Onboarding: what happens after you sign

The four phases

Onboarding runs as four overlapping workstreams rather than a strict sequence. Each one below lists what your onboarding contact handles and the short list of things only you can supply.

1. 1Within a few business days of the signed agreement

   Kickoff and account setup

   After the contract, your account is created and an onboarding contact is assigned. The first call confirms what was scoped in sales — POS platform, locations, card format, gift only or gift plus loyalty — and sets the target launch date everything else works back from.

   Factor4 handles

   • Create your merchant account and the location records behind it
   • Confirm the integration path for your specific POS, terminal or gateway
   • Agree a target go-live date and work the production and training dates back from it

   We need from you

   • A single named owner for the project on your side, plus a backup
   • POS platform, version and the name of your reseller or gateway if you know it
   • Your location list with addresses, and whether balances pool across them
   • If you are switching providers, your current liability report
2. 2Roughly days 2–10

   POS integration

   The integration connects Factor4 to the point of sale you already run rather than replacing it. Depending on the platform this is an app install, a gateway configuration, or a coordination step with your POS reseller. Most merchants do not need a technical resource on their side.

   Factor4 handles

   • Configure the integration and coordinate with the POS vendor or gateway where required
   • Provision test cards and validate activation, redemption, partial redemption and balance inquiry
   • Confirm the workflow the register staff will actually see

   We need from you

   • Access or authorization for your POS or gateway account when the vendor requires it
   • A terminal that can be used for a short test window outside peak hours
   • The name and contact of your POS reseller if one manages your account
3. 3Roughly days 3–15; longer for custom runs

   Card artwork and production

   Choose a stock design to launch in days, or submit custom artwork for in-house production. Custom runs need artwork approval before production starts, which is the single most common cause of a delayed launch — get files in early, especially ahead of the holiday window.

   Factor4 handles

   • Send the current stock design library and the artwork template for custom runs
   • Proof your artwork and return a digital proof for written approval
   • Produce, encode and ship the cards, plus carriers and display if ordered

   We need from you

   • Print-ready artwork for front and back, or your pick from the stock library
   • Logo files, brand colors and the terms text you want printed on the card or carrier
   • The balance-check URL and phone number you want printed
   • Written sign-off on the proof — production does not start until this lands
4. 4Roughly days 10–18

   Program configuration

   Configuration is where your program rules get recorded: denominations, reload limits, whether promotional value expires separately from purchased value, loyalty accrual, receipt messaging and which staff roles can void or adjust a balance. These are settings, not development work.

   Factor4 handles

   • Configure denominations, reload rules, loyalty accrual and user permissions
   • Separate promotional value from purchased value so a dated bonus never touches protected funds
   • Set up reporting access for you and, where relevant, your accountant

   We need from you

   • Your denomination list and any reload minimum or maximum
   • Loyalty rules if you are running loyalty: earn rate, redemption threshold, exclusions
   • The staff roles that should be allowed to adjust or void, and who gets admin access
   • Your printed terms, so what the customer reads matches what the register enforces
5. 5Roughly days 15–21

   Training and go-live

   Training is short because the workflow lives inside the POS your staff already use: activate at sale, swipe or scan at redemption, check a balance on request. Live onboarding covers the manager view; the counter script is one page. Support runs seven days a week for the first busy weekend.

   Factor4 handles

   • Run a live onboarding session for managers and admins
   • Provide the register one-pager and the balance-inquiry script
   • Stay reachable seven days a week through the first weekend

   We need from you

   • A 20–30 minute window with the managers who will run the program
   • A staff meeting or shift huddle to walk the counter script before launch
   • Counter space for the display before your first weekend

Artwork specifications

Custom cards cannot go into production until a proof is approved in writing, so brief your designer against the current die-line template rather than the summary below. Anything marked for verification should be confirmed with your onboarding contact before artwork starts.

Card stock

30mil PVC, standard credit-card size (CR80, 3.375in x 2.125in)

Artwork format

Print-ready vector or high-resolution raster. [TODO: verify] — confirm accepted file types and DPI with your onboarding contact before you brief a designer.

Color

[TODO: verify] — confirm CMYK profile and any spot color options.

Bleed and safe area

[TODO: verify] — request the current die-line template; do not guess at bleed.

Reverse side

Reserve room for the magnetic stripe or barcode, the balance-check URL, a support phone number and your terms.

Proof approval

Written approval on the digital proof is required before production starts.

Stock designs

Roughly 70 stock designs are available if you want to launch without a custom run.

Deadlines that actually bind

Three dates govern almost every launch: the holiday retail run, the proof-to-production cycle on custom cards, and nothing at all if you launch digital first.

Training resources

A gift card program is only as good as the register workflow behind it. Every merchant gets a live session plus the reference material staff need on shift, and support is staffed in-house seven days a week for the questions that surface later.

First-weekend checklist

Print this and work down it on the Friday before you go live. Every item is something that is trivial to fix on Friday and expensive to discover on Saturday.

• Counter display up, stocked and facing the customer at the payment point.
• Test card activated, partially redeemed and balance-checked on every terminal you will use.
• Every staff member on shift has run one activation themselves, not just watched one.
• The register one-pager is posted at each station.
• Receipt message and any bonus promotion are live and verified on a real transaction.
• Someone on shift knows how to look up a card by number if a swipe fails.
• Support phone number is written down at the counter, not only in someone's inbox.
• Card stock count taken, with a reorder trigger agreed before you run low.
• If you migrated, a short list of imported cards has been spot-checked against the old provider's final file.
• Day-one activations reviewed in reporting on Monday, so the first week has a baseline.

Onboarding questions

How long does onboarding take?

Most merchants go from signed agreement to first card sold in two to four weeks. Digital-only programs can be live in under a week. Custom card production and coordination with a POS reseller are the two things that most often extend the timeline.

What is the most common cause of a delayed launch?

Artwork. Custom runs cannot start production until a proof is approved in writing, so a design that sits waiting for internal sign-off pushes every downstream date. Merchants targeting November should start artwork in late summer.

Do we need a technical person on our side?

Usually not. For most supported systems the integration is a configuration step handled between Factor4 and the POS vendor or gateway. What we need from you is authorization and a terminal for a short test window.

Can we keep selling on our old program while we set this up?

Yes. Where you are migrating from another provider, the old system keeps running until a cutover timestamp you choose. The switching guide covers the liability file, balance conversion and the parallel verification pass.