Linking a Colab to a Customer

Why Some Colabs Have No Customer

When a call, text, or email comes in from a number or address KeyBolt doesn't recognize, it makes an Unassociated Colab. It's a real lead, it just isn't tied to anyone in your customer list yet. These show up on the Unassociated tab with an amber marker so you can triage them.

Linking is done by owners, managers, and dispatchers. It works on both plans, Basic and KeyBolt Pro.

Linking to an Existing Customer

1. Open the Colab.
2. On the Customer line near the top, tap Link to customer.
3. Search for the customer by name or phone number.
4. Pick them from the list.
5. If that customer has more than one contact (common with property managers), pick the specific person who actually contacted you.
6. Tap Link Colab.

The pill changes from Needs customer to Open, and the customer's details now show on the Colab.

Why Picking the Right Contact Matters

For a business customer like a property management company, you might deal with several people. KeyBolt records the exact contact who reached out as your attribution. This is your proof of who authorized the work. If a property manager ever disputes a charge, you can point to the specific person and the conversation. That's why the link screen reminds you to 'pick the contact who actually called.'

Adding a Brand-New Customer

If the lead isn't a customer yet, you can create one without leaving the Colab:

1. Tap Link to customer, then Add new customer.
2. Fill in the Name or the Business name. Either one on its own is enough to save. Email, phone, extension and address are optional.
3. Tap Create and link.

KeyBolt creates the customer and links the Colab in one step. If the lead came in by email, the sender's address is pre-filled for you. You can finish the rest of their details later on the customer page.

Fixing a Wrong Link

If a Colab got linked to the wrong customer, open it and tap Reassign attribution on the Customer line. Pick the correct customer and contact, then link again. The Colab repoints to the new customer.

One thing to know: once a Colab has a customer, you can change it to a different customer, but there's no button to set it back to having no customer at all. If you linked the wrong one, just relink it to the right one.

You Can Convert Without Linking

Linking is not a gate. You can turn a Colab into a Job or Estimate with no customer at all, using the Skip, no customer option in the convert sheet, and attach the customer later. Linking first is still the better habit, because it puts the work on the customer's permanent record from the start. See Convert and Merge Colabs.