> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.echeloncrm.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart: Connect Channels and Activate Echelon AI

> Create your Echelon account, connect your email channel, spin up your first AI Employee, and activate the AI Manager — all in one workflow.

This guide walks you through Echelon's core setup flow from scratch. By the end, you'll have a live AI Employee handling outreach and an AI Manager coordinating your work. These are the two things that make Echelon worth using immediately.

<Note>
  Echelon is currently in Early Access. Pricing and plan limits shown during signup reflect Early Access rates and may differ from the published tiers on the marketing site.
</Note>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account">
    Go to [dashboard.echeloncrm.app/auth](https://dashboard.echeloncrm.app/auth) and sign up. You can register with an email address and password, or use **Continue with Google** for a faster setup.

    After you sign up, Echelon creates your workspace and takes you to the dashboard automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign in to your dashboard">
    If you already have an account, go to [dashboard.echeloncrm.app/auth](https://dashboard.echeloncrm.app/auth) and sign in with your credentials or Google account.

    <Tip>
      Use Google sign-in if you want to skip password management — it's the fastest way to get back into your dashboard.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your email channel">
    From the dashboard, navigate to **Integrations** and select **Email**. Follow the on-screen prompts to authorize your email account.

    Email is available on all plans and is required before your AI Employees can send or receive messages. If you're on a Growth or Scale plan, you can also connect WhatsApp and SMS from the same screen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your first AI Employee">
    Go to **AI Employees** in the sidebar and click **New AI Employee**. Choose a role — for example, a sales outreach specialist or a billing follow-up agent — and configure its name and behavior.

    Once saved, your AI Employee is ready to be assigned tasks. On the Starter plan you can create up to 3 AI Employees; Growth supports 6, and Scale supports 10.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Activate the AI Manager">
    Go to **AI Manager** in the sidebar. The AI Manager coordinates your AI Employees, runs your pipelines, and schedules automated sequences.

    Enable it by toggling **AI Manager** on. On Scale plans, you can turn on **Auto-Mode**, which lets the AI Manager make operational decisions independently without requiring your input at each step.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You're set up — here's what to explore next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect more channels" icon="plug" href="/guides/connect-channels">
    Add WhatsApp or SMS to reach contacts across more touchpoints.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build sequences" icon="list" href="/guides/build-sequences">
    Create multi-step contact sequences that your AI Employees run automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Automate billing" icon="credit-card" href="/guides/automate-billing">
    Set up billing reminders and follow-up workflows so nothing slips through.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build a custom tool" icon="code" href="/guides/custom-tools">
    Use the AI Coding Agent to create internal tools from plain language descriptions.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>