Guide for Partners: How to Onboard a New Customer

For a complete Inlet solution, several key steps ensure a successful setup. First, the customer must onboard to a third-party software system. Then, the necessary access system and/or locks must be installed and linked to the software for user access. Customer communications and essential functions must also be set up to support the business and user journey. Once everything is in place, Inlet seamlessly integrates these components to automate the user experience. After successful testing, the solution is ready for use.

Note: Inlet does not sell or install locks, nor does it provide booking solutions or other user-facing software. Instead, Inlet functions as an "invisible" integrator, connecting locks and access control systems with third-party software solutions.

Ensuring Customer Success

Whether you're working with a potential or a newly signed customer looking to automate their business, we've created some articles to asset you in delivering a successful project. The following are some articles which are meant as a guide to help, and should be shared with the customer as well. 

• The first step in a successful project is understanding roles and responsibilities. This guide will help set clear expectations.

  • Implementation Roles, Responsibilities And Steps

• Reliable backup solutions are crucial to ensuring uninterrupted access, even during technical disruptions. They help maintain user trust, satisfaction, and the smooth operation of your business

  • Backup Solutions: Best Practices

• Inlet offers both SMS and email options to keep your customers informed about their bookings and/or access information. At various stages of the customer journey, we can notify users with different types of information, statuses, and actions.

  • Customer Communication: SMS & Email

• Inlet simplifies sauna accessibility and energy efficiency by integrating access control systems and digital locks with booking software and sauna preheating automation. When connecting a sauna with preheating to Inlet, there are specific factors to consider.

  • The Sauna Playbook

• Municipality customer projects are often more complex and time-consuming due to their unique requirements. This guide provides a generalized overview of the key steps and information needed to successfully set up a Municipality location with Bookup. 

  • Success with Bookup and Municipalities

Follow these steps to ensure a smooth onboarding process for a new customer

• Share the information above with the customer or this Customer Welcome Package which contains all the articles above via a single link. 

*Please note that all customers onboarded through partners is subject to Inlet's Service Level Agreement.

• Share the list of setup guides with the customer and hardware installer.

  Each lock system has a dedicated setup guide. These guides outline the necessary configurations for the lock system and network settings to ensure compatibility with Inlet. Once the customer has chosen a lock system, either you, the customer or PM must provide the hardware installer with the relevant setup guides

  Inlet can only connect to the locks once the system is correctly set up. After installation, and confirmation that the access system is accessible from an outside network, the hardware installer must send specific information to Inlet, as detailed in the setup guide for each system. This information must be submitted to support@inlet.no

• Fill out the Inlet Onboarding Form.

  Fill out the onboarding form to notify our onboarding team about the new customer. Access the onboarding form here.
  
  Please note that Inlet requires 14 days of testing before the solution is fully operational.

• Suggest that customers schedule a meeting with Inlet's onboarding team, We're here to help!

  After signing a deal with a new customer, suggest that they book a meeting with our onboarding team if they have any uncertainty about the next steps or any part of the process.
  
  Customers can book the meeting using this link: https://meetings.hubspot.com/andreas-dovland/onboarding-with-partner

• Final actual steps before going live

• Inlet receives lock setup and sms/email information from the hardware installer or customer.
• Inlet configures the portal as required for the project.
• Inlet sends API keys and Lock IDs to the third-party software provider.
• The third-party software provider sets up their system as required. 
• The solution is ready for testing and use.