Enterprise Sites Process for Account Executives
Last updated: March 21, 2025
This help page outlines the FareHarbor Sites Onboarding process for Account Executives with an Enterprise level client that is interested in a FareHarbor Site. It also outlines potential responsibilities belonging to the Account Executive in the process as well as which responsibilities belong to the Sites Project Manager or other team members.
An Enterprise client is any client that is considered a Tier 4 or 5.
For Mid Market (Tier 2 or 3) clients please see this help doc for the sites process.
Certain tier 1 may qualify for a Fareharbor site but will need to be approved by the sites team before they are submitted. In the event that they qualify they will follow this same process. Please review this help doc for the approval process before submitting a Tier 1 site.
FHS Monetization / Paid Sites Details
The onboarding process for all clients, regardless of their paid site package, will be primarily the same. For more details visit this group of help docs.
Responsibilities
The Account Executive should be prepared to introduce the Enterprise Sites team and assist with updates on the dashboard or other onboarding points. During the onboarding process the Account Executive remains the primary point of contact for the client while the Project Manager serves in a supportive but involved role. The Project Manager is able to assist with scheduling calls and answering emails as needed but will refer to the Account Executive to establish communication channels with the client before reaching out.
If you have any questions that are not outlined in that help doc please submit the Global FHS Request workflow in the #fhs_enterprise_project_management Slack channel.
Timelines
For timelines to get a FareHarbor Site built, please refer to the FareHarbor Site Project Timelines doc.
Please do not communicate any timelines based on the status a project is in. Always talk to the Project Manager working on the project for an accurate timeline. If no PM has been assigned, use the #fhs_enterprise_project_management Slack channel to ask for an estimated timeline.
Site Submission
There are two paths for sites submission that an Account Executive can take depending on the client and their needs. The best path to take is up to the Account Executive and what they think will be best for their Client. The two options for submitting a new Enterprise site are outlined below.
Form Submission
To get a site in the Enterprise Sites team’s queue, the Account Executive can fill out and submit the Enterprise Site Request form, selecting the “Not Live on FareHarbor” Project Type option.
There is no client-facing Enterprise submission form. This form is used for all regions.
This form collects the minimal amount of information that the Sites team will need to begin the process. After the Account Executive has submitted the form, a Project Manager will reach out internally to the Account Executive to discuss further details. If more information is needed for our team to begin the project, the Project Manager may request to have a discovery call with the client or a short meeting with the Account Executive to make sure all questions are answered before our team begins building the site.
For EMEA and LATAM Account Executives: The sites team does not have a Project Manager that speaks all the languages that are offered in these regions. Currently the only language other than English that we are able to support in EMEA is Spanish and Portuguese. For AMER and LATAM Account Managers, we currently only have English speaking Project Managers.
In cases where we do not have a Project Manager that speaks the client’s preferred communication language, the Account Executive will remain the point of contact throughout the project. In this situation the Project Manager will reach out directly to the Account Executive with instructions on what items are still needed for the site and will rely on the Account Executive to handle all communication. The Project Manager will continue to work in a supporting role with the Account Executive for the remainder of the project and the remaining steps in the site process.
Scheduling a Call with a Project Manager
The second option for starting the site process is to schedule a 30 minute call with a Project Manager and the Client. This is recommended if the client is not entirely sure about a FareHarbor Site and would like to speak with a Project Manager for more information. Typically these meetings can be scheduled within 72 hours.
This option for submitting a site is strongly recommended for clients that have a lot of questions for the sites team or clients that would like to be more involved in the Sites Project. This allows the sites team to understand the client’s needs, their design preferences and their goals for the project before we begin building a website.
To schedule a time with a Project Manager, use the Enterprise Sites Dashboard here. Once the meeting has been booked on the dashboard, the sites team will receive a dashboard notification and a Project Manager will be assigned. From here the Project Manager will reach out to the Account Executive for any additional information that may be needed. The Project Manager will also create the Google Calendar inviting the client, the Account Executive and any additional individuals that may have been requested.
Note: The dashboard above is intended for internal use. If the Account Executive feels that more than 30 minutes is needed for this meeting they can request this with the Project Manager.
Discovery Call
The discovery call has two purposes. First to help the Project Manager make sure the client is a good fit for the FareHarbor Sites platform and make sure that it is able to meet their needs. It’s a chance for the client to ask questions and for the Project Manager to give more information to the client and ultimately build trust.
If it is determined the client is a good fit for a FareHarbor Site the second purpose of the discovery call is to create an opportunity for the Project Manager to gather key information from the client before starting the site build process. For a more in depth description of how the Project Manager will conduct this call, a full help doc can be found here.
Note: For clients that already have a FareHarbor Site or that give us full creative power, a discovery call may not be required. However, this is rare and it is strongly recommended that a discovery call be conducted for all clients that are new to FareHarbor Sites.
Preparation
Prior to the call, the Project Manager will collect all available information including data on the client’s current site such as analytics and SEO ranking (if possible). The Project Manager will also look over the client’s current site and work with a Web Designer to identify pain points in the user experience. In certain cases, it may make sense to reference specific sites FareHarbor has created in the past with the client. If the Project Manager has not already talked with the Account Executive regarding the project, they should also take a couple of minutes to connect with the Account Executive for any additional information that was already discussed.
Lastly, before the call, the Project Manager will have specific questions and a document for note taking ready to go for the call.
The Call
The Account Executive is expected to join the discovery call with the Project Manager and client with an introduction to the Sites team being made to the client prior to the call. It is also important that the Account Executive join this call to answer any dashboard related questions that are likely to come up.
Once introductions have been made, the Project Manager will start by outlining the purpose of the call and the ultimate goal. Throughout the call, the Project Manager will work to understand the client’s current pain points as well as their goals. The Project Manager will also work to help the client understand what type of time commitments may be associated with the project (meetings, feedback, etc.) from the client’s perspective.
By the end of the call, the Project Manager should be able to offer solutions that FareHarbor can implement for the client and be able to establish a timeline for when our team will have a preview and further strategy details for the client.
After the Call
After the call, the Project Manager will send a follow up email with a summary of the call to the client. The email will contain specific notes from the call, including any services FareHarbor will look to implement (Website, SEO, Content, Branding, etc.) as well as a timeline for the next meeting and what will be covered then. This meeting at a minimum will include a preview of the website and a detailed summary of the SEO and Content strategy that our team will implement upon taking the site live.
Note: The FareHarbor sites team will do everything within their control to prioritize clients that require a new website to go live. Depending on the size and complexity of the dashboard this can impact the timeline. The Project Manager will work with the Account Executive to establish the dashboard timeline and coordinate the site build time from this point.
Planning
During the planning phase the Project Manager, Web Designer, and SEO Specialist will each look over the information collected from the client and align on the next steps. This includes developing a site structure, a site theme and design, site timelines as well as what other items will need to be generated. The Project Manager will be the one to conduct this meeting though input from each individual is expected.
Ready to Build – Preview
If the Web Designer is finishing up another project before starting the next, the project may sit in the “Ready to Build – Preview” status in Airtable before the build is started. If this is the case, all dates will have been updated with an estimated build start and build complete date.
Initial Build – Preview
Once the project plans have been discussed and a path forward has been approved, the Web Designer will start to build out select pages as a preview for the client to be approved before completing the full build. This includes the Home or Landing Page and in some cases an Activity Page and a Content page. All pages will need to be mobile-friendly.
Note: Based on the progress of the dashboard creation, the Web Designer may be unable to add links to book buttons or booking flows. That will be communicated to the client as we plan to add FH links/embeds when ready.
Ready for Review – Preview
Once the Project Preview has been completed by the Web Designer, it is ready to be reviewed by the client. At this point, the Project Manager will also present the SEO Strategy that was discussed during the planning meeting and any other deliverables discussed during the previous meetings.
Preview Call
The purpose of the Preview Call is to allow for the Project Manager and the Client to review over site preview, discuss the SEO strategy for the website, and get the client’s approval for the preview before moving forward with the full site. For a more in-depth description of how the Project Manager will conduct the preview, a full help doc can be found here.
The Account Executive should be prepared to join this call as well, and in certain cases, the Web Designer may join.
Note: In most cases, the preview should not be emailed to the client. In order to get valuable feedback from the client and help them understand the website design this should be presented live.
Preparation
Prior to the call, the Project Manager should come prepared with all available talking points and ready to review the preview with the client. The purpose and agenda of the call should have been communicated to the client before the call to allow for a productive discussion within the scope of the call. A document for notes should be available for the Project Manager to take notes during the call. The Project Manager should also have any necessary questions for the client that will need to be answered before proceeding with the full build. Any other additional documents such as sitemaps, wireframes, or branding guides should also be included to review with the client during this meeting.
Note: It is up to the Project Manager’s discretion to decide how long this call needs to be scheduled for. At a minimum this should be 30 minutes but it is more likely an hour will be needed.
The Call
During the call, the Project Manager should start with reviewing any key points that were mentioned in the discovery call and summarized in the project brief. This could include pain points, designs the client liked, project goals, or any other notable points from previous meetings.
After reviewing these, the Project Manager should discuss some of the process our team undertook to come to solutions and give a little background of what our team’s process was for developing the website. This allows the client to understand that thought went into the web design as well as establish confidence with the solution that our team presents.
Finally, the Project Manager should review the preview site with the client. Along the way they should point out key items that help address any pain points or problems with their current site. The Project Manager should also incorporate any other offerings the client is interested in or that our team believes will help the clients online presence (SEO strategy).
The Project manager will answer any questions the client has and should themselves ask any questions that need to be answered before our team moves forward. If the call has gone successfully, the amount of feedback from the client should be minimal; however, it is not necessarily a bad thing if a client has hesitations when it comes to what is presented. It is important that when these types of conversations arise that the Project Manager restates the benefits of the design our team has created and how over time this will ultimately create opportunities for their business. If this is all done successfully, our team will be able to move forward with the full build of the project.
The call should be closed out with the Project Manager outlining the next steps for the client, including approximately when to expect the full website build and what the steps will be beyond that.
After the Call
After the call, the Project Manager will send a follow up email with a summary of the call to the client. The email will contain specific notes from the call and a timeline for the next meeting and what the deliverables will be at that time. In most cases, this will be the full build of the site and further details on the SEO strategy once the site is live.
Ready to Build – Full Site
Once the preview has been reviewed and approved by the client, the project is ready for the full build. If the Web Designer is finishing up another project before starting the next, the project may sit in the “Ready to Build – Full Site” status in Airtable before the build is started. If this is the case, all dates will have been updated with an estimated build start and build complete date.
Note: Again, the FareHarbor sites team will do everything within their control to prioritize clients that require a new website to go live which includes minimal stationary time. All timelines will be communicated to the Account Executive and the Client.
Initial Build – Full Site
Once the Web Designer is available, they will begin building out any remaining pages that were not built during the project preview. The Web Designer will take any additional information that was gathered during the preview call and implement this into the full build. This includes any updates that may need to be made to the initial preview.
Ready for Review – Full Site
During this step, the Project is ready to be reviewed with the client. The Project Manager will schedule some time to review the full site with the client and the Account Executive. The Web Designer may also be present on this call if requested.
Full Site Review Call
The general purpose of the review call is to allow for the Project Manager to review the full site with the client and discuss next steps such as feedback and timeline for taking the site live along with collecting any assets needed to transition to a FareHarbor website (Domain access, Google Analytics, etc.).
The Account Executive, Web Designer and SEO Specialist can join this call if needed.
Preparation
Before the call, much like the discovery and preview call, the Project Manager should take time to put together talking points as well as review what was previously discussed with the client to ensure that all previous points have been addressed. The purpose of this call is to review the full site with the client, answer any final questions the client has, and discuss the next steps for any feedback as well as timeline for taking the website live. Similar to the preview call, the Project Manager should have a document to take notes during the call. The Project Manager should also have any necessary questions for the client that may still need to be answered, though these should be minimal at this point.
The Call
During the call, the Project Manager will review the website with the client by showing them the key pages and specific layouts. For smaller sites, the full site can be reviewed while for larger sites, only the key pages need to be reviewed and the website link can be provided to the client after to allow them for a full review.
The call should once again be closed out with the Project Manager outlining the next steps for the client including how any additional feedback will be addressed, the timeline for taking the website live, and what to expect after the site is live. By the end of the call, a go live date should be agreed on. If the client cannot agree on a specific date, then a tentative date should be set or a date for when any feedback is needed.
After the Call
After the call, the Project Manager should send a follow up email with a summary of the call to the client. This summary should include the link to the site so the client can review. The summary should also include the next steps or dates that were agreed upon in the call. Lastly, the follow up email should include a date of when the client should expect to hear from the Project Manager next. This may be after the website is live.
Client Review – Full Site
Once all the steps for the Full Site Review have been completed, the Project Manager will move the project to the “Client Review – Full Site” status. This signifies that the project is in the client’s hands and they are working on providing feedback. If the client agrees to go live after the reveal call, the Project Manager can move the project directly to Green Light.
Client Feedback
If the client provides feedback to the Project Manager, the Project Manager will move the project to the Client Feedback stage and assign the appropriate individual with the documented feedback that needs to be addressed. This is typically the Web Designer, but there may also be feedback that pertains to the Copywriter, SEO Specialist and in certain cases the Onboarder.
Going Live
The final step for new websites is taking the site live. Once the client has given the approval for the website to go live, the Project Manager will start by moving the project to the “Greenlight” status. A full description of the FareHarbor sites process for taking a website live can be found in this help doc.
The Project Manager will slack the AE and trainer to let them know site has been approved for go live and check if there are any existing dashboard updates to be made, including reservation transfers.
For situations where FareHarbor will manage the client’s DNS, the Sites must begin the go live process before 3pm MT. If we get the go ahead after 3pm, the go live will happen first thing the following morning.
It can take up three (3) hours for the nameserver changes to propagate. SSL issuing and complete site propagation can take up to 24 hours, but we typically see the site propagating within 2 hours. We aim to begin any site go lives in the morning so people are available in the office to troubleshoot issues.
Dashboard Check
An independent Project Manager will check the site at Go Live for function and dashboard congruence. This does not include Dashboard optimization, like checking for unused features, only matching the current state of the Dashboard.
Once all items have been addressed, the Project Manager will let the Account Manager know that all items have been addressed on the site side and the site is ready to call live.
Calling the Site Live
Once all checks have been addressed the final step is calling the website live. This final step is done by the Dashboard Trainer and is a great way to recognize all of the team members that have been involved in the project. Calling the website live consists of posting a notification in the #live Slack channel. While there isn’t a set format for posting these messages in the channel below is a template that can be used if needed. Replace the appropriate Slack handles and inputs within the brackets.
@fareharborwebsites_all @[Slack handle for your Account Manager region] [website name] is Live! Shoutout to all those involved on this build @[Project Manager], @[Web Designer], @[Copy Expert], [SEO Specialist] [website url] [image for calling website live]
After Go Live
After the site is live, the Project Manager will email the client using the “FHS_PM – 11: Post-Live” email template in Close with some next steps. For Enterprise level clients, this includes the Project Manager remaining involved for a period of time until an Account Manager is assigned and post-live feedback is completed. This ensures that the expectations have been communicated to the client and that the onboarding process is smooth. This also allows for any immediate questions the client has to be quickly routed to the individual most familiar with the site and addressed accordingly. If the client reaches out to the Account Executive or newly-assigned Account Manager with any post-live website concerns, either is able to contact the Project Manager directly to get them addressed during this period.
Client Hand Off to Support
After 23 days of the 30-day period, the Project Manager and the Web Designer will be notified by an automation in Airtable that the client will be ready to move over to our live sites support channel in the coming days. This allows a week for the Project Manager and the Web Designer to prepare the hand off doc for the Live Sites Specialist team and a chance to review any concerns or points to be aware of on the client’s site before they are moved over. As a final point, the Project Manager will coordinate with the Account Manager on communicating this to the client on the 30 day mark.
Note: If there are continuing circumstances or problems that the client is still having with the website at this point and the Project Manager needs to remain involved this can be escalated to the Sites Enterprise Manager.