Customer Onboarding Tutorial

Learn how to automate new customer onboarding across multiple systems when a Stripe subscription is created, ensuring consistent setup and immediate engagement.

The Problem

When a new customer signs up, teams typically:

Manually create the customer in the accounting system (QuickBooks/NetSuite)
Add the contact to the CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce)
Send a welcome email with setup instructions
Notify the customer success team in Slack
Create onboarding tasks or projects
Update spreadsheets or dashboards

This manual process causes:

Delayed onboarding - Hours or days before customer is fully set up
Inconsistent data - Customer info varies across systems
Missed steps - Someone forgets to update a system
Poor first impression - Customer waits for manual actions
Team bottlenecks - One person becomes the onboarding gatekeeper

The Solution

Build a workflow that automatically:

Triggers when a Stripe subscription is created
Creates the customer in QuickBooks for invoicing
Creates or updates the contact in HubSpot as a customer
Sends a personalized welcome email
Notifies the customer success team in Slack
(Optional) Creates an onboarding project or task

What You'll Build

Stripe Subscription Created
            │
            ▼
    ┌───────────────────┐
    │ Get Stripe        │
    │ Customer Details  │
    └─────────┬─────────┘
              │
        ┌─────┴─────┐
        ▼           ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ Create    │ │ Create/   │
│ QuickBooks│ │ Update    │
│ Customer  │ │ HubSpot   │
└─────┬─────┘ └─────┬─────┘
      └──────┬──────┘
             │
             ▼
    ┌───────────────────┐
    │ Send Welcome      │
    │ Email             │
    └─────────┬─────────┘
              │
              ▼
    ┌───────────────────┐
    │ Notify Team       │
    │ in Slack          │
    └───────────────────┘

Prerequisites

Required Connections

Provider	Connection Type	Purpose
Stripe	OAuth via Nango	Receive webhooks, get customer data
QuickBooks	OAuth via Nango	Create accounting customers
HubSpot	OAuth via Nango	Manage CRM contacts
Slack	OAuth via Nango	Team notifications
Email Provider	OAuth or API Key	Welcome emails

Stripe Setup

Configure Webhook in Stripe Dashboard:
- Developers → Webhooks → Add endpoint
- URL: https://your-domain.com/webhooks/stripe/{companyId}
- Events: customer.subscription.created
Note your webhook signing secret for verification

QuickBooks Setup

Ensure you have:

An active QuickBooks Online account
OAuth connection configured in Nango

HubSpot Setup

Create Custom Properties (recommended):
- stripe_customer_id (Single-line text)
- stripe_subscription_id (Single-line text)
- subscription_plan (Dropdown)
- mrr (Number - currency)

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Create the Workflow

Start with the Stripe webhook trigger:

{
  "name": "Customer Onboarding",
  "description": "Automate new customer setup when Stripe subscription is created",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "stripe",
    "events": ["customer.subscription.created"]
  },
  "steps": []
}

Step 2: Extract Customer Information

Parse the subscription data:

{
  "id": "extract-customer-data",
  "type": "transform",
  "name": "Extract Customer Data",
  "config": {
    "operation": "map",
    "data": {
      "customerId": "{{input.data.object.customer}}",
      "subscriptionId": "{{input.data.object.id}}",
      "planName": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.nickname}}",
      "planAmount": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.amount}}",
      "interval": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.interval}}",
      "status": "{{input.data.object.status}}"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Get Full Customer Details from Stripe

Retrieve the complete customer profile:

{
  "id": "get-stripe-customer",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Get Stripe Customer Details",
  "config": {
    "connector": "stripe",
    "action": "getCustomer",
    "customerId": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.customerId}}"
  }
}

Output includes:

name - Customer name
email - Email address
phone - Phone number (if provided)
address - Billing address
metadata - Custom fields

Step 4: Create QuickBooks Customer

Create the customer in your accounting system:

{
  "id": "create-qb-customer",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Create QuickBooks Customer",
  "config": {
    "connector": "quickbooks",
    "action": "createCustomer",
    "DisplayName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}",
    "CompanyName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.metadata.company_name}}",
    "PrimaryEmailAddr": {
      "Address": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}"
    },
    "PrimaryPhone": {
      "FreeFormNumber": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.phone}}"
    },
    "BillAddr": {
      "Line1": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.address.line1}}",
      "City": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.address.city}}",
      "CountrySubDivisionCode": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.address.state}}",
      "PostalCode": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.address.postal_code}}",
      "Country": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.address.country}}"
    },
    "Notes": "Stripe Customer ID: {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}\nSubscription: {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}"
  },
  "onError": {
    "action": "continue",
    "fallback": { "Id": null }
  }
}

Step 5: Create or Update HubSpot Contact

Add the customer to your CRM:

{
  "id": "upsert-hubspot-contact",
  "type": "action",
  "name": "Create/Update HubSpot Contact",
  "config": {
    "connector": "hubspot",
    "action": "createContact",
    "email": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
    "properties": {
      "firstname": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | first}}",
      "lastname": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | last}}",
      "phone": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.phone}}",
      "company": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.metadata.company_name}}",
      "lifecyclestage": "customer",
      "stripe_customer_id": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}",
      "stripe_subscription_id": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.subscriptionId}}",
      "subscription_plan": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}",
      "mrr": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount | divided_by: 100}}"
    }
  },
  "onError": {
    "action": "continue",
    "fallback": { "id": null }
  }
}

Key properties:

lifecyclestage: customer - Marks them as a paying customer
Custom Stripe fields for tracking

Step 6: Send Welcome Email

Send a personalized welcome email:

{
  "id": "send-welcome-email",
  "type": "email",
  "name": "Send Welcome Email",
  "config": {
    "action": "send",
    "provider": "sendgrid",
    "to": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
    "from": "onboarding@yourcompany.com",
    "subject": "Welcome to {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}!",
    "body": {
      "html": "<h1>Welcome, {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}!</h1><p>Thank you for subscribing to <strong>{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}</strong>. We're excited to have you on board!</p><h2>Getting Started</h2><p>Here are your next steps:</p><ol><li><a href=\"https://app.yourcompany.com/onboarding\">Complete your profile setup</a></li><li><a href=\"https://docs.yourcompany.com/quickstart\">Read our quickstart guide</a></li><li><a href=\"https://yourcompany.com/book-call\">Book an onboarding call</a> with our team</li></ol><p>If you have any questions, reply to this email or reach out to <a href=\"mailto:support@yourcompany.com\">support@yourcompany.com</a>.</p><p>Welcome aboard!</p><p>The {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}} Team</p>"
    },
    "template_variables": {
      "customer_name": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}",
      "plan_name": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}",
      "app_url": "https://app.yourcompany.com"
    }
  }
}

Step 7: Notify Customer Success Team

Alert the team about the new customer:

{
  "id": "notify-cs-team",
  "type": "slack",
  "name": "Notify Customer Success",
  "config": {
    "action": "sendMessage",
    "channel": "#new-customers",
    "blocks": [
      {
        "type": "header",
        "text": {
          "type": "plain_text",
          "text": "New Customer Signed Up!"
        }
      },
      {
        "type": "section",
        "fields": [
          {
            "type": "mrkdwn",
            "text": "*Customer:*\n{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}"
          },
          {
            "type": "mrkdwn",
            "text": "*Plan:*\n{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}"
          },
          {
            "type": "mrkdwn",
            "text": "*Email:*\n{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}"
          },
          {
            "type": "mrkdwn",
            "text": "*MRR:*\n${{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount | divided_by: 100}}/{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.interval}}"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "type": "context",
        "elements": [
          {
            "type": "mrkdwn",
            "text": "QuickBooks: {{#if steps.create-qb-customer.output.Id}}Created{{else}}Skipped{{/if}} | HubSpot: {{#if steps.upsert-hubspot-contact.output.id}}Created{{else}}Skipped{{/if}}"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "type": "actions",
        "elements": [
          {
            "type": "button",
            "text": {
              "type": "plain_text",
              "text": "View in Stripe"
            },
            "url": "https://dashboard.stripe.com/customers/{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}"
          },
          {
            "type": "button",
            "text": {
              "type": "plain_text",
              "text": "View in HubSpot"
            },
            "url": "https://app.hubspot.com/contacts/YOUR_PORTAL_ID/contact/{{steps.upsert-hubspot-contact.output.id}}"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Complete Workflow

Here's the complete workflow JSON:

{
  "name": "Customer Onboarding",
  "description": "Automate new customer setup when Stripe subscription is created",
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "stripe",
    "events": ["customer.subscription.created"]
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "extract-customer-data",
      "type": "transform",
      "name": "Extract Customer Data",
      "config": {
        "operation": "map",
        "data": {
          "customerId": "{{input.data.object.customer}}",
          "subscriptionId": "{{input.data.object.id}}",
          "planName": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.nickname}}",
          "planAmount": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.amount}}",
          "interval": "{{input.data.object.items.data.[0].plan.interval}}"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "get-stripe-customer",
      "type": "action",
      "name": "Get Stripe Customer Details",
      "config": {
        "connector": "stripe",
        "action": "getCustomer",
        "customerId": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.customerId}}"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "create-qb-customer",
      "type": "action",
      "name": "Create QuickBooks Customer",
      "config": {
        "connector": "quickbooks",
        "action": "createCustomer",
        "DisplayName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}",
        "PrimaryEmailAddr": {
          "Address": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}"
        },
        "Notes": "Stripe ID: {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}"
      },
      "onError": {
        "action": "continue",
        "fallback": { "Id": null }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "upsert-hubspot-contact",
      "type": "action",
      "name": "Create/Update HubSpot Contact",
      "config": {
        "connector": "hubspot",
        "action": "createContact",
        "email": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
        "properties": {
          "firstname": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | first}}",
          "lastname": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | last}}",
          "lifecyclestage": "customer",
          "stripe_customer_id": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}",
          "subscription_plan": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}"
        }
      },
      "onError": {
        "action": "continue",
        "fallback": { "id": null }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "send-welcome-email",
      "type": "email",
      "name": "Send Welcome Email",
      "config": {
        "action": "send",
        "provider": "sendgrid",
        "to": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
        "from": "onboarding@yourcompany.com",
        "subject": "Welcome to {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}!",
        "body": {
          "html": "<h1>Welcome!</h1><p>Thank you for subscribing. We're excited to have you on board!</p>"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "notify-cs-team",
      "type": "slack",
      "name": "Notify Customer Success",
      "config": {
        "action": "sendMessage",
        "channel": "#new-customers",
        "blocks": [
          {
            "type": "header",
            "text": { "type": "plain_text", "text": "New Customer Signed Up!" }
          },
          {
            "type": "section",
            "fields": [
              { "type": "mrkdwn", "text": "*Customer:*\n{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}}" },
              { "type": "mrkdwn", "text": "*Plan:*\n{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}" }
            ]
          },
          {
            "type": "actions",
            "elements": [
              {
                "type": "button",
                "text": { "type": "plain_text", "text": "View in Stripe" },
                "url": "https://dashboard.stripe.com/customers/{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Testing

1. Create Test Workflow

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @workflow.json

2. Activate Workflow

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/v1/workflows/{workflowId}/activate \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

3. Test with Simulated Webhook

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/webhooks/stripe/{companyId} \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "stripe-signature: test" \
  -d '{
    "type": "customer.subscription.created",
    "data": {
      "object": {
        "id": "sub_1234567890",
        "customer": "cus_1234567890",
        "status": "active",
        "items": {
          "data": [{
            "plan": {
              "nickname": "Pro Plan",
              "amount": 9900,
              "interval": "month"
            }
          }]
        }
      }
    }
  }'

4. Verify Results

System	What to Verify
QuickBooks	New customer created with Stripe ID in notes
HubSpot	Contact created with lifecycle stage = customer
Email	Welcome email received
Slack	Notification in #new-customers

5. End-to-End Test

Create a test product and price in Stripe
Use Stripe test mode to create a subscription
Watch the workflow execute automatically
Verify all systems updated

Error Handling

Graceful Degradation

The workflow uses onError: { action: "continue" } for non-critical steps so the workflow continues even if one system fails:

{
  "id": "create-qb-customer",
  "config": { ... },
  "onError": {
    "action": "continue",
    "fallback": { "Id": null }
  }
}

Notify on Partial Failure

Add a check at the end:

{
  "id": "check-all-succeeded",
  "type": "condition",
  "config": {
    "if": "{{steps.create-qb-customer.output.Id && steps.upsert-hubspot-contact.output.id}}",
    "then": "end",
    "else": "notify-partial-failure"
  }
},
{
  "id": "notify-partial-failure",
  "type": "slack",
  "config": {
    "action": "sendMessage",
    "channel": "#ops-alerts",
    "text": ":warning: Customer onboarding partially failed for {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}. Check QuickBooks: {{#unless steps.create-qb-customer.output.Id}}FAILED{{/unless}}, HubSpot: {{#unless steps.upsert-hubspot-contact.output.id}}FAILED{{/unless}}"
  }
}

Handle Duplicate Customers

Check if customer already exists:

{
  "id": "check-qb-customer-exists",
  "type": "action",
  "config": {
    "connector": "quickbooks",
    "action": "findCustomerByEmail",
    "email": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}"
  }
},
{
  "id": "decide-create-or-skip",
  "type": "condition",
  "config": {
    "if": "{{steps.check-qb-customer-exists.output.QueryResponse.Customer.length > 0}}",
    "then": "skip-qb-creation",
    "else": "create-qb-customer"
  }
}

Variations and Extensions

Plan-Specific Onboarding

Different onboarding flows for different plans:

{
  "id": "route-by-plan",
  "type": "condition",
  "config": {
    "if": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName === 'Enterprise'}}",
    "then": "enterprise-onboarding",
    "else": {
      "if": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName === 'Pro'}}",
      "then": "pro-onboarding",
      "else": "basic-onboarding"
    }
  }
}

Create NetSuite Customer Instead

For enterprise companies using NetSuite:

{
  "id": "create-netsuite-customer",
  "type": "action",
  "config": {
    "connector": "netsuite",
    "action": "createCustomer",
    "companyName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.metadata.company_name}}",
    "email": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
    "subsidiary": { "id": "1" },
    "customFields": {
      "custentity_stripe_id": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}"
    }
  }
}

Scheduled Follow-up Email

Send a check-in email 7 days after signup:

{
  "id": "schedule-followup",
  "type": "email",
  "config": {
    "action": "schedule",
    "provider": "resend",
    "to": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
    "subject": "How's it going with {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}}?",
    "body": {
      "html": "<p>Hi {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}},</p><p>You've been using {{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}} for a week now. How's it going?</p><p>If you have any questions or need help, just reply to this email!</p>"
    },
    "send_at": "{{now | dateAdd: 7, 'days' | date: '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ'}}"
  }
}

Create Salesforce Account and Contact

For Salesforce users:

{
  "id": "create-sf-account",
  "type": "action",
  "config": {
    "connector": "salesforce",
    "action": "createOpportunity",
    "Name": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.metadata.company_name}} - New Subscription",
    "StageName": "Closed Won",
    "CloseDate": "{{now | date: '%Y-%m-%d'}}",
    "Amount": "{{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount | divided_by: 100}}"
  }
},
{
  "id": "create-sf-contact",
  "type": "action",
  "config": {
    "connector": "salesforce",
    "action": "createContact",
    "FirstName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | first}}",
    "LastName": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name | split: ' ' | last}}",
    "Email": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.email}}",
    "Stripe_Customer_ID__c": "{{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.id}}"
  }
}

Assign CSM Based on Plan

Route high-value customers to senior CSMs:

{
  "id": "determine-csm",
  "type": "transform",
  "config": {
    "operation": "map",
    "data": {
      "csmEmail": "{{#if (gt steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount 50000)}}senior-csm@company.com{{else if (gt steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount 10000)}}csm@company.com{{else}}onboarding@company.com{{/if}}",
      "csmSlackId": "{{#if (gt steps.extract-customer-data.output.planAmount 50000)}}U12345{{else}}U67890{{/if}}"
    }
  }
},
{
  "id": "notify-assigned-csm",
  "type": "slack",
  "config": {
    "action": "sendMessage",
    "channel": "@{{steps.determine-csm.output.csmSlackId}}",
    "text": "You've been assigned a new customer: {{steps.get-stripe-customer.output.name}} ({{steps.extract-customer-data.output.planName}})"
  }
}

Trial Conversion Variant

Handle trial-to-paid conversion differently:

{
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook",
    "provider": "stripe",
    "events": ["customer.subscription.updated"],
    "filter": {
      "data.object.status": { "$eq": "active" },
      "data.previous_attributes.status": { "$eq": "trialing" }
    }
  }
}

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
Duplicate customers	Same webhook fired twice	Add idempotency check with subscription ID
Missing customer name	Stripe customer has no name	Fall back to email prefix
QuickBooks sync failed	Customer already exists	Check before create, update instead
Email not sent	Invalid email format	Validate email in transform step
Wrong plan amount	Amount is in cents	Divide by 100 for display

Customer Onboarding

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