Contact Records FAQ

The following questions and answers can help you troubleshoot some common issues with contact records:

• I need to edit a contact name but my system won't let me. Why?
• I'm unable to delete a contact record. Why? 
• How do I remove access to Actionstep for a staff member?
• How do I assign actions/matters from a former staff member to a new one?
• If our company or firm changes its name, what do we need to do?
• How do I view a list of all of my system contacts? 

I need to edit a contact name but my system won't let me. Why?

To edit a contact name, you must make your changes directly on the contact record. You cannot update the contact from the matter. This is to prevent users from changing the name of a contact assigned to a matter, particularly when they have associated the wrong contact with a matter. For help, see Editing a Contact.

I'm unable to delete a contact record. Why? 

Many actions you perform while using Actionstep are associated with the contact record, including billing transactions, matters, and so forth. If you need to delete a contact, you must first remove these associations (where possible). For example, if the contact is assigned to a matter, you must first remove the matter. However, if the contact is associated with a billing transaction, you cannot delete the contact record. 

For instructions on deleting contacts (including specific troubleshooting instructions for the above-mentioned scenario), see Deleting a Contact.

How do I remove access to Actionstep for a staff member?

See Adding/Removing System users.

How do I assign actions/matters from a former staff member to a new one?

An admin can reassign actions and tasks from  one system user to a different user.

To do this: 

• In Actionstep, go to Admin > Users & permissions > Reassign User.

To keep your records as accurate as possible, you can choose to reassign matters and tasks by their status. For example, you might want to only assign active matters to a staff member so that closed matters still show a record of who was responsible for the matter. You can also replace the person as the Actions participant and choose which is appropriate. For example, if the company ever did work for a staff member in any action, then you can choose not to replace them every time they appeared as a client. 

If our company or firm changes its name, what do we need to do?

If your company or firm is changing its name, consider the following updates you may need to make in Actionstep:

First, change the name as it appears in Actionstep. There are three records that you will need to update:

1. The contact record for your company. To do this, hover your cursor over the database icon in the top-left corner of the Actionstep page and choose Organization/Division Contact Record. Then edit the record accordingly. 
2. Your system preferences. You can find your preferences by going to Admin > General Settings and editing the contact information. 
3. Your billing details. To do this, hover your cursor over the database icon in the top-left corner of the Actionstep page and choose Subscription Settings. Then click Edit Billing Information and update the details.

Next, consider these other updates: 

• Update the logo in your system preferences. To do this, go to Admin > General Settings.
• Check the document templates you have loaded. If you have set these up correctly they should pull the information from Actionstep but sometimes people hard code the name and logos into their documents which means they will all need updating. 
• Update your bank account details. If your bank account is changing, then you will need to update these details. If you are moving all funds from one account to another on the same day then you can just update the the bank account name and number on the Accounts List. If you will be running more than one account at the same account you will have to add the new accounts to your chart of accounts. See how to do this on the Master Accounts.
• Update your trust configurations. If you will be running another trust account in conjunction then it will have to be added to your trust configuration. 

How do I view a list of all of my system contacts? 

To view a list of all of your contacts within your system, hover over Contacts and choose Contact List from the list of options.

While viewing the contact list, you can view all of your system contacts. You can also use the Views and Filter drop-down lists to further refine your list of contacts. 

If needed, an admin can add more filters using custom list views. To do this, go to Admin > Custom list views > Contact list views > [click Manage] > [select your contact list] > [click Add Column]. Then, you can view the available filters under Participant Data. 

For more information on creating custom list views, see Creating Contact List Views.