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The first-run setup wizard

How an admin finishes setting up a new company: timezone, pricing, team, text messaging and how you pay Lupa.

How it works. Until setup is complete, Lupa Dash shows a banner reading Your account isn't fully set up yet. with a Finish setup button. It leads to a five-step wizard titled Set up followed by your company's name. The steps, shown across the top, are Basics, Pricing, Team, Messaging and Billing. You can leave and come back; the wizard remembers which step you were on.

An admin who accepts an invite while setup is still outstanding is taken straight to the wizard. Only admins can open it.

A step is complete when what it asks for is actually true, or when you have chosen to skip it. Next stays greyed out until the step you are on is complete. You can jump to any step by choosing its name at the top, and go back with Back.

Step 1 — Basics

Where do you work? Your timezone decides which calendar day a recurring visit lands on. A wrong zone puts visits on the wrong day without any warning.

To set your timezone

  1. Pick your Timezone from the list.
  2. Choose Save timezone.

What you'll see. Timezone saved., and the wizard moves to Pricing.

Note. Every company starts with a timezone, so this step already counts as complete before you touch it — check that the zone shown is actually yours.

Step 2 — Pricing

How do you price your work? Lupa does not choose a pricing model for you, and nothing is preselected. Until a model is set, every visit is created without a price and has to be priced by hand.

Pricing by number of dogs and cadence. In the wizard, choose Flat Rate or Dog Size × Yard Size Grid. Set up Dogs × Cadence Matrix under Pricing in Lupa Dash — see Pricing. It prices visits as they are scheduled, from the number of dogs and the cadence. If you price with Dogs × Cadence Matrix, the setup banner keeps showing after you set it up under Pricing, and the wizard's Pricing step stays incomplete. Visits are still priced as they are scheduled, and nothing else is held back; carry on working.

To choose a pricing model

  1. Choose one of the models. Each one says whether it Prices visits automatically as they are scheduled or Prices only from per-location values you enter.
  2. Fill in the values the model asks for.
  3. If the model prices only from per-location values (Dog Size × Yard Size Grid), tick I understand this model can't price a visit on its own.
  4. Choose Save pricing.

What you'll see. Pricing saved., and the step is complete.

If you see "Saved, but this model can't price a visit yet". The model is saved, but it cannot yet produce a price from the values entered. Fill in the values and choose Save pricing again. On Flat Rate the one value is Flat rate (per visit).

If you see "Confirm you understand this model prices per location". Tick the acknowledgement and choose Save pricing again. Visits on this model are created without a price until per-location values are entered.

See Pricing your work for how each model works.

Step 3 — Team

Who's doing the work? Dispatch needs someone to dispatch to.

To invite someone

  1. Enter their Email.
  2. Pick a Role: Technician or Admin.
  3. Choose Invite.

What you'll see. Lupa emails the invite to that address. The invite link is also shown once, with a Copy button, in case you want to send it another way; it cannot be shown again later. The message Invite created. Copy the URL now — it's not retrievable later. appears either way; the email has already gone. Invite as many people as you need.

To carry on without inviting anyone

  1. Choose I'm the only one for now. The wizard moves to Messaging.

Note. The step counts as complete as soon as anyone has joined the team, and you count: an admin who joined through an invite finds this step already complete. An invite that has not been accepted yet does not count.

See Joining a company you were invited to for what the person you invited sees, and Inviting people for managing invites later.

Step 4 — Messaging

Text messaging. Appointment confirmations and "on my way" messages go out by text. Without a registered number, outbound texts are not sent at all.

Registering a number is a compliance submission with its own wizard. Approval takes a few days, so starting early means it is ready when you need it.

To start registration

  1. Choose Set up messaging. This opens the registration wizard — see Registering your texting number.

To leave it for later

  1. Choose Skip for now. The step counts as complete; choose Next to carry on.

What you'll see. Once your number is set up, the step shows Messaging is set up.

Step 5 — Billing

How will you pay Lupa? This is Lupa's own monthly fee and the usage it passes through — separate from what you charge your customers, which is the Pricing step. The step names your plan and its monthly price, or says that no plan is assigned yet and nothing is being billed.

What the step shows depends on where your account stands:

  • On a trial. You're on a trial until a date. You can add a payment method now or any time before then; everything keeps working either way. The step is already complete.
  • Card on file. Payment method on file, with the card's label.
  • No trial, billed monthly. A prompt to add a payment method so each month's bill can be collected. The step is not complete until you do.
  • Not being billed yet. Adding a card now means nothing interrupts you later. The step is already complete.

To continue on your trial without a card

  1. Choose Continue on my trial.

To add a card

  1. Choose Add a payment method (Replace card if one is already on file).
  2. Enter your card on the payment provider's page. You are returned to the wizard afterwards.

Saving a card does not end your trial.

If there is no Add a payment method button. Card payments to Lupa are not switched on yet, so there is nothing to add here. Carry on to Finish setup.

If you see "We couldn't open the payment page. Please try again." Choose Add a payment method again.

See Lupa billing and your trial for what happens when a trial ends.

Finish

To finish setup

  1. On the Billing step, choose Finish setup. It is greyed out until every step is complete or skipped.

What you'll see. Setup complete., and Lupa Dash.

Note. The banner is driven by the same checks, not by the Finish setup button. It stays away while every step holds, and comes back if one stops holding — for example, if you switch to a pricing model that cannot yet produce a price.