Contacts become useful once they're linked to clients and client groups with roles. You can manage these links from the Contacts list, the Clients list, the Client Groups list, or a group's page — whichever is closest to where you're working. Every link must have at least one role.
Each contact row shows stacked, colour-coded icons for its linked clients (by client type) and linked groups. Up to three show; extras collapse into a +N bubble. Hover over an icon for a card with the name, type or code, the contact's roles, and a View Client / View Group link. Click the lead name (or Add Clients / Add Groups when nothing is linked) to open a popover listing every link.
To link or edit:
In the popover, click Add client (or Add group). The Manage clients / Manage client groups dialog opens.
Search by name — already-linked records lead the list with a tick and show their current roles.
Select a record. The roles step opens (Add roles, or Edit roles for an existing link).
Tick at least one role. For clients you can also add custom roles and tick Primary contact for this client.
Click Save. Toasts confirm (Client linked, Client roles updated, Client group linked, Group roles updated) and the row refreshes.
To unlink, either hover over a row in the popover and click the bin icon, or open the roles step and click Unlink. Unlinking never deletes the contact record.
Turn on the People column via Table Options → Columns. It shows linked contacts as stacked initials avatars; the primary contact leads with their name and roles beside the stack. Hovering an avatar shows a card with name, a Primary badge where relevant, roles, email, phone and View Full Details.
Click the lead name to open the popover, then Add Contact to open the Add Contact Roles dialog: search for an existing contact or Create New Contact, tick roles (custom roles allowed), optionally add Notes, tick Primary Contact, and for unverified contacts choose whether Verification Required applies. Remove a contact via the bin icon — a confirmation dialog explains that this only unlinks them from the client.
If no contact is linked yet, the cell shows an inline Add Contact button. Client-role users see the avatars but no editing controls.
The groups list has the same People column, backed by the group-contact roles (Primary, Previous Accountant, Lawyer, Billing, Other). A contact whose roles include Primary leads the stack with a Primary badge (the word isn't repeated in their role text). Add Contact here opens the group-contact dialog described below.
The Group Contacts and Roles card on the Group tab lists each linked contact with their role badges — the Primary role is highlighted. The card's plus button opens Add Group Contact (pre-set to the Primary role); each contact card's menu offers Edit Roles, Edit Contact, Edit Emails, Edit Phones and Delete (unlink).
Group contacts are also how your clients get portal access. In the group-contact dialog (or via the switches on the contact's card):
Grant this contact access to the group — lets them sign in and see the group.
Grant this contact permission to edit group details — appears once access is granted.
A contact needs a primary email first — otherwise you'll see Selected contact has no primary email address. Once access is granted, use Send Invitation (or Re-Send Invitation) on their card; it records when the Invitation email was sent on …. The contact's own Client Groups tab summarises all this with Has access / Can edit / Invited badges.
Client roles include Director, Secretary, Public Officer, Shareholder, Trustee, Beneficiary, Partner, Power of Attorney, Executor, Solicitor, Individual, Billing and Other, plus custom roles.
XPM imports can create a separate contact per client. Multiple icons in the Contacts list's Clients column make the duplicates obvious; use Manage clients to consolidate links and unlink extras.
