> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Configure CRM settings > Set up CRM stages, customer types, sources, and vendor types so leads and customers are organized in a way your staff understands. CRM settings help your team organize leads, customers, and follow-up work. You do not need to know sales software terms to use this page. Think of CRM settings as the labels and stages your team uses to answer: * Who is interested in becoming a customer? * Where are they in our process? * What type of customer are they? * How did they find us? * When should we follow up? ## What you will accomplish * Name the follow-up stages your team uses (for example **New Lead**, **Contacted**, **Active Customer**). * Group stages as **Lead**, **Customer**, or **Former Customer** so the [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) board stays organized. * Set auto due dates so follow-up does not slip through the cracks. * Create **Customer types**, **Customer sources**, and **Vendor types** so staff pick consistent labels. * Confirm the same stage names appear in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) **Board** view. ## Before you start * Write down the real steps your team uses from first inquiry to active customer. * List the customer types your facility serves, such as storage, events, detailing, or marketplace. * List common lead sources, such as referral, website, phone call, auction, event, or social media. * Decide how quickly staff should follow up at each stage. ## Open CRM settings Go to [Settings > CRM](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/crm). The CRM settings page autosaves changes. You may see **Autosaves changes**, **Saving...**, or **Saved** near the top of the page. CRM settings showing Lead, Customer, and Former Customer columns with sample contacts, an Add Stage button, and Customer types for Storage, Events, and Detailing ***CRM stages** become columns on the contacts board. The green **Lead** lane here follows up after 3 days. Click **Add Stage** to add another step.* Jump links at the top of the page include **Stages**, **Customer types**, **Customer sources**, and **Vendor types**. ## Set up CRM stages CRM stages become the lanes on your customer relationship board. On [Settings > CRM](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/crm), find the swimlanes named **Lead**, **Customer**, and **Former Customer**. Read each stage name. Keep names simple. Good examples include **New Lead**, **Contacted**, **Tour Scheduled**, **Proposal Sent**, **Active Customer**, and **Former Customer**. Click a lane to change its name, description, and auto due date. The due date is in days. For example, **3** means follow up within 3 days. **Why this matters:** When a customer sits in **Lead** too long, your team may forget to call back. Auto due dates turn quiet leads into visible reminders on the [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) board. Click **Add Stage** to create a new stage. Drag the handle on a lane to reorder stages into the order your team follows. **Expected result:** Your relationship board shows stages in the same order your team describes the sales process on the phone. **Keep stages action-focused** Good stages tell staff what needs to happen next. For example, **Needs Follow-Up** is clearer than **Pending**. ## Confirm stages on the Contacts board Go to [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts). Click **Filters & settings** near the search bar (on a phone it may show only the filter icon). In the panel that opens, click **Board**. **Expected result:** You see columns (lanes) with the same stage names you set in CRM settings. If you have a test customer in an early stage, drag their card to the next column once to confirm the board groups match your **Lead**, **Customer**, and **Former Customer** lanes. Contacts page with Filters and settings open, Board view selected, and CRM stage filters for Lead, Customer, and Former Customer *On [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts), click **Filters & settings**, then **Board**. The same **Lead**, **Customer**, and **Former Customer** groups you named in CRM settings appear as columns.* **Who uses Board view?** **Sales or relationship leads** often live in Board view to track follow-up. **Front desk staff** may prefer the table or card list when they need phone numbers quickly. Both views use the same CRM stages you configure here. ## Set up customer types Customer types help your team group customers by what they use your facility for. On [Settings > CRM](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/crm), scroll to **Customer types**, or click **Customer types** at the top of the page. Use names staff will understand, such as **Storage**, **Events**, **Detailing**, **Marketplace**, or **Concierge**. Click a card to edit it, or add a new type. Use the description field to explain when staff should choose that type. If a type has been used before, consider turning it off instead of deleting it. **Expected result:** When you open a customer record, staff can pick a type that matches how your facility thinks about that relationship. CRM settings Customer types cards for Storage, Events, Detailing, Ancillary Services, and Marketplace, plus Customer sources below ***Customer types** and **Customer sources** are cards you can drag to reorder. Use the words your staff already say on the phone.* ## Set up customer sources Sources describe where a lead or customer came from. Click **Customer sources** at the top of [Settings > CRM](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/crm). Common examples include **Referral**, **Website**, **Phone Call**, **Instagram**, **Auction**, **Existing Customer**, and **Event**. Put the most common sources near the top so staff can find them quickly. **Expected result:** When staff add or edit a contact, they can choose a source from your list instead of typing a different answer every time. ## Set up vendor types (optional) If you work with transporters, detailers, or other vendors, use **Vendor types** so those contacts stay labeled clearly. Click **Vendor types** at the top of the CRM page. Examples: **Transporter**, **Detail Shop**, **Insurance Adjuster**, **Auction House**. Skip this section if you do not track vendors separately. ## What success looks like * CRM stages match your real sales and customer follow-up process. * Each stage sits in the right swimlane: Lead, Customer, or Former Customer. * Auto due dates remind staff when follow-up should happen. * Customer types help group customers by the services they use. * Sources help your team understand where new leads come from. ## Simple example setup If you are not sure where to start, try a simple setup first: **Stages:** New Lead, Contacted, Tour Scheduled, Proposal Sent, Active Customer, Former Customer. **Customer types:** Storage, Detailing, Events, Marketplace, Other. **Sources:** Referral, Website, Phone Call, Social Media, Event, Existing Customer. You can improve these later after your team uses the CRM for a few weeks. ## Troubleshooting **Changes did not save** Watch the save message near the top of the page. If it stays on **Saving...** or shows an error, refresh the page and try again. Avoid closing the page while it is saving. **A stage appears in the wrong place** Check which swimlane the stage sits in. A lead stage should live under **Lead**, an active customer stage under **Customer**, and a former customer stage under **Former Customer**. **Staff are confused by a label** Rename the label in plain language or add a description. Use the words your team already says in daily work. **I want to remove an old label** If the label has been used on real customer records, turning it off is usually safer than deleting it. This keeps history easier to understand. ## What to do next After CRM settings are ready, review your customer records in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts). Use [Manage contact tags and CRM fields](/docs/contacts/manage-contact-tags) when staff need flexible labels on individual customers. If you are still setting up the app, continue with [Review security settings](/docs/settings/review-security-settings). ## Related topics - [Manage contact tags and CRM fields](/docs/contacts/manage-contact-tags.md) - [Settings overview](/docs/settings/overview.md) - [Customize the contact page](/docs/contacts/customize-the-contact-page.md) - [Work with customer type lists](/docs/contacts/work-with-customer-type-lists.md) - [Contacts overview](/docs/contacts/overview.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.