Join the LadVen OS testing programRequest a demo
Skip to main content

Clients, companies, and contacts

The client base is the foundation of CRM. When records are kept carefully, all the other work (opportunities, tasks, documents, correspondence) gathers around the right client, and the manager sees a complete picture. When the base is full of duplicates and unverified data, the history scatters across different cards, and decisions are made blind.

This page explains how to create and maintain clients, companies, and contacts so that the base stays manageable.

Where to Find It​

CRM stores the participants of a relationship across several linked areas:

  • Clients (/clients) - a single entry point to client records and their workspaces. This is a convenient place to start: find a client and open their workspace.
  • Companies (/crm/accounts) - counterparty organizations: the company card, legal and registration details, related contacts, and opportunities.
  • Contacts (/crm/contacts) - specific people: full name, role, contact methods, and the company they belong to.
  • Legal entities (/crm/legal-entities) - legal entities with the details used for documents and settlements.

The set of available areas and actions depends on your permissions. If a CRM item is not visible in the navigation, your role has no access to the module - this is not an error, it is an access setting.

A Client Record Answers Simple Questions​

A good client record gives the answer without anyone having to ask:

  • who the client is: an individual or a company;
  • who the contact person is and how to reach them;
  • which company and legal entity are involved in the relationship;
  • who on the team owns the client;
  • what access restrictions apply to the data.

Do not turn the card into a dumping ground for notes. Keep everything that relates to specific work in an opportunity, a task, or a comment, and keep stable facts about the client in the client record.

How to Create a Client Without Duplicates​

A duplicate client is one of the most expensive mistakes in CRM: correspondence, documents, opportunities, and tasks split across different cards, and neither the manager nor the leadership sees the full history.

LadVen OS does not automatically block duplicates at creation time, so checking is a working practice, not a button:

  1. Before creating a new record, use search.
  2. Check the client by several attributes: name or full name, phone, email, related company.
  3. If a similar record already exists, work in it instead of creating a second one.
  4. If the client's data has changed, update the existing card rather than creating a new one.
  5. If a duplicate does appear, merge the work into a single record as early as possible and agree as a team on which card is the primary one.

Enter contact data only after verification. If information is not confirmed, note that in a comment or next step instead of turning an assumption into a fact in the client card.

Keep the roles of records distinct:

  • A company describes the organization as a whole: who we work with, what contacts and opportunities it has.
  • A contact describes a person: who exactly we talk to and what role they play in making decisions.
  • A legal entity is needed for documents and settlements: the details that contracts, invoices, and acts are issued against.

One company can have several contacts and be linked to a legal entity. Before sending a client a document, check that the correct legal entity is selected and that the details belong to that specific company.

You can export the contact list to Excel when you need a slice for a report or a mailing. Before exporting, make sure it does not include data that must not be shared externally.

The Client Workspace​

The client record opens a workspace - a single place that gathers the opportunities, tasks, files, documents, and external access for that client. This lets you run and control all the work for the client without assembling it manually from different modules.

Use the workspace as the assembly point: create a task or opportunity directly from the client context so the link is preserved automatically rather than reconstructed later from memory.

Access and Personal Data​

CRM stores sensitive data, so access to it is governed by permissions, and not everything is visible to everyone.

  • Module visibility. If a role has no CRM permissions, the area is hidden from the navigation entirely.
  • Restricted access. Some users see only certain pipelines, clients, or fields. When access is restricted, some actions become available only after a specific object is selected.
  • Hidden fields. Individual fields, especially personal data and legal-entity details (tax IDs and registration numbers), may be shown as "Hidden by access policy." This means you can see the record, but you have no access to that data.
  • Work group membership. Sometimes a record is visible but the action is unavailable because you are not a member of the related work group. In that case, ask the owner to add you as a participant instead of working around the restriction.
  • External participants. A client can be connected to external access (a client portal) through a separate invitation mechanism. This is a managed scenario, not the ordinary granting of permissions to an employee.

Do not try to bypass an access restriction by forwarding data outside CRM. If access is genuinely needed, an administrator or the space owner should configure it.

Cleaning Up Duplicates​

If duplicates have already appeared, separate them as early as possible - the longer work runs across two cards, the harder it becomes to reassemble the history later.

The order for cleaning up:

  1. Find all records for the same client by searching on name, phone, email, and related company.
  2. Choose the primary record - usually the one with more history and more up-to-date data.
  3. Move the work onto the primary record: link opportunities, tasks, and documents to it, and transfer the contacts and current details.
  4. Agree as a team on which record is the primary one, so that new opportunities and correspondence go into it.
  5. Close the extra record or mark it as no longer current, so that no one starts working in it again.

It is better not to let duplicates happen at all: the discipline of searching before creating is cheaper than untangling a diverging history. If duplicates appear regularly, that is a signal to fix the client-intake process rather than to fight the consequences by hand every time.

States You May See​

  • a record is loading or a list is refreshing after a search;
  • nothing was found for the query - check the wording and filter before creating a new record;
  • a field is shown as "Hidden by access policy" - you have no access to that data;
  • an action is unavailable: no permissions, no object selected under restricted access, or you are not a member of the work group;
  • the data was changed by another user - refresh the card before retrying the action.

Good Practices​

  • Always search for an existing record before creating a client.
  • Enter only verified contact data; keep assumptions in a comment or next step.
  • Keep one client in one record, and keep the work for that client in their workspace.
  • Before sending a document, check the company, legal entity, and details.
  • Do not export contacts with data that must not be shared externally.
  • If a field is hidden by access policy, request access instead of looking for workarounds.

Common Mistakes​

Creating a second client instead of searching for the first. The work history splits, and no one sees the full picture.

Recording unverified data as fact. The team starts acting on a wrong phone number, email, or set of details.

Keeping client decisions in private chats. A new participant cannot see the context, and the manager cannot verify the agreements.

Ignoring a permissions warning. Bypassing a restriction by forwarding data creates a leak risk and makes control impossible.

Sending a document with the wrong details. A mixed-up legal entity leads to legal and settlement errors.

How to Verify the Result​

  • the client is found by search and is not duplicated;
  • it is clear who the contact is, which company and legal entity are linked, and who owns the client;
  • the record opens a workspace with the related opportunities, tasks, and documents;
  • fields hidden by access policy read as an access restriction, not as empty data;
  • sensitive data does not end up in exports or shared externally without need.