Customers FAQs

Modified on Thu, 9 Oct at 12:14 AM

Adding & Editing Customers

1. How do I add a new customer?
Go to Sales > Customers > New Customer, enter details like name, contact info, Residential/Commercial type, notification preferences, and addresses. You can also add extra contacts, properties, birthdays, groups, or notes. Click Save to create the profile.

2. How do I edit an existing customer profile?
Go to Sales > Customers.
Search and open the customer profile.
Update contact details, addresses, groups, or comments as needed.
Click Save to confirm changes.

Importing & Merging Customers

3. Can I import my existing customers into Markate?
Yes. You have two options:

Connect your QuickBooks Online account in Settings to import customers automatically.
Email a CSV or Excel file of your customers to migrate@markate.com, and the Markate team will import them within 1–3 business days.

4. How do I merge duplicate customers?
Go to Sales > Customers.
Open the profile of the customer you want as the Primary.
Click More > Merge Customers.
Search and select the duplicate customers you want to merge into the Primary.

Once merged, all information from the selected customers will be added to the Primary, and this action cannot be undone.

Managing Customer Details

5. Can I manage multiple properties for one customer?
Yes. While adding or editing a customer, you can enter multiple service addresses. They will be saved in a dropdown menu for easy selection later.

6. Can I add extra contacts for a customer?
Yes. You can add multiple contacts (e.g., family members, business partners) under a customer profile. This helps ensure the right person is notified.

7. Can I customize communication preferences for customers?
Yes. You can choose whether customers receive notifications via email, text, or both.

8. What other details can I save for a customer?
You can save:

Birthdays
Groups (customizable)
Internal comments (e.g., kids’ or pets’ names, preferences, relationship notes)

This helps build stronger customer relationships.

9. What details can I add to a customer profile?
You can add:

Contact details (phone, email)
Service addresses (primary and additional)
Customer source (where they heard of you)
Customer group (for categorization)
Notes (e.g., kids’ names, pets, service preferences)
Photos

Viewing Customer Information

10. Where can I see a customer’s history and related items?
All customer-related activities, including jobs, invoices, and notes, can be accessed from their profile page.

11. How do I view a customer profile?
Go to Sales > Customers > Manage > View. This will open the customer’s profile where you can view or edit their information.

12. Can I create new items from the customer profile?
Yes. From the profile screen, you can create new items directly. The More button provides additional options for creating items linked to that customer, for example: Invoice, Estimate, Event, Expense, Credit Note, and Lead Opportunity.

13. What customer details are displayed in the profile?
You can see all the information entered when creating the customer, including:

Contact details & preferences
Additional contacts
Service addresses
If "Virtual Number" is enabled, you can initiate a direct chat using the green Chat button.

14. What financial details are visible in the profile?
You can view:

Total invoiced amount
Pending payments
Paid amounts

15. What summaries and records are available?
Under Invoices Summary, you can view all items created for that customer. Options include:

View all invoices
Create new items directly from the screen

You can also view:

Work Orders
Schedule
Invoices
Estimates
Expenses linked to that customer
Credit Notes

16. Can I track promotional deals for a customer?
Yes. If you have created promotional deals in Marketing, they will appear under Deal Bookings in the customer profile.

17. How does the “Ask for Review” feature work?
If enabled, you can see the last time a review request was sent. You also have the option to send one manually from the profile.

18. Can I automatically request reviews from customers?
Yes. If the “Ask for Review” feature is enabled in your account, you can choose to automatically send review requests or disable them per customer.

19. How do I add an existing customer to the Pipeline?
On the customer’s profile, click More and select Add Lead Opportunity. This will add the customer to your Pipeline as a lead opportunity for tracking and follow-up.

20. How do I charge a customer’s credit card while on the phone?
If you are using the Square Processor, a Pay Now button will appear in the customer’s profile or invoice screen. You can click it to securely process the customer’s credit card payment while on the call.

Customer Portal

21. What is the Customer Portal in Markate?
The Customer Portal is a desktop-only add-on that gives your customers a branded app/portal to:

View and accept estimates
Check your availability and request services
Pay invoices
View their profile and history with your business

22. How do I enable the Customer Portal?
Go to More > Add-Ons.
Toggle Customer Portal to ON.
Click Manage to set up your portal.

23. Can I customize the Customer Portal?
Yes. You can:

Set a portal name (this will appear for customers)
Upload a company logo/app icon (minimum size: 512x512 pixels)
Add a welcome message that customers see on their dashboard

24. How do I invite individual customers to the portal?
Go to Sales > Customers.
Open the customer profile.
Click Portal at the top. Either:

Copy the customer’s unique URL and send it manually, OR
Click Send Invite to have the portal link emailed directly to them

25. How do I invite multiple customers at once?
Go to Marketing > Email Blast.
Compose your message.
Click Insert Placeholder > Customer Portal to add the customer’s unique portal link automatically.
Send the email blast to multiple customers.

26. Can I restrict certain customers from using the portal?
Yes. You can go to a customer’s profile and toggle Customer Portal access to OFF if you do not want them to have portal access.

27. What will my customers see when they log into the portal?
Customers will see:

Your branding (logo, name, and welcome message)
Their personalized profile
Estimates, schedules, service requests, and invoices

28. How do customers access the Customer Portal?
When a Pro sends an Email Invite, the customer receives an email with a link to access the portal or install the app.

29. What happens after clicking the invite link?
The link opens the Welcome Page, where the customer can:

Click Dashboard to go directly to the portal
Or click Install App for quick one-tap access in the future

30. How is the Customer Portal app installed?
Clicking Install opens a pop-up → click Install.
The app will install, and its icon will appear on the customer’s mobile device.
For iPhone users: After clicking Install, it navigates to Add to Home Screen. Tap Add to Home Screen to complete installation.

31. What can customers do inside the Customer Portal app?
Customers can:

View Appointments
View & Accept Estimates
View & Pay Invoices
Book Deals
Request Service
Access Files Vault
Call or Chat with the Pro
And more…

32. What does the customer see when accessing the Customer Portal?
Once the Customer Portal feature is turned on and set up:

You can send your customer a personalized URL (via link or email invite)
The email includes a green link which the customer clicks to access the portal

Customer Experience:

They can choose to view the Dashboard directly on their phone or install the app
After installation, your company’s icon with your name appears on their phone
Inside the portal, customers can:
- View upcoming appointments
- View & pay invoices
- Access estimates
- See active deals/promotions
- Access files (documents, photos, etc.)
- Request services
- Contact you via phone or chat (icons available at the bottom and top of the app)