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What you will accomplish

You will connect contract templates and required uploads to customer onboarding so new portal customers finish paperwork during their first sign-in—not only when staff sends a one-off email. When this works, customers complete profile, vehicles, uploads, and signing in a sensible order, and your team can confirm the signed PDF on the customer record.

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When to use this guide

Use this guide when:
  • Every new storage customer must sign the same storage agreement.
  • Customers should sign before they finish portal setup.
  • Your agreement uses vehicle fields and customers may need to add a car first.
  • Customers must also upload insurance or registration during onboarding.
  • You have already created and tested a contract template.
Not sure yet?If you are still testing wording or fields, send contracts manually first with Send a contract for signature. Turn on onboarding after one successful test.

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Before you start

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Manual send vs onboarding

Customer onboarding is best when every new customer should sign the same agreement during portal setup.Manual send from a customer record is best when only some customers need the agreement or staff must review each case first.

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Step 1: Confirm the template is ready

1

Open Contracts & Documents

Go to Settings > Contracts & Documents.
2

Check the template list

Confirm your agreement appears and is Active. Only ready templates should be connected to onboarding.
Contracts and Documents settings showing active contract templates
Use a template that is fully configured and active before you attach it to onboarding. Expected result: Your team has at least one active template to select in onboarding settings.

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Step 2: Open Customer onboarding

  1. In the sidebar, click Settings.
  2. Open Settings > Customer onboarding.
The page title is Customer onboarding. The subtitle explains registration and what customers complete after they sign in. For a broader settings walkthrough (registration form vs portal onboarding), see Configure customer onboarding.

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Step 3: Turn on Customer app onboarding

1

Find Customer app onboarding

Scroll to the Customer app onboarding section.
2

Turn the main switch on

Turn Customer app onboarding on.Until this switch is on, the step list stays hidden.Why this matters: This is the master switch for first-time portal setup after a customer signs in.
3

Review the Onboarding steps list

Below the switch, find Onboarding steps. Your facility may show steps such as:
  • Welcome — welcome screen with your branding
  • Accessibility — text size preference
  • Profile — review contact details
  • Cars — add vehicles to the account
  • Payment — card on file or product checkout (if billing is set up)
  • Contract Signing — sign required agreements
  • Document Upload — upload insurance, registration, or other files
Expected result: You can drag rows to reorder steps and turn each step on or off.
Customer onboarding settings with Customer app onboarding on and Contract Signing and Document Upload steps enabled
Turn on Customer app onboarding first, then enable Contract Signing and Document Upload when your process requires them.

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Step 4: Configure Contract Signing

1

Enable Contract Signing

Find Contract Signing in the step list. Turn its switch on.The row description reads Require contract signature during onboarding. A Configure link appears when the step is on.
2

Click Configure

Click Configure next to Contract Signing.Expected result: A window titled Contract Step Configuration opens.
3

Select required templates

Under Required contracts, turn on each template customers must sign. Example: Car Storage Agreement.Templates with a Car-linked badge need vehicle details on the customer record before signing.Expected result: At least one template is selected.
4

Close and save

Close the configuration window. Onboarding settings save as you make changes—confirm the Contract Signing step stays on.
Contract Step Configuration modal showing Required contracts with Car Storage Agreement enabled
In Contract Step Configuration, choose which templates are required during first-time portal setup.

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Step 5: Put vehicle steps before vehicle contracts

If the contract uses car fields (year, make, model, VIN, license plate), the customer needs a car on their account before the agreement can fill in correctly.
1

Drag Cars above Contract Signing

In Onboarding steps, drag the Cars row above Contract Signing.Why this matters: Customers who sign before adding a vehicle may see blank vehicle lines on the PDF.
The app can help with orderIf a selected contract needs car information, the app may adjust the flow so the Cars step comes before Contract Signing even if the list order was different.
Expected result: Customers add vehicle details before they are asked to sign a vehicle-specific agreement.

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Step 6: Configure Document Upload (if needed)

If customers must upload insurance, registration, or other files during onboarding:
1

Create document types

Add types in Settings > Contracts & Documents if you have not already.
2

Turn on Customer Access

For each type customers should upload themselves, edit the type and turn Customer Access on.Why this matters: Types without Customer Access are for staff-only uploads—even if the onboarding step is on.
3

Enable Document Upload

In Onboarding steps, turn Document Upload on and click Configure.
4

Choose required types

In Document Upload Step Configuration, turn on each type customers must provide—for example Insurance and Vehicle Registration.Expected result: Only types with Customer Access appear in this list.
Document Upload Step Configuration modal listing required document types for onboarding
Only document types with Customer Access enabled can appear in Document Upload Step Configuration.
Suggested step orderMany facilities use: Welcome → Profile → Cars → Document Upload → Contract Signing → Payment (if used). Put paperwork before payment when storage cannot start until documents are on file.

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Step 7: Test with a test customer

Before using this with real customers:
1

Pick a safe test customer

Use a customer record your team can experiment with—for example a test account from your seed data or a staff member’s personal vehicle.
2

Invite them to the portal

Follow your normal invite process from Invite a customer to the portal.
3

Walk through onboarding

Sign in as the test customer (or open their portal link) and complete each enabled step: profile, cars, uploads, and contract signing.
4

Sign the test contract

Confirm the agreement opens, vehicle details look correct, and signing finishes without errors.
Customer signing page during onboarding with agreement details and signature area
During onboarding, customers sign in the same browser page they would use from an email link. Expected result: The test customer can finish onboarding without staff help.

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Step 8: Confirm on the customer record (staff view)

1

Open the test customer in Contacts

Go to Contacts and open the test customer.
2

Review Documents & Contracts

Scroll to Documents & Contracts and confirm:
  • Uploaded files appear with the correct document type.
  • Contracts appear with status Signed or Completed after signing.
  • The signed PDF can be viewed or downloaded.
Customer record showing uploaded document in Documents and Contracts
Staff confirm onboarding worked from the customer record—uploads and contracts appear together under Documents & Contracts.

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What success looks like

  • Customer app onboarding is turned on.
  • The correct template is selected in Contract Step Configuration.
  • Cars comes before Contract Signing when the contract needs vehicle details.
  • Required document uploads appear only when Customer Access and Document Upload are configured.
  • A test customer completes the full flow without getting stuck.
  • Staff can find signed agreements and uploads on the customer record.

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Troubleshooting

No contract templates appear in onboarding settingsCreate at least one active template in Settings > Contracts & Documents.
Contract Signing does not appear in the step listTurn Customer app onboarding on first. The step list only appears when that main switch is enabled.
The customer is asked to add a car before signingThis usually means the contract uses car fields. The customer must add the vehicle so the agreement can include correct car details.
Document types missing from upload configurationEdit each type in Settings > Contracts & Documents and turn Customer Access on. Staff-only types never appear in Document Upload Step Configuration.
The agreement shows the wrong vehicleCheck the customer record and confirm the correct car is linked before the customer reaches the signing step. Fix the car, then have the customer refresh or restart the signing step if needed.
Customers are blocked during onboardingReview each required step: missing vehicle, missing upload, location permission, incomplete payment setup, or incomplete signature fields on the template. See Help customers complete onboarding paperwork for front-desk coaching language.

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What to do next

After onboarding is tested: