Before creating a new customer, make sure the customer doesn’t already exist in the customer register.
A customer record is also created automatically in the following cases:
- People who have made a purchase offer for a listing via DIXU.
- A customer record has been created as a lead (potential seller/landlord), for example via the agency’s website.
- A lead has been created for a listing, for example via Oikotie (potential buyer / tenant).
In these cases, the customer card will include a note either in the additional information (Customer was added to CRM automatically based on the purchase offer information made in Dixu) or in classification (Buyer, Potential buyer / tenant / seller).
Creating a new customer
If the customer is not found in the customer register, you’ll need to create a new customer. A new customer can be created from the customer register, or anywhere a customer record is needed (e.g., when creating a listing or an offer) by clicking Create a new CRM customer.
Note: Any party the agent needs to interact with via Linear (e.g., when sending documents, signature invitations, etc.) must first be saved in the customer register, and the customer’s details must include an email address.
Start by selecting the customer type: Private person, Business or Estate. Below you’ll find more information about the differences between these. Please note that when entering customer details, all fields marked with an asterisk are required in order to create the customer.
Adding a private person
Even though there are not many required (asterisk-marked) fields, we recommend filling in the customer’s details as comprehensively as possible already when creating the customer. For example, the customer’s personal identity code is needed so the customer can sign agreements and documents sent from Linear. You can also update missing details later, for example from the customer card.
The customer’s Language setting determines which language customer emails—such as signature invitations—will be sent in. Language also determines the UI language shown to the customer in the Signicat e-signature service. By default, the customer’s Language field is set to the agency’s main domestic language (for example, Finnish in Finland and Estonian in Estonia).
Note: If your company uses message automations (e.g., Typeform feedback surveys), you can select Do not send agency-specific automatic messages in the customer details (at the very bottom). When enabled, the customer will not receive messages configured in message automations. This does not affect other system-generated messages, such as signature invitations.
Adding a business customer
When creating a new business, you must add at least one contact person, but you can add multiple. The contact person is selected from existing persons or created as a new private person.
You can also define who is responsible for signing on behalf of the business. Signature invitations are sent to people marked as primary contacts. If no primary contacts have been set, all contact persons will sign the agreements.
Adding an estate
When entering an estate, start by entering the estate’s name. We recommend adding an identifier such as “estate” at the end of the customer name (e.g., Estate of Matti Meikäläinen), so the customer type is easy to identify on documents such as the agency agreement and deed of sale.
Next, enter the estate parties. An estate party can be a private person, a business, or another estate. These parties are beneficiaries of the estate or otherwise responsible for estate-related matters (e.g., a law firm or lawyer). Different roles can be assigned to parties, such as Shareholder, Signatory and Contact person. The roles define who signs on behalf of the estate (e.g., the agency agreement) and what information is shown on documents such as the deed of sale.
Note: If an estate party has authorized another party, remove the Signatory role from the authorizing party. If an estate beneficiary has authorized another party to sign on their behalf, we also recommend adding the power of attorney to the listing’s archive so it can be found in Linear.
In the example image below, three parties have been added to the estate: Anton Asikainen, Niina Virtanen, and the estate of Matilda Fagerlund. All three have the roles Shareholder and Signatory.
For the estate of Matilda Fagerlund, you can see that three other parties have been added: Antero Heikkilä, Niina Nurmi, and Asianajotoimisto Heikkinen Oy. Antero’s and Niina’s role is set to shareholder only, because they have authorized the law firm to sign on their behalf.
Accordingly, if an estate like in the example were the customer on an assignment, signature invitations would be sent to: (1.) Anton Asikainen, (2.) Niina Virtanen, and (3.) the representative of Asianajotoimisto Heikkinen Oy.