Process Step Details - Creating and Updating Clients

This article gives details and examples of the functions that are available in the Create Client and Update Client steps.

The Create Client step is currently available to practices on the FYI Elite plan that have signed up for the CSV Export Beta only. The Update Client step is available to all practices on the Elite and Pro plans.

Create Client (Beta)

This Create Client step is used in combination with the CSV Import Automation Filter to import a client list into FYI and create clients where they have not yet been added to FYI.

This step is only available where:

• Practices are on the FYI Elite plan and have selected FYI as the Practice Management source.
• The CSV Import Filter Beta has been enabled. Refer to Importing and Updating Data using the Automation Process CSV Import Filter (Beta).
• The Automation Process Filter is set to CSV Data Import. The Create Client step is not available for any other filters.

The Create Client step can be modified to insert data from the imported CSV file, or manually updated. Any value manually entered will be applied to all new clients created by the step.

If the Automation Process filter is set to CSV Import, and the option Match Clients During Validation is not ticked, the first step of the Automation Process must be the Create Client step.

The following is an example of the Create Client step.

If data is directly entered into a field, it will be applied to all clients created by the automation process. In the example above, if 10 clients were created by the automation process, all 10 clients would have "Anna Jordan" selected as the Manager, "Liz Hurst" as the Partner, and the Custom Field "Subscribe to Newsletter" would be ticked.

Data from an imported CSV file can be inserted Merge Fields by clicking the Merge Field icon.

In the Create Client step, select or enter the details for the client.

Group - The Client Group the clients will be added to. If the Client Group doesn't exist, it will be created when the client is created.

Structure - The applicable structure for the client. If a structure is not selected, this field will be left blank. If practices have enabled FYI as the Primary Source for Client Data, Business Structures in Xero Practice Manager will be synchronised with FYI after they have been assigned to a client.

Name - The name of the client. This is typically the client's legal name as registered with your governing tax organisation and used as the client name displayed in FYI. If you have selected "Individual" as the structure, the First Name, Last Name, and Other Name fields should be updated.

Salutation - The preferred name of the client. 

Email - The email address for the client.

Phone - The phone number for the client.

Mobile - The mobile number for the client.

Export Code and Client Code - These fields are optional and can be used to enter identifying codes for the client.

Manager and Partner - The users assigned as the Manager and Partner for the client.

Set Custom Field - If you select a Custom Field, a new field will be added to the drawer. Once a Custom Field has been selected, it will be removed from the drop-down list as it is already part of the update. You can add additional Custom Fields by selecting them from the drop-down.
Update the added Custom Field by selecting a value from the drop-down, or click the Merge Field icon.

Tax & Company Fields - The Tax and Company Fields for the client, for example, the Business Number, Company Number, and Tax Number. The fields displayed will depend on the location of your practice, for example, Australia, New Zealand, or the UK.

Physical Address and Postal Address - The address fields for the client. 

Update Client

The fields available on the Update Client step depend on your practice settings. 

For practices on the Pro plan where FYI as Primary for Client Maintenance is not enabled, the Update Client step can be used to update Client Custom Fields, Client Code and Export Code.

Note: The Client Code and Export Codes are limited to 255 characters.

For practices where FYI as Primary for Client Maintenance is enabled, the Update Client Automation Step will allow additional client fields to be updated.

Note: The Mobile and Salutation fields will only be available if enabled in the FYI as Primary settings.

In the Update Client step, select or enter the details for the client. For details on each of the available fields, refer to Create Client above.

Note: If data is directly entered into a field (instead of a Merge Field) it will be applied to all clients updated by the automation process.

In the example below, if 10 clients were updated by the automation process, all 10 clients would have "Anna Jordan" selected as the Manager, "Liz Hurst" as the Partner, and the Custom Field "Office" would be set to Brisbane.

Data from an imported CSV file can be inserted Merge Fields by clicking the Merge Field icon.

If you select a Custom Field, a new field will be added to the drawer. Once a Custom Field has been selected, it will be removed from the drop-down list as it is already part of the update. You can add additional Custom Fields by selecting them from the drop-down.

Update the added Custom Field by selecting a value from the drop-down, or click the Merge Field icon.

Using Merge Fields with Clients

Merge Fields are used to insert data from:

• An imported CSV file.
• From data from the selected Filter, for example, trigger clients or jobs.
• From steps earlier in the process.

Click the Merge Field icon.

The available Merge Fields will be displayed, and grouped by where the data is from.

If you are importing a CSV file, the Merge Fields Trigger Data section displays the CSV file columns that can be selected. For example, the "Name" column for the client will be displayed as {{ TriggerDataName }}. For advanced formatting options, refer to Formatting Merge Fields.