Add a client

Goal

Create a client record that you can attach to enquiries and bookings, with the billing choices that invoicing will use.

Prerequisites

• Your role can create clients (Owner, Admin, Manager or Ops Manager by default).
• You have the client's name and a valid email address. The email must not belong to another active client in your company.
• For a business client, have the legal name and VAT number to hand. They are optional but needed to invoice a company.

Steps

1. Open Clients and select Add client. The Add new client window opens.
2. Enter Name and Email. Both are required. Add Phone (optional) if you have it.
3. Choose how to classify the client. Turn on Business contact for a company contact, or leave Business/private classification on Auto to let 4fleet decide, or set it to Business or Private.
4. Open Account type and choose Retail or Wholesale.
5. Open Billing type and choose Immediate, Weekly or Monthly. Weekly and monthly account billing needs a plan that includes consolidated invoicing (Operations and Scale).
6. Open Payment terms and choose Company default, Due on receipt, Net 7, Net 14 or Net 30. Add Billing email (optional) if invoices go to a different address.
7. For a company, fill in Legal name (optional), VAT number (optional) and the billing address fields.
8. Select Add client. A Client created successfully message confirms the save.

Expected result

The client appears in the Clients list and can be picked on new enquiries and bookings. Negotiated discounts and per-client terms are set afterwards on the client's Commercial terms tab.

Troubleshooting

• If a message says a client with this email already exists, open that client instead. An archived client with the same email is restored with your new details rather than duplicated.
• If you see "Valid email is required", correct the Email field.
• If Weekly or Monthly is refused as not included in your plan, choose Immediate or change plan.
• If a client shows a Needs classification badge, edit the client and set Business/private classification to Business or Private yourself.
• If the Add client button is missing, your role cannot create clients. Dispatchers can view clients but not add them.