> 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/customers/create-a-customer.md). # Create a customer Creating a customer is an all-in-one form that captures the parent company plus its properties and contacts in one pass. Start with Customer information: the company name, which is required, and an optional company phone number. If your business uses the customer portal, you can enable or disable portal access for this customer here. Next is Customer Billing, which every property under this customer uses unless you set Property Billing for that property. It covers payment terms, billing notes, tax-exempt status, autopay, and the billing address. Then add Properties, the addresses where jobs are done. You can add several, and a checkbox lets you reuse the billing address as the first property's address to save typing. Finally, add Contacts. For each contact you enter their details and assign roles. Every contact needs at least one role, either customer-level or property-level; property-level roles let you point a contact at specific properties you added above. You can mark a contact as the primary for a role. An Additional Details section captures notes and any custom fields your business has configured. Your in-progress entry is saved locally as you go, so you will not lose work if you navigate away. Click Save to create everything at once. In the standard workflow, a customer is the highest-level account. It can have many properties and contacts. The minimum setup for a new prospect is usually the customer, at least one property, and at least one contact with the right roles so you can create a quote or schedule a visit. > **Where to find it:** Customers page, New customer; or the + create menu ## Related guides * [Merge or split customer accounts](/customers-and-work/customers/merge-or-split-customer-accounts.md) * [Turning on Customer Portal access for a customer](/customers-and-work/customers/turning-on-customer-portal-access-for-a-customer.md) * [Making a customer active or inactive](/customers-and-work/customers/making-a-customer-active-or-inactive.md) * [Saving a customer's payment methods](/customers-and-work/customers/saving-a-customers-payment-methods.md) * [See and browse all your customers](/customers-and-work/customers/see-and-browse-all-your-customers.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/customers/create-a-customer.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.