A keen agency and a week's wait
A branch manager tells your sales lead on Monday that they want to try your product. The sales lead raises a setup request. A developer creates the agency account in the database, adds branches from an email list, sets portal branch IDs, connects the CRM using credentials sent in an email, and creates users. The developer is busy with a release, so the trial starts on Friday. By then the branch manager is caught up in a busy week, and the enthusiasm from Monday has faded.
Your sales lead has three more trials waiting. Each one pulls a developer away from product work for part of a day.
Why setup lives with engineers
Setup starts as a handful of scripts written for the first customers, when doing it by hand was quicker than building screens. The steps multiply as the product grows, and they are never turned into something anyone else can run.
- Agency, branch and user creation happens through database scripts or an internal tool only engineers use.
- CRM and portal connections need values from the agency that are collected by email.
- There is no check that setup is complete, so trials start with parts missing.
- Credentials are passed around in email and chat, which is a security worry.
- Setup knowledge lives in one or two people's heads.
What slow trial setup costs
Agencies decide to try software in a moment of interest, often after a frustrating week. Every day of delay lets that moment pass. Developer time spent on setup is time not spent on the product. And trials that start with missing pieces, such as a CRM not connected or a branch missing, give a poor first impression that no amount of later support fixes.
There is a security side as well. CRM credentials sent by email sit in inboxes and chat histories long after setup, sometimes with more access than your product needs. If a security review from a larger agency asks how you receive customer credentials, the honest answer today may not be a comfortable one.
How we build self-serve trial setup
What we build turns setup into a guided sequence that an agency admin or your sales team can finish without an engineer.
- A setup wizard that walks through agency details, branches, users, CRM connection and portal settings, in the order that makes sense.
- Branch creation from an address lookup, with portal branch IDs entered and checked where the portal allows.
- CRM connection through the CRM's own authorisation screen where it offers one, so no passwords are ever emailed.
- User invitations sent from the wizard, with roles and branches chosen from lists.
- Checks at each step, such as a test sync from the CRM or a test listing validated against portal rules, with plain explanations if something fails.
- A progress list showing what is done, what is optional, and what is still needed before the trial is fully working, visible to the agency and your team.
| Setup step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Create agency and branches | Developer script | Wizard with address lookup |
| Connect CRM | Credentials by email | CRM authorisation screen |
| Portal branch IDs | Typed into the database | Entered and checked in the wizard |
| Invite users | Developer creates accounts | Admin invites from the wizard |
| Confirm it works | Wait for the first problem | Test checks at each step |
Some steps may still need your team, for example a CRM that has no self-serve authorisation. The wizard shows those clearly and hands them to the right person.
We also record how long each step takes and where agencies stop. If most trials stall at the portal step, that tells you where the wizard needs better guidance, or where your sales team should offer help on the call.
Monday's trial, starting on Monday
The branch manager is sent a setup link at the end of the sales call. They add their branches from the address lookup, connect their CRM through its authorisation screen, and invite four negotiators. A test sync runs and shows their current listings. The portal step flags that one branch ID looks wrong, and they correct it. The trial is working by Monday afternoon, and the developer who used to do this never hears about it.
Is trial setup slowing your sales?
- Every new trial needs a developer to set it up.
- Agency credentials arrive by email or chat.
- Trials often start with a missing branch or a failed CRM connection.
- You cannot start a trial on the same day as the sales call.
- Only one or two people know every setup step.