# Setting Up Your CRM

Before your team starts managing records, it is important to understand how Rapidbott CRM is currently accessed.

#### Workspace requirement

To use Rapidbott CRM, you need an active Rapidbott workspace.

At the moment, Rapidbott CRM is fully integrated with the Rapidbott chatbot platform and is accessed directly from the Rapidbott workspace.

This means:

* you must have an active Rapidbott workspace
* your workspace should have an active paid plan or an active trial when CRM access is required
* CRM access is tied to your Rapidbott workspace environment
* users normally open the CRM directly from inside the Rapidbott workspace

If your team cannot access the CRM, first confirm that the Rapidbott workspace is active and that CRM access is available for that workspace.

#### Workspace settings

Your workspace menu includes settings that support CRM-connected actions. Depending on your setup, your admin or workspace owner may configure:

* workspace-level connection settings
* email alerts
* secure share or access options
* AI or integration-related settings

Some workspaces may also save a Rapidbott API key for approved product features such as syncing contacts, using WhatsApp templates, or triggering subflows from inside the CRM.

#### Create your first pipeline

Pipelines are the backbone of the CRM. A pipeline represents a business process such as sales, support, onboarding, or service delivery.

You can create a pipeline in two ways:

* create a brand new pipeline manually
* use a starter template

When creating a pipeline manually, you usually define:

* pipeline name
* stage names
* tags
* optional CSV import setup

#### Use a template

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If you do not want to build a pipeline from scratch, use a template. Templates can help you launch faster and follow a more structured process from day one.

Templates may be grouped by:

* team type
* industry type

After previewing a template, you can apply it directly to your workspace.

#### Recommended setup order

For most teams, the best order is:

1. create one main pipeline
2. confirm your stage names match your real process
3. import contacts
4. add a few real records
5. review the dashboard after data starts flowing