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.

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

Step-by-Step Instructions

Adding a Business Customer

1. Go to Customers in the main navigation
2. Click "Add Customer"
3. Select "Business" as the customer type
4. Choose business type: Commercial or Builder
5. Fill in company details:
   • Business name: Company name (required)
   • Contact name: Primary contact person
   • Contact email: Primary email for communications
   • Contact phone: Primary phone number
6. Enter primary business address:
   • Use Google Places autocomplete for automatic verification
   • Street address, city, state, zip code
   • Place ID, lat/lng are stored automatically if you use autocomplete
7. Click "Add Customer"

Adding Job Sites to Business Customers

After creating a business customer, you can add multiple job sites:

1. Open the business customer detail page
2. Go to the "Properties" tab
3. Click "Add Property"
4. Enter job site details:
   • Address: Use Google Places autocomplete for verification
   • Property name: Optional label (e.g., "North Austin Location")
   • Notes: Any special access or delivery instructions
5. Click "Save"

The property appears in the customer's properties list and can be selected when creating tickets, estimates, or invoices for this customer.

Using Business Job Sites

In Ticket Creation

When creating a ticket for a business customer:

1. Select the business customer from the customer picker
2. See the job site selector appear automatically
3. Choose which property the work is for
4. The property address appears on the ticket

In Estimate and Invoice Creation

When creating estimates or invoices:

1. Select the business customer first
2. The property selector appears with all job sites for that customer
3. Select the job site where work was performed or materials will be delivered
4. The property address prints on the PDF

If you don't select a property, the estimate or invoice uses the primary business address by default.

Address Verification

How It Works

When you use Google Places autocomplete:

1. Type the address in the street address field
2. Select from autocomplete suggestions powered by Google Places
3. BlueClerk automatically captures:
   • Place ID (Google's unique identifier for this location)
   • Latitude and longitude (for mapping and routing)
   • Verified address components (street, city, state, zip)
4. These fields update automatically if you edit the address later using autocomplete

Why Verification Matters

• Accurate routing: Lat/lng ensures maps and directions work correctly
• Duplicate detection: Place ID helps prevent duplicate locations
• Address validation: Google Places ensures addresses are real and deliverable

Deduplication

How It Works

When you add a business customer, BlueClerk checks:

1. Email match: Does a company with this email already exist?
2. Name match: Does a company with this exact name already exist?

If either matches:

• Existing company is linked to the customer record
• No duplicate company created
• You see the existing company info on the customer detail page

Manual Override

If deduplication incorrectly links the wrong company:

1. Contact support or use the admin panel
2. Unlink the company from the customer record
3. Create a new company or link to the correct existing company

Tips

• Use autocomplete for accuracy - Always use Google Places autocomplete when entering addresses to ensure proper verification and deduplication
• Add all job sites upfront - Add all known job sites when setting up a new business customer so they're available for ticket and invoice creation immediately
• Label properties clearly - Use descriptive property names like "Downtown Office" or "Warehouse #3" to make selection easier
• Primary address matters - The primary business address on the company record is used as the default when no property is selected

Questions

Q: What's the difference between Commercial and Builder customers? A: Commercial customers are general businesses needing services (property managers, retail stores, offices). Builders are home construction companies that build new homes and manage subdivisions. Builders get additional features like subdivision management and construction phase tracking.

Q: Can I change a business customer type after creation? A: Yes, you can edit the customer and change between Commercial and Builder types. However, if you change from Builder to Commercial, any subdivision-specific data will be hidden (not deleted).

Q: What happens if I don't use Google Places autocomplete? A: You can manually type addresses, but you'll miss automatic verification and deduplication features. Manually entered addresses won't have Place ID or lat/lng data, which may affect mapping accuracy.

Q: How many job sites can a business customer have? A: Unlimited. Add as many properties as needed for different work locations.

Q: Do job sites have their own work history? A: Yes. Each property maintains its own work history, equipment records, and floor plans just like homeowner properties.

Q: Can I create a ticket without selecting a job site? A: Yes. If you don't select a property, the ticket will use the primary business address from the company record. However, selecting a specific property helps maintain accurate work history per location.