Can I create customers before finishing white-labelling?

You can, but every email the platform sends them in the meantime carries default branding, and invites link to the non-branded domain. Finish steps 1-3 first — it is the single most common regret we see.

Do I need Stripe to onboard my first customer?

No. Assign a free or externally-billed plan and bill outside the platform. Connect Stripe later when you want self-serve subscriptions — existing customers can be moved to Stripe plans via Checkout Sessions.

Why does my test customer see features locked or missing?

That is the plan doing its job: `Upgrade` shows a feature locked, `Hidden` removes it. Adjust the plan's `Features & Options`, or override per customer from their Manage Customer page.

What should I use for the customer's email address if I run everything for them?

A real, unique mailbox the client controls (or a unique alias you manage). Emails must be unique platform-wide, and password resets and notifications go there.

Where do I go when something in this sequence fails?

The Troubleshooting Common Setup Errors guide maps exact error messages to causes and fixes — provider verification, domain records, Google permissions, and payment issues.

First Customer Setup Order | EmbedMyReviews Documentation

Almost every setup problem we see comes from doing the right steps in the wrong order: customers created before white-labelling is finished receive EMR-branded emails, campaigns launched before an email provider exists fail silently, and AI features enabled before an AI provider is connected do nothing.

Follow this sequence once, top to bottom. Each step lists what breaks if you skip it. If you only remember one rule: finish the platform (steps 1-4) before you create your first real customer (step 5).

Step 1 — Brand the platform

Go to `Platform -> White-Label -> Configuration`. Set your logo, brand colors, favicon, company name, currency, and the languages your customers may use. This is the identity every customer-facing surface inherits.

Skipping this means: your customers and their end-customers see EMR branding in emails, forms, and reports
Also set `Platform -> White-Label -> Report Branding` if you plan to send Sales Intelligence reports

Step 2 — Connect your domain

Go to `Platform -> White-Label -> Domains` and run the domain wizard (one A record to the IP shown in the wizard; remove any other A/AAAA records for that hostname). Set the new domain as primary once verified.

Skipping this means: customer links, invites, and OAuth connections use your `*.app.embedmyreviews.com` address — and connecting Google/Facebook can land on a blank page until a primary domain exists
SSL issues automatically on the first HTTPS visit after verification

Step 3 — Connect your senders and AI

Connect the channels the platform will send through, and finish each wizard until the provider shows as ready — a half-finished wizard silently falls back to a non-working default.

Email: `Platform -> Messaging -> Email` -> `Add Provider` (SendGrid or Brevo for full white-label; the free EmbedMyReviews service works for testing but sends from a shared address)
SMS (if selling it): `Platform -> Messaging -> SMS` -> `Add SMS Provider`, picking your market recommendation
AI: `Platform -> AI & Automation -> Artificial Intelligence` -> connect OpenAI or OpenRouter — without this, AI replies, Auto Respond, and AI Insights do nothing
Optional now, required before Sales Intelligence or Local Search Grid: DataForSEO + a Google Maps key in those tools' setup wizards

Step 4 — Decide billing and build your plan

Two paths. Stripe self-serve: `Business -> Billing & Revenue -> Connect Stripe`, then open `Custom Plans` and configure your default plan — its `Features & Options` matrix controls everything your customers can see. Done-for-you/manual: skip Stripe, mark plans as free or externally billed, and assign them per customer.

The plan marked `Default Plan` is what self-registering customers get — configure it before sharing any registration link
Plan features you leave on `Hidden` remove menus entirely; `Upgrade` shows them locked — several ship hidden or locked by default, so review the matrix once deliberately
You cannot test plan gating from your agency login — plan limits never apply to you; always check as the customer

Worth knowing

The complete option-by-option reference is in the Custom Plan Feature Matrix guide.

Step 5 — Create your first customer and connect their reviews

Go to `Business -> Customers -> Manage Customers` -> `Add Customer` (full name, email, business name — the email must be unique across the platform, so use the client's real email, not one of yours). Then connect their review sources.

Connect Google via `Connect -> Integrations -> Sources` in their account — use `Grant Access` (Google sign-in) for replies, Auto Respond, and insights; `Public Access` only syncs
If the client won't log in anywhere, send a `Get a customer connect link` from the Google/Facebook source card — they sign in to Google only
The Google account used must be an Owner or Manager of the Business Profile
Wait for the first review sync before building widgets — the widget builder stays empty until reviews exist

Worth knowing

This is a customer-side screen. Because you are in your agency account, you can reach it two ways: go to `Business -> Customers -> Manage Customers` and click `Open dashboard` on the customer — you go into their dashboard with nothing locked, even features their plan hides, and a bar at the top shows whose dashboard you are in (handy for done-for-you setups or granting access beyond a plan); or choose `View as customer` on the same page to see their dashboard exactly as they see it, with their plan's limits. If your sidebar shows the `Agency` / `Customer` switcher, the `Customer` tab plus the location switcher is a shortcut to the same place.

Step 6 — Feedback form, QR code, first campaign

Inside the customer account: create a feedback form (`Grow -> Review Tools -> Feedback Forms`), generate its QR code (`Grow -> Review Tools -> QR Codes`), then launch the review-request campaign (`Grow -> Campaigns -> Request Reviews`) and add contacts via `Grow -> Campaigns -> Invites`.

The default campaign is a ready 4-step email/SMS sequence — send a test invite to yourself before importing real contacts
Widgets come last: `Display -> Social Proof -> Widgets` once reviews have synced
Auto Respond (top-level in the customer sidebar) needs the AI provider from step 3 and a Grant Access Google/Facebook connection

Make it repeatable with Onboarding Blueprints

Once your first customer's setup feels right, package it: `Platform -> AI & Automation -> Onboarding Blueprint` captures a feedback form, campaign, widget, auto-respond rule, AI prompt, and social template as a package that applies to every new customer automatically — so steps 5-6 become minutes, not hours.