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: Google Places Address Verification - When you add or edit a business customer's address, BlueClerk automatically verifies it against Google Places data if you use the address autocomplete. The system stores the Place ID, latitude, and longitude for accurate location tracking. If you edit the address later using autocomplete, these verification fields update automatically with the new location data.

Recent improvements to address autocomplete and place selection:

• Google Places suggestions are now included when editing an existing business address (not only when creating).
• Autocomplete remains stable across form updates and when fields re-render, preventing suggestions from disappearing while you type.
• Named/establishment places (business names, shopping centers, etc.) are supported when adding job properties or business locations — select a named place and BlueClerk will preserve the place verification (Place ID + lat/lng).
• Address input is preserved while typing; you won't lose what you've entered when suggestions appear, and partially-typed addresses are retained if you move focus.
• Place selection inside modal dialogs (for example, customer or property dialogs) keeps the dialog open while you interact with Google Places suggestions so you can complete selection without the dialog closing unexpectedly.
• You may preview place suggestions before confirming selection in the address autocomplete — this helps verify the match before it becomes the property's primary address.

These fixes make address entry faster and more reliable, reduce duplicate addresses, and improve geolocation accuracy for business customers.

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.

NEW: Multiple Job Sites - Business customers can have multiple job sites or delivery addresses. When creating a business customer, you can add the primary business address, then add additional properties for different locations where you perform work. Each property can be selected when creating tickets, estimates, or invoices for that customer.

Understanding Customer Types

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

• Commercial — General commercial customers (stores, offices, property managers).
• Builder — Home building companies where you may track subdivisions, lots, and warranty work differently.

How to Add a Business Customer

1. Go to Customers in the main navigation.
2. Click "Add Customer" and select Business / Commercial (or Builder where appropriate).
3. Enter company name and contact details.
4. Use the address autocomplete field to search and select the business address. If the correct match is from Google Places, select it to save the Place ID and coordinates automatically.
5. Optionally add additional job sites (properties) for the company after creation.

Tips

• If you know the exact business name, type it first — named Google Places often provide better matches for multi-location businesses and property managers.
• If you prefer not to use Google verification, you can type and save an address manually; the system will still accept it but without a Place ID or lat/lng.
• When editing addresses, expect Google Places suggestions to appear consistent with creation flows — selecting a suggestion updates verification fields automatically.
• If you're working inside a dialog, selecting from the autocomplete won't close the dialog unexpectedly — complete your selection then save the dialog.

Questions

Q: Will selecting a Google Place overwrite my manually-entered address fields? A: Selecting a Google Place will populate and normalize address fields (street, city, state, zip) and store verification metadata (Place ID, lat/lng). If you prefer manual formatting, you can edit the fields after selection or skip using the autocomplete.

Q: What if Google returns a named place (like "ABC Corp — Warehouse") but I need a street-format address? A: Named places are supported and will store the Place ID and coordinates. The street-format fields are populated where available. You can edit the street address or add Address Line 2 for suite/lot data after selection.

Q: Can I add multiple addresses for the same business? A: Yes. After creating the company, add additional Properties (job sites) to represent other locations. Each property can be selected when creating tickets, estimates, or invoices.

Q: Why is Place ID useful? A: Place ID, latitude, and longitude ensure consistent geolocation for mapping, routing, duplicate detection, and future lookups. When a Place ID is present, BlueClerk can match and deduplicate locations reliably across your account.