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How to create a Contact Video:

Create a New Contact

To create a new contact select the contact icon (teal ID card) from the top menu bar.

Open

From the contact page, select the 'New Contact' button.

Open

The quickest and easiest way to create a contact is to tab through the text fields, entering all the available information.  

Not only does the contacts section of the module serve as a complete contacts and client database, but it can also be used for the firm’s marketing purposes.  

Name

Once in the create contact screen, fill in the details as appropriate.

Fields with an * are required for a contact to be successfully created.

Once the legal entity type drop down box is selected, additional fields will appear.

The Accounting System Name is the name that will appear in the Customer Name field in your external accounting software. For individuals it is recommended that the accounting system name be formatted last name, first name. 

Note: If you try to change this name after the contact has been posted to the External Accounting System, you will get a warning message to remind you to change the name in the External System as well. By accepting this message, you agree that you have updated the contact in the External System and understand that your name will be recorded against this change.

For more on this, please go to the page at Accounting System Name and External Integration

Changes to this name that aren’t replicated in the External Accounting System will cause errors when syncing the two systems.

The 'Known As' field is useful for individuals or companies who may wish to be addressed under a different name.

The Billing Name is the name that appears on first line of an invoice. This is especially useful for invoices that are addressed to multiple people. For example Mr G Smith, Mr S Cobbs & Mrs J Jackson. 

Contact Types

Client: Any company or individual who employs the services of the business.

               The basic cycle involving clients is as follows:

Other Law Firm: Any law firm separate from the organisation.

Other Party: Any other contact type, including employees and the Australian Taxation Office.

Supplier: Any company or individual who supplies the business with goods or services.

This field can be selected by pressing the space bar, and tabbing through the remaining options until you reach the contact details section. 

Contact Details  

Contacts may have multiple addresses, including Postal, Billing, Business and Home Address.

For additional addresses select the 'New Address' button. Alternately clicking on the Postal heading will create a drop down menu with a list of alternative address options. 

When creating a 'New Address' : Select 'New Address' as shown above. 

Click and a drop down menu will appear. Select the appropriate address type.

From dates are particularly useful for conveyancing matters, as it allows the client to have an address for their current address (up until settlement date), and their new address. This means that legal staff do not physically have to go into the client data and update once the matter is finished / once the settlement is complete. 

If from dates are not applicable, leave these fields blank.

Similarly, additional phone numbers and email addresses may be added depending on the contacts' requirements. This is done in the same way as adding an address. 

To delete any unnecessary fields such as an address, phone number or email address select the red cross next to the field.

Field positions can also be customised to suit individual contacts. To move a field upwards or downwards select the blue arrows to the right of the field. This customisation is useful for indicating the primary, secondary and so forth methods of communication with a contact. 

Additional Details  

Similar to the name section, the field in additional details will vary depending in the contact is an individual or a company. 

For an individual the additional details section has the following fields:

For a company the additional details section has the following fields:

Custom Fields

Custom Fields are fields that can be used to record additional information about a contact.

To edit these custom fields go to Settings -> Appliance Settings -> Contacts Tab -> Custom Fields. 

By changing the labels in this section, the new contacts page will default to showing these customised fields under the 'Additional Details' tab. The key should be the same as the label without spaces, this is an internal field name that is used to create document templates.

The custom fields can be useful for recording information which may be useful to your specific firm, or for specific matters.  

NOTE: For quick data entry, open the 'Additional Details' fields tab by tabbing to the title and pressing enter, continue to tab through the fields as before. 

For a company the 'Key Contact' can be selected from an already existing contact or can be created at this time by clicking on the blue plus arrow beside this field. The 'New Contact' page will appear as a new browser tab. 

Under settings > appliance settings, firms are able to add customised fields into the additional details tab for contacts.  

Abbreviations

POA - Power of Attorney

ABN - Australian Business Number

TFN - Tax File Number

ACN - Australian Company Number 

Safe Custody

Please read more about Safe Custody at Safe Custody