Getting started with Ventry AI is designed to be straightforward. This guide walks through the essentials of account setup, dashboard navigation, contacts, and calendars so your team can begin capturing and converting opportunities quickly. Ventry AI brings your people, processes, technology, and AI together in one operating environment.
Step 1 — Log In and Orient Yourself
After your Ventry AI account is provisioned, log in using the credentials provided by your account administrator. The first screen you see is the Dashboard, which gives a high-level overview of business activity including leads, opportunities, pipeline value, appointments, and revenue.
Use the left-hand navigation menu as your command center. Depending on your configuration, you will see Dashboard, Conversations, Calendars, Contacts, Opportunities, Payments, AI Agents, AI Studio, Marketing, Automation, Sites, Memberships, Media, Reputation, Reporting, and Settings. Feature availability may vary depending on your Ventry AI account configuration.
Step 2 — Configure Your Business Profile
Before adding contacts or building workflows, complete your business profile in Settings. Add your company name, business hours, branding, phone numbers, and connected communication channels. A complete profile ensures that automated emails, SMS, and AI agents represent your business accurately.
Connect your calendar, email, and phone number early. These connections power appointment booking, two-way messaging, and call tracking — the foundation of every Ventry AI workflow.
Step 3 — Add or Import Contacts
Contacts are the people and organizations stored inside your Ventry AI CRM. You can add contacts manually one at a time, import them from a spreadsheet, or let forms, landing pages, and workflows create them automatically.
When importing, map each spreadsheet column to the correct field (first name, last name, email, phone, company). After import, apply tags to segment your contacts — for example New Lead, Hot Lead, Client, or Nurture. Tags make it easy to build smart lists and target the right contacts with the right automation.
Step 4 — Set Up Your Calendar
The Calendar area manages appointments and booking availability. Create a calendar for each meeting type you offer — discovery calls, AI strategy sessions, sales consultations, client onboarding, recruiting interviews, or support calls.
Define your availability, meeting duration, and buffer time. Then connect the calendar to a booking page so prospects can self-schedule. Calendar automation can trigger confirmation emails, confirmation SMS, appointment reminders, internal team notifications, and missed appointment follow-up automatically.
Step 5 — Build Your First Pipeline
A pipeline gives your team a visual map of every deal in flight. Create a sales pipeline with stages like New Lead, Contacted, Qualified, Appointment Booked, Proposal, Won, and Nurture. As opportunities progress, move them between stages so leadership can forecast revenue accurately.
Start simple. A clean five- to seven-stage pipeline that your team actually uses beats a fifteen-stage pipeline no one maintains. You can always add stages as your process matures.
Step 6 — Review the Dashboard Regularly
The Dashboard should be reviewed regularly by sales, operations, client-success, and leadership teams. Track lead volume, qualified opportunities, appointments booked, show rate, proposals, closed deals, revenue collected, new monthly recurring revenue, lead response time, client retention, and pipeline value.
A daily or weekly dashboard review keeps your team aligned and surfaces bottlenecks early — before they cost you revenue.
Next Steps
Once your profile, contacts, calendar, and pipeline are configured, you are ready to build your first workflow and deploy your first AI agent. Continue through the Ventry AI Academy to learn each area in depth.
Need help configuring your Ventry AI account? Schedule a Ventry AI Strategy & Support Session at ventrygroup.com, email dhalli@ventrygroup.com, or call 888.451.8771.
Downloadable Resources
Branded PDF guides, SOPs, and cheat-sheets your team can print, share, and distribute.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a contact?
Go to Contacts, click Add Contact, fill in the fields, and save. You can also import contacts from a spreadsheet or let forms and workflows create them automatically.
How do I create a calendar?
Go to Calendars, create a new calendar, define availability and meeting duration, then connect it to a booking page.
How do I import contacts?
Go to Contacts, choose Import, upload your spreadsheet, and map each column to the correct field before confirming the import.
How do I create a tag?
Open a contact record, add a tag in the Tags field, or bulk-apply tags from the Contacts list view. Tags segment contacts for smart lists and automation.
How do I change account settings?
Go to Settings to update your business profile, business hours, branding, connected channels, and user permissions.
How do I create a pipeline?
Go to Opportunities, create a new pipeline, add stages like New Lead, Contacted, Qualified, and Won, then assign opportunities to it.
Can multiple team members use the same account?
Yes. Add users in Settings and assign roles and permissions. Each user can be assigned contacts, opportunities, and tasks.
How do I switch between business locations?
If your organization manages multiple sub-accounts, authorized users can switch between them from the account selector in the navigation.
Do I need technical experience to get started?
No. Ventry AI is designed for business owners and teams. The Academy walks you through every step in plain language.
Where can I get Ventry AI support?
Schedule a Ventry AI Strategy & Support Session at ventrygroup.com, email dhalli@ventrygroup.com, or call 888.451.8771.
Need help configuring your Ventry AI account?
Schedule a Ventry AI Strategy & Support Session.
