Adding associations to new contacts
The Associated tab is used to view and create relationships between clients, contacts or (AE) suppliers in your database. You can create a link from the selected client, contact or supplier to an existing contact or create a new contact as you define the relationship.
- Find and open the client, contact or (AE) supplier.
- Click the Associated tab.
- Click Add to add a link to a new contact. The Add Contact Relationship window opens.
- From the list of available relationships, select the one that applies to the association you want to add. The selected relationship is displayed in the Relationship field.
- Click Add New Contact. The Create Contact Wizard opens for you to enter the Contact Details.
- Select whether the new contact is a Person or an Organisation. The fields in the window update appropriately
- Enter the name details:
Title — Mr, Ms, Mrs, Miss, Dr, etc.
First, Middle and Last names — These fields are available only if the contact is a person. The Last Name field is mandatory for contacts who are people.
Pre Name and Main Name — These fields are displayed for organisations only. Use the Pre Name field if the organisation’s name starts with ‘A’ or ‘The’. Enter the main part of the name in the Main Name field. As searches are based on the main name, when results are displayed clients/contacts are listed in alphabetical order instead of them all listed under ‘T’. The Main Name field is mandatory for clients/contacts who are organisations.
Salutation — The name that the person or organisation is normally known by or prefers. For example, “Chris” or “Mrs Lee” (which will appear in mail as “Dear Chris” or “Dear Mrs Lee”).
Suffix — This field is displayed only for people. Suffixes such as orders and high academic qualifications (AO, PhD, etc.) can be entered here.
Mailing Name — The name used for mailing addresses, alternative to the full name or salutation. If you do not enter a mailing name, the contact’s full name is used.
Initials — This field is displayed only for people. Enter the contact’s initials, if required.
Addressee — Enter the name of the person to whom mail is usually addressed at this contact address (e.g., “Ms Christine Lee”)
- If the contact is a person, specify the Gender and enter the D.O.B. (date of birth). The Age is automatically calculated based on the date of birth.
- Select the practice Partner, Office, Company and Department who will serve the contact.
- Select a Family Group from the drop-down list, if required. Family groups are a convenient way of grouping together related clients or contacts for reporting purposes. Family groups may consist of individuals, companies, trusts or other organisations. They are defined using Maintenance > Client > Family Groups. See Family groups.
- Click Finish. The Create Contact Wizard closes and you are returned to the Add Contact Relationship window.
- Enter the Start Date of the association. Enter the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy or select if from the drop-down calendar.
- Enter the End Date of the association, if appropriate. Enter the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy or select if from the drop-down calendar.
- Click OK. The new association is listed in the Associated tab.
(AE) If you use the Add New Contact to create a new contact as an association, that contact will be added to the system. You can then click their name in the Associated tab or search for them and complete the details in their Contact page like any other contact. You can then convert the new contact into a client or supplier, if required.
