Grids, Hubs, & Buses... Oh My!

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Onboarding Workflow - Remodel Cloud Style!

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 Remodel Cloud is a Software as a Service targeting  Home Remodelers, Contractors, Builders, and all Home Specialty Services.  Remodel Cloud provides business management services including Customer and Job Management, Estimating, Change Orders, etc...

This blog post is not about Remodel Cloud and the info above is only for context.  You can visit the Remodel Cloud website to learn more about our SaaS offering.

This blog post is about the design and architecture of a SaaS onboarding process and specifically the  design of Remodel Cloud's onboarding process.  It is the hope of this blog that others find benefit in this information or contribute valuable feedback.

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  A SaaS onboarding workflow facilitates a smooth start for new users and also helps them realize the value of the software quickly. By combining user-friendly design, educational resources, and continuous engagement, the workflow can significantly enhance user satisfaction and retention.

Remodel Cloud's Onboarding Requirements were identified up front and were the driving factor behind the workflow and process design.

  • Simple and easy to use for new users
  • Collect minimal amount of information from new users
  • PCI compliant
  • Secure transactions
  • Automated setup and configuration 
  • Integrated subscription management 
  • Automated billing and payment services
  • Logging around entire process
Logical Workflow is the sequence of steps a new user goes through from registration to full utilization of the application. Here’s a detailed logical workflow for Remodel Cloud's SaaS onboarding:
  1. User registration
  2. User notification - Welcome Message
  3. Email notification to Remodel Cloud
  4. Collect payment details
  5. Created SaaS subscription & Customer (3rd party management service)
  6. Create Remodel Cloud tenant
  7. Configure new tenant
  8. User notification - Tenant Created
  9. User notification - Education services, videos, user's guide and support
  10. Email notification to Remodel Cloud
Physical Design for Remodel Cloud's SaaS onboarding process involves specifying the actual  services and components that will be deployed to implement the logical workflow. Below is a detailed physical architecture.

Below are some notes and decisions made during the design of this onboarding process.
  • Initial user registration will take place on Remodel Cloud's commercial website at www.remodelcloud.com.   This registration will take name and email only and no payment information.
  • All Remodel Cloud services are hosted in Microsoft Azure and are represented as such in the diagram below.
  • Stripe is being used as 3rd party payment and subscription management service.
  • SendGrid has been incorporated by the Remodel Cloud SaaS service and will also be used as part of this onboarding process.
  • Utilize Stripe Checkout to process credit card payment and remove all credit card data from Remodel Cloud and maintain PCI compliance.
  • Remodel Cloud is a multi-tenant solution with a multi-tenant SQL Server data solution



In conclusion, this process has been working well for me.  My next action item is to add a feedback step to the workflow in order to get the impression from the user perspective. Feel free to contact me and provide comments.   I would love to here from others who have designed their own onboarding workflow.