrics can help you fix that problem for good. Set up your client portals, send access requests, and let the system handle verification automatically.
Your clients get a simple experience, you get access faster, and nobody sends another "just following up on that access request" email again.