Onboarding Checklist

When you first create your CE Pro account, the onboarding checklist guides you through the essential setup steps. It appears as a panel on your dashboard and tracks your progress until every step is complete. Go to Dashboard to see the checklist, or access it from the Onboarding link if you are still in the initial setup flow.

How the Checklist Works

The onboarding checklist is a step-by-step guide that walks you through configuring the core parts of your account. Each step represents a critical setup task. As you complete each one, a checkmark appears next to it and the progress bar advances.

The checklist is persistent -- it stays visible on your dashboard until you either complete all steps or manually dismiss it. Your progress is saved automatically, so you can leave and return at any time without losing your place.

Checklist Steps

The onboarding checklist includes the following steps. You can complete them in any order, though the listed order is recommended.

1. Company Information

Fill in your business details, including your company name, phone number, email, website, and mailing address. This information appears on all customer-facing documents.

How to complete:

1. Click the Company Information step in the checklist.
2. You are taken to the Settings page.
3. Fill in all fields in the Company Information card.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. Return to the dashboard. The step is marked as complete.

See the Account Settings article for details on each field.

2. Set Up Pricing

Configure your service pricing, including base rates, add-ons, and pricing tiers. This determines how estimates are calculated.

How to complete:

1. Click the Set Up Pricing step.
2. You are taken to the Pricing configuration page.
3. Enter your base rates for each service type.
4. Configure add-on pricing.
5. Save your pricing configuration.
6. The step is marked as complete when at least one service has pricing configured.

See the Setting Up Pricing article for a detailed walkthrough.

3. Connect Stripe

Link your Stripe account to accept online payments, send invoices, and enable the customer portal's payment feature.

How to complete:

1. Click the Connect Stripe step.
2. You are taken to the Stripe integration page.
3. Click Connect with Stripe.
4. Follow the Stripe OAuth flow to authorize CE Pro.
5. Once connected, the step is marked as complete.

See the Stripe Settings article for details.

4. Set Up Twilio (Optional)

Connect Twilio to send and receive SMS messages through CE Pro. This step is optional but recommended if you plan to use text messaging for follow-ups and customer communication.

How to complete:

1. Click the Set Up Twilio step.
2. Enter your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token.
3. Configure or purchase a Twilio phone number.
4. Save the configuration.
5. The step is marked as complete.

See the Twilio Settings article for details.

5. Invite Your Team

Add team members so they can log in and start creating estimates, managing leads, and handling jobs.

How to complete:

1. Click the Invite Your Team step.
2. You are taken to the Team Management page.
3. Click Invite Member.
4. Enter the team member's email and assign a role.
5. Click Send Invite.
6. The step is marked as complete when at least one team member has been invited.

See the Team Management article for details on roles and permissions.

6. Create Your First Estimate

Create a test estimate to familiarize yourself with the estimator workflow.

How to complete:

1. Click the Create Your First Estimate step.
2. You are taken to the new estimate form.
3. Fill in a client name, select services, and complete the estimate.
4. Save or send the estimate.
5. The step is marked as complete.

See the Your First Estimate article for a step-by-step guide.

7. Customize Your Portal

Configure the customer portal with your branding and select which features to make available to customers.

How to complete:

1. Click the Customize Your Portal step.
2. You are taken to the Portal Settings page.
3. Select your branding.
4. Toggle the features you want to enable.
5. The step is marked as complete when you visit the page and have at least one feature enabled.

See the Customer Portal Settings article for details.

Progress Tracking

The checklist includes a progress bar at the top showing how many steps you have completed out of the total. The bar fills incrementally as you complete each step.

Step States

Each step shows one of three states:

• Incomplete -- The step has not been started or finished. Shown with an empty circle.
• Complete -- The step has been finished. Shown with a filled checkmark.
• Skipped -- Optional steps (like Twilio) that you chose to skip. Shown with a dash.

Dismissing the Checklist

If you want to remove the checklist from your dashboard before completing all steps:

1. Click the Dismiss button at the bottom of the checklist panel.
2. Confirm the dismissal.

The checklist disappears from your dashboard. Your progress is preserved, and you can bring it back at any time.

Note: Dismissing the checklist does not complete any unfinished steps. Your account functions normally without completing every step, but some features may not work correctly until their setup is done. For example, you cannot send SMS messages without connecting Twilio.

Re-Enabling the Checklist

If you dismissed the checklist and want to see it again:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll to the Onboarding section.
3. Click Show Onboarding Checklist.
4. The checklist reappears on your dashboard with your previous progress intact.

Alternatively, you can access the full onboarding page directly by navigating to:

app.cleanestimate.pro/onboarding

This page shows the same checklist in a full-page layout, which can be easier to work through than the dashboard panel.

Completing the Checklist

When all steps are marked as complete, the checklist panel displays a success message and automatically hides after a few seconds. A congratulations notification appears confirming that your account is fully set up.

You can still access any of the configured settings pages at any time through the sidebar navigation.

Tips

• Complete the checklist in the recommended order. Later steps (like creating your first estimate) work better when earlier steps (like pricing setup) are done first.
• You do not have to finish everything in one session. The checklist saves your progress automatically.
• Optional steps can be skipped and completed later. Do not let them block your launch.
• If you are setting up the account for someone else, complete the technical steps (Stripe, Twilio) and let them handle the business steps (pricing, first estimate).
• Use the onboarding page at /onboarding for a distraction-free setup experience.