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Managing customers

Your customer database is the starting point for every job, invoice, and service record in FSM Navigator. This guide walks you through adding new customers, keeping their information up to date, and finding them quickly when you need to.

Add a new customer

  1. Open the Customers page from the sidebar menu.
  2. Click Create Customer.
  3. Fill in the customer details using the table below as a reference.
  4. Enter the first service location address — it is geocoded automatically for map display and routing.
  5. Click Save.
  1. Tap the Menu icon, then tap Customers.
  2. Tap the + button in the top-right corner.
  3. Fill in the customer name, contact details, and the first location address.
  4. Tap Save.

Customer fields

Field Required Description
Customer Name Yes Company or individual name — e.g., Acme HVAC or Jane Smith
Contact Email No Primary email used for invoices and notifications
Contact Phone No Primary phone number — e.g., (555) 123-4567
Location Name Yes A label for the first service address — e.g., Main Office
Street Address Yes Street, city, state, and ZIP code

At least one contact method recommended

While email and phone are technically optional, providing at least one contact method ensures you can reach the customer for scheduling, follow-ups, and invoice delivery.

Email validation

The customer's primary email — when you provide one — is validated for two things:

  • It must not be a disposable or temporary email domain (throwaway-address services are rejected).
  • The domain must have working mail records (MX or A/AAAA records) so email can actually reach it.

If validation fails, the customer is not saved and you'll see a specific error. Either correct the address or leave the field blank if you don't have a permanent email on file yet.

Edit customer details

  1. Open the Customers page.
  2. Click the customer name to open their detail page.
  3. Click Edit next to the contact information section.
  4. Update the fields you need to change.
  5. Click Save.

Changes take effect immediately and are reflected everywhere the customer appears — including open jobs and pending invoices.

Search and filter customers

Finding the right customer is fast, even with hundreds of records.

  • Global search — Use the search bar at the top of the Customers page. It searches across customer names, email addresses, and phone numbers simultaneously.
  • Alphabetical sorting — Click the column headers to sort the customer list by name, date added, or other fields.
  • Scroll or paginate — Large customer lists are paginated automatically so the page stays responsive.

Avoid duplicates

Before adding a new customer, search for their name or email first. Duplicate records lead to split job histories and confusing invoices.

Delete or deactivate a customer

Customers can be deleted by users with the Owner or Dispatcher role. Deleting a customer hides them from your customer lists. Past jobs and invoices stay in your records and reports for accounting and history — those don't disappear.

If you don't want to delete the customer outright, you can deactivate them instead:

  1. Open the customer detail page.
  2. Mark the customer as Inactive.
  3. Inactive customers are hidden from default lists but remain accessible through search and filters.

To reactivate a customer later, open their detail page and switch them back to Active. All of their job and invoice history is preserved either way.

Past jobs and invoices stay linked

Whether you delete or deactivate a customer, their completed jobs, invoices, and audit records remain available for reporting. Deletion hides the customer record from your lists; the historic transactions stay in place for accounting.

Customer detail page

When you open a customer, the detail page gives you a complete picture at a glance:

  • Contact information — Name, email, phone number
  • Locations — All service addresses on file
  • Service history — Every job linked to this customer, sorted by date
  • Invoice history — All invoices generated for this customer
  • Notes — Internal notes visible only to your team

From the detail page you can also:

  • Create a job directly for this customer using the quick-action button
  • Add new locations without leaving the page
  • Generate an invoice from any completed job in the history list

Best practices for a clean customer database

Consistency is key

A well-maintained customer database saves time every day — when creating jobs, sending invoices, and pulling reports.

  • Keep names consistent — Decide on a format (e.g., Acme HVAC vs. ACME HVAC Inc.) and stick with it across your team.
  • Add all contact methods — Entering both email and phone gives you more ways to reach the customer and improves notification delivery.
  • Use the search before creating — A quick search prevents duplicates that are tedious to clean up later.
  • Review inactive customers periodically — Reactivate customers who return, or leave them inactive for a clean active list.
  • Fill in location details — Every customer should have at least one location with a complete address. See Customer Locations for guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I merge duplicate customers?

FSM Navigator does not currently offer an automatic merge feature. If you find duplicates, update all jobs and invoices to point to the correct customer record, then deactivate the duplicate. The Bulk Import tool includes duplicate detection to help prevent this going forward.

What happens when I delete a customer?

Owners and Dispatchers can delete a customer at any time. Deleting hides the customer from your lists. Their past jobs and invoices stay in your records and reports — accounting and history are preserved. If you'd rather keep the customer visible but skip them in default views, mark them Inactive instead.

Can customers see their own data?

Yes — on the Pro plan and above, you can enable the Customer Portal, which gives customers self-service access to view their jobs, invoices, and service history.

How do I import many customers at once?

Use the Bulk Import feature to upload a CSV file with your customer records. FSM Navigator validates the data, checks for duplicates, and creates all customers and locations in one batch.

Who can manage customers?

Owners and Dispatchers can create, edit, and deactivate customers. Technicians can view customer details for their assigned jobs but cannot modify customer records.

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