Finishing the Setup Guide
Updated
On this page
The Setup Guide is the checklist card at the top right of your Overview page. It shows how many steps are done. Each step has a Start button that takes you to the right page, and a help icon that opens the matching article.
Only owners and co-owners see the Setup Guide. It opens on its own for a brand-new account. After that it shrinks to a small Setup Guide pill showing your progress. Click the pill to open it again.
The steps
| Step | Where it takes you | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Complete your business profile | Business Settings, Business Profile | 5 min |
| Add your services & pricing | Services | 5 min |
| Add your team members | Team & Payroll, Team Members | 3 min |
| Connect payment processing | Business Settings, Payment Settings | 5 min |
| Add your first client | Clients | 2 min |
| Create your first appointment | Calendar | 2 min |
| Choose your notifications | Business Settings, Customer Notifications | 2 min |
| Set up automated reminders | Business Settings, Customer Notifications | 2 min |
| Share your online booking link (optional) | Business Settings, Customer Portal | 3 min |
The first two steps cannot be skipped. Every other step has Skip, and a skipped step has Undo.
Which steps you see depends on your business type. Pet sitters and trainers do not see "Add your team members". Veterinary accounts do not see "Share your online booking link".
What ticks a step off
Steps tick off by themselves when the work is done, not when you visit the page. Two catch people out:
- Complete your business profile needs a business name, an address, and opening hours for at least five days. Name and address alone will not tick it. Set hours under Business Settings, then Business Profile, then the Hours tab.
- Add your team members needs at least one more active staff member besides you. It ticks once your first invited person accepts.
The rest:
- Add your services — at least one service.
- Connect payment processing — Alaga Payments can take card payments, or Square or another processor is set up.
- Add your first client — at least one client.
- Create your first appointment — at least one appointment.
- Choose your notifications — at least one client email or text switch turned on. New accounts start with client messages off.
- Set up automated reminders — you saved the Balance Reminder Settings card once.
Share your online booking link never ticks itself. Once you have claimed your portal address and shared the link, press Skip on it.
Hiding the guide
Press the X on the Setup Guide to dismiss it. When every step is done, it shows a short celebration and then goes away.
Worth doing next
These are not on the list:
- Email wording. Under Business Settings, then Customer Notifications, you can edit every automatic email and see a Delivery Log. See Reminder timing and editing message templates.
- Agreements. If you need a signed waiver before boarding or grooming, build it under Business Settings, then Agreements. A reservation for a client with an unsigned required agreement is saved as Requested, not Confirmed, unless staff choose to waive it.
- Staff roles and PINs. Give each person a role and a Station PIN. See Inviting team members and setting permissions.