Essential Guide to Contacts in ConstructionOnline™

Learn more about the different types of Contacts available in ConstructionOnline™ and understand how to best manage construction employees, subcontractors, clients, vendors, and more.

ConstructionOnline's award-winning construction CRM software is designed to help successful construction companies organize contacts of all types to streamline project management and open channels of communication. With the ability to set permissions, log calls, track correspondence, and more, construction companies can conveniently centralize CRM activities and project management in a single software solution - complete with advanced filtering options, chronological timeline views, and collaborative company records that make sure everyone has access to the right information at the right time.

ConstructionOnline's Company Contacts List ("All Contacts") consolidates all Contact Entries within the Company Account, including

Company Contacts
ClientLink Contacts
TeamLink Contacts
Leads
Inactive Contacts

There are 2 types of Company Contacts in ConstructionOnline -

Company Admin Users, who are responsible for the setup and management of many key elements of the ConstructionOnline Company Account. All Company Accounts must have at least one Company Admin User, and most Company Accounts will have multiple Admin Users.
1. The initial, default Company Admin User for any ConstructionOnline Account is generally the named Account Owner. In most instances, the Account Owner is the primary Billing Contact listed when any subscription to ConstructionOnline is first created. This user serves as a Super Admin of sorts and cannot be managed or deleted by any other Company Admin Users.
Company Employees, who may also be known as Company Users, are able to create, share, and manage content within the Company Account. All current ConstructionOnline subscriptions allow for an unlimited number of Company Employees.

When considering which employees should be Company Admin Users, consider which users should be responsible for -

Other users who will need access to create, manage, and share content within ConstructionOnline but will not be responsible for the account administration functions named above should be added as Company Employees.

When a new Company Employee is added to the ConstructionOnline Company Account, their Permissions, Notifications, and Password initially configured. Employee Permissions determine the degree of access a Company Employee has to the many features & functions available within the Company Account. Permissions can be modified by Company Admin Users at any time to better fit the Company Employee's needs.

While Employee Permissions are designed to be applied consistently across the individual user's profile, Company Admin Users do have the ability to set project-specific permissions for Company Employees as well - creating a project management experience that's even more customized to the unique needs of any construction company.

ClientLink™ Contacts are generally construction clients, developers, investors, or any other third party contacts who have been involved in contracting the construction work for completion. Being designated as ClientLink™ Contacts grants them access to individual project(s) via ConstructionOnline's Company Portal (also known as the Company Public Profile).

ClientLink™ Contacts are created by Company Employees and added on a per project basis to the Project Team. ClientLink™ Contacts can be included as part of the Project Team for one or more projects at a time, however a ClientLink™ Contact never has access to ConstructionOnline Project Details until they have been invited to a project.

ClientLink™ Settings determine the degree of access a ClientLink™ Contact has to Project Details through the online Company Portal. ClientLink™ Settings are controlled by ConstructionOnline Company Admin Users and apply globally to all ClientLink™ Contacts across all Company Projects.

TeamLink™ Contacts are generally subcontractors, vendors, suppliers, or other contacts who have a responsibility or relationship to one or more of the company's projects. Being designated as TeamLink™ Contacts grants the contacts access to individual project(s) via ConstructionOnline's Company Portal.

TeamLink™ Contacts are created by Company Employees and added on a per project basis to the Project Team. TeamLink™ Contacts can be included as part of the Project Team for one or more projects at a time, however a TeamLink™ Contact never has access to ConstructionOnline Project Details until they have been invited to a project.

TeamLink™ Settings determine the degree of access a TeamLink™ Contact has to Project Details through the Company Portal. TeamLink™ Settings are controlled by ConstructionOnline Company Admin Users and apply globally to all TeamLink™ Contacts across all Company Projects.

A lead is an incoming initial contact - generally a potential client - who has demonstrated some interest in a company's service/product, such as submitting an information request online, calling to inquire about an getting estimate, or connecting with a company at a trade show event. Leads may be automatically populated to the Company Account through the company's custom, online Lead Capture Form - courtesy of ConstructionOnline - or conversely, Leads may be created by a Company Employee via Excel import or manual entry.

Leads do populate to the Company's All Contacts List, although Company Employees will find an option within the All Contacts List to "Show/Hide Leads." Leads are best managed through ConstructionOnline's Sales Management module, where intuitive Lead Tracking Tools empower construction teams to nurture each contact through a customizable sales journey with purpose-built features like the Lead Pipeline, Lead Calendar, Lead Call Log, and Sales Management Reports.

Access to Lead Tracking is exclusively available for ConstructionOnline Company Employees with assigned Lead Tracking permissions.

Inactive Contacts include Contacts that are not Company Contacts, ClientLink™ Contacts, or TeamLink™ Contacts, meaning that they have not been associated to any Project in the ConstructionOnline Company Account in any such a manner. Once a Contact has been invited to join a ConstructionOnline Company or Project, they no longer qualify as an Inactive Contact.

Inactive Contacts may include Leads, however when viewing the Inactive Contacts group within the Company's All Contacts List, Company Employees can select the option to "Show/Hide Leads" to update viewing preferences.

Every Contact in ConstructionOnline has a unique Contact Timeline™ view - a comprehensive, centralized CRM interface designed to streamline the storage and management of all Contact Details, communication, documentation, and activity.

Easily accessible from any Contact Record in the Company's All Contacts List or the Lead Pipeline, the Contact Timeline™ displays the Contact's General Info, Contact Details, and Related Projects, alongside detailed, historical info in chronological order regarding Contact Activity and related Events, Messages, Financials, Communication, Project Tracking, and Attachments.

Offering Company Users this convenient, resource-centric view from which they can access, update, and manage details, logs, and all other specific information for any individual Contact helps to ensure that every company's people, projects, and priorities remain organized and on-track.

To learn more about Contact Management in ConstructionOnline's award-winning construction CRM solution, check out additional available resources:

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding Contacts can be found in the FAQ: Contacts article.
If you need additional assistance, chat with a Specialist by clicking the orange Chat icon located in the bottom left corner or visit the UDA support page for additional options.