The short answer: respond within an hour, get financing pre-qualified, book the design consult, and use the customer portal to mirror every milestone across the 60-180 day construction pipeline. Pool Launch automates the first three stages — deposit confirmation, portal walkthrough, financing pre-qual — and the customer portal mirrors the construction schedule throughout.
The 12-stage onboarding flow
- Deposit confirmation (within 15 minutes). Automated.
- Personal call (within 1 hour). Confirm financing path, book design consult.
- Customer portal walkthrough. Aerial render + dimensions + financing pre-qual.
- Design consultation scheduled within 7 days. On-site walkthrough with the homeowner.
- Final design approval. Pool dimensions, decking, addon selections locked.
- Contract signed. 10-25% deposit on top of design deposit.
- Permits filed (30-90 days depending on AHJ).
- Excavation day. 1-3 days on site.
- Shell install (gunite pour or fiberglass shell drop).
- Plumbing + electrical + decking across 4-8 weeks.
- Plaster + fill + commissioning.
- Final walkthrough + warranty + 6-month + 12-month service visits.
What to collect during onboarding
- Backyard photos from multiple angles for the design consult.
- Preferred pool type (gunite vs fiberglass vs vinyl-liner).
- Outdoor-living interests (cabana, kitchen, fire feature, pergola).
- Financing partner preference (Lyon Financial, HFS Financial, LightStream).
- HOA name + restrictions on pool placement, fencing, equipment screening.
- Decision-maker check. Both spouses on a $50K+ project.
- Site features — utility easements, septic fields, mature trees, slope, existing hardscape.
The customer portal as a project dashboard
$40K-$150K customers want visibility — they paid a lot of money and the project takes 2-6 months. Pool Launch's customer portal mirrors the construction schedule throughout, so the homeowner can see "Excavation: June 10. Plumbing rough-in: June 17. Decking: July 15. Fill: August 5." in real time.
This dramatically reduces "where are we" phone calls from the homeowner and builds trust through the long pipeline. Builders running portal-mirrored onboarding report 30-50% fewer status-check calls and meaningfully higher customer satisfaction ratings at completion.
Common onboarding mistakes
- Slow first-hour response. Pool homeowners are talking to 2-4 builders. Speed wins.
- Skipping financing pre-qual. Without pre-qual, design hours get spent on unaffordable consultations.
- Letting permit wait go silent. 60-day permit waits feel like the project is dead. Use the customer portal to keep "we're working it" status visible.
- No mid-build photo updates. The homeowner can't watch every step in person. Send weekly progress photos via the portal.
- Skipping the 6-month and 12-month follow-ups. Warranty work and word-of-mouth referrals both depend on the post-install relationship.
Automate the first three stages. Mirror the rest in the portal.
Pool Launch handles deposit confirmation, portal walkthrough, and financing pre-qual automatically. Customer portal mirrors the construction schedule throughout. $1 per mailed pool quote.
Start free →