Weekly Client Check-In Form + AI Summary Before Each Session

Most coaches prep for a session in the five minutes before it, scrolling last week's notes and a thread of messages, trying to remember what the client said they'd do. Then the first part of the session goes to catching up. A short check-in form fixes the catching up: the client tells you what changed, in their own words, before you meet. AI fixes the reading: it turns their answers into a brief you can take in over one cup of coffee, without rewriting what they said. You still read anything that matters yourself. This workflow is the form, the settings, the send schedule, the brief, and the rules for the parts AI shouldn't touch.

Time check: about 45 to 60 minutes to set up once (questions, form, send schedule). After that, about 2 to 3 minutes per session to paste the answers and read the brief. If you spend 5 to 10 minutes per session now scrolling notes and messages to remember where a client is, that's roughly 3 to 7 minutes back per session, or 15 to 45 minutes a week at 5 to 8 sessions. Plus the part that's harder to count: the session starts where the client is, not with catching up. This is an estimate, not a measured result.

Who it's for

Coaches with recurring 1:1 clients (weekly, every other week, or monthly) who prep from memory, scattered notes, or a scroll through messages. It works for life, health, career, business, and relationship coaches. If you run group programs, use it for your 1:1 clients first.

What you need

• A free form tool: Google Forms (free with any Google account) or Tally (free plan: unlimited forms and submissions, hidden fields, and email alerts to you). Exact settings are in step 2.
• Any AI chat tool: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grok. Free tiers are fine: check-in answers are short.
• A place for one running log per client: A Google Doc or Notes page per client, or the response sheet Google Forms creates for you (step 5).
• Your last session's notes or recap: Even three lines. If you use the transcript to client recap workflow, the recap's "commitments" line is exactly what this needs.
• Privacy settings checked: You paste first names or initials only. In ChatGPT: Settings > Data controls > turn off "Improve the model for everyone", or use a Temporary Chat. In Claude: Settings > Privacy > turn off "Help improve Claude". In Gemini: turn off Keep Activity. Full details in AI session notes without breaking client confidentiality.

It pairs well with Coaching Call Transcript to Client Recap + Action Items and Use AI for Session Notes Without Breaking Client Confidentiality. New here? Get the free guide: 3 complete workflows for weekly posts, client recaps, and call prep. Not sure where to start? See every workflow by job or count your admin hours.

The steps

1. Write five questions, and put consent at the top

   Every question has to earn its place, because form fatigue is the main way check-ins die (more in Where this breaks). Use the five from the short answer above and tailor two things: the wording of the 1 to 10 scale, and the examples in question 1, so they fit what you coach. Keep these rules:

   • Only question 4 is required. "What do you most want to walk away with?" is the one answer you need. Everything else is optional, so a busy client can still send something in 30 seconds.
   • One scale, the same wording every time. A scale only tells you something when you can compare it with last time.
   • No diagnosis questions. Don't ask about medication, symptoms, or mental health scores unless that's inside your training and your agreement.
   • A consent line at the top, plus a checkbox to opt out of AI. Clients who tick it get the same check-in; you just read theirs yourself.

   Here's a consent line you can copy and edit:

   CopyThis takes about 3 minutes and helps us use our session for what matters to you. Only I see your answers. To prepare, I sometimes use an AI assistant with your name removed, and I never use it to make decisions about you. If you'd rather I didn't, tick the box below and I'll read your answers myself. [ ] Please don't use AI with my answers

   Then let AI tailor the questions to your coaching:

   Copy this prompt

   Prompt: Tailor my check-in questions

   CopyI'm a [type of coach] working with [who you work with] on [what they come to you for]. Sessions are [length], every [week / two weeks / month]. Rewrite these five check-in questions for my clients: 1. What's happened since our last session that's worth naming? 2. Last time you said you'd [commitment]. How did it go? (Done / Partly / Not yet / Changed my mind) + What got in the way? 3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how [steady / clear / confident] do you feel about [their goal] right now? 4. What do you most want to walk away with from this session? 5. Anything you'd like me to know before we talk? RULES - Keep exactly five questions, in this order, each under 20 words. - Plain, warm language a client could answer on their phone. No coaching jargon. - Suggest 2 wording options for the 1 to 10 scale that fit my clients, and say which end is good. - Do not add questions about health, medication, diagnoses, or anything outside coaching. - After the questions, tell me which one a tired client is most likely to skip, and how to make it easier.

   Done when: you have five questions and a consent line you'd be comfortable showing a client, and you've answered them yourself in under 5 minutes.

2. Build the form, with the commitment pre-filled

   Build one form for all your clients. The trick that makes it feel personal: a pre-filled link per client, so the form already shows their name and what they said they'd do last time. They see their own words, and you never mix up whose answer is whose.

   Google Forms (free):

   1. Go to forms.new. Add a short-answer question "First name" and a paragraph question "Last time you said you'd..." before your five questions. Put the consent line in the form description and the opt-out checkbox right under it.
   2. Settings > Responses: set Collect email addresses to Do not collect, and leave Limit to 1 response off (it forces clients to sign in to Google).
   3. Turn on Required for question 4 only.
   4. Responses tab > Link to Sheets > create a new spreadsheet. Then Responses > three-dot menu > Get email notifications for new responses.
   5. For each client: three-dot menu (top right) > Get pre-filled link > type their first name and their commitment > Get link > Copy link. Save it in that client's log. You'll update the commitment after each session.

   Tally (free):

   1. Create a form with the same questions. Type /hidden to add a Hidden fields block with two fields, name and commitment.
   2. On the "Last time you said you'd..." question, click the handle on its left, switch on Default answer, and pick the commitment hidden field. Do the same for first name.
   3. Form settings > Email notifications > turn on Self email notifications.
   4. Your per-client link is the form URL plus ?name=Rosa&commitment=walk%20before%20work (spaces become %20). Hidden field names are case-sensitive.

   Either way, the link carries the client's first name and commitment in plain text. That's fine for "walk before work". If a commitment is private, pre-fill a short label instead ("the conversation we planned") and let the client fill in the rest.

   Done when: you've opened a pre-filled link on your phone, submitted a test answer, and seen it land in the sheet (or Tally's Submissions tab) and in your inbox.

3. Send it at the same time before every session

   A check-in that shows up at random gets ignored. Send it about 48 hours before each session, the same way every time, so it becomes part of the rhythm. Pick the free option you'll actually keep up:

   • Gmail scheduled send: right after each session, write the check-in message with the updated pre-filled link, click the arrow next to Send > Schedule send, and pick the time 48 hours before the next session. It takes a minute while the session is fresh, and nothing goes out late.
   • The calendar invite: if you send recurring invites, paste the link in the event description. Cheapest option, but it's easy to miss, so add one line about it in your session reminder.
   • Your booking tool's reminder: if your tool lets you edit reminder emails, paste the message there. In Calendly, that's on paid plans (event type > More options > Notifications and automations). On a free plan, use Gmail scheduled send instead.

   Save the message below as a Gmail template (Settings > See all settings > Advanced > Templates > Enable, then in a draft: three-dot menu > Templates > Save draft as template):

   CopySubject: Before our session on [day] Hi [Name], Here's your check-in for [day]: [pre-filled link] It takes about 3 minutes. Only the last question is required, so a one-line answer is completely fine. If you can, send it by [day before, time], so I can read it before we talk. See you [day], [Your name]

   Tell clients once, at the start, what you do with it: "I read your check-in before every session, so we can start where you are." Then prove it by opening with their own words (step 4 gives you the line).

   Done when: the check-in for every session in the next two weeks is scheduled or in the invite, and you've told each client what it's for.

*Time saved is an estimate based on typical manual effort for this task, not a measured result. Your mileage will vary. Always review AI output before sending or publishing.

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