You can quickly set up new partners (vendors, subcontractors, and trades) in CoConstruct by either adding them individually or by importing them into the system.
Adding a single partner
- Go to the Contacts > Trade Partners
- Click on "+ New" to enter all of their relevant information
- You'll be able to customize their settings and you can choose whether or not you want to grant them "web access" to let them log into CoConstruct.
Importing a list of partners
You can quickly import all of your partners into CoConstruct using the Contacts section of the site with these steps:
- Navigate to Contacts.
- Click the link to "Import Contacts".
- You will be prompted to download the template to use for the import process.
- Fill the downloaded template with all of the partner information that you would like to import into CoConstruct. Here are a few helpful tips as you organize your Partner List data:
- Keep your list to just the partners you actively work with on jobs (you can import your other contacts separately).
- A first and/or last name is required for each partner.
- A primary email address is also required for each partner since this will be the primary way (other than text messaging) for partner users to be notified of their assignments.
- Do not delete any columns of the template or change column headings as this could lead to errors when you try to import.
- Partner imports via the Contact Manager automatically set the Contact Type to "Trade Partner" if the user does not specify a user type when importing partners, so that you can easily sort and filter your contacts after completing the import. The "Trade Partner" option needs to be in the builder's Contact Type list for this to work.
- When you've saved your changes to the template and you're ready to continue, head back to the "Import Contacts" prompt in CoConstruct.
- You will be asked if all of the contacts are also partners. Select "Yes". Note that if you select "No", they will be imported as contacts, but will not appear in the Partner List.
- You can choose whether you want all of the partners to appear in assignee lists or if you want to decide later.
- Click "Select" and choose the template that you filled with your partner information.
- You can then "Review Import". You may see warnings if a partner is missing a name or email address, or if they are duplicates of existing partners. Those contacts will be skipped, but the rest of your partners will import.
- Click "Import" to finish.
Important: Once your partners are set up in CoConstruct, you can manage or update their settings at any point in time from the Trade Partner List:
From the Partner List, you can manage your partners' projects and notification settings. The Partner List will also be where you can grant your partners web access to log into CoConstruct, or if need be, delete your partners to remove access.
Consider assigning each user a "nickname" that shows the person's function, company, and name (Example: Plumbing – Mackenzie’s Plumbing – John Smith). This nickname shows up when you are assigning tasks to your partners, and you can type any part of the nickname to quickly pull up your partners.
So, make sure you pick a naming convention that will help you quickly and easily identify the right assignee.