FS-DOC-03Operations
Process Runbook / SOP
Supplier Onboarding
[YourCompany.com] · Operations Department · Prepared by FullSpec · [Today's Date]
This runbook is your team's operating guide for the automated Supplier Onboarding process. It explains what the automation does at every step, what your team is responsible for, how to handle exceptions when things do not go to plan, and how to keep the process running smoothly over time. FullSpec builds, monitors, and maintains the automation. Your team's only regular action is the compliance sign-off in Slack. Everything else runs without manual involvement.
01Process overview
The Supplier Onboarding automation activates the moment a new supplier approval is detected in your connected source. From that point, the system sends the intake form, chases non-responders, checks compliance documents against a configured checklist, routes a structured review to your finance lead, and creates fully populated records in Xero and HubSpot, all without anyone on your team needing to send an email, key data, or chase a response. The only step that stays with a human is the finance lead's compliance sign-off, which is appropriate given the risk involved. At roughly eight new suppliers per month, the automation saves your operations team more than four hours every week.
Process name
Supplier Onboarding
Trigger
A new supplier approval is detected in the connected source (form, CRM, or spreadsheet)
Final output
Active supplier record in Xero, matching contact in HubSpot, signed agreement filed, Slack confirmation posted to the operations channel
Agents running
Intake and Chaser Agent, Document Review Agent, Supplier Activation Agent
Tools involved
Google Forms, Gmail, DocuSign, Xero, HubSpot, Slack
Weekly volume
~2 new suppliers/week (approx. 8/month)
Human checkpoint
Finance lead compliance sign-off via Slack (the only manual step)
Process owner
Operations Manager
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02Step-by-step: what happens and who acts
What you actually need to do: There is one human step in this entire process. When the Document Review Agent posts a compliance summary to Slack, your finance lead must review it and respond with an approval or a request for changes. That single action is what triggers supplier activation. Every other step in the table below is handled automatically by the automation platform.
Step
What happens
Who acts
Type
1
The automation platform detects a new supplier approval record in the connected source. This could be a form submission, a new row in a spreadsheet, or a CRM status change. The flow starts immediately and no manual trigger is needed.
Automation platform
Automated
2
The Intake and Chaser Agent sends a personalised email to the supplier via Gmail containing a link to the Google Forms intake form. The email specifies the required information, including business name, tax ID, bank details, and primary contact, and sets a clear response deadline.
Intake and Chaser Agent
Automated
3
If the supplier has not submitted the form within 48 hours, the Intake and Chaser Agent sends a first reminder email automatically. If there is still no response at 96 hours, a second reminder is sent. No one on your team needs to track or chase this.
Intake and Chaser Agent
Automated
4
Once the intake form is submitted, the Document Review Agent triggers DocuSign to send the supplier's trading agreement envelope using the contact details captured in the form. The supplier receives the agreement directly and signs electronically.
Document Review Agent
Automated
5
The Document Review Agent checks all submitted documents against the configured completeness checklist. It verifies that each required item is present and that expiry dates, where applicable, are current. Any missing or expired items are flagged automatically.
Document Review Agent
Automated
6
The Document Review Agent posts a structured compliance summary to the finance lead in Slack. The summary lists the supplier name, the documents received, and the outcome of the completeness check. The finance lead reads this summary and responds with an approval or flags a concern. This is the only step that requires a human action.
Finance Lead
Human
7
Once the finance lead's approval is confirmed in Slack, the Supplier Activation Agent creates a complete supplier record in Xero. Bank details, payment terms, tax information, and contact details are all sourced directly from the intake form submission.
Supplier Activation Agent
Automated
8
The Supplier Activation Agent creates a matching supplier contact in HubSpot using the same intake form data. The record is tagged as an active supplier so it can be tracked against the business relationship going forward.
Supplier Activation Agent
Automated
9
The Supplier Activation Agent posts a final confirmation message to the operations Slack channel. The message includes the supplier's name, their Xero supplier ID, and the date of activation. The signed agreement and compliance documents are filed automatically at this stage.
Supplier Activation Agent
Automated
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03Handling exceptions
Situation
What the system does
What you do
Supplier does not submit the intake form after both reminders (48-hour and 96-hour follow-ups)
After the second automated reminder, the system flags the supplier record as unresponsive and posts a notification to the operations Slack channel with the supplier name and the date the form was first sent.
Your operations manager reviews the notification and decides whether to contact the supplier directly by phone or to pause the onboarding. If you want to extend the deadline, contact FullSpec to update the reminder window in the automation settings.
Supplier submits the intake form with missing or incomplete fields (such as no bank details or a missing tax ID)
The Intake and Chaser Agent detects the incomplete submission and sends a targeted follow-up email to the supplier specifying exactly which fields are missing. The process pauses at this point and does not proceed to document review until the gap is resolved.
No action is needed from your team unless the supplier fails to respond to the gap-fill request within 48 hours, in which case the system escalates to the operations Slack channel for manual follow-up.
Submitted compliance documents are expired or do not meet the completeness checklist
The Document Review Agent flags the specific gaps in its Slack notification to the finance lead. The Slack message clearly lists which documents are missing or out of date and includes a prompt to request resubmission from the supplier.
The finance lead reviews the Slack message and selects the option to request resubmission. The system then emails the supplier automatically with a list of what needs to be corrected or resent. Your finance lead does not need to draft the email.
A duplicate supplier record is detected (the supplier's tax ID or business name already exists in Xero or HubSpot)
Before creating any record, the Supplier Activation Agent checks Xero and HubSpot for an existing match on tax ID and business name. If a potential duplicate is found, it pauses activation and posts a warning to the operations Slack channel with a link to the existing record.
Your operations manager reviews the flagged record and confirms in Slack whether to proceed as a new record, update the existing one, or cancel the onboarding. FullSpec can adjust the duplicate-matching rules if your naming conventions are inconsistent.
Finance lead does not respond to the Slack compliance sign-off within the expected window
The system sends an automated Slack reminder to the finance lead after 24 hours of no response. If there is still no action after 48 hours, an escalation message is posted to the operations channel tagging the process owner.
The process owner follows up directly with the finance lead to confirm the sign-off. If the finance lead is unavailable, an alternative approver can be added to the system. Contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com to configure a backup approver.
DocuSign, Xero, Gmail, or Slack is temporarily unavailable
The automation platform applies a retry schedule, attempting the affected step up to three times over a 30-minute window. If the service remains unavailable after three attempts, the system posts an alert to the operations Slack channel (or, if Slack is the affected tool, sends an email to the process owner) and pauses the affected supplier's flow at the last successful step.
Check the relevant tool's status page to confirm whether there is a known outage. Once the service is restored, the automation resumes from the paused step automatically in most cases. If it does not resume within one hour of service restoration, contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com to trigger a manual resume.
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04Who to contact and when
Fill in the rows marked with placeholders once your team is confirmed. Keep this table updated whenever roles change so that escalation paths stay accurate. The FullSpec rows at the bottom are fixed and do not change.
Role
Name
How to reach them
Process owner (Operations Manager)
[Your name]
[Email or Slack handle]
Compliance sign-off (Finance Lead)
[Finance lead name]
[Email or Slack handle]
Backup approver (if finance lead is unavailable)
[Backup name]
[Email or Slack handle]
IT or systems admin (for API credential issues)
[IT contact name]
[Email or phone]
FullSpec builder
FullSpec team
support@gofullspec.com
FullSpec support
FullSpec support
support@gofullspec.com
Contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com for any of the following: an automation step is not firing as expected, a tool integration has stopped working, you want to update the document checklist or reminder timing, you need to add or change an approver, or you are planning a change to your Xero, HubSpot, or DocuSign setup that might affect the automation.
05Ongoing maintenance
Whenever your required document checklist changes (for example, new insurance certificate requirements or updated tax form versions)
Notify FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com with the updated list of required documents. The Document Review Agent's checklist is configured in the automation platform and must be updated there. Do not assume the agent will pick up new requirements automatically.
Operations Manager notifies FullSpec, who updates the configuration
Whenever the intake form or trading agreement template is revised
Send the updated form or agreement template to FullSpec before it goes live. The Intake and Chaser Agent links to the current form, and the DocuSign envelope must reflect the latest agreement version. Running mismatched templates causes supplier confusion and potential compliance gaps.
Operations Manager sends update to FullSpec for implementation
Monthly spot-check (first week of each month)
Review the last month's supplier activations in Xero and HubSpot. Confirm that every supplier onboarded in that period has a complete record in both systems and that the Slack activation confirmation was posted for each one. Flag any gaps to FullSpec.
Operations Manager
Weekly error-log review (every Monday)
Check the operations Slack channel for any automation alert messages posted during the previous week. These include failed retries, duplicate warnings, unresponsive supplier flags, and escalation notices. Action any open items or forward them to FullSpec if technical investigation is needed.
Operations Manager
Whenever a team member changes (new finance lead, new ops manager, or a staff departure)
Update the contact table in this runbook. Notify FullSpec so that the Slack routing and escalation paths in the automation can be updated to reflect the new personnel. An approval step routed to a departed team member's Slack will not receive a response.
Operations Manager notifies FullSpec to update Slack routing
Quarterly volume review (every three months)
Review whether the volume of new suppliers per month has changed significantly. If your volume has grown beyond roughly 15 to 20 suppliers per month, discuss with FullSpec whether any rate limits on Gmail, DocuSign, or HubSpot API tiers need to be reviewed and whether the automation needs any capacity adjustments.
Operations Manager, with FullSpec input if changes are needed
The most common maintenance issue for this process is a change to the intake form or trading agreement template that is not communicated to FullSpec before going live. When the form link or DocuSign template is updated without the automation being reconfigured at the same time, suppliers receive outdated materials or the document review step breaks entirely. Always contact FullSpec at support@gofullspec.com before making any changes to these templates.
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