Questions to ask a white-label vendor before you sign

Start by clarifying exactly what carries your brand. Ask which screens, emails and documents are customised, and which still show the vendor. Ask when your own domain and email can be used, and whether those features are live today or planned. Answers that sound similar can hide very different realities.

With HelloBooks, the firm’s app name, logo, colours, sign-in page and document templates are included, and the firm web address runs on a hellobooks.ai subdomain from day one. The firm’s own domain and email from the firm’s domain arrive at full launch. Ask every vendor for the same level of precision.

Understand who pays whom. Some vendors bill clients directly, which can undercut your packaging. Others bill only the firm, leaving client pricing in your hands. Ask how client plans are priced, whether the firm receives a discount, and how price changes are communicated.

Write down each vendor’s answers side by side so differences are visible. The following questions cover the commercial ground most firms need, and they are worth asking even when a vendor’s website appears to answer them already. Written answers carry more weight than a sales call summary.

• Does the vendor bill my clients, or only my firm?
• Is the license flat or tied to staff seats?
• How are client plans priced and discounted?
• What notice is given before pricing changes?

Ask whether the firm owns its data and can export it at any time, and in what format. Ask where data is stored and how security incidents are communicated. Firms should check their professional and data-protection obligations and make sure the vendor’s answers support them.

Clarify support arrangements too. Who answers client questions, and under whose name? How long does onboarding take? HelloBooks onboarding runs about two working weeks. Finally, ask what happens if you leave, including notice periods and data access after termination. A vendor that answers exit questions calmly and specifically is usually one you can rely on while you stay.

One flat license covers your brand, unlimited staff and the firm console. Your clients stay on published HelloBooks plans, and your firm gets 20% off each one. Founding firms go live first on a firm subdomain; your own domain and email from your domain follow at full launch.