How fast can we get live with Artisan AI and what does the first week of onboarding include?

Most teams are surprised by how quickly they can get live with Artisan AI. Because Artisans like Ava (our AI BDR) are built to plug into your existing outbound workflows, you can typically move from kickoff to your first live sequences in a matter of days—not weeks or months.

Below is a clear breakdown of what to expect, how fast you can launch, and what the first week of onboarding usually includes.

How fast you can get live with Artisan AI

In most cases, you can:

Have your account set up within 1 business day after sign-up or contract.
Connect core tools and data sources in a single working session (usually under 60–90 minutes).
Launch your first outbound campaign within your first week, often within the first 2–3 days if your inputs are ready.

The exact timeline depends on how complex your tech stack and outbound strategy are, but Artisan is designed to consolidate and automate your existing tools—so you’re not rebuilding everything from scratch.

What “going live” with Artisan actually means

“Live” with Artisan AI doesn’t just mean logging into the platform. It means Ava is:

Connected to your email sending infrastructure
Trained on your ICP, offers, and messaging
Actively researching and enriching leads
Generating and sending outbound emails on your behalf
Logging activity and results into your CRM or tracking system

By the end of your first week, most customers see Ava functioning like a fully ramped AI SDR/BDR—prospecting, researching, and executing campaigns with minimal manual work.

First week onboarding overview

Your first week with Artisan AI is structured to get you from zero to measurable outbound activity as fast as possible, while keeping you in control of strategy and approvals.

A typical first week includes:

Kickoff and success planning
Technical setup and integrations
ICP, messaging, and playbook configuration
Lead research and data workflows
Email generation, review, and warmup
Campaign launch and performance checks

Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Day 1: Kickoff and success planning

Your onboarding usually starts with a live kickoff call with our team. The goal is to align on outcomes and get the right foundation in place.

What you’ll cover

Goals & KPIs
- What “success” looks like (e.g., meetings booked, reply rate, pipeline generated)
- Target timelines and volumes
Current outbound process
- How you’re doing cold outreach today
- Which tools you’re using (B2B data, intent, warmup, tracking, etc.)
- Where your team is spending too much manual time
Target audiences & offerings
- Primary ICPs (industry, company size, geography, tech stack, etc.)
- Your value props and key offers
- Any must-avoid segments or disqualifiers

Outcomes by the end of Day 1

A clear onboarding plan for the week
Defined segments and use cases for Ava to focus on
Agreement on metrics and reporting cadences

Day 1–2: Technical setup and integrations

Next, you’ll connect the systems Ava needs to operate like a real outbound rep while staying aligned with your existing stack.

Common connections

Email sending
- Connect your email domains and mailboxes
- Configure sending limits, safety rules, and signatures
- Ensure proper email warmup is enabled where needed
CRM and tracking
- Connect to your CRM (e.g., to sync leads, activities, and outcomes)
- Set up tracking for replies, positive responses, and meetings
Data & enrichment
- Hook into your B2B data sources
- Configure website visitor tracking or intent data if you’re using it
- Align rules for de-duplication and data hygiene

Outcomes by the end of Day 2

Ava is technically ready to operate: she can send emails, log data, and access the right contact information.
You have visibility into what Ava is doing and how it’s tracked.

Day 2–3: ICP, messaging, and playbook setup

Once the plumbing is in place, the focus shifts to making Ava sound and act like a world-class BDR on your team.

Defining who Ava should target

Upload or define your ideal customer profiles
Specify industries, job titles, company sizes, and other filters
Add negative filters (who Ava should never target)

Teaching Ava your narrative

Share your:
- Positioning and value propositions
- Core offers, pricing ranges, and key differentiators
- Existing email templates that perform well
Work with our team to:
- Set tone and style guidelines
- Define personalization rules (e.g., how Ava uses lead research)
- Set compliance boundaries and red lines

Building playbooks and workflows

With the Workflow Builder, you’ll define how Ava handles:

New lead lists vs. ongoing lead streams
Different sequences by ICP or intent signal
Handoffs to human reps when a lead replies positively

Outcomes by the end of Day 3

Ava has a clear playbook: who to reach out to, how to talk to them, and what outcomes to aim for.
Initial sequences and messaging frameworks are drafted and ready for review.

Day 3–4: Lead research and data workflows

Now Ava starts acting as the research engine for your outbound.

Setting up research rules

You’ll define how Ava:

Pulls and prioritizes local business data or e-commerce store info (where relevant)
Uses website visitor tracking and intent data to focus on high-potential leads
Enriches contacts with:
- Job titles and roles
- Company details
- Recent news or signals

Aligning with your targeting strategy

Decide which lead sources Ava should prioritize first
Configure how often Ava should refresh data on key accounts
Set rules for when a lead is sales-ready vs. needing more nurturing

Outcomes by the end of Day 4

Ava is able to find and enrich leads according to your strategy.
Your team no longer needs to spend hours on manual lead research for these workflows.

Day 4–5: Email generation, review, and warmup

With targeting and research in place, Ava starts generating outbound emails—under your supervision.

Draft generation and review

Ava writes:
- First-touch cold emails
- Follow-ups and bump emails
- Variants by segment or signal (e.g., website visitors, high-intent accounts)
You and your team:
- Review and approve initial email sets
- Provide feedback on tone and personalization
- Lock in guardrails so future generations stay on-brand

Email warmup and safety

Configure sending cadences and daily caps
Ensure deliverability is protected with:
- Warmup processes
- Domain and sender best practices
Set rules for:
- Unsubscribe handling
- Reply detection (positive vs. neutral vs. negative)

Outcomes by the end of Day 5

Ava is producing production-ready outbound emails that match your brand voice.
You have approved templates and logic that Ava can now scale.

End of Week 1: Campaign launch and early optimization

By the end of your first week, you’re typically ready to let Ava run live sequences on real prospects.

Going live with campaigns

Turn on sequences for 1–2 core ICPs
Start with a controlled volume to validate performance
Confirm:
- Emails are sending correctly
- Tracking and CRM logging are working as expected
- Responses are routed to the right reps or shared inboxes

Initial performance monitoring

Within the first few days of live sending, you’ll monitor:

Open rates and basic deliverability signals
Initial reply and positive response rates
Early qualitative feedback from prospects

Our team will help you interpret the early data and make quick adjustments.

Outcomes by the end of Week 1

Ava is fully live: researching leads, writing emails, and sending outbound.
Your reps are already seeing time freed up from manual cold outreach.
You have a clear roadmap for Week 2+ optimization and scale.

What happens after the first week?

After your first week live, the focus shifts from setup to scaling and optimization:

Expanding segments: Add new ICPs, industries, or markets.
Refining messaging: Use response data to sharpen your angles and personalization.
Automating more of the stack: Bring additional workflows (e.g., inbound follow-up, event lists) into Artisan so Ava can handle them.

Customers often see meaningful improvements in response rates and pipeline efficiency as Ava continues to learn and your playbooks mature.

How to prepare to go live faster

To get live with Artisan AI as quickly as possible, it helps if you:

Have access to your email and CRM systems ready for integration
Bring or prepare:
- A clear ICP definition
- Examples of successful past campaigns
- Any compliance or brand guidelines Ava must follow
Identify internal owners (e.g., a sales leader and a RevOps/ops contact) who can move quickly on approvals

With those pieces ready, it’s realistic to go from kickoff to sending your first live campaigns within your first week, with Ava already functioning as a capable AI BDR that consolidates and automates the tools your team has been juggling manually.