Onboarding guide

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lightwork.co/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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In one minute

LightWork handles resident enquiries, prospective tenant screening, maintenance coordination, and compliance certificate renewals. Felicity, our AI agent, communicates with residents, prospects, and contractors over email and WhatsApp, and reads property data from your existing property management system (PMS). Onboarding has two halves: the core setup that every customer completes, and the modules you’ve bought, which Felicity activates on top.

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How onboarding works

Your LightWork onboarding lead will guide you through the steps below. This page is your map: what we’ll need from you, what we’ll do for you, and how to think about the modules sitting on top. Core setup — once per organisation:

1. Connect your communication channels (email and WhatsApp).
2. Connect your property management system.
3. Build your knowledge base so Felicity can answer common questions.
4. Confirm your contractor list.
5. Invite your team.
6. Customise Felicity (emergency escalation copy and email footer).

Modules — activated per office once core setup is in place:

• Resident Desk, Prospects, Maintenance, Compliance.

Going live — announce the new contact details to residents, then test and switch on.

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What you need before you start

• A dedicated resident inbox for inbound emails (new mailbox, not shared with other users).
• Access to your internal IT team (or external IT provider) to create the mailbox and authorise Felicity’s email connection.
• A Twilio account with a WhatsApp-enabled number (WhatsApp Business).
• Credentials or a request route for your PMS (see Step 2 for what’s needed per provider).
• Knowledge base content ready to upload (FAQs, policies, how-tos).
• Names and emails for the team you will invite (at least one operational owner and one backup).

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Step 1: Connect your channels

Set up email and WhatsApp so residents can reach Felicity. For detailed instructions, see the Channels guide.

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Email

1. Create a new mailbox used only for resident inbound contact (e.g. residents@yourdomain.co.uk).
2. Set any existing public addresses to auto-forward to this mailbox if needed.
3. In LightWork, go to Settings > Channels > Connect Email.
4. Choose your provider, sign in, and authorise access.
5. Send a test email to confirm messages appear in LightWork.

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WhatsApp

Use your current public business landline - do not buy a new number.

1. Ensure the landline can receive inbound voice calls (the verification code arrives by automated call).
2. Sign in to Twilio and go to Messaging > WhatsApp Senders.
3. Follow the wizard to register your number and complete business profile verification.
4. In LightWork, go to Settings > Channels > WhatsApp > Connect via Twilio.
5. Enter your Account SID and Auth Token, then copy the webhook URL into Twilio.
6. Send a test WhatsApp message to confirm it appears in LightWork.

For the full step-by-step (including migration from another provider), see Channels > WhatsApp setup.

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Step 2: Connect your property management system

LightWork integrates with major PMS providers to sync properties, tenancies, certificate renewals, and (where supported) work orders. The route depends on which PMS you use.

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Why PMS integration matters per module

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Step 3: Build your knowledge base

Felicity answers questions using your knowledge base. Focus on the highest-volume questions first. Short, clear answers beat long policy text. Recommended articles to start with:

• Rent payments: when, how, bank details, reference format.
• Repairs: how to report, what evidence to include, emergency vs non-emergency.
• Access: keys, fobs, lockouts, replacement process and fees.
• Moving in: utilities, meter readings, inventory, council tax.
• Moving out: notice period, cleaning standards, deposit return timelines.
• Pets, parking, bins and recycling, noise complaints.
• Contact hours and service levels.

How to add articles:

1. Go to Knowledge Base > Add Information > New.
2. Select a subject (e.g. Rent Collection, Parking, Pet Policies).
3. Add the information, including any links or forms.
4. Save and publish. Repeat for the top 20-30 questions.

For advanced features like scope hierarchy, bulk upload, and AI-suggested articles, see the Knowledge Base guide.

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Step 4: Confirm your contractor list

Maintenance and Compliance both route work to contractors.

• If your PMS exposes a contractor list, LightWork syncs it automatically — no action needed.
• If your PMS doesn’t expose a contractor endpoint (for example Street), your LightWork lead will request an export and load the contractors for you.
• You can also add or edit contractors directly in LightWork at any time. See CRM > Contractors.

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Step 5: Invite your team

1. Go to Settings > Team > Invite.
2. Invite at least:
   • Operational owner: handles escalations and hand-offs.
   • Backup reviewer: covers absence.
3. Configure permissions for each team member. See Team and permissions for details.

Roles split into Admin (full platform access) and Member (scoped per module).

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Step 6: Customise Felicity

Two pieces of customisation make Felicity feel like part of your team. Your LightWork onboarding lead will work with you to set both up.

• Emergency escalation copy — what Felicity says to residents when she detects an emergency (e.g. gas leak, major water leak, no heating in winter). This typically points residents to your out-of-hours emergency contact and any safety guidance specific to your portfolio.
• Email footer — the signature appended to Felicity’s outbound emails, identifying her as your AI-powered assistant and giving residents a clear way to reach a human.

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Step 7: Activate your modules

Once core setup is in place, your LightWork onboarding lead activates the modules you’ve purchased per office. Each module has its own behaviour and dependencies:

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Step 8: Inform residents

Tell residents where to contact you. Use all three routes for best uptake.

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Mass email to current residents

Subject: A faster way to reach [Your Agency] Body:

Hello [Resident name], We now have a faster way to help you. From today, please contact us here:

• Email: residents@yourdomain.co.uk
• WhatsApp: +44 XX XXXX XXXX

Save this WhatsApp number as [Your Agency] - Residents. When you message, include your name and address plus a short description. We will acknowledge quickly and keep you updated. For emergencies, use your usual emergency number. To stop WhatsApp messages, reply STOP. Thank you, [Your Agency]

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Update public touchpoints

• Website: update the Contact page with the resident email and WhatsApp number.
• Email signatures: add “Residents: email residents@… or WhatsApp +44…”.
• Auto-reply on old inboxes: point people to the new addresses.

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Step 9: Test and go live

1. Send 10-15 test emails and WhatsApps covering your top FAQs.
2. Check answers, links, and article coverage.
3. Add or adjust articles where Felicity asks for more information.
4. Announce to a small resident cohort first.
5. Monitor the first 72 hours. Review any escalations in your inbox.

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Success checklist

• Email and WhatsApp are connected and tested.
• PMS integration is live (where applicable for the modules you’ve bought).
• Knowledge base published with at least 20 core articles.
• Contractors either synced from your PMS or added directly.
• Team invited with correct permissions.
• Felicity customisation in place (emergency escalation copy and email footer).
• Modules activated on each office.
• First cohort live and receiving consistent answers.

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Need help?

• To report an issue, email support@lightwork.co.
• For onboarding questions, email onboarding@lightwork.co.
• See the FAQ and Troubleshooting pages for common issues.