Scenario: Centre uses WP Engine and their WAF blocks SAM's outbound CloudFront IPs.
Result: We organise the IP allowlist with WP Engine support during install. Centre staff never have to file a support ticket about it.
Service
Skip the setup — we install it for you.
Most centres don't have a developer in-house, and onboarding a new system usually lands on whoever's busiest. Defyn's guided onboarding takes that off your plate: we install the plugin, connect it to your SAM tenant, map your categories, set up GST handling, run a test sync against real SAM data, train your team on the dashboard, and stay on call for the first month. You stay on art-centre work; we handle the technical handover.
The pain
Why DIY onboarding tends to stall.
- First-install friction: SAM API credentials, license keys, OAuth handshakes, WP Engine WAF allowlists, Shopify App Store install flows — six places things can go wrong before the first sync runs.
- Category mapping decisions are easy to put off ("we'll get to it later") and the catalogue ends up published as Uncategorised on day one. Reversing that retroactively is annoying.
- Test cycles eat days: "is GST being calculated correctly?", "is freight reconciling?", "why is one product still missing?" — questions easy to answer when you've done it a hundred times, hard when it's your first.
What it does
Three days end-to-end, structured around your timezone.
- Day 1: kick-off call (60 min), credentials handover, plugin install + registration, first connection test against your SAM tenant. You stay on art-centre work; we drive the configuration screens.
- Day 2: category mapping workshop with your team (45-60 min). We co-design the display buckets, drag SAM categories together, sync a small subset and review the results on a staging URL.
- Day 3: full production sync + sign-off. Image storage, GST, freight, order push-back all configured. Test order placed end-to-end. Team walkthrough recorded for future reference.
How it works
What you get, week by week.
- 01
Kick-off
60-min video call to scope: SAM tenant details, current website state, what's in scope vs. out, who at the centre will own day-to-day sync admin going forward.
- 02
Install + connect
We install Defyn SAM on your WP or Shopify (you grant temporary admin access via standard invite — no shared passwords). License key applied. SAM credentials configured. First connection test passes.
- 03
Category mapping workshop
Live screenshare with your team. We pull up the mapping board with your actual SAM categories. Co-design display buckets. Catch the edge cases ("Other", "Internal") before they reach shoppers.
- 04
Test sync + GST verification
Sync a single category to a staging URL. Verify product display, images, pricing. Place a test order to confirm GST + freight split is correct end-to-end before sending real customer traffic.
- 05
Production sync + sign-off
Full Sync All runs against production. Team walkthrough of the Sync Dashboard, Maintenance tools, and Settings. We record the session for future reference.
- 06
30 days of priority support
Email + phone access for the first 30 days post-launch. Anything that breaks, anything that doesn't sync, anything you're unsure of — we're on it. After 30 days, the standard support relationship continues.
Where it kicks in
What gets handled during onboarding.
Scenario: SAM tenant has 38 categories and the centre wants 6 display buckets. They're not sure how to split them.
Result: 30-minute mapping workshop with a Defyn engineer. We bring the experience of having done this with seven other centres; recommendations are concrete, not abstract.
Scenario: Centre has an existing WooCommerce shop with 200 manually-created products they want to keep.
Result: Defyn SAM only touches products with sam_id meta — manual products are safe. We verify this explicitly during the test sync and document the boundary for the team.
Questions
Frequently asked.
How long does onboarding take?
Three days of focused work end-to-end, spread over one to two weeks at your pace. Most centres are live within ten business days of the kick-off call.
Do you need our SAM password?
We use the SAM API username + token your tenant admin provides. We never ask for SAM portal passwords. The token is encrypted at rest in your WordPress / Shopify install — we don't store it on our side.
What if we need ongoing support after the 30 days?
Yes — ongoing support is included with the subscription. The 30-day priority window is a higher-touch level (faster response, scheduled check-ins) on top of the standard support. We're a phone call away after that.
Can we do migration from another sync solution at the same time?
Yes — we offer combined onboarding + migration packages. See our migration service page for details on data preservation, parallel-run periods, and cutover timing.
What does it cost?
Pricing is tailored per centre — catalogue size, complexity, migration needs all factor in. Contact us for a quote.
Keep exploring
Related features.
See it in your tenant.
Want a 15-minute screenshare against your actual SAM data? Send us a quick note or call — we’ll line up a walkthrough at a time that suits.