Your First Steps

A hands-on tutorial to understand how Agency OS works in 30 minutes

This hands-on tutorial will help you understand how Agency OS works by completing three essential tasks. By the end, you'll know how to manage clients, projects, and understand what your clients see in their portal.

Time Required: About 30 minutes to complete all three steps

Step 1: Create Your First Client

Let's start by adding a client to your Agency OS.

Navigate to Clients

1. Look at the sidebar navigation

2. Click on Clients (you'll see the client list)

Create a New Client Record

1. Click the + Add a Client button (in the top-right)

2. You'll see a form with fields for client information

Add a New Client Form

Fill in Client Details

Complete the following fields:

Required Fields:

• Name: Enter your client's company name (e.g., "Acme Corporation")

• Status: Select "Active" from the dropdown

Optional but Recommended:

• Website: Your client's website URL

• Logo: Your client's logo

• Address: Their business address

• Notes: Any important context about this client

• Owner: This will default to you, but you can change it

Save the Client

1. Click Save at the bottom of the form

2. You'll be taken to the client's record page

Explore the Client Record

You should now see the client record page with several sections:

• Details: The information you just entered

• Contacts: People at this client organization

• Projects: Currently empty (you'll add one next!)

• Payments: Billing history

• Opportunities: Potential future work

What is a Client? Clients represent the companies you work with. They're different from Leads (potential clients) in that they have active projects with your agency.

Step 2: Create Your First Project

Now let's create a project for the client you just added.

Navigate to Projects

1. Click on Projects in the sidebar (this is a folder)

2. Click on Projects under the folder to see the project list

Create a New Project Record

1. Click the + New project button

2. The project form will open

Add a New Project Form

Fill in Project Details

Complete the following fields:

Required Fields:

• Name: Enter a descriptive project name (e.g., "Website Redesign" or "Q1 Marketing Campaign")

• Client: Click the field and select the client you just created

• Status: Select "In Progress"

Recommended Fields:

• Start Date: When the project begins

• End Date: Target completion date

• Budget: Estimated project budget (if applicable)

• Description: Brief overview of what the project involves

• Lead: Defaults to you, but you can change it. They'll receive project notifications

Save the Project

1. Click Create or Save

2. You'll be taken to the project record page

Explore the Project Record

The project record page shows:

• Project Details: Summary, start and end dates status, budget

• Tasks: Break down the work (we'll look at this next)

• Time Tracking: Hours logged by team members

• Expenses: Linked fixed expenses

• Comments: Project-level discussions

Add a Task to Your Project

While you're on the project page, let's create a task:

1. Find the Tasks tab on the project page

2. Click Add task button

3. Fill in task details:

   • Title: "Review project requirements"

   • Description: "Initial discovery and requirement gathering"

   • Project: Will be prefilled with your new project

   • Due Date: Set to tomorrow

   • Status: Select "To do"

   • Priority: Select "High"

   • Assignee: Assign to yourself

4. Click Save

Add a New Task Form

Test Task Actions

1. Open the task you just created

2. Notice the action buttons at the top: Start, Edit, Change Priority

3. Click Start - this moves the task from "To do" to "In Progress" It also starts tracking time for that task, and notifies the client that the task is started.

4. Look at the workflow stages at the top: To do → In Progress → Done

Try Adding a Comment

1. Look at the comments sidebar on the task

2. Notice two options: Reply and Note

   • Reply: Client-visible communication

   • Note: Internal communication (clients never see this)

3. Click Note and add: "This is an internal note that clients won't see"

4. Click Reply and add: "This is a reply that clients will be able to see in their portal"

Important: Always check whether you're using Reply (client sees it) or Note (internal only) before adding a comment. This is one of the most important features for client communication!

Great Work! You've now created a client, a project, and a task. You understand the basic workflow of Agency OS. Now let's see what your clients see.

Step 3: Test the Client Portal View

This is where the magic happens. Let's see what your clients experience when they log into their portal.

Use the "View As" Feature

1. Look at the top-right corner of your screen

2. Click on your View as... dropdown

3. Choose Amanda Scott from the list

View as a client

Who is Amanda Scott? Amanda Scott is a pre-configured test client contact in your Agency OS. She has the "Client" role, which gives her access to the client portal with limited permissions.

Explore the Client Portal

You're now seeing Agency OS exactly as a client sees it. Notice the differences:

Simplified Navigation: The sidebar now shows only three sections:

• Portal: Client homepage

• Projects: Their projects only

• Billing: Their invoices only

All the internal sections (CRM, Team, Expenses, etc.) are hidden from clients.

The Portal Homepage

1. You should see the Portal page automatically

2. Notice the welcome message: "Welcome Amanda 👋"

3. Three quick action cards:

   • View Projects: See active projects

   • Book a meeting: Schedule time with your team

   • Pay your bills: Access billing

4. Ongoing tasks section below: Shows tasks the agency is working on for this client

View Projects as a Client

1. Click Projects in the sidebar

2. You'll see a filtered list showing only Amanda's client projects

3. Click on a project to open it

4. Notice what clients can see:

   • Project name and timeline

   • Current status

   • Tasks and their progress

   • Reply comments (but not Note comments!)

5. Clients can add comments to tasks, but only via Reply

View Billing as a Client

1. Click Billing in the sidebar

2. You'll see payment records for this client only

3. Click on a payment to see:

   • Invoice amount and status

   • Due date

   • Line item breakdown

   • Payment history

Return to Your Admin View

1. Click the 'View as user' dropdown again in the top-right

2. Select Stop viewing as Amanda Scott or similar option

3. You're back to your full admin view with all sections visible

Powerful Feature! The "View as" feature is incredibly useful. Use it before inviting any client to ensure they'll see exactly what you want them to see.

What You've Learned

Congratulations! You've just completed the essential Agency OS workflow:

• ✅ Client Management: How to add clients to your system

• ✅ Project Delivery: How to create projects and break them into tasks

• ✅ Task Management: Using statuses, priorities, and the workflow stages

• ✅ Communication: The difference between Reply (client-visible) and Note (internal)

• ✅ Client Experience: What your clients see in their portal

• ✅ Permissions: How role-based access controls what users can see

Key Takeaways

The Client Workflow

1. Create Client → 2. Create Project → 3. Add Tasks → 4. Grant Portal Access

Reply vs Note

• Reply = Client sees it ✅

• Note = Internal only 🔒

The Client Portal

• Simplified navigation (Portal, Projects, Billing)

• Filtered data (only their information)

• View-only access to most data

• Can comment via Reply on tasks

What's Next?

Now that you understand the basics, explore these topics:

Understand Your Daily Workflow

Learn about the Home page and its four tabs:

Understanding the Home Page

Learn the Full Structure

Understand all sections of Agency OS:

App Structure Overview

Deep Dive into Features

Explore specific sections in detail:

• CRM & Sales - Managing leads and opportunities

• Projects & Delivery - Advanced project management

• Client Portal - Setting up real client access

• Billing & Expenses - Financial management

Set Up Your Real Workflow

When you're ready to use Agency OS for real:

1. Add your actual clients

2. Create your current projects

3. Invite your team members

4. Set up client portal access for one friendly client

5. Configure automations for common tasks

Best Practices

Common Questions

Can I delete the sample data?

Yes! Once you're comfortable with Agency OS, you can delete all the sample data. It won't affect your real clients, projects, or tasks.

What if I make a mistake?

Don't worry! You can edit or delete any record you create. Use the edit button on any record page to make changes.

How do I invite real clients?

We cover this in detail in the Client Portal guide. The short version: create a contact as a user, assign them the "Client" role, and link them to their client account.

Can I customize the workflow stages?

Absolutely! The default stages (To do → In Progress → Done) can be customized to match your agency's workflow. See the Customizing Your Agency OS guide.

What happens if I use Reply instead of Note?

If you meant to write an internal note but used Reply, clients will be able to see that comment in their portal. You can edit or delete the comment to fix this.

You're Off to a Great Start! You now have hands-on experience with the core features of Agency OS. The rest is just exploring and customizing to fit your needs.