Sop Creator

Quick Reference

SOP Types

Sequential Process

• Linear steps A → B → C
• Clear start and end points
• Most common type

Decision Tree Process

• Multiple paths based on conditions
• Use IF/THEN structures
• Flowchart recommended

Checklist Process

• Order doesn't matter
• All items must be completed
• Good for quality checks

Reference Process

• Not step-by-step
• Information lookup
• Policies, guidelines, standards

Writing Principles

One Action Per Step

Bad: "Log in to the system and navigate to the reports section and download the file" Good:

1. Log in to [System]
2. Click "Reports" in the left sidebar
3. Click "Download" on the target report

Specific Over General

Bad: "Send an email to the client" Good: "Send email using the 'Order Confirmation' template in [Tool], including order number and estimated delivery date"

Include the Why (Briefly)

"Enter the SKU in the Notes field (inventory team uses this for tracking)"

Assume Zero Knowledge

Write for someone who has never done this before, but is reasonably intelligent.

Common Mistakes

• Too much assumed knowledge: "Process the order" (how?)
• Missing edge cases: What if X doesn't exist? What if Y fails?
• No screenshots: Describing UI without visual reference
• Outdated information: Process changed, SOP didn't
• Passive voice: "The form should be completed" (by whom?)
• Missing escalation: No guidance when things break

Examples

Example 1: Customer Onboarding SOP

Input: Create an SOP for onboarding a new customer after they purchase our software

Output:

SOP: NEW CUSTOMER ONBOARDING

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: March 1, 2026
Owner: Customer Success Manager
Applies to: Customer Success Team

---

PURPOSE:
Ensure every new customer receives consistent onboarding within 24 hours of purchase, leading to successful product adoption and reduced churn.

---

SCOPE:
- This SOP covers: Post-purchase onboarding for standard plans ($50-500/month)
- This SOP does NOT cover: Enterprise onboarding (see SOP-015) or free trial users (see SOP-008)

---

PREREQUISITES:
- [ ] Access to HubSpot CRM
- [ ] Access to customer onboarding Notion workspace
- [ ] Calendly link for success team
- [ ] Welcome email template permissions

---

DEFINITIONS:
| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| Kickoff call | 30-minute initial setup and training call |
| Health score | Customer engagement metric in HubSpot (0-100) |
| TTV | Time to Value—days until customer uses core feature |

---

PROCEDURE:

## Step 1: Create Customer Record
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep

1. Log in to HubSpot CRM
2. Click "Contacts" → "Create Contact"
3. Enter customer details from Stripe:
   - Name
   - Email
   - Company name
   - Plan type
   - Purchase date
4. Set "Lifecycle Stage" to "Customer"
5. Set "Onboarding Status" to "Not Started"

**Expected result**: Customer appears in "New Customers" view
**If something goes wrong**: Check Stripe-HubSpot sync in Settings → Integrations

---

## Step 2: Send Welcome Email
**Time estimate**: 3 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep

1. In HubSpot, open the customer contact
2. Click "Email" → "Templates"
3. Select "Welcome - Standard Plan"
4. Personalize:
   - Replace [FIRST_NAME] with customer's first name
   - Verify Calendly link is correct
   - Add any purchase-specific notes from Stripe
5. Click "Send"
6. In contact record, set "Welcome Email Sent" to "Yes"

**Expected result**: Customer receives welcome email within 2 minutes
**If something goes wrong**: Check spam folder guidance in template; resend after 4 hours if no delivery confirmation

---

## Step 3: Schedule Kickoff Call
**Time estimate**: 2 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep

1. Monitor email for customer booking via Calendly
2. If no booking within 24 hours:
   - Send "Kickoff Reminder" email template
3. If no booking within 48 hours:
   - Escalate to CS Manager
4. Once booked:
   - Set "Kickoff Scheduled" to "Yes"
   - Add call date to "Kickoff Date" field

**Expected result**: Kickoff call scheduled within 48 hours of purchase
**If something goes wrong**: Call customer directly using phone number from Stripe

---

## Step 4: Prepare Kickoff Materials
**Time estimate**: 10 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep
**When**: 1 hour before scheduled kickoff call

1. Open customer record in HubSpot
2. Review company website (understand their business)
3. Open Notion → "Onboarding" → Duplicate "Kickoff Template"
4. Rename to "[Company Name] Kickoff"
5. Pre-fill:
   - Company name and industry
   - Primary contact name
   - Plan features they have access to
   - 3 suggested first actions based on their industry
6. Share Notion page with customer's email (Editor access)

**Expected result**: Personalized kickoff document ready to screenshare
**If something goes wrong**: Use generic template if time is short; personalize during call

---

## Step 5: Conduct Kickoff Call
**Time estimate**: 30 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep

1. Start Zoom meeting 2 minutes early
2. Agenda:
   - Introductions (2 min)
   - Understand their goals (5 min)
   - Platform walkthrough (15 min)
   - Set up their first [core action] together (5 min)
   - Q&A and next steps (3 min)
3. During call, complete one core action with them
4. Share Notion onboarding doc link in Zoom chat
5. Send calendar invite for 14-day check-in

**Expected result**: Customer completes first core action during call
**If something goes wrong**: If technical issues, reschedule within 24 hours and send screen recording as interim

---

## Step 6: Post-Call Documentation
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Customer Success Rep

1. In HubSpot, update:
   - "Onboarding Status" → "In Progress"
   - "Kickoff Completed" → "Yes"
   - "First Value Action" → "Yes" (if completed during call)
2. Log call notes:
   - Customer goals
   - Questions asked
   - Action items for both sides
3. Set task reminder for 14-day check-in

**Expected result**: Complete record of onboarding status and next steps
**If something goes wrong**: Complete documentation within 2 hours of call

---

QUALITY CHECKLIST:
- [ ] Customer record created with all required fields
- [ ] Welcome email sent within 4 hours of purchase
- [ ] Kickoff call scheduled within 48 hours
- [ ] Customer completed first core action
- [ ] 14-day check-in scheduled
- [ ] All HubSpot fields updated

---

ESCALATION:
- Customer unresponsive after 48 hours → CS Manager
- Technical issues during setup → Engineering on-call
- Customer requests refund during onboarding → CS Manager + Finance

---

REVISION HISTORY:
| Version | Date | Changes | Author |
|---------|------|---------|--------|
| 1.0 | March 1, 2026 | Initial creation | [Name] |

Example 2: Content Publishing SOP

Input: Create an SOP for publishing blog posts on our company website

Output:

SOP: BLOG POST PUBLISHING

Version: 1.2
Last Updated: March 1, 2026
Owner: Content Manager
Applies to: Content Team, Guest Contributors

---

PURPOSE:
Ensure all blog posts are published consistently with proper formatting, SEO optimization, and quality standards before going live.

---

SCOPE:
- This SOP covers: Publishing approved blog drafts to WordPress
- This SOP does NOT cover: Content creation (see SOP-022), SEO keyword research (see SOP-023)

---

PREREQUISITES:
- [ ] WordPress admin access (Editor role or above)
- [ ] Approved blog draft in Google Docs (marked "Ready to Publish")
- [ ] Featured image (1200x630px minimum)
- [ ] Yoast SEO plugin access
- [ ] Canva access for image resizing (if needed)

---

DEFINITIONS:
| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| Slug | URL-friendly version of title (e.g., how-to-write-sops) |
| Alt text | Description of image for accessibility and SEO |
| Meta description | 150-160 character summary for search results |

---

PROCEDURE:

## Step 1: Import Content to WordPress
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. Log in to WordPress admin (yoursite.com/wp-admin)
2. Click "Posts" → "Add New"
3. Open the approved Google Doc
4. Copy title → Paste in WordPress title field
5. Copy body content → Paste in WordPress editor
6. If formatting breaks:
   - Use "Paste as plain text" (Ctrl+Shift+V)
   - Re-add headers, bold, links manually

**Expected result**: Draft post with all text content imported
**If something goes wrong**: If images don't paste, add them manually in Step 3

---

## Step 2: Format the Post
**Time estimate**: 10 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. Check all headers are correct level:
   - H2 for main sections
   - H3 for subsections
   - Never skip levels (H2 → H4)
2. Add bullet points and numbered lists where appropriate
3. Bold key phrases (1-2 per section maximum)
4. Add internal links:
   - Minimum 2 links to related posts
   - Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
5. Add external links:
   - Open in new tab (check "Open in new tab" box)
   - Maximum 3-5 per post

**Expected result**: Properly formatted post matching style guide
**If something goes wrong**: Compare to recent published post for reference

---

## Step 3: Add Images
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. Upload featured image:
   - Click "Set featured image" in right sidebar
   - Upload image (1200x630px minimum)
   - Add alt text describing the image
2. Add in-post images:
   - Place images near relevant text
   - Each image must have alt text
   - Use "Large" size alignment
   - Center align unless text wraps

**Expected result**: Featured image set, all images have alt text
**If something goes wrong**: Resize images in Canva if too small

---

## Step 4: Configure SEO (Yoast)
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. Scroll to Yoast SEO section below post
2. Enter focus keyphrase (from Content Brief)
3. Edit slug:
   - Remove stop words (a, the, and, of)
   - Keep under 5 words
   - Example: "how-to-write-sops"
4. Write meta description:
   - 150-160 characters
   - Include focus keyphrase
   - End with action or benefit
5. Check Yoast indicators:
   - Green = good
   - Orange = acceptable
   - Red = must fix before publishing

**Expected result**: Yoast shows green "SEO" indicator (minimum orange)
**If something goes wrong**: Follow Yoast suggestions to improve score

---

## Step 5: Assign Categories and Tags
**Time estimate**: 2 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. In right sidebar, select one Primary Category
2. Add 1-2 Secondary Categories (if applicable)
3. Add 3-5 Tags:
   - Use existing tags first (check autocomplete)
   - Create new tags only if necessary
4. Verify categories match content topic

**Expected result**: Post categorized for proper navigation and filtering
**If something goes wrong**: Ask Content Manager if unsure about categorization

---

## Step 6: Final Review and Publish
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: Content Editor

1. Click "Preview" → Open in new tab
2. Review checklist:
   - [ ] Title displays correctly
   - [ ] Featured image appears
   - [ ] Formatting looks correct on desktop
   - [ ] All links work
   - [ ] Images load properly
3. Check mobile preview (Chrome DevTools → Toggle device)
4. If publishing now: Click "Publish"
5. If scheduling: Set date/time → Click "Schedule"
6. Copy live URL and add to Content Calendar spreadsheet

**Expected result**: Post live or scheduled, URL logged in Content Calendar
**If something goes wrong**: If broken after publishing, set to Draft and troubleshoot

---

QUALITY CHECKLIST:
- [ ] Title under 60 characters
- [ ] H2 and H3 headers properly structured
- [ ] Minimum 2 internal links
- [ ] All images have alt text
- [ ] Featured image is 1200x630px minimum
- [ ] Meta description is 150-160 characters
- [ ] Yoast SEO indicator is green or orange
- [ ] Mobile preview looks correct
- [ ] URL logged in Content Calendar

---

ESCALATION:
- WordPress errors or crashes → IT Support (#wordpress-help Slack)
- SEO questions → SEO Manager
- Image rights concerns → Content Manager

---

REVISION HISTORY:
| Version | Date | Changes | Author |
|---------|------|---------|--------|
| 1.0 | Jan 15, 2026 | Initial creation | [Name] |
| 1.1 | Feb 1, 2026 | Added Yoast configuration details | [Name] |
| 1.2 | March 1, 2026 | Updated image size requirements | [Name] |

Example 3: Invoice Processing SOP

Input: Create an SOP for processing vendor invoices for payment

Output:

SOP: VENDOR INVOICE PROCESSING

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: March 1, 2026
Owner: Accounts Payable Manager
Applies to: Finance Team, Accounts Payable

---

PURPOSE:
Ensure all vendor invoices are processed accurately and paid on time while maintaining proper documentation and approval workflows.

---

SCOPE:
- This SOP covers: Processing invoices under $10,000
- This SOP does NOT cover: Invoices over $10,000 (require CFO approval, see SOP-041), recurring subscription payments (see SOP-042)

---

PREREQUISITES:
- [ ] Access to QuickBooks Online (AP role)
- [ ] Access to Bill.com or payment platform
- [ ] Vendor on file in approved vendor list
- [ ] Invoice received (email or mail)

---

DEFINITIONS:
| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| 3-way match | Matching invoice to PO and receiving report |
| Net 30 | Payment due 30 days from invoice date |
| Coding | Assigning expense to correct GL account |

---

PROCEDURE:

## Step 1: Receive and Log Invoice
**Time estimate**: 2 minutes
**Who**: AP Clerk

1. Invoice received via:
   - Email: [email protected]
   - Mail: Scanned by admin and uploaded to SharePoint
2. Open Invoices Tracker spreadsheet
3. Log invoice:
   - Date received
   - Vendor name
   - Invoice number
   - Amount
   - Due date
4. Save invoice PDF to SharePoint: Finance → Invoices → [YYYY-MM] folder
5. Rename file: [Vendor]_[InvoiceNumber]_[Date].pdf

**Expected result**: Invoice logged and filed within 24 hours of receipt
**If something goes wrong**: If duplicate invoice number, contact vendor to confirm before processing

---

## Step 2: Verify Invoice Details
**Time estimate**: 5 minutes
**Who**: AP Clerk

1. Open invoice and verify:
   - [ ] Vendor name matches approved vendor list
   - [ ] Invoice number is unique (check for duplicates)
   - [ ] Invoice date is current (not over 90 days old)
   - [ ] Math is correct (line items = total)
   - [ ] Payment terms are stated
2. Perform 3-way match (for PO-based purchases):
   - Locate PO number on invoice
   - Find PO in QuickBooks
   - Compare: quantities, prices, totals
   - Check receiving report: items received?
3. If discrepancies found:
   - Flag invoice in tracker ("Discrepancy")
   - Email vendor with specific questions
   - Do not process until resolved

**Expected result**: Invoice verified or flagged for follow-up
**If something goes wrong**: Invoices without POs require department manager approval (Step 3 alternate)

---

## Step 3: Code and Route for Approval
**Time estimate**: 3 minutes
**Who**: AP Clerk

1. Determine expense coding:
   - Review invoice description
   - Assign GL account code (see GL Coding Reference)
   - Assign department (if applicable)
2. Route for approval based on amount:
   - Under $1,000: Department Manager
   - $1,000-$5,000: Department Director
   - $5,000-$10,000: VP
   - Over $10,000: CFO (escalate per SOP-041)
3. Enter into Bill.com:
   - Upload invoice PDF
   - Enter coding
   - Select approver
   - Click "Send for Approval"
4. Update tracker: Status = "Pending Approval"

**Expected result**: Invoice routed to correct approver
**If something goes wrong**: If approver is out, route to their backup (see Approval Backup List)

---

## Step 4: Process Approved Invoice
**Time estimate**: 3 minutes
**Who**: AP Clerk

1. Once approved in Bill.com (email notification):
   - Open approved invoice
   - Verify approval signature/timestamp
2. Schedule payment:
   - Calculate payment date (per vendor terms)
   - If early payment discount available: Flag for AP Manager decision
   - Schedule in Bill.com
3. Enter in QuickBooks:
   - Vendor → Enter Bill
   - Enter invoice details
   - Apply coding from Bill.com
   - Mark as "Scheduled for Payment"
4. Update tracker: Status = "Scheduled"

**Expected result**: Invoice scheduled for payment by due date
**If something goes wrong**: If payment date is past due, escalate to AP Manager immediately

---

## Step 5: Execute Payment
**Time estimate**: 2 minutes per payment
**Who**: AP Manager (Clerk cannot execute)

1. On payment run day (Tuesday/Thursday):
   - Review scheduled payments in Bill.com
   - Verify cash availability
   - Approve payment batch
2. Execute payments:
   - ACH: Process in Bill.com
   - Check: Print and mail
   - Wire: Process through bank portal
3. Update QuickBooks: Mark bills as "Paid"
4. Update tracker: Status = "Paid" + Payment Date + Payment Method

**Expected result**: Payment executed and recorded
**If something goes wrong**: If payment fails, contact bank/vendor within 24 hours

---

## Step 6: File and Reconcile
**Time estimate**: 1 minute per invoice
**Who**: AP Clerk

1. Move invoice in SharePoint to "Paid" folder
2. Attach payment confirmation to invoice record
3. Weekly reconciliation:
   - Compare tracker to QuickBooks AP aging
   - Investigate any discrepancies
   - Report unresolved items to AP Manager

**Expected result**: Complete audit trail from receipt to payment
**If something goes wrong**: Missing documentation must be obtained before month-end close

---

QUALITY CHECKLIST:
- [ ] Invoice logged within 24 hours of receipt
- [ ] 3-way match completed (PO-based invoices)
- [ ] Correct GL coding applied
- [ ] Approved by authorized approver
- [ ] Paid by due date (or within terms)
- [ ] Documentation complete in SharePoint
- [ ] QuickBooks and tracker reconciled

---

ESCALATION:
- Vendor disputes → AP Manager
- Missing PO → Department that ordered
- Approval delays (over 48 hours) → AP Manager to escalate
- Suspected duplicate payment → AP Manager + Controller

---

REVISION HISTORY:
| Version | Date | Changes | Author |
|---------|------|---------|--------|
| 1.0 | March 1, 2026 | Initial creation | [Name] |

Quality Checklist

• Purpose clearly states why process exists
• Scope defines what's included and excluded
• Prerequisites list everything needed before starting
• Steps start with action verbs
• Each step has one clear action
• Time estimates included for each step
• Expected results defined for each step
• Troubleshooting guidance for common issues
• Escalation paths clearly defined
• Quality checklist covers critical outputs
• Version history maintained