The #1 Question Stores Have for Us

Whenever a store reaches out interested in Rundoo, the biggest question on their mind is this: what happens when I switch?

It makes sense. You're running a business, you don't have time to shut down for two weeks while someone installs software, and you've probably heard a horror story or two from a friend who switched to something and regretted it.

So let me walk you through exactly what happens, because we've done this hundreds of times now, and it's not nearly as scary as you're thinking.

🤝 You Get a Person

As soon as you sign, you're assigned a dedicated implementation manager who holds your hand through the entire process. Not a chatbot, not a help article, a real person.

Almost all of our implementation managers have prior experience working at a supply store: paint, hardware, farm and feed. They've stood behind the counter and they know what it's like when a contractor is tapping their foot while you're trying to figure out a new system. That context matters, and it shows up in the way they run your implementation.

📋 Three Things Happen

Once you're paired up with your implementation manager, there are three things to get done before go-live: data, hardware, and training.

1. Data

Data is the lifeline of your business, and we treat it that way. As soon as you sign, we ask for access to your current system and start pulling everything over: products, customers, vendors, historical sales, inventory balances, and customer balances. We can't guarantee we can extract data from every system out there, but we're able to do this over 90% of the time.

Once your data is in, you get a test environment to start playing around with. Poke at it, break things, click every button you can find. That's exactly what it's for. All of that test data gets deleted and re-pulled the night before go-live, so you're starting fresh with up-to-date numbers on day one.

2. Hardware

Good news: most of your existing hardware will work with Rundoo: keyboards, mice, full-page printers, cash boxes. For computers, barcode scanners, and thermal printers, your implementation manager will help you confirm compatibility with Rundoo. Some stores choose to upgrade equipment during the switch, but that's a want, not a need.

The one requirement is new card readers. We use Stripe S710 readers, and they need to be ours. Other than that, you're probably good to go with what you already have.

3. Training

We find it works best to designate one admin at your store who will be the point person for the whole implementation, and then we train the trainer. Training is tailored to what you're trying to achieve. The full flow runs four sessions: system unveil, daily fundamentals, admin side, and hardware setup. Each session is supported by videos to watch in advance, a sandbox to practice in, and a document you can share with your team, so when you meet with your Implementation Manager, you're having a real conversation about your specific processes rather than covering basics.

⏱️ The Timeline

Our typical timeline is one month, with four preparation meetings (one per week) in the lead-up. That said, we've had clients go as fast as one week, and our largest clients with 30+ locations can take up to a year to fully roll out. Most stores land right around that four-week mark.

🏁 Go-Live Day is the Starting Line

Here's something that surprises people: go-live day is the starting line, not the finish line. We don't just set you up and drop you off a cliff.

Your implementation manager stays with you until you're steady, which is usually about two weeks or until you've completed an end-of-month statement run if you do B2B with charge accounts, whichever comes later.

And even after that handoff, you're not done with us. You can call, text, or email our support team any time, and we resolve 96% of cases within 24 hours. Our support team is all US-based and, like our implementation managers, they've got real store experience.

If you don't reach out to us, we'll reach out to you. We aim to check in with every client at least once a quarter. So the full handoff looks like this: your account executive gets you in the door, your implementation manager gets you up and running, support is there whenever you need it, and your client success manager checks in regularly to make sure things are going well.

👕 The Shirt Tradition

Go-live day is a big day, and we like to commemorate it. We ask you to sign a Rundoo t-shirt, and we take a photo together. Those shirts get hung up in our office as a reminder of every client we serve. They're always in the room while we're building.

🤷 So, How Bad Is It?

Honestly? Four meetings beforehand, one stressful but kind of fun go-live day, and a couple weeks of getting your sea legs. That's the whole thing.

We've done this hundreds of times, and the answer to "what's the switch like?" is always the same: a lot less painful than you expected. Data, hardware, training, boom.

If you're weighing whether the switch is worth it, we broke down the numbers in How Rundoo Delivers ROI, covering the revenue growth, receivables reduction, and margin improvement stores see after going live. And once you're up and running, our practical guide to AI for store owners walks through what's possible from day one.