GoHighLevel Agency TrainingA Dynamic AI HUB training resource
Start Here Setup

First-day account setup

Basic account hygiene before you build anything.

Beginner20 min

Purpose

This SOP helps you prepare a new CRM account before building pipelines, tags, calendars, workflows, campaigns, or lead capture assets. The goal is not to customize everything on day one. The goal is to confirm the basics so the rest of the build does not sit on top of incorrect account information, wrong time zones, missing user access, or unclear business settings. A clean first-day setup gives the account a stable foundation. It also helps future team members understand what has already been configured and what still needs review.

When to Use This SOP

  • A new account or subaccount has just been created
  • A new client location is being prepared
  • A team is about to start the 8-week Build-Before-Automate training path
  • You inherited an account and need to check the basics before changing anything
  • A CRM build feels disorganized and you need to restart with account hygiene

Before You Start

  • Do not build automations during this SOP. This is a setup and review procedure. You are checking the account identity, users, business information, time zone, basic sending readiness, and documentation.

You should have access to:

  • The CRM account or subaccount
  • Correct business name and contact information
  • Main business email
  • Main business phone number
  • Business address, if applicable
  • List of users who need access
  • Calendar owner information, if bookings will be used
  • Domain or sending domain information, if email campaigns will be used

Step-by-Step Procedure

  1. 1
    Confirm the account or subaccount identity

    Open the account or subaccount settings area and confirm that you are working in the correct location.

    Check:

    • Business name
    • Account or location name
    • Main email
    • Main phone number
    • Business address
    • Website URL, if used
    • Time zone
    • Currency, if payments will be used
    • Business category or general profile information, if available

    Do not assume the account name is correct just because the account exists. Many messy builds start because someone built inside the wrong location or used a placeholder account name that was never updated.

  2. 2
    Confirm the time zone

    Check the time zone before building calendars, reminders, campaigns, or workflows.

    The time zone affects:

    • Appointment availability
    • Reminder timing
    • Campaign sending windows
    • Workflow wait steps
    • Reporting dates
    • Internal task deadlines

    Use the real operating time zone for the business or location. If the business operates across multiple regions, document the primary time zone used for CRM operations.

  3. 3
    Confirm the business contact information

    Review the main business contact information.

    At minimum, document:

    • Public business name
    • Main support email
    • Main phone number
    • Website
    • Physical mailing address, if needed for email footer compliance
    • Booking link, if already available
    • Support or contact page link

    This information may later become custom values. Do not hardcode it into emails, SMS templates, forms, or workflow messages until you have decided how reusable values will be handled.

  4. 4
    Review user access

    Open the user or team management area and confirm who has access.

    For each user, check:

    • Name
    • Email
    • Role or permission level
    • Whether they should have agency-level or subaccount-level access
    • Whether they need calendar ownership
    • Whether they should receive lead notifications
    • Whether they should be assigned conversations, tasks, or opportunities

    Only give users the access they need. Avoid giving broad access to every user just because it is faster.

  5. 5
    Review basic profile and branding settings

    Check whether the account has basic branding configured.

    This may include:

    • Business name
    • Logo
    • Brand colors
    • Email sender name
    • Default from-name
    • Reply-to email
    • Footer information
    • Social links, if used

    Do not spend too long on branding at this stage. The goal is to avoid obvious placeholders and make sure the account does not send messages using incorrect business information.

  6. 6
    Review sending domain awareness

    Do not start sending campaigns yet.

    At this stage, simply confirm whether the account has a sending domain or email authentication plan.

    Document:

    • What domain will be used for sending
    • Whether SPF, DKIM, and DMARC still need review
    • Who owns DNS access
    • Whether campaigns should wait until domain setup is confirmed

    If no sending domain is ready, note that email campaign sending should be paused until the Week 7 deliverability work is complete.

  7. 7
    Review calendar connection awareness

    Do not build final calendars yet.

    Confirm who may need calendar connections later.

    Document:

    • Which users will accept appointments
    • Which external calendars may need to sync
    • Whether the business needs solo, service, group, round-robin, or collective bookings
    • Whether calendars should wait until Week 4 planning is complete

    Calendars should not be built casually on day one. The account just needs to be ready for calendar planning later.

  8. 8
    Review phone and SMS readiness awareness

    Do not start SMS campaigns yet.

    Confirm whether the business plans to use:

    • Business phone number
    • Call tracking number
    • Missed-call text-back
    • Appointment SMS reminders
    • SMS nurture or follow-up
    • Internal call routing

    Document what still needs setup or compliance review before SMS is used.

    SMS should not be treated like email. It may require registration, consent language, opt-out handling, and platform-specific approval before sending.

  9. 9
    Create a first-day setup note

    Create a simple internal setup note or document.

    Include:

    • Date reviewed
    • Account or subaccount name
    • Who completed the review
    • Time zone confirmed
    • Business information confirmed
    • Users reviewed
    • Sending domain status
    • Calendar readiness notes
    • Phone/SMS readiness notes
    • Any open questions
    • Any items that should not be built yet

    This note becomes the first piece of account documentation.

  10. 10
    Stop before building

    Do not jump into workflows, campaigns, forms, or automations.

    After first-day setup, the next step is to follow the training path in order:

    • 1. Pipelines
    • 2. Tags, fields, and values
    • 3. Communication points
    • 4. Calendars
    • 5. Workflows
    • 6. Imports and data hygiene
    • 7. Email campaigns
    • 8. Lead capture assets

Checks Before You Finish

  • ✓The correct account or subaccount is being used
  • ✓Business name is correct
  • ✓Time zone is correct
  • ✓Main email and phone number are documented
  • ✓Physical address is documented if needed for email footer compliance
  • ✓Users and access levels are reviewed
  • ✓Calendar owners are identified
  • ✓Sending domain status is documented
  • ✓Phone and SMS readiness is documented
  • ✓No automations were built during this setup step
  • ✓A first-day setup note exists

Common Mistakes

Watch for these
  • Building workflows before confirming the account basics
  • Using the wrong time zone
  • Giving every team member full access
  • Sending email campaigns before domain setup is reviewed
  • Turning on SMS before consent and registration requirements are understood
  • Hardcoding business information into messages before custom values are planned
  • Building calendars before the appointment flow is mapped
  • Forgetting to document what was reviewed

Related SOPs

← Back to SOP Library