Adding a Business Customer

Overview

Business customers are commercial entities - property management companies, retail stores, offices, restaurants, or any non-residential customer. BlueClerk now distinguishes between two types of commercial customers: Commercial businesses (general commercial work) and Builders (home construction companies). This helps you better organize your customer base and tailor your workflow.

NEW: Automatic Deduplication - When you add a business customer, BlueClerk automatically checks if a company with the same email or name already exists in your system. If found, it links to the existing company record instead of creating a duplicate - keeping your customer database clean and consolidated.

Understanding Customer Types

When adding a business customer, you'll choose between:

• Commercial: General commercial customers like property managers, retail stores, offices, or any business needing services
• Builder: Home building and construction companies that build new homes and manage subdivisions

Why Business Relationships Are Different

Commercial customers typically:

• Have multiple properties requiring service
• Need work tracked across locations
• May have different contacts for different properties
• Require detailed reporting and documentation
• Want invoices grouped by property or project

How Deduplication Works

Automatic Checks

When you create a business customer, BlueClerk:

1. Checks for existing companies with the same email address
2. If email not found, checks for companies with the same name
3. If a match is found, links to the existing company record instead of creating a duplicate
4. If no match found, creates a new company record

This ensures that when two contractors work with the same business (like "North Austin PT"), they both link to the same company record - no more duplicate entries.

Shared Data Model

When multiple contractors link to the same business:

• Company information (name, email, phone) is shared across all contractors
• Each contractor maintains their own relationship and invoice history
• Properties are deduplicated by address - if two contractors add the same property, they share one property record
• Work history stays consolidated at the property level

Step-by-Step Instructions

Adding a Business Customer

1. Go to Customers in the main navigation
2. Click "Add Customer" or the + button
3. Select "Business" as customer type
4. Choose business type: Commercial or Builder
5. Fill in business information:
   • Business Name: The company's legal or trade name (required)
   • Email: Primary contact email (BlueClerk checks for existing companies with this email)
   • Phone: Main business phone number
   • Address: Business office or primary location
   • City, State, ZIP: Complete mailing address
6. Add contact person (optional but recommended):
   • Name of your main contact at the business
   • Their direct phone and email
   • Job title or department
7. Click "Save" or "Add Customer"

If a Duplicate is Found

When BlueClerk finds an existing company with matching email or name:

• You'll see a confirmation showing the existing company details
• Review the match to ensure it's the same business
• Click "Link to Existing" to connect your contractor account to the existing company
• Or click "Create New Anyway" if it's actually a different business with a similar name

After Adding

Once the business is added (or linked):

• The business appears in your customer list
• You can create tickets, schedule jobs, and send invoices
• All work is tracked at the business level
• If linked to an existing company, you'll see properties and contacts already associated with that business

Managing Business Customers

Adding Properties

Most business customers have multiple service locations:

1. Open the business customer profile
2. Go to "Properties" tab
3. Click "Add Property"
4. Enter property address (BlueClerk automatically checks for duplicates)
5. Add property-specific details if needed
6. Save the property

If the property address already exists in BlueClerk (added by another contractor), you'll link to the existing property record instead of creating a duplicate.

Adding Contacts

Business customers often have multiple contacts:

1. Open the business customer profile
2. Go to "Contacts" tab
3. Click "Add Contact"
4. Enter contact information:
   • Name, phone, email
   • Role or department
   • Which properties they manage (if applicable)
5. Save the contact

Creating Invoices

When invoicing a business customer:

• Select the business as the customer
• Choose which property the work was performed at
• Add line items as normal
• Invoice goes to the business billing contact

Tips for Business Customers

• Use consistent naming - "ABC Property Management" not "ABC Prop Mgmt" to help deduplication work
• Add multiple contacts - Maintenance manager, billing contact, emergency contact
• Tag properties clearly - Use property names or numbers that match the business's system
• Track work by property - Always associate jobs and invoices with specific properties
• Set up recurring work - Many businesses need regular maintenance schedules

Questions

Q: What's the difference between Commercial and Builder customer types? A: Commercial is for general business customers (property managers, retail, offices). Builder is specifically for home construction companies that build new homes and manage subdivisions with unique workflows.

Q: Can I convert a business customer to a different type later? A: Yes, you can edit the customer type in their profile settings if you initially categorized them incorrectly.

Q: How do I handle a business with hundreds of properties? A: Add properties as you work on them rather than all at once. The search and filter tools help you find specific properties quickly.

Q: What happens if I try to add a business that already exists? A: BlueClerk automatically checks for existing companies by email and name. If found, you'll be prompted to link to the existing company instead of creating a duplicate. This ensures a shared data model where multiple contractors can work with the same business without creating duplicate records.

Q: Can I still create a new company if BlueClerk suggests a duplicate? A: Yes, if you're certain it's a different business (e.g., two companies with similar names), you can choose "Create New Anyway" during the duplicate check.

Q: What information is shared when I link to an existing company? A: Company details (name, email, phone, address) are shared. Each contractor maintains their own invoice history and relationship with the business. Properties are also deduplicated by address.