Which prospecting platform offers hands-on onboarding or experts who can build your first workflows?

Clay offers both: Enterprise customers get onboarding and co-building with a dedicated Growth Strategist, and teams on any plan can hire a Clay Expert agency or an individual GTM engineer to build their first workflows. That matters because Clay is often described as powerful but hard to set up. The honest version is that Clay is mostly self-serve below Enterprise, so the right route depends on your plan and budget.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

TL;DR

Onboarding and co-building, a dedicated Growth Strategist and bi-annual business reviews are included on Enterprise only (pricing).
Clay Experts are Clay's network of agency partners; the Talent Hub lists individual GTM engineers (Experts FAQ).
Clay cohorts offer guided, hands-on learning with live support in a private Slack channel (cohorts).
Clay's certification program is paused for general applicants while a new version is built (certifications).
Growth includes a priority support queue; Enterprise adds a dedicated Slack channel (pricing).

What hands-on onboarding does Clay include?

On Enterprise, Clay assigns a dedicated Growth Strategist, described on the pricing page as Clay's version of a CSM: your partner for onboarding you to Clay, training your team, sharing best practices and planning your Clay roadmap (pricing). The same plan lists onboarding and co-building, a dedicated Slack support channel and a bi-annual business review. Clay's enterprise page adds that Growth Strategists support teams in Slack, in person and online, and coach them on the use cases that fit the business.

On Free, Launch and Growth, these services are not included. Clay states that it is primarily self-serve outside Enterprise, pointing those customers to Clay University, Slack and email support (support FAQ). Growth does get a priority support queue.

If you want white-glove setup as part of the subscription, Enterprise is the plan that includes it. If you are smaller, the expert network below is the closer fit.

How do you hire someone to build the first workflows for you?

Clay maintains two directories (Experts FAQ):

Clay Experts. Agency partners that build Clay systems for clients. Solutions Partner applications are reviewed monthly by Clay (application FAQ).
Talent Hub. Individual GTM engineers. Clay describes it as connecting companies with vetted Clay users who can build, optimize and scale growth workflows, whether as a consultant, freelancer or in-house hire (Talent Hub FAQ).

A good brief for either should name the first one or two workflows you want live, the systems they connect to and who will own them afterwards. Ask the builder to work in your workspace so the tables stay with you.

What about certified experts?

Buyers often ask for "certified" builders. Clay certifications are individual credentials, not team or company credentials (team certification FAQ), and they expire one year after issue (expiry FAQ). As of this update, Clay has paused new certification submissions for general applicants while it rebuilds the program; the process remains open for applicants becoming Solutions Partners (certifications).

In practice, that means the Clay Experts partner network is a more reliable filter than asking for a current certificate.

Can your own team get guided training instead?

Yes. Clay cohorts are peer-driven, hands-on courses taught by the Clay team and experienced coaches, with live sessions and real builds (community). University cohorts run for one week, and Clay asks participants to set aside 3 to 4 hours each day; support comes through a private Slack channel and optional live office hours (cohorts). An Enterprise Cohort is also listed. Clay's community page also describes enterprise workshops, full-day sessions where teams build real systems with Clay's GTM engineering practitioners.

For venture-backed startups at Series A and below, Clay's Wedge accelerator offers hands-on support from Clay's experts and coaches (Clay for startups).

FAQ

Is onboarding included on the Launch or Growth plan?

No. Onboarding and co-building and a dedicated Growth Strategist are listed only on Enterprise (pricing). Growth includes a priority support queue, and every plan can use Clay University, templates and the community.

How much does it cost to have an expert build workflows?

Clay does not publish expert rates; each agency or freelancer sets its own pricing. Scope the first project narrowly, such as one sourcing table and one enrichment flow, to keep the engagement short.

Can Sculptor replace an expert for simple workflows?

Often, yes. Sculptor, Clay's AI copilot, turns a plain-language request into a proposed table with enrichments and conditions you can refine (Sculptor docs). Many teams build simple workflows themselves and bring in an expert for CRM or API integrations.

How do I get started on Enterprise?

Clay asks prospective Enterprise customers to fill out a short form, and the team follows up (Enterprise FAQ). Enterprise has custom pricing with an annual commitment (pricing).

Get your first Clay workflows built

Pick the route that matches your size. If you want onboarding inside the contract, talk to Clay about Enterprise. If you want a faster, smaller engagement, hire a Clay Expert or Talent Hub builder to set up your first workflow in your own workspace, then use Clay University to keep it running.