Sub-Customers Overview
Anyone set as a sub-customer is an individual customer in the database. They have their own contact information on file and are simply linked to the appropriate "parent" customer.
Parent/child billing works best in situations where you're communicating with the person at the service location, but the actual payment will come from a different party. For example, a tenant might schedule a job, but the homeowner is responsible for the payment.
Automated notifications (job scheduled, "on my way," and job completed) are sent to the sub-customer, while invoices, estimates, and receipts are sent to the parent customer to be billed.
How to Set Up a Sub-Customer
You can easily set up sub-customers (parent/child relationship) when creating your customer database.
If you are communicating with one customer, but invoicing another (i.e. property management companies and tenants), follow the steps below.
If you are communicating and invoicing everything to one customer for multiple locations, you will need to set up multiple addresses instead.
Please Note: You will want to have the Parent customer set up in the system before creating this relationship.
To set up a sub-customer in your HCP account:
When creating a new child customer, scroll to the Notes section of the 'Add new customer' window.
In the "This customer bills to" field, type in the existing parent/billing party's name, email, address, or phone number and select their profile from the drop-down list.
When you click 'Create Customer,' this setting will be saved.
If you happen to create the sub-customer first, you can still update this setting within their customer profile once you have added the parent account:
Click on the pencil icon next to 'Contact Info', and edit the same "This customer bills to" section.
Make sure to click 'Update' to save this change for future billing purposes.
If you would like to remove or replace a parent customer, you can simply click the 'X' next to the customer name and either enter a new parent customer or leave the field blank.
Within the sub-customer’s Profile section, you will be able to view their billable parent account and address. This will also be displayed on the job details page in the customer contact information box.
The parent customer’s profile will display which sub-customers they accept bills from in the billing section.
Additionally, the parent customer’s ‘Jobs and Estimates’ history section will display their sub-customers’ history.
Automated notifications (job scheduled, "on my way," and job finished) go to the sub-customer. Invoices, estimates and payment receipts will go to the parent customer to be billed.
Check out our tips on how to better connect with your customers.
Having trouble finding what you need?
For further assistance, please reach out to our Chat Support team
via the Blue Chat Bubble in your Housecall Pro account, or
contact our Phone Support team at (858) 842-5746.