Finding and Searching Customers

Why Customer Search Matters

Before creating a new customer, always search first. This prevents duplicates - situations where the same customer exists twice in your system with different spellings or details.

Duplicates cause problems:

• Can't see all their quotes and jobs in one place
• Confusing when searching
• Makes reports inaccurate
• Waste time managing two records

The search system helps you find existing customers even if you don't type the exact name.

How to Search

Where You'll Search

Customer search appears when:

• Creating a new quote
• Creating a new job
• Creating a standalone invoice
• Looking up a customer

You'll see a search field that says "Search by name, phone, email, or address"

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Customer search field in create quote modal]

What You Can Search By

The search is smart and finds matches across multiple fields. You can search by name (first name, last name, or business name like "John Smith" or just "Smith"), phone in any format (with or without spaces), email (full or partial), or address including street, suburb, or postcode.

Just start typing and matches appear as you type. The system doesn't care about exact formatting - "0412 345 678" and "0412345678" will both find the same customer.

Understanding Search Results

Exact Matches (Best Match)

Shows at the top when:

• Email matches exactly
• Phone number matches (system normalizes formats)

Example:
You type: "john@email.com"
Result shows: "John Smith" with "High confidence" badge

These are almost always the customer you want.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Search results showing high confidence match at top]

Fuzzy Matches (Similar Names)

Shows below exact matches when:

• Name is similar but not exact
• Close spelling or abbreviation
• Common name variations

Examples:
You type: "Jon Smith"
Might find: "John Smith", "Jonathan Smith"

You type: "J Smith"
Might find: "John Smith", "Jane Smith", "James Smith"

These need checking - might be the right customer, might not be.

Recent Customers

At the bottom you'll see:

• Customers you've worked with recently
• Sorted by last activity (quotes, jobs, invoices)

Even if they don't match your search, recent customers show up. Helpful when you forget exact spelling but remember you quoted them last week.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Search results showing recent activity timestamps]

Confidence Scores

Each search result shows how sure the system is it's a match:

High Confidence = Exact email or phone match
Medium Confidence = Name matches closely
Low Confidence = Partial match or old customer

Use these to decide:

• High = Probably the right customer
• Medium = Check the details (address, phone)
• Low = Might be different person with same name

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Three results showing different confidence badges]

Checking Before Selecting

What to Check

Before clicking a search result, look at:

Customer name - Right person/business?
Phone or email - Recognizes it?
Address - Right location?
Recent activity - When did you last work with them?

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Search result card with all details highlighted]

Recent Activity Summary

Each result shows:

• "Last quote 3 days ago"
• "Last job 2 weeks ago"
• Or "No recent activity"

This helps you:

• Confirm it's the right customer (recently worked with them)
• Spot old customers who haven't used you in years
• Decide if it's worth selecting vs creating new

When to Select Existing Customer

Select from search results when:

• Phone or email matches (high confidence)
• You recognize the name and address
• Recent activity makes sense (worked with them before)
• Same customer needing more work

Even if details are slightly off (old address, different phone), it's better to select and update their details than create a duplicate.

When to Create New Customer

Create new customer when:

• Search finds nothing
• Results don't match at all (different people)
• Low confidence and details don't match
• Brand new customer you've never worked with

How to create new:

1. Click "Create New Customer" button
2. Fill in their details
3. System saves them

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: "Create New Customer" button location]

Tip: If you're 90% sure they're new, they probably are. If you're 50/50, take 10 seconds to check the search results carefully.

Avoiding Duplicates

Best Practices

Always search first:

• Even if you "know" they're new
• Takes 5 seconds to check
• Saves hours of cleanup later

Search multiple ways:

• Try phone number if name doesn't work
• Try suburb if name is common
• Try business name vs personal name

Check recent customers:

• Scroll to bottom of results
• Might recognize them even if search didn't match

Use phone over name:

• Phone numbers are unique
• Names can be spelled different ways
• "John Smith" vs "Jon Smith" - same person, different spelling

If You Create a Duplicate by Mistake

Don't panic! You can merge them later:

1. Go to Customers page
2. Find one of the duplicates
3. Click Merge button
4. Select which one to keep
5. System combines all quotes, jobs, invoices into one record

See "Merging Duplicate Customers" for full instructions.

Search Tips

For Common Names

If searching "John Smith" returns 10 results:

Add more detail:

• "John Smith Bondi"
• "John Smith 0412"
• "John Smith Main St"

Or filter results:

• Look at addresses (which suburb?)
• Look at phone numbers (recognize it?)
• Look at recent activity (when did you last see them?)

For Businesses vs Individuals

Businesses might be listed under:

• Business name ("ABC Plumbing")
• Owner name ("John Smith")
• Trading name ("John's Plumbing Services")

Try all variations:

1. Search by business name first
2. If nothing, try owner name
3. Check phone number (most reliable)

For Repeat Customers

If you know you've worked with them before:

1. Search by phone (most accurate)
2. Check recent activity matches
3. Select that customer

If recent activity is old (6+ months ago), double-check address/phone before selecting - they might have moved or changed numbers.

Common Questions

Why does search show customers that don't match my search? Those are recent customers. The system shows them even if they don't match, in case you remember working with them recently but not their exact details.

Can I search by job number or quote number? No - this search is for customers only. To find jobs or quotes, use the Jobs or Quotes pages.

Search isn't finding a customer I know exists. Why? Try different search terms (phone, email, address), check spelling, or they might be archived. Contact support if you're sure they should be there.

What if I select the wrong customer by accident? If you're creating a quote, just click the customer name again and search for the right one. If the quote is already created, you'll need to delete it and start over.

Can I update customer details after creating them? Yes! Go to Customers page, find them, click to open, and edit any field. Updates apply to future quotes/jobs (doesn't change old quotes retroactively).

How does the system find similar names? Uses "fuzzy matching" - looks for names that sound alike or are spelled similarly. "John" finds "Jon", "Smith" finds "Smyth", etc.

What's Next?

• Creating Customers - How to add new customers with sites and contacts
• Customer Sites and Contacts - Managing addresses and contact details
• Merging Duplicate Customers - Fixing duplicates if they happen

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Need more help? Use the help cart (? icon in the header) or email support@cooledge.com.au