Adding a Client

In this article:

• Create a client manually
• Understanding Active and Inactive contacts
• Adding a spouse, dependent and other important contacts to a client’s record 

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Add Client

A Client is an individual or business you are providing a service for. 

Add a client by:

1. Click on the Global + Button.
2. Select Add Client. 

You can do this action anytime and on any page within Canopy!

You’ll see the Add Client window next and this is where you’ll customize the information for your client: 

• First off, you can create a client based on if you are working with an Individual or a Business. You are required to fill in:
  • For individuals, a First and Last Name. 
  • For Businesses, a Company Name.
    
    
• You can also designate a Display Name, which is useful if you want to differentiate the names of individuals or companies in your client list.
  
  
• You can also decide if the client is someone you are currently working with, a prospect, or something else. 
  
  
• You can also indicate a Client Since date - it defaults to the date you are creating this client record, but you can edit it if you want a more accurate date.

Understanding Active vs Inactive Clients

By default, the client record you are creating is Active - a client you are currently working with and you can send requests via the Client Portal. 

If you turn this off, the client is Inactive which means they will not have any active Client Portals until they are activated again. But don’t worry, you can still access their records in the Client List.

Inputting Emails, Addresses, and Tax Information

Further down, you’ll find more options to fill out - such as email and physical address. Make sure to get that email address accurately as this is a crucial piece of communicating. There are also spots for information fields that may be relevant to your use case - such as SSN/ITIN numbers (for individuals) or EINs (or businesses) securely stored in Canopy. 

You can also add your Custom Fields or objects. This could be for routing or accounting numbers. We’ll show you how to do that in later training.

Using Additional Information

The last option is the Additional Information box. You can add anything here that may help you remember who this client is, maybe a description. However, we recommend not putting confidential information here.

Once you are satisfied with all the information:

• Click Create and Manage to view your newly created contact record. 
• Or click Create and Close which creates the record and allows you to move on to your next task.

Add a Spouse, Dependent or Important Contact 

Adding additional people to the account is a helpful way to keep all your information in one place. 

For client individuals, you can add spouses, dependents and important contacts. 

To add a spouse:

• Click the + button next to  Spouse
• Enter a Name
  • If the spouse has not already been created as a client in Canopy, click Create New Contact  after inputting their name and hit create 
• Then click Save.

To add a dependent:

• Click the + button
• Enter a Name
  • If the spouse has not already been created as a client in Canopy, click Create New client after inputting their name.
• Enter a relationship
• Then click Save

In addition to spouses and dependents, you can add additional important contacts under a client. This is typically done when handling business accounts. As a heads-up, if you are in a record page for a business client, you won’t see the spouse or dependents option - just important contacts.