#Add a Customer

Customers are the foundation of your quoting workflow in Threadline. This guide covers how to add new customers, manage their information, and keep your customer database organized.

#Quick Answer

Question: How do I add a new customer in Threadline?

Answer: Go to Customers in the sidebar, click Add Customer, fill in the company name, contact name, and email, then the customer saves automatically as you type.

Required Fields:

• Company Name
• Contact Name
• Email Address

Time Required: 1-2 minutes

#Contents

• When to Use This
• Adding a New Customer
• Customer Information Fields
• Autosave Feature
• Editing a Customer
• Searching for Customers
• Deleting a Customer
• Troubleshooting
• Frequently Asked Questions

#When to Use This

Add a customer when:

• You have a new client to create quotes for
• You're onboarding a business relationship
• You need to store contact and billing information for future orders

Tip: You can also create customers directly from the quote builder if you don't have them in your system yet.

#Adding a New Customer

#Step 1: Navigate to Customers

Click Customers in the left sidebar under the Manage section.

Result: The customers list displays all your existing customers with search and sorting options.

#Step 2: Click Add Customer

Click the Add Customer button in the top-right corner of the page.

Result: The customer form opens with empty fields ready for input.

#Step 3: Enter Company Information

Fill in the required company details:

• Company Name: The business or organization name
• Contact Name: The primary person you communicate with
• Email: Their email address for quotes and communications
• Phone: Optional but recommended for follow-ups

Result: As you fill in fields and move to the next one, your changes save automatically.

#Step 4: Add Addresses (Optional)

Expand the address sections to add:

• Billing Address: Where invoices are sent
• Shipping Address: Where orders are delivered

If the shipping address is the same as billing, check the "Same as billing address" option to copy the information automatically.

#Step 5: Add Notes (Optional)

Use the Notes field to store any additional information about the customer:

• Special pricing agreements
• Preferred communication methods
• Key contacts or decision makers
• Order history notes

Result: Your customer is saved and ready to use in quotes.

#Customer Information Fields

#Required Fields

#Optional Fields

#Autosave Feature

Threadline automatically saves your changes as you work—no save button needed.

#How It Works

1. Enter information in any field
2. Click or tab to another field (blur the current field)
3. Your changes save automatically in the background
4. A status indicator shows "Saving..." then "Saved"

#Save Status Indicators

• Saving... — Your changes are being saved
• Saved — All changes have been saved successfully
• Error — Something went wrong (check your connection)

#Benefits

• Never lose work if you navigate away
• No need to remember to click Save
• Changes sync across devices immediately
• Safe to close the browser after seeing "Saved"

#Editing a Customer

#From the Customers List

1. Go to Customers in the sidebar
2. Find the customer using search or scrolling
3. Click anywhere on the customer row
4. Make your changes in the form
5. Changes save automatically as you edit

#From a Quote

1. Open any quote with the customer attached
2. Click the customer name in the quote header
3. Edit their information
4. Return to your quote

#Searching for Customers

The customers list includes a search bar that searches across:

• Company name
• Contact name
• Email address

#Search Tips

• Search is case-insensitive ("acme" finds "Acme Corp")
• Partial matches work ("spr" finds "Springfield Printing")
• Results update as you type with a brief delay

#Sorting

Click any column header to sort by that field:

• Company — Alphabetical by company name
• Contact — Alphabetical by contact name
• Email — Alphabetical by email
• Added — By creation date (newest or oldest first)

#Deleting a Customer

#Steps to Delete

1. Open the customer you want to delete
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon)
3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog
4. The customer is permanently removed

#Before You Delete

Consider these implications:

• Quotes: Existing quotes linked to this customer remain but show the customer as deleted
• Jobs: Completed jobs retain the customer information for records
• Permanent: Deletion cannot be undone

Tip: If you're unsure, add a note like "Inactive" instead of deleting.

#Troubleshooting

#Customer won't save

Cause: Required fields are missing or invalid.

Fix: Ensure you have filled in:

• Company Name (cannot be empty)
• Contact Name (cannot be empty)
• Email (must be a valid email format)

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#Can't find a customer in search

Cause: Search term doesn't match any field.

Fix: Try searching by:

• Part of the company name
• Contact's first or last name
• Email address or domain

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#Duplicate customer created

Cause: Customer was added twice, possibly from different places.

Fix:

1. Search for the duplicate entries
2. Decide which record to keep (the one with more complete information)
3. Update any quotes to use the correct customer
4. Delete the duplicate

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#Changes not saving

Cause: Network connection issue or session timeout.

Fix:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Refresh the page
3. If prompted, sign in again
4. Re-enter your changes

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Can I import customers from a spreadsheet?

Not currently through the UI. Contact support if you have a large customer list to import—we can help with bulk imports.

#Can I merge duplicate customers?

There's no automatic merge feature. To consolidate duplicates, update your quotes to reference the correct customer, then delete the duplicate record.

#Do customers sync across my team?

Yes, customers are shared across your entire organization. Any team member can view, edit, or use customers in quotes.

#Can I add multiple contacts for one company?

Currently, each customer record has one primary contact. For companies with multiple contacts, you can:

• Create separate customer records for each contact
• Use the Notes field to list additional contacts
• Include contact details in the company name (e.g., "Acme Corp - Marketing Dept")

#Is customer data backed up?

Yes, all customer data is automatically backed up. If you accidentally delete a customer, contact support within 30 days and we may be able to recover it.

#Can customers log in to see their quotes?

Customers don't have login accounts. Instead, they receive secure links to view and approve quotes. See Send a Quote for details.

#Related

• Create a Quote — Use your customers in quotes
• Send a Quote — Share quotes with customers

#Next Steps

Now that you've added customers:

1. Create your first quote for a customer
2. Learn about quote statuses to track customer responses
3. Set up email templates for customer communications