Welcome to ProLine! Our goal is to help you succeed with ProLine, and onboarding is a critical piece of that puzzle.
Your ProLine account is pre-populated with templates, campaigns, and workflows out of the box. However, every company has a unique way of operating, so work is still required to tailor and integrate ProLine properly. That's what onboarding is all about.
Your Onboarding Specialist will guide and advise you through this process, but someone at your company has to take ownership of your ProLine account and follow the steps in this guide to fully and properly customize it to your business. With this in mind, it's important to answer this question...
Who Is the Implementor?
The implementor is the person in your company who is solely responsible for and prepared to invest the time necessary (10-30 hours) to fully onboard your company onto ProLine. Establishing who the implementor is from day one is critical.
Companies that fail to decide on an implementor, split responsibility up between multiple people, or don't have an implementor that fully commits, usually aren't successful. This wastes everyone's time, money, and energy. Don't be that company.
Here are some examples of potential implementors:
Company Owner
Company Office Manager
Company Head of Marketing
Company Operations Officer
As you can see, the implementor doesn't have to be you, the owner, or even someone who works in the business (though that is recommended). The onboarding process isn't particularly hard, and you don't need to be super tech-savvy to do it. What's important is that a single person is responsible for and willing to do the required work.
If you don't have someone internally who can be the implementor, we recommend speaking to our Certified Partners. These are vetted service providers we recommend if you want to outsource implementation.
Why can't you guys just set everything up for us?
Short Answer: It doesn't work. Here's why...
Doesn't Save You Any Time
Doesn't Save You Any Time
You know your business inside and out. We don't. Communicating that understanding (and sensitive info like passwords, logins, etc.) will take as much time as just doing it yourself.
More Expensive Than You'd Think
More Expensive Than You'd Think
Due to how much more time it takes if we do it for you (as opposed to you doing it yourself), we would have to charge thousands of dollars up front AND/OR we'd have to raise the monthly cost of ProLine substantially.
Conflict of Interest for ProLine
Conflict of Interest for ProLine
Our job is to build powerful software that is easy to set up and use. If we're making money off setting ProLine up because companies can't do it themselves, we have a negative incentive not to improve ProLine's setup process.
Makes You Dependent (Not Empowered)
Makes You Dependent (Not Empowered)
We want to see every company on ProLine use it to dominate their market and grow their business. That can't happen if you are dependent on us for every tweak or change in your account. That will just slow you down.
Remember, no one does work for free! If a CRM platform offers you "done-for-you" onboarding "included in the price," they are either lying, cutting corners, or getting the money out of you another way. Teaching you, the user, to implement the software yourself is the only ethical and effective model for CRM software.
For the remainder of this guide, we will assume the reader is the implementor. So when "you" is used in the text, it will refer to the implementor.
The ProLine Onboarding Experience
While you are responsible for implementing ProLine for your company, you are not alone in this process!
You [have been/will be] assigned a member of our support team to be your Onboarding Specialist. This person will also usually transition to being your dedicated Support Representative, even after onboarding is complete.
Our onboarding process is designed to support, guide, and hold you accountable as you implement ProLine. Here is what that looks like:
Kickoff Call (45 min): This is your welcome call to ProLine. Your Onboarding Specialist will help you finish any pending items in your setup checklist, get you started on the other onboarding steps in this guide, and answer questions.
On Your Own (3-6 hrs): Work through the onboarding steps in this guide.
Process Call (1 hr): This is the "meat & potatoes" call of the onboarding process. Get your hard questions out on the table. Your Onboarding Specialist is there to help you work through any walls you are hitting and fill in the blanks.
On Your Own (3-6 hrs): Continue working through the steps in this guide.
Training Call & Launch (1 hr): Put your whole team on a call with your onboarding specialist, who will walk through using ProLine day-to-day.
On Your Own (3-6 hrs): After launch, it is normal to receive a lot of feedback (positive and negative) from your team. Use this to refine your ProLine account further.
Additional Calls (30 min): You can schedule unlimited 30-minute support calls with your onboarding specialist or our support team. We're here to help you!
ProLine Onboarding Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Schedule Kickoff Call (45 min)
Step 1. Schedule Kickoff Call (45 min)
You have been assigned a member of our support team who is responsible for providing training, guidance, and resources to help you reach success with ProLine. Please use the link in your setup checklist to schedule your kickoff call and embark on your ProLine adventure!
Step 2. Complete Phone Carrier Registration (10 min)
Step 2. Complete Phone Carrier Registration (10 min)
You'll need to complete phone carrier registration as quickly as possible (and before doing anything else with your ProLine account), as it can take up to 3 weeks to be fully approved, and full approval is required to send text messages.
Step 3. Apply for a Merchant Account (10 min)
Step 3. Apply for a Merchant Account (10 min)
You'll need a merchant account with our payment processor to take advantage of ProLine's seamless invoicing and payment processing features. Unless more info is required, merchant accounts are usually approved within 2 hours of applying.
Step 4. Personal Account Setup (10 min)
Step 4. Personal Account Setup (10 min)
Once your Phone Carrier Registration is submitted, you will be prompted to set up your personal account by choosing a phone number and connecting your email account.
You should also review your personal account settings (Hamburger menu > Account Settings) to ensure everything is set up as you want it. Also, review the phone tab and ensure you have the proper "forward-to" number for receiving and making phone calls.
Step 5. Configure Locations & Taxes (30 min)
Step 5. Configure Locations & Taxes (30 min)
Navigate to Company Settings > Locations, or click here.
Add all locations your business operates from.
Each location gets a unique review generation link that can be used in review request campaigns. That way, you can generate reviews for multiple locations at once.
Locations also influence many behaviors and features of the ProLine platform, such as the time zone used for date-related actions, review generation links, the assignment of new projects, the focus point for automatic address completion, and much more.
Step 6. Add Your Team (20 min)
Step 6. Add Your Team (20 min)
Navigate to the manage team page inside ProLine and add your team there. You should add everyone on your team who communicates directly with customers or directly oversees anyone who communicates with customers, including...
Office Managers
Receptionists
Sales Reps
Sales Managers
Project Managers
You should not add any of the following people to your team in ProLine. These should instead be added as non-customer contacts:
Sub Crews
Crew Leaders
Installers
Suppliers
Public Adjusters
Note: You will not be charged for added seats for team members during your first month with ProLine. Charges for these team members start when your account renews for your second month. Starting your second month, billing for seats added or removed mid-month will be prorated.
Step 7. Update Your Branding (10 min)
Step 7. Update Your Branding (10 min)
Navigate to Company Settings > Brand, or click here. Ensure all information and your logo on this page are accurate and updated.
Step 8. Configure Project Fields (20 min)
Step 8. Configure Project Fields (20 min)
Navigate to Company Settings > Projects, or click here. Customize project informational and organizational fields as desired.
Project Other Contacts: Would you like to label either of the other contact fields for specific types of contacts? More info here.
Project Custom Texts: Do you need any additional text fields on your projects? More info here.
Project Categories: Do you need additional categories to categorize your projects properly? More info here.
Project Types: Are there any additional types of work you'd like to be able to choose from for projects? More info here.
Project Services: Ensure that the list of services matches your company's offerings. Do you need to add any services? Remove any services you don't offer. More info here.
Project Tags: These are often used to track a project's source (in addition to the lead source saved on contacts), but you can use them for anything. Is there any other information you'd like to be able to tag a project with? More info here.
Project Measurement Fields: Are there other measurements you need to collect and save for each project? More info here.
Default Project Folders: Set default folders to be created in the files section of projects. More info here.
Step 9. Configure Contact Fields (20 min)
Step 9. Configure Contact Fields (20 min)
Navigate to Company Settings > Contacts, or click here. Customize contact informational and organizational fields as desired.
Lead Sources: What are the sources from which you get leads? Add any that are missing. More info here.
Contact Types: Are there any additional types of contacts you need? More info here.
Contact Tags: Are the any additional tags you want available for projects?
Contact Text Fields: Is there any additional text information you need to save on contacts? More info here.
Contact Date Fields: Do you need to save any additional dates on contacts?
Default Contact Folders: Set default folders to be created in the files section of contacts.
Step 10. Review Pipelines & Stages (45 min)
Step 10. Review Pipelines & Stages (45 min)
Navigate to Company Settings > Stages, or click here.
Stages (and the pipelines they are organized in) represent your company's workflow through the sales, production, billing process, etc. Make sure to add any additional stages needed to map your process fully.
Important: Connect the correct status for any stages you add, depending on where they fall in your process. You can select the status by clicking the stage edit button (pencil) > status button (pie chart) > Select Status.
Step 11. Configure Campaigns (45 min)
Step 11. Configure Campaigns (45 min)
Navigate to the Campaigns page: Hamburger menu (upper left) > Campaigns.
ProLine comes pre-loaded with 15+ battle-tested automated campaigns that have generated millions of dollars in revenue, as well as 1,000s of Google Reviews and Referrals. In addition to what is already in your account, you can pull templates from our library of over 50 pre-written, pre-tested campaigns.
You are also welcome to customize these campaigns once they are in your account or even create your own from scratch. Go through your Campaigns page and make sure you have the campaigns you need. Create new ones and populate them with templates as needed.
Step 12. Configure Stage Triggers (45 min)
Step 12. Configure Stage Triggers (45 min)
Projects moving to a stage can trigger automated campaigns. You'll need to make sure you have the right stage triggers set up to trigger campaigns when and where you want them in your process.
To open the campaign triggers for the stage, click the gear icon on the stage (upper right of stage) on the Projects page, or if you're in the stages tab of your Company settings, click the stage edit button (pencil) > campaign trigger button (gear).
Step 13. Review Events & Event Triggers (30 min)
Step 13. Review Events & Event Triggers (30 min)
Navigate to the "Events" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Events.
Your ProLine account comes pre-loaded with separate sales and production calendars, as well as Inspection and Production event types. Customize these as needed, and set up even triggers to ensure projects automatically move to new stages and appointment reminders are sent.
Calendars: Most companies will only need the default sales and production calendars, which have already been provided, but you can add more. More info here.
Event Types: “Inspection” (60min) and “Production”(All day) are pre-loaded into your account. This will cover the needs of most companies, but you can add others if needed. More info here.
Event Triggers: Make sure you have the proper campaign and stage selected in the event trigger (gear icon) for each event type. The event trigger automatically starts the appointment reminder campaign and moves the associated project. More info here.
Step 14. Review Quote Templates (2 hrs)
Step 14. Review Quote Templates (2 hrs)
Navigate to the "Quotes" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Quotes.
Your ProLine account comes pre-loaded with commonly used quote templates. You can delete the ones you don't need or easily add new ones from our library. Customize your quote templates as needed or even build new ones from scratch.
Important: Update ProLine's price list to match your local supplier's pricing before generating quotes.
Step 15. Review Order Templates (30 min)
Step 15. Review Order Templates (30 min)
Navigate to the "Orders" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Orders.
Your ProLine account comes pre-loaded with work order and material order templates. If needed, you can add additional templates for specific trades, crews, etc.
Step 16. Review Invoice Templates (30 min)
Step 16. Review Invoice Templates (30 min)
Navigate to the "Invoicing" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Invoicing.
Your ProLine account comes pre-loaded with Deposit, Balance, and Other invoice templates. You can add additional templates if needed.
Understanding the difference between ProLine's "Running Balance" and "Standalone" invoices is important. Running Balance invoices take into account previous payments, like deposit payments, while Standalone invoices only reflect payments made specifically towards them. Both are useful in different scenarios.
Step 17. Review Working Hours (10 min)
Step 17. Review Working Hours (10 min)
Navigate to the "Working Hours" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Invoicing.
Work hours are used for calendar availability and some optional control over call routing and notifications outside hours. Ensure your work hours are set to your team's standard start and end times.
Note: Working Hours can be overridden by individual team members in their account settings.
Step 18. Review Automation Rules (10 min)
Step 18. Review Automation Rules (10 min)
Navigate to the "Automation" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Automation.
Review automation hours, holiday, and weekend settings.
Step 19. Review Call Recording Settings (10 min)
Step 19. Review Call Recording Settings (10 min)
Navigate to the "Phone" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Phone.
Review phone call recording settings. Enable/disable as needed. You can also monitor the status of your phone carrier registration here.
Step 20. Review Email Settings (10 min)
Step 20. Review Email Settings (10 min)
Navigate to the "Email" tab of your Company Settings. Hamburger menu (upper left) > Company Settings > Email.
If desired/necessary, add a BCC email that ProLine will bcc on all outgoing automated emails. More info here.
Verify that the email signature for automated emails is acceptable. ProLine doesn't currently support complex HTML email signatures, so keep that in mind when trying to customize this. More info here.
Step 21. Setup Speed-To-Lead Integrations (Optional) (1+ hr)
Step 21. Setup Speed-To-Lead Integrations (Optional) (1+ hr)
Speed-to-lead integrations connect your ProLine account to inbound lead sources to bring leads directly into ProLine (to avoid double entry) and start campaigns for them to immediately engage, nurture, and request action from them (usually scheduling an appt).
ProLine can integrate with any lead source that has a direct integration with us (RQP, Angi, etc.), a customizable webhook feature ( Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, etc.), or anything with a Zapier integration (Elementor, Facebook Lead Forms, Calendly, etc.).
Website/Landing Page Leads: Follow the web leads guide to connect your website forms to ProLine. Set up and modify web leads webhooks on the web leads integration page.
RoofQuote PRO: New RQP instant quotes will create projects and contacts in ProLine, as well as start a special RQP campaign to nurture and engage the new leads. More info here.
Angi Leads/Ads: New Angi Leads or Angi Ads requests will create projects and contacts in ProLine, as well as start a campaign to nurture and engage the new leads. More info here.
Other Lead Sources: You can connect most other lead sources via Zapier.\
Step 22. Setup Other Integrations (Optional) (1+ hrs)
Step 22. Setup Other Integrations (Optional) (1+ hrs)
Connect other platforms to ProLine as needed. Our popular native integrations (other than the speed-to-lead integrations listed above) currently include the following:
CompanyCam: Create CompanyCam projects for ProLine projects to avoid double entry. More info here.
EagleView: Order Eagleview and automatically import the measurement reports into ProLine for quoting.
DOPE360: Start direct mail campaigns in DOPE360 from ProLine automated campaigns. More info here.
Quickbooks: Sync Project Data to Quickbooks.
Any other platforms you'd like to integrate can be integrated via Zapier and/or our web leads integration, depending on the required functionality.
Step 23. Import Data to ProLine (Optional) (3+ hrs)
Step 23. Import Data to ProLine (Optional) (3+ hrs)
If you are coming over from another system, then it's time to import the data from your old CRM into ProLine. We have a suite of CSV integration tools for this purpose.
Warning: Only export/import data if absolutely necessary. Getting the data out of your old system, processing it, and importing it can be quite an involved process.
Important: When exporting from your old CRM, you should always export as much data for each record type as possible. You never know what you might need later.
Important: Make sure you export the unique IDs or record IDs for each record and any other records they are associated with. This is important for making sure different data types are correctly reconnected in ProLine after import.
Step 24. Assist Team Members Setup Their Accounts (1 hr)
Step 24. Assist Team Members Setup Their Accounts (1 hr)
Before getting into actual training, make sure everyone on your ProLine team has done the following:
Accepted the invite to ProLine (you may need to resend invites from the manage team page if they have expired).
Set their password.
Chosen a ProLine number.
Connected their work email.
Review their phone settings to make sure that they have inbound and outbound call settings properly configured as per the instructions in this guide. This includes:
Making sure the "forward calls to" field has their personal cell number.
Saving their ProLine number as a contact in their cell phone as "ProLine Number".
Selecting the correct forwarding mode depending on whether they work from a desk or out in the field.
Step 25. Team Training Call (1 hr)
Step 25. Team Training Call (1 hr)
If not already scheduled, please contact your onboarding specialist about scheduling your one-hour Training Call. During this call, your onboarding specialist will walk you and your team through using ProLine step-by-step and answer questions.
While our onboarding specialists are highly trained and knowledgeable, they are not all-knowing about you, your business, or your trade. Consequently, your team is not expected to be 100% comfortable with ProLine after this one call. It will likely take additional training and work to get them there.
Once you've had the training call with your onboarding specialist, additional training and guidance are expected to be necessary before your team can fully and competently use ProLine.
While you are welcome to schedule as many additional 30-minute support calls with your onboarding specialists as needed, it is ultimately your responsibility to create internal SOPs for your team on how you want them to use ProLine, and train them on these processes.
It may be helpful to start with our "Using ProLine Day-To-Day" as a starting point for training, then build off of this with your own SOPs as needed.
Step 27. Launch!
Step 27. Launch!
You've done everything you can to prepare, and now it's time to launch ProLine in your business! It is not unusual for issues/concerns to arise during this time as more people on your team see how ProLine is set up. Adjust ProLine as needed to address these concerns.
Additional follow-up calls are often necessary post-launch to resolve any final roadblocks. You can schedule unlimited additional 30-minute calls with your support/onboarding specialist.
Need Help? Contact ProLine Support (Or Your Onboarding Specialist)
ProLine is a powerful but sometimes complex platform, so we're standing by to provide top-tier support. Please contact us via support@proline.app or the chat inside ProLine.
When using the support email or chat, our support team generally responds within 5 minutes, 9am to 5pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. We also have after-hours support, which typically responds within 4 hours.
You can also contact your assigned Support Representative directly (usually your onboarding specialist), but the response may be slower.