Onboarding Checklist

When you first sign up for YardPilot, you'll see an onboarding checklist on your dashboard. This guided setup helps you configure the essential parts of your business in the right order.

The Onboarding Widget

New accounts see a collapsible widget at the top of the dashboard with:

• Progress bar showing overall completion
• Phase indicator (Core Setup → Extended Setup)
• Step-by-step checklist with action buttons
• Skip options for steps you want to do later

Click to enlarge

The onboarding checklist guides you through setting up YardPilot step by step

Setup Phases

Phase 1: Core Setup

These are the essentials to get your business running:

Step	What you will do	Why it matters
Complete company details	Add business name, ABN, street address, and logo	Appears on quotes and invoices
Add Your Services	Create your first catalog item	Needed to quote and invoice
Add Your First Property	Add a service address	Where work happens
Add Your First Customer	Create a contact	Who you are working for
Create Your First Job or Quote	Start with a quote, or a job if work is already booked	First billable work

Phase 2: Extended Setup

Once the basics are done, these steps help you get more from YardPilot:

Step	What you will do	Why it matters
Set Up Online Payments	Connect Stripe or Square	Take card payments
Configure Work Schedule	Set operating hours	Scheduling uses these hours
Invite Team Members	Invite staff from Settings → Manage Team	Crews can log in
Connect Accounting Software	Connect Xero	Invoice sync. The checklist copy may mention MYOB or QuickBooks. Those are not live integrations. Connecting Xero ticks this step
Customise Email Templates	Edit customer emails	Matches your brand
Define Service Areas	Draw the zones you work	Jobs group by area
Set Up Automations	Turn on reminders and follow-ups	Stops you sending them by hand

Using the Checklist

Completing Steps

1. Click the action button next to any step (e.g., "Add Logo", "Create Contact")
2. You'll be taken to the relevant page
3. Complete the task
4. The step automatically marks as complete when you return to the dashboard

Auto-Completion

YardPilot detects when you've completed a step. Create a contact anywhere in the app and the "Create Contact" step will tick off automatically.

Skipping Steps

Not ready for a step yet? Click Skip to move on. You can:

• Complete skipped steps anytime from Settings
• Skipped steps won't block your progress
• Some features work fine without all steps completed

Viewing Documentation

Each step has a Learn More link that opens the relevant help article. Use these if you're unsure what a step involves.

The Guided Tour

First-time users can also take a guided tour that highlights key parts of the interface:

1. Click Take Tour in the onboarding widget
2. Spotlights appear over important UI elements
3. Brief explanations describe each feature
4. Navigate through at your own pace

The tour covers:

• Navigation sidebar
• Quick actions
• Notification bell
• Search function
• Settings access

Dismissing Onboarding

Once you're comfortable with YardPilot:

1. Click Dismiss on the onboarding widget
2. Confirm you want to hide it
3. The checklist disappears from your dashboard

WARNING

Dismissing the checklist is permanent. Make sure you've completed or skipped all the steps you need before dismissing.

Accessing Skipped Steps Later

If you dismissed the checklist but need to complete setup:

1. Open Settings
2. Use the matching section:
   • Company details → Company Settings and Brand Assets
   • Payments → Payments
   • Accounting → Accounting (Xero)
   • Team → Manage Team
   • Service Areas → Service Areas
   • Automations → Automations

Tips for Quick Setup

1. Do Phase 1 first - These are genuinely essential
2. Connect accounting early - Saves manual data entry later
3. Add your team - They can help with data entry
4. Skip what you don't need - Not every business needs all features

Troubleshooting

Onboarding widget not showing

• New accounts created before the onboarding feature won't see it
• The widget only appears for account owners
• If dismissed, it cannot be restored

Step won't complete

• Ensure you actually saved the item (not just opened the page)
• Refresh the dashboard
• Contact support if steps remain stuck

Next Steps

After completing onboarding:

• Create your first quote
• Schedule your first job
• Invite your team