> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/customers-and-work/contacts/contact-roles-explained.md). # Contact roles explained Contact roles tell Essential what a person is responsible for so the right person is reached at the right moment. There are four roles. Billing is the contact for getting invoices paid. Approvals is the contact for approving work. Onsite is the contact for help when the technician is on site. Scheduling is the contact for scheduling work. A contact can hold any combination of these. Each role can be held at one of two priorities. The primary contact is the main person for that role, and others holding the same role are secondary. Only one contact can be the primary for a role in a given place, so if a primary is already set, choosing primary for another contact is unavailable until you change the existing one. Roles are assigned at two levels. A customer-level role applies across the whole customer account, while a property-level role applies only to the specific properties you assign it to. The same person can be, for example, the primary billing contact at the customer level and an onsite contact at just one property. When Essential needs a contact for a role, it uses the property-level contact first and falls back to the customer-level contact when the property has none. Within either level, a primary contact is preferred over a secondary contact. Set customer-level roles in the contact's **Edit** form. Set property-level roles in that same form or from the property's **Contacts** card. The customer page's **Contacts** tab is read-only and opens the contact; make role changes from the contact or property instead. The contact's Roles table lists each customer-level and property-level assignment so you can see at a glance where a person fits. ## Role meanings * **Approvals:** Approves quotes and work. This is also the contact automated outreach uses for job approval. * **Scheduling:** Coordinates the job or visit time. * **Onsite:** Helps technicians when there are issues while they are on site. * **Billing:** Receives invoices and billing communication. Use customer-level roles when the contact serves every property under the customer. Use property-level roles when the contact only applies to specific properties. > **Where to find it:** A contact's page, the Roles table; also when creating a customer or property ## Related guides * [Creating a contact](/customers-and-work/contacts/creating-a-contact.md) * [Edit a contact's details, or where their roles live](/customers-and-work/contacts/edit-a-contacts-details-or-where-their-roles-live.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://learn.withessential.com/customers-and-work/contacts/contact-roles-explained.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.