Organize third parties into categories

Not everyone you collect insurance from is a contractor. A school has vendors and the clubs that rent its gym; a property manager has vendors and tenants; a franchisor has suppliers and franchisees. Categories let you keep them all in one roster, each with a list of its own, without creating anyone twice.

1. 1

   Add a category

   Go to Settings → Appearance. Under Categories, click a preset (+ Tenants, + Renters, + Franchisees…) or type your own word and click Add.

   Your existing contractors are the default category. It's named by the label at the top of the same tab, and it can't be removed.

2. 2

   Name the group

   Once a second category exists, the sidebar shows a group, Third parties by default, with a list for each category beneath it. Choose what the group is called under What you call everyone, across categories on the same tab: Third parties, Partners, Contacts or your own word.

3. 3

   File people under it

   Open a category's list and click Add Renter (or whichever category it is). The form arrives with that category ticked.

   To file someone already on your roster, open their page, click Edit Details and tick their categories.

One entity, several categories

A caterer that supplies your lunches and rents your hall on weekends is one record with both Vendor and Renter ticked. It appears on both lists, keeps one upload link and one set of documents, and is never asked for the same certificate twice. With nothing ticked, an entity goes in the default category, so nobody can drop off every list.

What changes across the app

• Screens about everyone (the dashboard, the Action Queue, your team's emails) use the group name: "Email 7 third parties".
• A category's list uses its own name: its title, counts, search and Add button.
• The Action Queue has a category filter beside search, and each row shows its categories.
• Your team's emails name the category beside the name, like "Bright Kids Club (Renter)". Emails to the third party themselves never mention a category.
• Exports add a Category column.

Removing a category

Click Remove next to it. Anyone who was only in that category goes back to the default category; anyone also in another category simply leaves this one. Nobody and nothing is deleted.