SuiteDash can run your CRM, client portal, onboarding, billing and projects from one place, but only if it is set up in the right order. Most accounts that need rebuilding were built feature by feature, without a plan. This guide gives you the order we use on client builds, and what to decide before each step.
Start with your process, not the software
Write down how a client moves through your business before you open SuiteDash: first inquiry, proposal, onboarding, delivery, billing and follow-up. Note who does what at each step and which tools you use today.
This takes an hour and saves days. Every setting you choose later, from custom fields to automations, should support a step on that list.
Step 1: Branding and white label
Upload your logo, set your brand colors and brand the login page and system emails. Then set up your custom domain: you add a CNAME record at your domain registrar that points a subdomain, such as portal.yourbrand.com, to the SuiteDash hostname given in your settings.
Each account has one custom URL. Once it is live, log in from that address rather than the default SuiteDash one, so links and emails show your domain.
Step 2: CRM structure
Decide which custom fields you will actually use and report on, and keep the list short. Agree a small set of tags and what each one means. Set up statuses for contacts and companies.
Then import your contacts, but clean the list first: merge duplicates, split names into separate columns and use one date format. A tidy import saves weeks of fixing records later.
Step 3: Pipelines
Map your sales stages from inquiry to signed client, and add a follow-up task or reminder at each stage. Decide what moves a lead from one stage to the next. Deal stage pipelines are available from the Thrive plan.
Step 4: The client portal
Decide the three things each client should see when they log in: what they need to do, what you have shared with them, and how to reach you. Build dashboards around those, switch off modules clients don’t need yet, and test the portal on a phone.
Step 5: Onboarding FLOWs and forms
List every document, form and signature you need from a new client, then build an On-Boarding FLOW that collects them in order. On-Boarding FLOWs appear at a new client’s first login and must be completed before the rest of the portal opens, which makes them the most reliable way to collect everything up front. FLOWs are part of the Pinnacle plan.
Step 6: Billing
Connect your payment processor, create invoice, proposal and contract templates, and set up subscriptions for recurring services with the right start dates. Send yourself a test invoice and pay it before any client sees one.
Step 7: Projects and tasks
Create a project template for each service you deliver, with tasks, owners and due-date rules. Decide which project details clients can see in the portal.
Step 8: Automations, last
Automate once forms, stages and templates are settled, because automations depend on all of them. Start with five: new inquiry, proposal accepted, onboarding, invoice overdue and project complete. Keep a simple list of what each automation does and what triggers it, and test each one with a real test contact.
Launch in stages
Run a full test client through the whole journey. Walk your team through it and write short guides for repeat tasks. Then invite new clients first, and move existing clients once their current work is finished.
Want the whole list in one place? Our SuiteDash setup checklist has every step in this order. Or, if you would rather have it built for you, see our SuiteDash setup services.
Questions
How long does it take to set up SuiteDash?
It depends on scope. A simple portal and CRM can be ready quickly, while a multi-department build with billing, projects and automations takes longer. The biggest variable is usually how quickly decisions get made about fields, stages and client journeys, not the configuration itself.
What should I set up first in SuiteDash?
Branding and your custom domain, then your CRM structure. Everything else depends on those: pipelines use your fields and tags, the portal carries your brand, and automations need the stages and forms to be settled. Automations should always come last.