Getting started

Signing up and logging in

Pilla uses a magic link to sign you in. You type your email, you get a link, you tap the link. There are no passwords to remember on either the web app or the mobile app.

Creating a brand new Pilla account

If you're starting Pilla fresh for your business, you sign up yourself from the website at yourpilla.com/signup. You can also reach the signup form from the homepage by tapping See pricing or Try the canvas and following the sign-up link.

  1. Go to yourpilla.com/signup
  2. On the "Get started with Pilla" form, fill in the four boxes (see below)
  3. Tap Create account
  4. Open your email and tap the magic link to finish signing in
  • Your full name (text, required) -- your own name, shown to your team across Pilla
  • Email (email, required) -- the address you'll sign in with from now on
  • Company name (text, required) -- your business name, used to set up your account
  • First team name (text, required) -- the name of your first team, for example Front of House

When you tap Create account, the button changes to "Creating account..." while Pilla sets up your company account, creates your first team, and emails you a magic link. The form is then replaced by a "Check your email" message. Tap the link in the email and you're signed in as the first admin on your account. Before you can start building, Pilla asks you to add a card, which is covered in the next section. There's no waitlist and no waiting for approval.

If you already have an account, tap the "Sign in" link at the bottom of the signup form instead of filling it in.

Adding a card to start using Pilla

The first time you sign in to a brand new account on the web app, Pilla asks you to add a card before you can start building. This is a one-time step for the person who created the account. Staff who join an existing account by invitation never see it, and you are not charged when you add the card.

A full-screen message headed "Add a card to get started" appears in front of the app. It explains that your first 500 workflow steps every month are free, that after that you only pay for what your team runs, and that there are no plans to pick and nothing to cancel later.

  1. Tap the dark Add card and start free button
  2. A secure checkout page opens where you enter your card details
  3. Finish the checkout and you're taken back to Pilla
  4. Pilla confirms your card, then opens the canvas so you can build your first workflow

A line under the button reads "You will not be charged today." Adding your card sets up billing but costs nothing now. You're only charged if you go past your free 500 steps in a month, and only for the steps above that.

If you close the checkout without finishing, the message reads "Checkout was cancelled. Pick up where you left off whenever you're ready.", and you can tap the button again whenever you like. Just after checkout you may briefly see "Finishing your setup" while Pilla confirms your card with the payment provider. If that takes longer than usual, a "Check again" button appears so you can prompt it.

Joining an existing Pilla account by invitation

If your manager has already added you to their Pilla account, you don't need to sign up. They set you up using the email address they have for you, and Pilla sends you a welcome email so you know your account is ready. You sign in for the first time the same way you sign in every time after that: by sending yourself a magic link from the sign-in screen.

  1. Open the Pilla web app or mobile app
  2. Tap Sign in to a company
  3. Type the email address your manager added you with into the Email box
  4. Tap Send Magic Link
  5. Open your email and tap the link in the message from Pilla
  6. The app opens, signed in

Use the exact email address your manager used to add you, otherwise no magic link will arrive. If you're not sure which address that is, ask the person who added you. The full steps for the web app and the mobile app are in the two sections below.

Signing in on the web app

The web app lives at the /app section of yourpilla.com. The first time you visit, a small sign-in popup appears in the middle of the screen. It shows the Pilla logo, a short preview of a workflow list, and a single Sign in to a company button. There is no "create an account" option in this popup, so if you don't have an account yet, go to yourpilla.com/signup first (see "Creating a brand new Pilla account" above). To sign in to an account you already have, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Pilla web app in your browser
  2. On the popup, tap Sign in to a company
  3. The popup now shows a "Welcome back" heading and an Email box
  4. Type your work email into the Email box
  5. Tap Send Magic Link
  6. Open your email
  7. Find the message from Pilla and tap the link inside it
  8. Your browser opens back on the web app, signed in

Below the Send Magic Link button a line reads "Enter your email address and we will send you a magic link to log in. No passwords needed". After you tap Send Magic Link, the heading changes to "Check your email for a magic link", the line below it changes to "Didn't receive the email? Check your spam folder.", and the button becomes a countdown like Resend in 45s. You can't request another link until the countdown finishes. Once the countdown reaches zero, a Different email link appears in case you typed the wrong address.

There is also a Back button at the top of the sign-in popup that returns you to the first screen with the workflow preview.

If you open a magic link that has already been used or is more than an hour old, the popup shows a "Magic link expired" heading and the line "Please request a new magic link below.", with the Email box ready for you to send yourself a fresh one.

Signing in on the mobile app

Open the Pilla mobile app on your phone. If you've never signed in before, you'll land on a welcome screen showing the Pilla logo, a short preview of a work list, and a single Sign in to a company button at the bottom.

  1. Tap Sign in to a company
  2. A sign-in screen opens with "Welcome" in the header and an Email box
  3. Type your email into the Email box
  4. Tap Send Magic Link
  5. A "Check Your Email" popup appears with the message "We sent you a magic link! Click the link in your email to sign in."
  6. Tap OK to close the popup
  7. Switch to your email app
  8. Tap the link in the Pilla email
  9. Your phone opens the Pilla app and signs you in

The sign-in screen has a back arrow in the header that returns you to the welcome screen. Below the Send Magic Link button a line reads "Enter your email address and we will send you a magic link to log in. No passwords needed". After you tap Send Magic Link, the button shows a countdown like Resend in 45s and a help line appears that reads "Did not receive the email? Check your spam folder.". Once the countdown reaches zero, a Different email link appears below the help line.

If you're brand new and this is your first time signing in to a new user account, after the magic link signs you in you'll go through a short setup flow:

  1. A "Welcome to Pilla" screen with a Get Started button
  2. A "Create profile photo" screen with Take Photo and Choose from Gallery buttons, plus a Skip for now button if you'd rather add a photo later, then a Next button once you've picked one
  3. A few preview screens that show you how workflows, work steps and chats look, each with a Next button
  4. A final "You're ready, [your name]!" screen with a Let's Go button

Tapping Let's Go takes you to your work list and you're ready to start.

Resending or trying a different email

Sometimes the magic link doesn't arrive, or you typed your email wrong. Both apps handle this the same way.

  1. Wait for the 60 second countdown on the Send Magic Link button to finish
  2. If you want the same email address, tap Send Magic Link again
  3. If you want a different email, tap Different email under the help line
  4. The form resets so you can type a fresh address

Reasons a magic link might not arrive:

  • The email went to your spam, junk, or promotions folder
  • You typed your email address with a typo
  • The email your manager added you with is different to the one you typed
  • Your company email filter is blocking emails from Pilla

If you've tried all of the above and still can't get in, ask the admin on your account to double-check the email address they added you with.

Staying signed in

Once you've tapped a magic link successfully, both the web app and the mobile app keep you signed in. You don't need a new magic link every time you open the app. The session lasts until you sign out yourself, your account is removed, or your phone or browser clears its data.

If your session does expire, you'll land back on the Welcome screen and the sign-in popup, and you just send yourself a fresh magic link.

Forgotten password

Pilla doesn't use passwords. There is nothing for you to forget and no password reset email to chase. If you can get into your email inbox, you can get into Pilla. Just send yourself a new magic link from the sign-in screen.

Tips

  • Use the same email your manager added you with, exact spelling and casing matters
  • Magic links expire one hour after they're sent, so use them quickly
  • Each magic link only works once, request a new one if you need to sign in again
  • Open the magic link on the device you want to use, the link signs in the device that opens it
  • Check your spam folder first if the email seems slow to arrive
  • If you sign in on both your phone and your computer, you stay signed in on both at the same time
  • If you're a brand new user, complete the profile photo step so your teammates can recognise you in messages

First time orientation

Pilla has two surfaces. The web app is where managers and admins build things, look at numbers, and run the business side of Pilla. The mobile app is where staff actually do their work runs. Most managers use both. This page is a map to help you find where everything lives.

What the web app is for

The web app is the side of Pilla that runs in a browser. It's where workflow templates are built on the canvas, where integrations are connected, and where teams and users are managed. Staff don't usually need the web app at all because there's nothing on it for completing a workflow run, that part happens on the mobile app.

If you're a manager or admin, you'll spend most of your Pilla time here. If you're staff and you sign in to the web app, Pilla sends you straight to the Workflow runs screen, because the dashboard and setup screens are built for managers and admins, not for doing work. The place for staff is the mobile app.

The Pilla bar at the top of the web app

The web app has a thin bar across the top of the screen. It stays in place wherever you are. On the left of this bar is a small button with your profile picture and name. Tapping it opens a short menu with these options.

  • Change picture -- opens a panel where you can upload or replace your profile photo
  • Switch to light mode or Switch to dark mode -- flips the whole app between bright and dark colours
  • Manage my integrations -- opens the integrations screen where you connect outside services like Slack and Google Calendar (managers and admins only)
  • Log out -- signs you out and reloads the sign-in screen

In the middle of the top bar is a small title that tells you which screen you're on, for example Dashboard, Workflow runs 11 May, or Workflow templates. Over on the right of the top bar are a chat icon that opens your Chats, a question-mark icon that opens these help docs in a new tab, and, for admins, a gear icon that opens Settings.

Poppi chat in the web sidebar

Down the left side of the web app there's a sidebar. The sidebar is Poppi's home on the web. Poppi is Pilla's AI assistant. Whichever screen you open, the sidebar shows a short message from Poppi explaining what you're looking at. At the bottom of the sidebar is a chat box where you can type a question and Poppi will answer it.

Poppi can look up your live account data when it answers, including workflows, teams, users, tags, and recent activity. Making changes through chat is coming soon, so if you ask Poppi to change something it will point you to the right screen instead.

When you're on a screen that isn't the main dashboard, a small back link appears at the top of the sidebar. On most screens it reads "Back to main menu" and takes you to the dashboard. On the canvas and the import screens it points at wherever you came from, for example "Back to templates" or "Back to users".

The dashboard and the four cards

When you first sign in to the web app as a manager or admin you land on the Dashboard. Across the top is a row of four cards, each one is a doorway into a different area of the app. Each card is a button showing a count and a short note saying whether the count covers your whole account or just your teams. Tap a card to open that area.

  • Workflow runs today -- opens the list of every workflow run scheduled for the date you pick
  • Workflow templates -- opens your library of templates
  • Teams -- opens the teams list
  • Users -- opens the users list

There's no card for integrations. To reach the integrations screen, open the profile menu in the top-left bar and tap Manage my integrations.

Below the cards is a chart that shows how your workflow runs are tracking day by day. Tapping a day on the chart opens the Workflow runs screen filtered to that day.

The workflow runs screen

Tapping the Workflow runs card opens a data table of every run for the date or date range you choose. Each row is one execution of a workflow template. Rows are colour-coded so you can spot trouble at a glance. Green means the run finished on time. Orange means it finished late. Red means it's overdue and still not finished. Filters across the top let you narrow the table by date range, team, tag, and progress status.

The workflow templates screen

Tapping the Workflow templates card opens your library of templates. Each row is a workflow template you've built; ones without a live version yet show a Draft badge. Tapping a template opens the canvas, which is the visual builder where you wire up the steps of a workflow. The canvas is web only because there's no way to drag and drop on a small phone screen.

The first time you open the canvas, Poppi's sidebar fills with explanations of each step type, called elements, as you drop them onto the board. Every template starts with a trigger that decides when it runs: Manual (labelled Trigger manually), One-time (Run just once), or Recurring (Run on a schedule). A fourth kind, External (Run from external trigger), is coming soon. Elements include things like Checklist, Photo, Written guidance, and Signature, and you can add a Poppi (AI) decision to an element to branch the workflow yes or no. Two more Poppi node types, Poppi briefings and Poppi actions, are coming soon. You can also wrap a set of elements into a group.

The integrations screen

The integrations screen opens from Manage my integrations in the top-left profile menu. It shows a grid of outside services Pilla can talk to, including Slack and Google Calendar. Each tile shows whether it's connected. The workflow steps that use these connections, Poppi actions and external triggers, are coming soon, so connecting a service now gets your account ready for them.

The teams screen

The Teams card opens a list of your teams. Teams control who sees what. Staff and managers only see workflows and other data tied to the teams they belong to. Admins see everything. The header has a New team button to add one team and an Import button to bring in lots of teams at once from a spreadsheet. Each row's menu lets you edit or delete a team, and ticking two or more rows switches to a bulk delete.

The users screen

The Users card opens a list of everyone in your Pilla account. Each user has a role, either Staff, Manager, or Admin. The header has a New user button to add one user and an Import button to bring in lots of users at once from a spreadsheet. Each row's menu lets you edit or delete a user, and ticking two or more rows switches to a bulk delete.

What the mobile app is for

The mobile app is what your staff carry with them while they work. It's optimised for doing, not for setting up. There's no canvas and no integrations screen on mobile, because templates and integrations are built on the web app. Staff sign in, see what work runs are due today, complete them, post stories, and chat with their teammates. Managers see a couple of extra menu options, and admins can also manage users, manage teams, and adjust account settings from the mobile menu.

When you first sign in on the mobile app, you land on the Work Items tab. This is the only tab in the bottom bar. The app runs on both phones and tablets.

The Stories row at the top of the mobile work list

Across the top of the Work Items tab is a horizontal row of round profile pictures. This is the Stories row. Each circle is a recent photo, video, or short note someone on your team has posted. Tap a circle to see the story, tap the plus on your own circle to post one yourself. Stories are a quick way to share what's happening in real time without sending a message to everyone.

The date scroller on the mobile work list

Just below the Stories row is a strip of dates you can swipe left and right. Tapping a date jumps the work list below it to that day. Each date in the strip shows a small dot or number telling you whether there are runs scheduled and how they're progressing. By default the screen opens on today.

The work list on the mobile app

Below the date scroller is the list of work runs for the selected date. Each card is one work run. Cards show the title, the team, the time window it should be completed in, and a colour that matches the same green, orange, red status used on the web app. Tap a card to open the work run and start working through its steps. Swipe a card right to message the whole team about that run, or swipe it left to send a direct message to one person about it.

In the top-right corner of the work list is an Info button. Tapping it opens an "About workflows" explainer with a colour key (Unfinished and late, Finished late, Finished on time) and a preview of the menu options for a run.

The floating action bar on the mobile app

At the bottom of the mobile app, floating above the work list, is a small bar with three buttons. From left to right these are.

  • A chat bubble icon -- opens your Chats, where you can read team messages, group chats, and direct messages
  • A target icon -- opens the Poppi chat as a full screen popup so you can ask questions like "what's due tomorrow?"
  • A menu icon labelled Menu -- opens a list of extra options for the screen you're on

The bar floats over the work list so it's always one tap away no matter how far you've scrolled.

The mobile menu

Tapping the Menu button on the floating action bar opens a popup that slides up from the bottom of the screen. The options depend on your role and on which screen you're looking at. On the Work Items tab everyone usually sees.

  • Run a workflow template -- opens a picker so you can manually trigger one of the templates your manager has set up
  • Filter teams -- choose which teams to include in the list
  • Hide carried-over workflows -- a toggle to hide work runs that started before the selected date
  • Hide completed workflows -- a toggle to hide work runs that are already finished
  • Log out -- signs you out of your account

Managers and admins see two extra options.

  • Show workflow runs by tag -- pick a tag and see every run that uses it
  • Show workflow runs by team -- pick a team and see every run for that team

Admins see three more, and each can be turned off for everyone in Settings.

  • Add/Edit Users -- opens the users list to add, edit, or remove people
  • Add/Edit Teams -- opens the teams list to add, edit, or remove teams
  • Adjust Settings -- opens the account settings so you can change look-ahead days, edit windows, chat permissions, and which menu items appear on mobile

Who uses what

Web is for managers and admins. Building templates on the canvas, connecting integrations, adding users and teams, reviewing the workflow runs chart. There's nothing on the web app that helps a staff member complete a workflow run.

Mobile is for everyone, but it's the only place staff need to be. Staff sign in, see what's due, complete it, chat with their team, and post stories. Managers can do all of that plus their extra menu options, and admins can also manage users, manage teams, and adjust settings from the mobile menu.

If you're a manager, the easiest pattern is to keep the web app open on your laptop for setup and reporting, and your phone in your pocket for the same on-the-floor experience your staff get.

Tips

  • Bookmark the web app URL once you've signed in, you'll be coming back to it a lot if you're an admin
  • The dashboard is the front door, every other web screen has a back link in the Poppi sidebar to get you back here
  • Poppi's tone changes per screen, the sidebar always tells you what the current screen is for
  • If you're a staff member who signs in to the web app, Pilla drops you on the Workflow runs screen, but the place to actually do work is your phone
  • The Work Items tab on mobile always opens on today, swipe the date strip to look at yesterday or tomorrow
  • Poppi can look anything up in your account from chat, but making changes through chat is coming soon, so it will point you to the right screen when you ask it to change something