Starting my first monthly retainer — what should I provide upfront to keep things smooth?

Hey everyone, I just signed my first monthly retainer client and realized I need to state my availability upfront and tighten my onboarding process.

For those of you who do ongoing retainer work: • What do you give clients at the start of the relationship? • What expectations do you set right away? • Do you share your availability & communication policies up front? • Anything you include so the workflow stays smooth and boundaries are clear?

I created a PDF outlining deliverables, timeline, communication, and expectations. I also have onboarding questions ready and plan to manage the project in Notion.

Before I lock this in, I just want to make sure my process is on the right track — any tips or things you wish you knew when starting retainers would help a lot.

Thanks in advance.