Client List Management: The Complete Guide

Table of Contents

What’s the Purpose of the Client List?
Interactive Demo
User Permissions
Accessing the Client List
Managing Columns and Filters
Practical Use Cases for Managing Columns and Filters
Export the Client List
Managing Clients
     Adding a New Client
     Editing an Existing Client in the Client List
     Deleting a Client
View Client Projects
Managing Contacts
     Adding a New Contact
     Assigning Contacts to Projects
     Deleting a Contact

What’s the Purpose of the Client List?

The Client List in BigTime provides a centralized view for managing, and updating your client database. You can now easily create new clients, manage their contact details, and update client records even before a project is created. All in one place. Whether you're managing ongoing projects or preparing quotes, this view helps you:

• Store and manage client records before project work begins.
• Quickly locate and review client info from one place.
• Access client-level details such as address, billing setup, contacts, and notes.
• Improve efficiency in quotes generation by linking Clients with the quoting flow.

If you're managing multiple clients or building quotes frequently, this feature clarifies and saves time.

Interactive Demo 

Explore BigTime Client List Tab below with an interactive demo. Click Get Started to navigate seamlessly through the interface and discover a feature. You can restart the demo at any time.

User Permissions

Only users with the View/Manage Client List permission will see the Client List in the Sales Tab.

Admins can enable this under User Rights Settings.

Accessing the Client List

To access the Client List:

• Navigate to the Sales tab in the main menu.
• Click Client List.

Here, you’ll see an alphabetical list of all clients in your firm. Use search, filter, or sort to find the clients you're looking for quickly.

Managing Columns and Filters

You can now manage which columns appear in the Client List and apply advanced filters.

Show or Hide Columns

1. Click the columns icon in the toolbar.
2. Use the checkboxes to show or hide columns.
3. You can also include custom fields — they appear instantly in the table.
4. To show or hide all fields, use Show/Hide All at the bottom of the list.

Tip: Custom fields are available if they’ve been created in your firm settings.

Filter Clients

1.Click the filter icon in the toolbar.

2. Choose a Column, Operator, and Value.

Operators include contains, equals, starts with, or ends with.

3. Add more filters with Add filter.

4. Link filters using And or Or.

5. Click Remove all to clear your filters.

Tip: The table updates instantly as you apply filters.

Note: Active filters also apply to exported data.

Sort Clients

Click the three-dot icon (⋮) in any column header to sort the list in ascending or descending order.

You can drag and drop columns to rearrange them.

Practical Use Cases for Managing Columns and Filters

Below are examples of how different users can configure the Client List to make their daily work easier.

Use Case: Prepare a Financial Summary by Currency

Goal: Create a filtered list of clients billed in the same currency for reporting or export.

Why it’s useful: Finance and billing specialists often need to review client billing by currency type.

Benefits:

• Simplifies financial reporting and reconciliation.
• Reduces manual sorting after export.

How to set it up:

1. Click the columns icon and make sure Currency is visible.
2. Click the filter icon.
3. Choose Column: Currency
4. Choose Operator: equals
5. Enter Value: USD
6. (Optional) Click the download icon → select Download as Excel.

Result:

An export-ready view of all USD-billed clients, ready to share with the finance team or include in a billing summary.

Export the Client List

You can download the Client List to share or analyze client data.

1. Click the download icon in the toolbar (top right).
2. Choose a format:
   • Download as CSV
   • Download as Excel
3. Only the data that matches your current filters and sorting will be included in the export.

Tip: Apply filters before exporting to get exactly the view you need.

Note: PDF export is no longer available.

Managing Clients

Each client has its own info page with two tabs:

• Client Info: Add or update legal name, type, address, custom fields, currency, and notes (see the screenshot above in Adding a New Client, Step 4.).
• Contacts: Manage associated people. Add contact names, titles, emails, and assign them to projects.

Adding a New Client

To add a new client:

1. Click the Add Client button.

2. Fill in the required fields:

• Client Name
• Client ID/Code
• Currency

3. The Street Address field is optional.

4. You can also enter:

• Client Legal Name
• Client Type
• Client Phone
• Client Fax
• Accounting Link

5. Click Save to add the client.

Tip: You can create a client even without an address.

Note: The system no longer requires a Main Address.

Editing an Existing Client in the Client List

You can update your client’s information at any time directly from the Client List view. This is helpful if contact details, billing preferences, or organizational changes occur.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Access the Client List:

Go to the Sales menu in the left navigation panel, then click Client List.

2. Find the Client You Want to Edit:

Use the Search bar at the top to search by client name or ID/code. You can also use column filters or sorting to locate the client.

3. Open the Client Record:

Click on the Client Name hyperlink. This will open the full Client record, starting on the Info tab.

4. Make Your Changes. 

You can edit any details unless they’re tied to billing or transactions.

5. Save Changes:

After making edits, click Save Changes at the bottom right of the screen. Your updates will be immediately reflected across all related areas in BigTime.

Deleting a Client

Not all clients can be deleted. To protect data integrity, clients that are linked to projects or proposals (quotes) cannot be removed.

Conditions for deleting a client:

• The client must not be associated with any projects or proposals.
• If the client is linked to either, the Delete button will be disabled (grayed out).
• In this case, you'll see a message that reads:
  “A Client cannot be deleted when there is a project and/or quote for the Client.”

To delete a client (if eligible):

1. Go to Sales > Client List.

2. Search for the client and click their name to open the full record.

3. Confirm there are no linked projects or proposals.

4. Click the Delete button from the Client Info screen.

5. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Once deleted, the client will be permanently removed from your system and will no longer appear in project or proposal workflows.

View Client Projects

You can now view all projects linked to a client directly from the Client List.

1. Open the Client List from the Sales tab.
2. Click a client’s name to open its record.
3. Select the Projects tab.
4. Review all related projects, including:
   • Project Name (clickable)
   • Project ID
   • Project Owner
   • Deposit Amount
   • Additional custom or cost center fields
5. Click a project name to open it in the Project List.

Tip: Use sorting and filters to find projects faster.

Note: This tab makes it easier to review all client-related work without switching screens.

Managing Contacts

Under the Contacts tab, you can:

• Add new contacts without needing an associated project.

• View all contacts for a client and the projects they’re assigned to.

• Click a contact’s name to view or edit their details and assign them to new projects.

Adding a New Contact

Once you’ve selected a Client from the Client List, navigate to the Contacts tab to add or manage associated contacts. You can now create contacts independently of a Project, giving you flexibility when building quotes or preparing for client work.

To Add a New Contact:

1. Navigate to the Contacts Tab

Go to the Client List and click the Client name:

You’ll be redirected to Client Info page: 

Then click the Contacts tab to view all associated contacts for the selected client:

2. Click the Add Contact Button

Select Add Contact to open a modal window.

3. Enter Contact Details. 

4. Fill in required fields: 

• First Name
• Last Name

5. Optionally, fill in:

• Title, Contact Type
• Email, Company Name
• Address, City, State/Province, Zip, Country
• Main Phone, Mobile Phone

6. Click Add to save the contact.

Assigning Contacts to Projects

When a contact needs to be linked to a specific project (e.g., for billing or communications), follow these steps:

1. Go to the Project List

Navigate to the desired Project, then access the Contacts tab under that project.

2. Click “Copy” button

Use the COPY button to select a contact from the existing list of client contacts.

3. Assign a Role

In the modal:

• Choose the contact.
• Assign a Role: Billing, Primary, or Other.

4. If a “Primary” or “Billing” contact already exists, the system will automatically update the old contact to “Other” and apply the selected role to the new contact.

5. Save the Contact to the Project

Deleting a Contact

Contacts can be deleted even if they’ve been used in projects or invoices — BigTime will notify you before removing them from any associated records.

To delete a contact:

1. From the Client List, click into the desired client record.

2. Navigate to the Contacts tab.

3. Locate the contact you want to delete.

4. Click on the contact’s name to open their details.

5. Click the Delete button (or trash icon).

6. Confirm the deletion when prompted.