Creating Customers

When to Create a Customer

You'll create a new customer when:

• First-time customer requests work
• New lead from the marketplace
• Referral or phone inquiry
• Walk-in customer at your office/shop

Always search first! Before creating, search to make sure the customer doesn't already exist. See Finding and Searching Customers to avoid duplicates.

Where to Create Customers

There are several places you can create customers:

From Customer Page (Main Method)

1. Go to Customers page in portal
2. Click "Create Customer" button (top right)
3. Fill in the customer form
4. Save

This gives you the full form with all options.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Customers page with Create Customer button highlighted]

During Quote/Job Creation

When creating a quote or job:

1. Start typing customer name in the search field
2. If not found, click "Create New Customer" link
3. Quick form appears
4. Fill in essential details
5. Save
6. Continue with quote/job creation

This is faster but only captures basic info.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Customer search with Create New Customer link shown]

From Mobile App

In the Cooledge mobile app (when creating quotes):

1. Tap customer field
2. Search for customer
3. If not found, tap "Add New Customer"
4. Fill in details on phone
5. Customer created and attached to quote

Mobile form is simplified for field use.

Customer Information Explained

Display Name (Required)

This is what you'll see everywhere in Cooledge - on the calendar, in job lists, and on invoices. You can format it however works for you: "John Smith", "Smith, John", "ABC Plumbing Services", or even "John at 45 George St".

Just be consistent with your approach. For individuals, "First Last" format works well. For businesses, use the business name. The key is making it recognizable at a glance so you know exactly who you're looking at.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Create customer form with Display Name field highlighted]

Legal Name (Optional)

The customer's official registered business name or full legal name. Use this when:

• Customer is a business (legal business name)
• Invoicing requires formal name
• Contracts need legal name

Examples:

• Display Name: "Joe's Cafe"
• Legal Name: "Joseph Smith PTY LTD"

Most individual customers don't need this filled in.

Contact Details

Default Email

• Primary email for invoices and quotes
• Where they'll receive all communications
• Validate it's correct - typos here cause delivery failures

Default Phone

• Primary contact number
• Mobile preferred (for SMS if enabled)
• Format: Include area code (e.g., 0412 345 678)

These are called "default" because customers can have multiple emails/phones via contacts, but these are the primary ones.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Contact details section with email and phone fields]

Notes (Optional)

Internal notes only you and your team see. Useful for:

• "Difficult access - narrow driveway"
• "Prefers email communication"
• "Previous customer from 2019 - good experience"
• "Referred by ABC Company"

Don't put sensitive info here. Keep it professional.

Adding a Site Address

Sites are the physical locations where work happens. Most customers have one site (their home/business), but some have multiple.

During Customer Creation

When creating a customer, you can add their first site immediately:

1. In the customer form, find "Add Site Address" section
2. Fill in:
   • Street Address (Line 1) - Required
   • Apartment/Unit (Line 2) - Optional
   • Suburb - Required
   • State - Required (dropdown: NSW, VIC, QLD, etc.)
   • Postcode - Required
   • Country - Usually "Australia" (default)
3. Save customer

The site is created automatically with the customer.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Add site address section in create customer form]

Skip Site for Now

If you don't have the address yet:

• Leave site fields blank
• Create customer anyway
• Add site later from customer detail page

You can add multiple sites after customer creation.

Customer Sites Explained

Why separate sites?

• Commercial customers have multiple locations
• Customers own multiple properties
• Rental properties (landlord customers)
• Franchises with multiple branches

Each site has:

• Full address
• Optional label (e.g., "Main Office", "Warehouse", "Home")
• Geocoded location (for maps and routing)

When creating jobs, you select which site the work is for.

See Managing Customer Sites and Contacts for adding more sites later.

After Creating a Customer

Once saved, the customer:

• Appears in customer list and search
• Gets a unique customer ID
• Can be selected for quotes, jobs, and invoices
• Has a detail page showing all their history

Next steps:

• Create a quote or job for them
• Add additional sites if needed
• Add contact people if needed

Creating Customers from Leads

When a lead comes in from the Leads Marketplace:

1. Go to Leads page
2. Find the lead you want to convert
3. Click "Create Quote" or "Create Job"
4. System prompts to create customer
5. Lead details (name, email, phone, address) pre-fill automatically
6. Verify details are correct
7. Save

The lead info becomes the customer record, saving you retyping.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Lead being converted to customer with pre-filled form]

Duplicate Prevention

Before clicking "Create Customer", the system may show:

• Similar customers found
• Matches by name, phone, or email
• Warning: "This customer may already exist"

What to do:

1. Look at the similar customers list
2. If it's the same person → Select them instead of creating new
3. If it's actually different → Click "Create Anyway"

This prevents accidental duplicates.

See Finding and Searching Customers for more on search.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Duplicate warning modal showing similar customers]

Quick vs Full Customer Forms

Quick Form (During Quote/Job Creation)

Fields shown:

• Display Name
• Email
• Phone
• Address (basic)

Use when:

• Creating quote/job quickly
• Have minimal info
• In the field on mobile
• Time-sensitive

You can edit and add more details later.

Full Form (Customer Page)

Additional fields:

• Legal Name
• Notes
• Custom fields (if configured)
• Multiple sites
• Multiple contacts

Use when:

• Onboarding new customer properly
• Have complete information
• Office/admin work
• Setting up commercial accounts

Multiple Sites for One Customer

Some customers need multiple site addresses:

Examples:

• Landlord with 5 rental properties
• Business with head office + 3 branches
• Developer managing multiple construction sites

How it works:

1. Create customer once
2. Add first site during creation
3. Go to customer detail page
4. Click "Add Site" to add more
5. Label each site: "Head Office", "Warehouse", "Site 3", etc.

When creating jobs, you select which site the work is for.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Customer detail showing multiple sites listed]

Best Practices

Search before creating Always search by phone, email, or name before creating. Duplicates cause confusion and data fragmentation.

Use full names "John" isn't enough. Use "John Smith" or "John - 45 George St" to avoid confusion with other Johns.

Verify contact details Double-check email addresses especially. One typo means they won't get invoices or quotes.

Add addresses carefully Wrong addresses delay work. Verify suburb and postcode match. Geocoding won't work if address is incorrect.

Use consistent formatting Pick a name format (First Last vs Last, First) and stick with it. Consistency makes searching easier.

Add notes for special cases If customer has specific needs, access issues, or preferences, note them immediately. Future-you will thank present-you.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Homeowner Customer

Info you have:

• Name: Sarah Johnson
• Phone: 0412 345 678
• Email: sarah.j@email.com
• Address: 123 Main St, Suburb, NSW 2000

Create:

• Display Name: Sarah Johnson
• Default Phone: 0412 345 678
• Default Email: sarah.j@email.com
• Add site: 123 Main St...

Simple, one site, one contact person.

Scenario 2: Business Customer

Info you have:

• Business: ABC Manufacturing
• Legal Name: ABC Manufacturing PTY LTD
• Contact: Mike Brown (Manager)
• Phone: (02) 9876 5432
• Email: mike@abcmfg.com.au
• Address: Unit 5, 789 Industrial Ave...

Create:

• Display Name: ABC Manufacturing
• Legal Name: ABC Manufacturing PTY LTD
• Default Phone: (02) 9876 5432
• Default Email: mike@abcmfg.com.au
• Add site: Unit 5, 789 Industrial Ave...
• After creation: Add Mike as a contact person

Scenario 3: Property Manager/Landlord

Info you have:

• Name: Property Management Co
• They manage 20+ properties
• Each property is a different job site

Create:

• Display Name: Property Management Co
• Default contact: office@propmgmt.com.au
• Add one site initially (head office or first property)
• Add more sites as you win jobs at different properties
• Each job selects the specific site address

Common Questions

What if I don't have their email? Leave it blank. Email is optional. You can add it later when you get it.

Can I change customer details after creating? Yes. Go to customer detail page and click "Edit". You can update anything except the customer ID.

What if they move? Don't edit the existing site address (historical jobs need it). Add a new site with the new address. Mark old site as inactive if you want.

Do I need legal name for individual customers? No. Legal name is mainly for businesses. Individuals can leave it blank.

How do I delete a customer? You usually can't delete customers (they're linked to jobs/invoices). You can archive them instead to hide them from search.

What Happens When You Edit Customer Details

When you update a customer's name, address, or contact details, it's important to understand what changes and what doesn't.

Editing from Customer Details Page

If you edit a customer from the main Customers page:

• ✅ Customer record updates
• ✅ Future quotes, jobs, and invoices use the new details
• ❌ Past invoices and quotes stay as they were

Why? Historical records need to match what was actually sent to the customer at that time. If you sent an invoice to "123 Main St" last year, and they've since moved to "456 Oak Ave", that old invoice should still show the old address for accuracy.

Editing from a Job

If you edit a customer while viewing a job:

• ✅ Customer record updates
• ✅ The job's customer details update
• ✅ Any unsent invoices for that job update
• ❌ Already-sent invoices stay as they were

Use this when: The customer's details changed and the job is still active. For example, they moved during the project, or you had the wrong phone number.

Editing from an Invoice or Quote

For standalone invoices (not linked to a job):

• If you edit the customer while creating the invoice, it updates the customer record
• When you send the invoice, it uses the latest customer details
• You're in control of what information gets sent

For job invoices:

• Job invoices always use the customer details from the job (not the customer record)
• If you see a warning about customer details changing, you need to edit the customer from the job page instead
• This keeps all invoices for that job consistent with the job's customer details

Use this when: You need to correct wrong information on a specific standalone invoice or ensure a job's customer details are accurate.

What's Preserved

These are "locked in" and won't change even if you update the customer:

• Sent invoices (customer name, address on invoice stays the same)
• Accepted/Paid quotes (what was quoted stays intact)
• Completed jobs (historical record preserved)

These DO update when you edit:

• Draft/unsent invoices and quotes
• Active jobs and their unsent invoices
• New records created in the future

In simple terms: Once money changes hands or documents are sent, customer details are frozen for that record. This protects historical accuracy.

Related Articles

• Finding and Searching Customers - Avoid duplicates, search effectively
• Managing Customer Sites and Contacts - Add more sites and contact people
• Merging Duplicate Customers - Fix accidental duplicates
• Creating and Managing Jobs - Set up work for customers