A seller flow that had to fit a live marketplace
The brief came from a Pretoria East marketplace operation handling seller onboarding and payout-linked steps for a mixed merchant base. Some sellers worked from home, some from small stock rooms and some only logged in after hours, so the process had to work without a branch visit or a printed form chase.
The main need was a controlled seller identity session before payout-related actions, with a clear record of the check and enough structure for the internal team to audit what happened. The client also wanted the journey to stay practical for sellers in Pretoria East and for support teams based elsewhere in South Africa.
- Seller identity sessions before payout-related actions
- Face and document comparison during a guided video call
- Consent capture and record keeping for internal control
- Workflow notes that fit marketplace operations
The parts that could not be loose or vague
The marketplace already had a live onboarding rhythm, so we could not send sellers into a vague video process and hope the team would fill the gaps later. The workflow had to cover document capture, a live face check, liveness checks where needed, escalation steps for poor image quality and a sensible handoff when something did not match.
We also kept the language plain for the staff who would explain the process to sellers. That meant short script lines, direct prompts, and a clean distinction between a successful verification, a failed session and a case that needed manual review.
- POPIA-aware consent wording and record handling
- FICA-style customer due diligence principles in general terms
- Escalation design for unclear images or mismatched details
- Operational reporting for internal monitoring
What we mapped before the first seller session
We started with workflow mapping and integration planning. The marketplace needed to know where the video session sat in the wider seller journey, which team touched each status change and how the process linked to payout-related actions without creating confusion for the finance side.
From there we shaped the agent script design, the verification sequence and the quality monitoring points. Jared handled integration planning, while Anele and Sibusiso worked on training and quality controls so the client’s own team could support sellers without making the process feel stiff.
- Workflow mapping from sign-up to payout gating
- API coordination for status updates
- Agent script design for guided verification steps
- Quality monitoring rules for sample reviews
The rollout ran in short stages over several weeks
The project moved in stages over about six weeks. The first stretch was process mapping and integration planning, followed by script sign-off and a limited pilot launch support phase with a small seller group. After that we moved into refinements, staff training and go-live stabilising so the marketplace team could use the process without repeated rework.
Because the operation already had active sellers, we kept the changes measured rather than dramatic. That let the client test real sessions, review how sellers handled the video flow and adjust the escalation notes before opening the process wider.
- Weeks 1 to 2: workflow and integration planning
- Weeks 3 to 4: pilot launch support and script tuning
- Weeks 5 to 6: training, quality checks and stabilising
Training that made the handover usable on busy days
The support work was not only technical. Anele led staff training for the people who would guide sellers through the process, and Megan supported client success handover so the marketplace team had a clear operating pattern. The training covered how to request the right document, how to keep the session calm and how to escalate a mismatch without turning the call into an argument.
We also built refresh training notes for later use, because marketplace teams change and scripts drift if nobody resets the standard. The client wanted the process to stay consistent, not just work once during launch.
- Staff training for support and operations teams
- Refresh training notes for future use
- Escalation design for risky or incomplete sessions
- Change request support when the workflow needed adjustment
What settled after the first live period
After the first live period, the marketplace had a clearer control point before payout-related actions. The team could see which sessions were complete, which needed follow-up and which had to be held for review. That gave the operation a cleaner internal trail and reduced the amount of guessing around seller identity checks.
The client also got a neater support structure for sellers across Pretoria East and for internal teams working from other cities. Integration notes, quality checks and reporting all sat together, so the process did not depend on one person remembering every step. It made the verification flow easier to run when volumes moved around during the week.
- Clearer status tracking before payout-related actions
- Cleaner internal records for completed sessions
- Less manual guessing around identity checks
- Operational reporting that supported review and follow-up
What we would carry into a similar marketplace setup
If we were mapping a similar marketplace in another South African city, we would keep the same order: map the seller journey first, define the check points, then train the team before opening the process widely. That sequence helped here because it kept the verification flow close to the business need, not sitting apart as an extra admin layer.
We would also keep the scripts short and the escalation rules visible. In a marketplace setting, sellers want straight instructions and operations teams need a process they can repeat without reading a long manual every time.
- Start with workflow mapping before technical work
- Keep the seller script short and direct
- Build escalation steps into the live process
- Pair rollout with training and quality checks
Key facts
| Project | Pretoria East Sellers |
|---|---|
| Client type | Marketplace operation |
| Service area | Pretoria East, with support for national teams |
| Core use case | Seller identity sessions before payout-related actions |
| Lead contact | Thabo Mokoka, Managing Director |
| Base | Rosebank, Johannesburg |
