The Clients solution is your customer database: once someone moves from potential customer to paying customer, they become a client. It is where you manage everyone you’re actively working with, track their projects and invoices, and keep your complete relationship history in one place.
In this guide you’ll learn how to:
- Tell what belongs in Clients and what belongs in CRM
- Choose between an Individual and a Company client
- See how clients connect with other OneSuite solutions
- Keep your client records clean with a few best practices
What goes in the Clients solution?
Clients are the people and companies you do business with. Your CRM tracks potential sales, while Clients tracks actual customers.
Every client record stores:
- Contact information
- Communication history
- Connections to their projects, invoices and documents
When you need to see everything about a customer relationship, you look at their client record.
Key difference from CRM: CRM is for opportunities you’re pursuing. Clients is for customers you’ve won.
Should I use an Individual or a Company client?
Use Individual for one person who handles everything, and Company when you work with several people at the same organization.
| Client type | Use it for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Solo professionals, freelancers or personal customers | One person, one record. |
| Company | Businesses and organizations | Track the company plus multiple people who work there. Designate one person as Point of Contact for primary communication. |
When to use each:
- Individual: you’re working with one person who handles everything.
- Company: you have multiple contacts at the same organization, such as a project manager, a billing contact and a decision maker.
You can change the client type later if your relationship evolves.
How do clients connect with other solutions?
A client record links to your work across OneSuite.
| Solution | How it connects to clients |
|---|---|
| CRM | Convert opportunities to clients automatically. Contact info and history transfer over. |
| Projects | Link every project to a client, so you see all work for a specific customer in one place. |
| Invoices | Track billing history, outstanding balances and payment status per client. |
| Contracts | Connect proposals, contracts and agreements to client records. |
| Client Portal | Give clients login access to view their projects, invoices and documents. |
Best practices for managing clients
- Choose the right type from the start. Use Individual for solo contacts and Company for organizations with multiple people. It saves time later.
- Keep the Point of Contact current. For Company clients, this person is your primary communication channel, so make sure it’s accurate.
- Use consistent data entry. Set standards for your team, such as company name formatting, required fields and source tracking.
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FAQs
What is the difference between CRM and Clients in OneSuite?
CRM is for opportunities you’re pursuing, and Clients is for customers you’ve won. Once someone moves from potential customer to paying customer, they become a client.
When should I create a Company client instead of an Individual client?
Create a Company client when you work with multiple contacts at the same organization, such as a project manager, a billing contact and a decision maker. Use Individual when one person handles everything.
Can I change a client from Individual to Company later?
Yes, you can change the client type later if your relationship evolves. Choosing the right type from the start still saves time.
What is a Point of Contact?
It is the person at a Company client you designate for primary communication. Keep it current so you always reach the right person.
What information does a client record hold?
A client record stores contact information, communication history, and connections to the client’s projects, invoices and documents.
Can I just keep my clients in a spreadsheet instead?
You can, but a spreadsheet won’t link each client to their projects, invoices and contracts, or give them portal access. A client record in OneSuite keeps the whole relationship in one place.
What to do next
Add your clients: Create Individual and Company records with Adding Clients.
Explore a client record: See every tab on a client’s profile with Client Profiles.
Invite clients to the portal: Give clients their own login with The OneSuite Client Portal.