# Get started and launch

> Create a business and publish its first useful customer page.

Language: en-US. Product guide: https://customer.help/help/getting-started/.

Reviewed by Customer Help Product Support on July 23, 2026. Verified for release 2026.07.

## Before you begin

You need an email account you can verify, the business's public name and phone number, and at least one customer-facing location. If you plan to use Chat, Listings, AI, or a custom domain, finish the core page first; those features depend on saved brands and locations.

## 1. Create the account and business

Complete the account fields first:

| Field | What to enter and what it affects |
| --- | --- |
| <span id="signup-account-name"></span> **Your name** | Your personal display name. Teammates see it in team and conversation workspaces; it is not the public company name. |
| <span id="signup-account-email"></span> **Email** | An address you control and can verify. It becomes your sign-in identity, so enter it exactly and do not use a shared mailbox as a shared login. |
| <span id="signup-account-password"></span> **Password** | A new account password that satisfies the displayed minimum requirements. Keep it unique and private; support will never ask you to send it. |
| <span id="signup-account-portal-language"></span> **Portal language** | The language of menus and controls for your user. It does not translate company or customer-facing content. |
| <span id="signup-account-business-language"></span> **Business primary language** | The main language for customer-facing content and the fallback when a translation is blank. Choose the language your team will use to write and review public information. |
| <span id="signup-account-time-zone"></span> **Your time zone** | The city or region used to display portal dates and times to you. Location schedules use each location's own time zone instead. |
| <span id="signup-account-regional-confirmation"></span> **Confirm your language and time zone to continue** | Confirms that you reviewed the portal language, business language, and time zone. Check it only after the three values are correct; they affect different parts of Customer Help. |

After verifying the account email and signing in, complete the business and first-brand fields:

| Field | What to enter and what customers may see |
| --- | --- |
| <span id="signup-company-name"></span> **Company name** | The official customer-recognizable business name. It identifies the business in Customer Help and may be shown publicly. |
| <span id="signup-company-tagline"></span> **Company tagline** | Optional short customer-facing statement. Keep it concise and do not put temporary notices here. |
| <span id="signup-company-description"></span> **Company description** | Optional longer public summary of the company and services. Include only information customers should see. |
| <span id="signup-company-page-link-name"></span> **Page link name** | The company part of the public page address. Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens; changing it later can break saved links. |
| <span id="signup-company-primary-phone"></span> **Primary phone** | A monitored public business number used as the initial or fallback contact. Call it before launch to confirm it reaches the right team. |
| <span id="signup-brand-name"></span> **First brand name** | The public name of the first customer page. It can match the company name or identify a distinct customer-facing brand. |
| <span id="signup-brand-path"></span> **Brand page link** | The brand's public path segment. Use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores and choose a stable value because external links can depend on it. |

Select **Create business** after reviewing every value.

The initial account becomes the business Administrator. Treat both page-link fields as public addresses; changing them can break saved links.

## 2. Confirm regional settings

Open your profile and confirm **Portal language** and **Time zone**. Portal language changes the interface for only your user. Your profile time zone controls how dates and times appear to you; it does not change a location's hours.

Open **Languages** and confirm the business primary language. Public pages use that language as the authored fallback. Add secondary languages only when you are ready to review their translation completeness.

## 3. Finish the brand page

In **Brands**, review the page name, tagline, description, customer help copy, colors, social URLs, and public path. Open the public link from the Dashboard and test it as a customer. See [Brands](/help/brands.md) for every field.

## 4. Add a location

In **Locations**, add a recognizable name, complete address, phone, optional email, review links, and brand assignment. Confirm the detected city or region time zone or choose an override. A valid location time zone is required for accurate holiday, Chat coverage, and after-hours behavior.

## 5. Publish hours and holidays

In **Hours**, set each day to closed or provide an opening and closing time. Apply the template only to the locations you select. In **Holidays**, add upcoming closures or modified hours. Both schedules use each location's effective time zone.

## 6. Review the public experience

From **Dashboard → Public links**, open every brand page and check:

- brand copy, colors, and navigation;
- location search and assignment;
- phone, email, address, maps, and review links;
- weekly hours and upcoming holiday messages;
- language fallback and translations.

The readiness percentage is a guide, not a publication switch. Customer pages can be reachable before every optional item is complete.

## 7. Set up billing and optional features

Your subscription is based on active locations and any optional features you enable. Use **Billing** to start the subscription. Then enable Chat per location, connect Listings, configure AI, or add a custom domain when those features are available. Wait for Billing to confirm each requested change before relying on it.

## Launch checklist

<span id="launch-readiness"></span>

- At least one brand and one location are saved and assigned correctly.
- Every public phone, email, address, and URL has been tested.
- Location time zones, weekly hours, and holiday exceptions are correct.
- Primary-language content is complete; secondary-language fallback is intentional.
- Billing shows **Active** or **Trial**.
- If Chat is enabled, coverage, offline behavior, privacy copy, approved origins, and a real test conversation work.
- If AI is enabled, only reviewed, brand-assigned sources are published.
- If Listings is connected, each location shows **Ready** or has a warning you understand and can address.
- If a custom domain is used, DNS validation and HTTPS both show active.

## Permissions and billing

Only an Administrator can create or configure a business. Chat-only users cannot use setup pages. Team users do not add a charge. Locations and optional features can change the subscription; review [Billing](/help/billing.md) before enabling them.