Onboarding Guide: Getting Started with an All-in-One Platform for Home Services

The number one fear contractors have when switching to an all-in-one platform is downtime — the terrifying thought of losing leads during a transition period while systems are being configured. This onboarding guide eliminates that fear by giving you a precise, phase-by-phase plan to go live in 48 hours or less without missing a single inbound inquiry.

Before You Start: Gather Your Assets

A smooth onboarding requires having five key items ready before your first login:

1. Your current business phone number (for porting or call forwarding setup).
2. A CSV export of your existing customer contacts from your CRM or field service software.
3. Your Google Business Profile login credentials (email and password).
4. Access to your Facebook Business Manager account.
5. Your existing email domain credentials (for branded email sending setup).

If you cannot locate any of these, block 30 minutes to recover them before your onboarding session — it will save hours later.

Phase 1: Day 1 Morning — Core Setup (3–4 hours)

1.1 Account Configuration

Set up your business profile: name, address, logo, brand color, and service area. This information populates automatically into review requests, email templates, and SMS messages — so getting it right upfront saves editing time across every channel later.

1.2 Phone Number Setup

You have two options: port your existing number (takes 24–72 business hours with most carriers) or provision a new local number instantly. For most contractors, we recommend provisioning a new number for the platform immediately and forwarding your existing number to it during the port window. This ensures zero call downtime.

1.3 Contact Import

Upload your customer CSV. The system will deduplicate records, validate phone numbers and email addresses, and map fields to the native CRM schema. A typical import of 500–2,000 contacts takes under five minutes. After import, segment contacts into active customers, past customers (90+ days inactive), and prospects.

Phase 2: Day 1 Afternoon — Automation Activation (2–3 hours)

2.1 Missed-Call Text-Back

Enable the missed-call text-back automation. Customize the default message template with your business name and a booking link or phone callback prompt. This single automation alone recovers an average of 3–5 leads per week for contractors who previously let missed calls go uncontacted.

2.2 Review Request Sequence

Configure the post-job review request workflow: the trigger (job marked complete), the first message timing (15 minutes post-completion for quality check, 90 minutes for the review link), and the 24-hour follow-up reminder. Connect your Google Business Profile via OAuth.

2.3 New Lead Notification

Set up real-time notifications for every new inbound lead — SMS alert to your phone and email to your dispatch inbox. This ensures no lead sits unnoticed during business hours.

Phase 3: Day 2 — Channel Connections and Testing (2–3 hours)

3.1 Connect Social Channels

Link Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs to the unified inbox. Connect your Google Business Profile messages. Each connection takes 2–5 minutes via OAuth authorization. Once connected, test by sending a message to each channel and confirming it appears in the unified inbox within 30 seconds.

3.2 Pipeline Configuration

Customize the default pipeline stages for your workflow. A typical contractor pipeline looks like: New Lead → Quote Sent → Follow-Up → Approved → Scheduled → Completed → Review Requested. Drag stages to reorder, add custom fields specific to your job types (e.g., roof square footage, HVAC system age), and set SLA reminders for each stage.

3.3 End-to-End Live Test

Before going fully live, run a complete end-to-end test: call your business number from a personal phone, miss the call, confirm the text-back fires within 60 seconds, respond as a prospect, watch the lead appear in the pipeline, and advance it to "Quote Sent." If every step works, you are ready to go live.

48-Hour Onboarding Milestone Checklist

• ✅ Business profile complete with logo and brand colors
• ✅ Phone number active (ported or provisioned)
• ✅ Customer contacts imported and segmented
• ✅ Missed-call text-back live and tested
• ✅ Review request workflow active and connected to Google
• ✅ Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business messages connected
• ✅ Sales pipeline customized for your workflow
• ✅ Lead notification alerts configured
• ✅ End-to-end test completed successfully

Hawk Guru — The AI Operating System for Lead-Driven Businesses. Miami Lakes, FL 33014.