How it works
Visilence is a back-office platform for small service businesses. This guide walks you through getting your account set up end-to-end — about 20 minutes start to finish, less if you already have your QuickBooks and Stripe accounts handy.
Need something custom?Visilence is built for small service businesses, but every operation runs a little differently. If something is missing, or you’d like the platform tailored to your workflow, email rob@visilence.com and we’ll scope a custom build.
The 9-step setup
- 1. Create your account
- 2. Set up your business profile
- 3. Connect Google (Calendar + Maps)
- 4. Connect Stripe to accept payments
- 5. Connect QuickBooks (optional)
- 6. Add your customers
- 7. Schedule your first appointment
- 8. Send your first invoice
- 9. Turn on customer communications
Create your account
~2 minHead to visilence.com/sign-up and create your account using your email or Google. You’ll start a 14-day free trial — no card required to begin.
On the welcome screen, tell us your business name, your industry, and your name. If you provide your mobile number, you’ll be asked to opt in to SMS so we can send you account alerts and billing notices.
Tip: Your trial gives you full access to everything. We’ll only ask for a card when the trial ends.
Set up your business profile
~3 minFrom the dashboard, open Business profile. Add:
- Business address (used as the starting point for route optimization)
- Business phone and email (shown on invoices and receipts)
- Operating hours (the AI receptionist uses these to decide when to take calls vs. offer voicemail)
- Services you offer and pricing list
- Your business logo (shown on invoices and receipts you send)
Tip: The business address matters for mileage tracking and route maps — make sure it’s your real starting point each day, not a P.O. box.
Connect Google (Calendar + Maps)
~2 minVisilence syncs scheduled appointments to your primary Google Calendar so you and any field tech see the same schedule on every device. It also uses Google Maps to geocode customer addresses and find the most efficient route between stops each day.
Open Integrations → Google and click Connect. Grant calendar and basic profile access. Existing appointments are mirrored into your calendar immediately.
Tip: Already use a shared team calendar? Forward Visilence’s calendar to your team in Google Calendar settings, or assign a technician to an appointment so it appears on their personal calendar instead.
Connect Stripe to accept payments
~3 minStripe processes payment-card transactions for the invoices you send. Money lands in your bank account, not ours — Visilence takes no cut of payments.
Open Billing → Stripe and click Connect. You can either create a new Stripe account in 60 seconds or link an account you already have. Stripe will ask a handful of business and identity questions for KYC.
Tip: You can connect Stripe later. Until then, mark invoices paid manually when a check arrives or a customer pays through another channel.
Connect QuickBooks (optional)
~2 minIf you keep books in QuickBooks Online, connect it under Integrations → QuickBooks. Once linked:
- Paid invoices push to QuickBooks automatically
- Mileage captured from completed appointments posts as a Purchase / vehicle expense
- You can choose which QuickBooks account each entry maps to
Tip: Don’t use QuickBooks? Skip this step. You can always come back later.
Add your customers
~5 minOpen Contacts and add the people and businesses you serve. Each contact captures:
- Name, business name, email, phone, address
- Status (lead, prospect, customer, inactive)
- Notes — gate codes, preferred technician, anything useful for the crew
If a business has multiple people at the same location, you can link them via shared business name — Visilence will keep their status in sync so they don’t drift apart over time.
For commercial customers, also add the buildings you service under Buildings. Each building can have multiple contacts (manager, superintendent, billing) and its own service history.
Schedule your first appointment
~2 minOpen Schedule and click any empty time slot. Pick the customer, set duration (30-minute increments), and optionally assign a technician.
If the customer has a building on file, you can attach it to the appointment and the service address auto-fills. For recurring jobs, choose a recurrence pattern (weekly, monthly, etc.) and Visilence schedules every future occurrence.
Tip: Open Route mapfrom the schedule view to see the day’s stops in optimal driving order. Drag to reorder stops — we’ll recompute drive time and distance for the new sequence.
Send your first invoice
~3 minFrom a completed appointment or directly under Invoices, create an invoice. Add line items, optionally apply sales tax (Wisconsin defaults are built in — 0%, 5%, or 5.5%), and hit Send.
The customer gets an email with a payment link. When they pay through Stripe, the invoice flips to Paid automatically, the receipt goes out by email and SMS, and (if QuickBooks is connected) the payment posts to your books.
Tip: You can also manually mark an invoice paid if a customer pays cash, check, or elsewhere. The receipt and QuickBooks push still happen.
Turn on customer communications
~3 minUnder Business profile → Communications, configure:
- Review requests: an SMS sent after an invoice is paid asking for a Google review. Paste your Google review URL and the message template.
- Snow day / sickness notifications: a one-tap broadcast to today’s customers if you need to reschedule (e.g., a snowstorm).
- AI receptionist: if you opted in, our Vapi-powered receptionist can answer calls when you’re busy, take messages, and schedule follow-ups.
Tip: Before sending SMS to a customer for the first time, ask them on the phone: “Is it OK if we follow up with a text at this number?” That verbal opt-in is required by the carrier.
Need a hand?
We work with one small business at a time. If you want a guided walkthrough, help importing existing data, or a feature added that fits your specific operation, email rob@visilence.com. Custom development for your business is what we do.
Common questions are answered in our FAQ.
