8 Business Process Examples You Can Copy for Your Own Team

If you run a small team, you probably know how every job gets done. That also means every question comes to you. Which form goes to a new client, whether the quote was approved, what happens next on the job that started last week. You answer between calls, in the evening and on vacation. When you get sick or too busy to reply, the work waits.

None of these questions is hard. There are just too many of them for one person. A business process fixes that. It is the list of steps a team follows, in the same order, every time it does a certain job. Hiring is one example. A candidate applies, the team interviews them, and then the team sends an offer or a rejection.

Once the steps are written down, your team can follow them without asking you about each one. You do not have to start from a blank page, either. The eight examples below cover work most small businesses do, from hiring and onboarding a client to running a trade job. Each one lists the steps as the work happens, in any business. Then it shows how the same steps run in a workflow system, where the next step starts on its own and nothing waits on one person’s inbox.

Find the one closest to your work and copy it. Keep the steps that match what your team already does, change the ones that do not, and add anything that is missing. Each example comes from one of Lattney’s ready-made workflows and links to its own page.

The eight examples

1. Hiring: for when you need to fill a role and want every candidate reviewed the same way.
2. Client onboarding: for when you take on a new client and need their contact details, goals and documents before work starts.
3. Document collection: for when you need files from a client and are tired of digging through email to find them.
4. HVAC installation and repair: for when a customer needs an estimate approved before the work begins.
5. Landscaping design and build: for when a homeowner needs to sign off on a design and a quote.
6. Renovation project: for when someone on your team should check the cost before the client sees the price.
7. Agency and consultant onboarding: for when a new client project needs a signed agreement, files and logins before you start.
8. Real estate buyer onboarding: for when a new buyer needs to sign, send a pre-approval letter and see homes.

1. Hiring

This process fits any team that hires, from a small business filling one role to a company hiring every month. It puts every candidate through the same steps, whoever is reviewing.

1. The candidate sends a resume and a cover letter.
2. Someone on the team reviews the application.
3. If it looks right, the team schedules an interview. If not, the team tells the candidate no.
4. The team holds the interview.
5. Someone decides on the interview. A yes leads to an offer, and a no leads to a rejection.
6. The team sends the offer.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the candidate applies through a secure link, and the application lands on their record with the resume attached. Each review has one person in charge, who approves it or turns it down. A no sends the candidate to the rejection step, so nobody is left without an answer. The candidate follows their application in the client portal, with messages like “We’re reviewing your application”, while the team’s notes stay private. The offer appears on the candidate’s own page. See the hiring workflow.

2. Client onboarding

This process fits service businesses that take on new clients, from a two-person studio to a firm signing clients every week. It gets the start date and the plan agreed before any work begins.

1. The new client shares their contact details and what they need.
2. The team holds a first consultation.
3. The client sends their goals and any documents the team needs.
4. The team sets up the account and agrees the main contact, how to keep in touch, how often to check in and the start date.
5. The team welcomes the client with those details.
6. Once work is under way, the team follows up to ask how it is going.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the client fills in their details and uploads their documents through a secure link. Each step needs a yes before the next one opens. If a client step is sent back, the client redoes it through the same link. The welcome page shows the client their main contact, start date and check-in schedule, and the client portal shows how far along they are. The consultation notes and setup details stay with your team. See the client onboarding workflow.

3. Document collection

This process fits anyone who needs paperwork from people outside the team, such as clients, students, suppliers or applicants. Work usually cannot start until the paperwork is in and checked.

1. The team decides which documents it needs and tells the client.
2. The client sends the documents.
3. Someone on the team checks each one.
4. If something is missing or wrong, the team tells the client what to fix, and the client sends it again.
5. Once everything is right, the team files the documents with the client’s details.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, you set these steps up once and reuse them for every client. Each client gets their own private, secure link to a page that lists what to upload, so the files never arrive as email attachments. Your team gets a notification when a client uploads. If a file is wrong, you send it back with a written reason, and the client uploads again through the same link. Every file stays on the client’s record, next to their contact details and notes. See the Document Intake workflow.

4. HVAC installation and repair

This process fits HVAC and home service companies that handle installations and larger repairs. The customer agrees to the price before the job is scheduled.

1. The customer describes the problem and where the work is.
2. The team prepares an estimate with a cost breakdown.
3. The customer approves the estimate.
4. The team checks the parts are available and schedules the job.
5. The technician does the installation and notes what was done.
6. The team prepares the final invoice.
7. The customer approves the invoice.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the customer sends the problem description and photos through a secure link. They review the estimate on their own page and type their full name to approve it, and they do the same for the final invoice. Each approval is saved next to the exact document they saw. The completion notes and photos stay on the job’s record, and the customer follows progress in the client portal. See the HVAC workflow.

5. Landscaping design and build

This process fits landscaping companies that design and build projects for homeowners. It gets the design and the price signed off before the crew breaks ground.

1. The team visits the site and takes notes, measurements and photos.
2. The team prepares a design proposal and a quote, and someone checks them.
3. The homeowner approves the proposal and the quote.
4. The crew does the work and takes final photos.
5. Someone on the team does a final check before the project is invoiced.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the site notes and photos go straight onto the project’s record. While the team prepares the proposal, the homeowner sees “We’re preparing your proposal” in the client portal. Then they open the proposal and the quote through a secure link and type their full name to approve them. The final review records who checked the project and whether it is ready for invoicing. See the landscaping workflow.

6. Renovation project

This process fits renovation contractors, from small crews to companies running many jobs at once. The cost is checked inside the team before the client sees a price.

1. The team writes down the scope and prepares a first proposal.
2. Someone on the team checks the cost and the margin.
3. The client approves the proposal.
4. The team confirms the start date and does the work.
5. At the end, the team gathers the final documentation and reviews it.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the proposal reaches the client only after the cost check is approved. The client reads the proposal and the cost summary through a secure link, then types their full name to approve it. Their yes is saved next to the proposal they approved, so nobody works from an old version. The final documentation stays on the project’s record. See the renovation workflow.

7. Agency and consultant onboarding

This process fits consultancies, agencies and solo consultants taking on a new client project. The fit, the agreement and the access are all sorted before work starts.

1. The client shares their company, what they need, their budget and their timeline.
2. The team checks whether the work is a fit and holds a consultation.
3. The client shares their goals, a main contact and how they like to communicate.
4. The team prepares the agreement.
5. The client signs the agreement.
6. The client shares the files and account access the team needs.
7. The team lets the client know everything is ready.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, most of these steps are done by the client through one secure link. The client reads the agreement, uploads the signed copy and types their full name, and both copies stay on the client’s record. The screening and the fit notes are visible only to your team. When the last step is approved, the client sees a page saying they are all set. See the agency workflow.

8. Real estate buyer onboarding

This process fits real estate agents and brokerages taking on a new buyer. The paperwork is done before the first showing.

1. The buyer shares what they are looking for, their budget and their timeline.
2. The agent screens the buyer and holds a consultation.
3. The buyer signs the representation agreement and the agency disclosure.
4. The buyer sends their pre-approval letter.
5. The agent picks a few properties and writes a short summary.
6. The buyer gives feedback, then picks homes to see or asks for more options.
7. The agent schedules the showings.

In a workflow system

In a workflow system like Lattney, the buyer fills in their wish list and uploads the pre-approval letter through a secure link. The team uploads the signed agreement and disclosure, while the buyer sees “We’re finalizing your representation agreement” in the client portal. Each property option comes with a listing link and a flyer. If the buyer asks for more, the step reopens so the agent can put another set together. All the paperwork stays on the buyer’s record, so anyone on the team can see who is pre-approved. See the buyer onboarding workflow.

How to write down your own business process

Start from the example closest to your work, or from one job your team repeats every week. Then write down five things.

1. The steps, in order. Start from the first contact and stop when the work is done. Use the words a client would use.
2. The owner of each step. Name one person or one role. It does not have to be you. If a client or candidate does the step, write that down too.
3. What each step collects. List the files, dates and answers. Anything a person usually has to ask for twice belongs here.
4. Who approves, and where. Decide which steps need a yes before the next one starts, and what happens on a no.
5. What the outside person sees. Write the short line they read while they wait, like “We’re preparing your estimate”.

Once the steps are on paper, they can run as a workflow. Lattney is a workflows and CRM platform, so each process is saved on the same page as the client’s contact details and notes. Start from one of the templates, change the steps, or build your own.

Frequently asked questions

What is a business process? A business process is the list of steps a team follows, in the same order, each time it does a certain job.

What are some examples of business processes? Common examples for a small team are hiring, client onboarding, document collection, preparing and approving an estimate, and closing out a project.

What is the difference between a business process and a workflow? A business process is the work itself, and a workflow is how that work is set up to run, with each step, owner and approval in order.

Who should own a business process? One person should own each step, so a step never waits while two people each assume the other is handling it.

Should clients take part in a business process? Yes, when a step needs something only the client has, such as a signed agreement, a document or an approval.

How do I start writing down a business process? Start from an example close to your work, list the steps your team actually follows, then add who does each step, what it collects and who approves it.

Does a small business need software to run its processes? Not at first, though once several clients are at different steps at the same time, software keeps track of who is waiting on whom.