Contacts Overview

Contacts

The Contact record is the centre of the customer relationship in Standout. It should answer: Who is this person, what are they trying to do, what have we agreed with them, and what is the next action?

A contact can have more than one role. For example, the same person may be an applicant looking to buy, a vendor selling their current home and a landlord of another property. Do not create separate records for each role.

Common contact workflows

• Registering a New Applicant
• Managing Applicant Requirements and Matching
• Booking and Managing Viewings
• Sales Valuation to Instruction
• Landmark Anti Money Laundering Checking
• Using the Customer Portal
• Communications Centre

Before creating a contact

Search first. Use name, mobile/telephone, email or postcode. Duplicate contacts fragment notes, requirements, AML and transaction history.

Adding a new contact

1. Choose the appropriate contact type or types.
2. Enter the customer's name and at least one reliable contact method.
3. Add the address where relevant.
4. Save/Create the contact.
5. Continue with the workflow that caused the contact to be created, for example requirements, valuation, viewing or landlord instruction.

Create the contact with the information you know, then continue the relevant workflow.

Contact types

A contact must have at least one role. Typical roles include:

• Applicant / Tenant - looking to buy or rent.
• Purchaser - buying a property.
• Vendor - selling a property.
• Landlord - letting a property.
• Solicitor - acting for a party in a transaction.
• Contractor - carrying out maintenance/repair work.
• Rental guarantor - supporting a tenancy.

Selecting a role may reveal additional tabs or fields relevant to that relationship.

Keep communication details current

Telephone numbers and email addresses are used throughout Standout for appointments, letters, Customer Portal access and notifications.

Email addresses should be kept unique to the appropriate contact record. Where several email addresses are supported in a field, separate them as required by your agency's data-entry policy.

Record useful notes, not transcripts

A good CRM note records the outcome of the conversation and what happens next. For example:

Spoke to Mr Smith. Still looking up to £325,000, needs three bedrooms and now has own property SSTC. Wants to view 14 High Street Saturday afternoon. Viewing booked for 14:30.

That is more useful than a note saying only Called customer.

Applicants and purchasers

For somebody looking for property, the contact record is only half complete until their requirements are recorded.

Use Managing Applicant Requirements and Matching to capture budget, bedrooms, location, property type and other criteria. If they have a property to sell, record that position because it affects qualification and can create an Opportunity Finder opportunity.

The Heat Rating can be used to indicate priority where your agency uses it.

AML and identity

Where AML is required, complete the customer's identity information accurately and use the Landmark AML workflow.

Customers using Customer Portal can provide onboarding information and supporting documents, but staff remain responsible for reviewing the information and compliance result.

Requirements and live matches

The Requirements area describes what the applicant wants. Live matches show properties currently matching those requirements.

Do not weaken requirements simply to produce more matches without discussing it with the customer. The record should reflect the customer's real search.

Files and documents

Store documents against the appropriate contact/property record so they can be found by other staff. Sensitive customer uploads from Customer Portal are kept private and are reviewed from More actions → Customer Portal submissions.

Customer Portal and Communications Centre

Where the contact has an email address, use Send Customer Portal link to invite them to the customer portal. See Using the Customer Portal.

Customer messages sent through Customer Portal appear in Communications Centre alongside portal and website enquiries. Reply from Standout so the answer is saved in the same portal conversation and the customer is notified.

Use Contact → More actions → Customer Portal submissions for onboarding, buyer-ready information, secure uploads, AML history and portal appointment requests. The submissions page also shows the conversation and has Open in Communications Centre.

Things to check before leaving a contact

• Is the email/mobile correct?
• Is the role/contact type accurate?
• If they are looking, are their requirements current?
• If they have a property to sell, is that recorded?
• Is the latest meaningful conversation noted?
• Is there a task or appointment for anything promised later?

Related guides

• Registering a New Applicant
• Managing Applicant Requirements and Matching
• Landmark Anti Money Laundering Checking
• Customer Portal
• Opportunity Finder