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Use this guide when your facility is brand new to Car Storage Software, when a new teammate needs a calm first tour, or when you want a short checklist before diving into detailed how-to guides. You will learn what to set up first, where to find the most important pages, and which step-by-step guides to read next. This page is the shortest path into the product. For a longer overview with a first-week checklist, read Getting started overview.
Start smallYou do not need to finish every setting before your team can begin. Start with your facility details, your customers, and the cars in your care. Those three building blocks support nearly every other workflow.
Close What’s New firstAfter sign-in, you may see a What’s New window about product updates. Read it if you like, then click Got it before you follow screenshots or click buttons near the center of the screen. The pop-up can cover menu items you need.

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What you will accomplish

  • Sign in and land on the staff dashboard (not the customer portal).
  • Understand the best order for first-time setup.
  • Use the in-app Setup Guide to track progress.
  • Learn where customers, cars, payments, schedule, and help live in the sidebar.
  • Add the first customer and car records your team needs for day-to-day work.
  • Know which detailed guide to open for invoices, parking, contracts, or appointments.

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Before you start

You should have a staff account that can open the dashboard.
  • You can sign in at your facility’s staff login page (often linked from your welcome email).
  • You know who at your facility owns billing, customer communication, and day-to-day operations setup.
  • You have your facility name, address, phone number, and public email ready if you will edit settings.
  • If you cannot open the dashboard, ask your facility owner or manager to invite you in Settings > Team.
Staff dashboard vs customer portalYour login should open pages that start with /dashboard. Customer portal pages look different and are for vehicle owners, not your team. If you landed on the wrong site, sign out and use the staff link your manager gave you.

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Your first day — seven calm steps

Follow these steps on day one. You can pause between steps. You do not need to finish everything in one sitting.
1

Sign in and recognize your home screen

Use the login link your facility gave you. Many staff land on Create event first — a page with large colored cards for starting vehicle work today.Expected result: Your facility name appears at the top of the left sidebar. You are signed in as staff, not as a customer.
Create event home page showing Mega Speed Storage in the sidebar and a grid of event type cards such as Vehicle Drop Off
After sign-in, many staff see Create event — large cards for starting vehicle work. Your facility name appears under the sidebar header.
2

Open the Setup Guide

Go to Setup Guide. This page shows six setup cards and your progress (for example, 2 of 6 complete).Why this matters: The Setup Guide is your facility’s to-do list inside the app. Each Set up button opens the correct settings page so you do not have to hunt through menus.Expected result: You can see which setup areas are finished and open any card to continue.For a full walkthrough, read Complete the Setup Guide or Complete the onboarding wizard.
Setup Guide page titled Let's set up your account with six setup step cards and Setup Progress at the top
The Setup Guide gives new teams a clear onboarding hub inside the dashboard.
3

Confirm your facility name, logo, and time zone

Open Set up your facility profile and save your Branding (name and logo) and General (time zone and date format) settings.Why this matters: Customers see your name and logo on forms, emails, invoices, and public pages. Correct time zones keep appointments on the right clock.Expected result: Settings > Branding and Settings > General show the business details your customers should see.
4

Add customers before cars

Open Contacts and add the customers your team works with most often.Why this matters: A car record is easier to manage when it is connected to the correct owner from the start.Read Prepare your first customer and car when you are ready to enter real records.If you already have a spreadsheet of customers and vehicles, your manager may use Import Data instead — see Import customers and cars.
Contacts page showing a list of customer records with search and Create New Customer button
Add customers in Contacts before you create cars. Search first so you do not create duplicates.
5

Add cars in your care

Open Cars and create records for cars already stored, serviced, or tracked by your facility.Expected result: Your team can search by customer, vehicle, VIN, plate, parking location, or other details.
Cars page showing a table of vehicles with search, filters, and Create New Car button
Every stored or serviced vehicle should have a record in Cars linked to the correct customer.
6

Learn where daily work lives

Open Learn the dashboard for a tour of Create event, Cars, Contacts, Schedule, Payments, Parking Spots, Inbox, Marketing & Events, AI Assistant, and Settings.Why this matters: Knowing where to click first saves time and prevents duplicate records — including where customer messages and facility setup live.
Dashboard sidebar showing Create event, Cars, Contacts, Schedule, Payments, and other menu items
The sidebar stays on the left. Create event is the large button at the top. The active page is highlighted.
7

Prepare customer-facing work (when you are ready)

If customers need to sign agreements, upload documents, pay invoices, request appointments, or use the customer portal, review those settings before inviting customers.Start with Contracts overview, Payments overview, and Configure portal and website.Expected result: Your manager knows which setup tasks still need an owner (payments, communications, team invites) before customers are invited.

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Two home screens — both are normal

The sidebar offers two starting points. Neither is wrong.
Create event (Create event) — Large colored cards for starting vehicle work right now (drop-off, detail, pickup). Best for front desk and shop floor.Dashboard (Dashboard, labeled Beta) — A customizable page with widgets for schedule, parking map, inbox, and charts. Best for managers who want one overview screen.
Dashboard beta page with schedule, parking, and inbox widgets alongside the sidebar
Create event and Dashboard (Beta) are different home screens. Use whichever matches how you start your day.

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Where to find Setup Guide in the app

The Setup Guide is easy to miss on a phone. Use any of these paths:
  • Direct link: Setup Guide
  • Sidebar: scroll the left menu — Setup Guide often appears below the main work areas.
  • From Settings: open Settings and look for a banner or link to setup progress.
Setup Guide page with the left sidebar visible showing facility name and navigation items
The Setup Guide uses the same sidebar as the rest of the dashboard. Bookmark Setup Guide if your team checks it often during launch week.
Setup Guide Setup Progress card showing percentage complete and a circular refresh icon button
After you save settings on another page, return here and click the refresh icon in Setup Progress if tasks still look incomplete. Use this table when someone asks, “Where do I click for that?”
For a visual tour with screenshots of each area, read Learn the dashboard.

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Important words in plain English

Dashboard — The signed-in staff area of the app (addresses starting with /dashboard). Not the same as the customer portal.Setup Guide — An in-app checklist at Setup Guide that links to the settings pages your facility still needs.Customer record — A person or company in Contacts. Vehicles and billing connect here.Car record — A vehicle in Cars. Every stored or serviced car should have one.Event type — A labeled kind of work (drop-off, pickup, detail) shown as a card on Create event.Portal — The customer-facing website where owners view cars, billing, and documents. Staff use the dashboard; customers use the portal.

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Basics learning path

After your first day, work through these guides in order: Then open the product area your team will use next:

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Common first-day questions

Do I need to fill in every field?No. Start with the fields your staff needs to identify customers and cars correctly. You can add more details later.
What if I make a mistake?Most records can be opened again and edited. If you are unsure about deleting something, update the record instead or ask a manager first.
I feel lost in the sidebarOpen Learn the dashboard. Each section explains what that area is for and includes direct links you can click from this help site.
Create event vs Schedule — which do I use?Use Create event when work is starting now (a car just arrived). Use Schedule when you are planning ahead (booking next Tuesday at 2 PM). Many teams use both every day.
I cannot open Settings or Setup GuideYour role may not include those pages yet. Ask your facility owner to review your access in Settings > Team. You can still practice with Cars and Contacts if your manager allows it.
The Setup Guide percentage did not change after I savedReturn to Setup Guide and click the circular refresh icon in the Setup Progress card. Some tasks need every required field saved — for example a logo upload on Branding or a chosen time zone on General.

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What success looks like on day one

  • You signed in and recognize your facility name in the sidebar.
  • You opened Setup Guide and know what Set up does.
  • You can find Cars, Contacts, and Create event without help.
  • Your manager knows which setup tasks still need an owner (payments, communications, team invites).

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What to do next