How to Add a Lead with Accounts and Contacts

Overview

Every lead in Effi now starts from a contact, and related contacts and leads are grouped under an account. Enter a person or business once and reuse them on every deal, with no duplicates.

This article walks through two examples end to end: a Person lead with two applicants, and a Company lead with a director. Both are then linked to an account.

Before you start: search for the client first. Effi checks contacts and accounts by name, phone and email, so you only create a new record when one doesn't already exist.

New to contacts and accounts? Read Understanding Contacts and Accounts for how they work, then follow the steps below.

Step 1: Log in and open the Leads board

1. Go to your Effi broker portal (for example broker.geteffi.com, or your business's own Effi link).
2. Enter your email address and password and click Login, or click Log in with Microsoft.

3. In the left menu, open Leads, choose your board, then click + Add Lead in the top-right corner.

Example A: Person lead (two applicants)

Scenario: Sarah Sample is applying for a home loan with her partner, James.

Step 2: Search for the contact

1. On the New Lead screen, type the client's name, phone or email into Search for a contact or account.
2. If they already exist, click their name (contacts and accounts are labelled in the results) and skip to Step 4.
3. If there's no match, click Create contact. (Create account is covered under Managing accounts and contacts below.)

Step 3: Create a Person contact

1. Under Contact type, leave Person selected.
2. Enter First name, Last name, Email and Phone.
3. Tick Send consumer portal invite only if you want the client to receive an email and SMS to sign in now. A mobile number is needed for the invite.
4. Click Create.

Step 4: Complete the lead details and add the lead

The new contact shows at the top of the form. Its details are locked to the contact record; to change them, edit the contact from Contacts, or click Change selection to pick someone else.

1. Set Applicant Type to Person.
2. Choose the broker in Assign To, and the Lodgement Type (for example Home Loan).
3. Fill in any optional fields: Next Follow-up, Partner, Referral Source, Comments, Enquiry Details.
4. Review the two boxes at the bottom (both ticked by default): Do not send welcome SMS and Email and Send Broker Notifications.
5. Click Add. The lead opens and appears on your board.

Step 5: Add a second applicant

1. In the lead, open the Client Profile tab. Sarah is shown as the Primary Applicant.
2. Expand Add another applicant.
3. Click Search existing to find a contact already in Effi, or Create new to add someone new.
4. For a new person, enter First name, Last name, E-mail and Mobile number. Tick Invite applicant (optional) to send them a portal invite.
5. Click Add applicant. James now shows as Secondary Applicant 1.

Step 6: Create an account and link the lead

1. In the blue banner “This lead isn't linked to an account yet”, click Link an account.
2. Effi lists any existing accounts with the same contacts as this lead's applicants. Click one to link it.
3. If none match, click + Create new account.
4. Enter an Account name (for example Sample Family). The lead's applicants are added as the account's contacts automatically.
5. Click Create account.

The banner now shows the account, with its number of contacts and leads, plus View account and Unlink.

Click View account to see the account: its contacts (the primary is tagged), every linked lead, and buttons to Add contact, Create lead or Link lead.

Example B: Company lead (business plus director)

Scenario: Sample Holdings Pty Ltd is borrowing, and its director Sarah Sample (already a contact from Example A) is on the deal.

Step 2: Create a Company contact

1. Click + Add Lead, search for the business, and if it isn't found click Create contact.
2. Under Contact type, click Company.
3. Start typing the Business name. Effi searches the business register and lists matching names with their ABN and state. Select the business if it appears.

4. Enter or check the 11-digit ABN. If Effi can't verify it you'll see “Couldn't verify this ABN — you can still continue.”
5. Add the Business email and Phone, then click Create.

Step 3: Set the applicant type to Business and add the lead

1. The company now shows as the selected contact.
2. Set Applicant Type to Business (Company or Trust).
3. Choose Assign To and the Lodgement Type, fill any optional fields, then click Add.

Step 4: Add the director as an applicant

1. In the new lead, open Client Profile and expand Add another applicant.
2. Keep Search existing selected and type the director's name, mobile or email.
3. Click + Add next to the right contact, then click Add applicant.

Step 5: Create the company account and link the lead

1. Click Link an account. If no account has these same contacts, click + Create new account.
2. Enter an Account name (for example Sample Holdings Group). The company and the director are added as contacts automatically.
3. Click Create account. The lead is now linked.

The account page shows both contacts and the company's lead. Use Create lead for the next deal, or Link lead to attach an existing one.

Managing accounts and contacts

Find a contact and see all of their deals

1. In the left menu, click the Accounts & Contacts icon and choose Contacts or Accounts. The number beside each shows how many records you have.

2. In Contacts, search by name, mobile or email. Each card shows how many accounts and leads that contact belongs to. Switch between Cards and Table views at the top right.

3. Click View contact. The Overview tab lists every account and every lead the contact is on, whether as the primary or another applicant. Click View on any of them to open it. Contact details sit on the Personal profile tab.

Find an account

In Accounts, search by account name or by any contact's name. Each card shows its contacts and how many leads it has. Click View account to open it.

Link an existing lead to an account

1. Open the account and click Link lead in the Leads section.
2. Search unlinked leads by contact name, email or phone, and select the lead.

Only leads whose contacts exactly match the account's contacts are shown. If a lead doesn't appear, add or remove applicants on the lead (or contacts on the account) until they match. You can also link from the lead's side with Link an account (Example A, Step 6).

Create an account first

To set up an account before any lead exists, click Create account on the New Lead screen (or + Create Account on the Accounts page). Enter an Account name and link at least one contact, then click Create.

Tips and FAQs

• Always search first. Reusing an existing contact keeps one history per client and stops duplicates.
• Why can't I edit the contact on the New Lead screen? The details are locked to the contact record. Edit them from Accounts & Contacts → Contacts, and every linked lead and account shows the change.
• Is the ABN required for a company? Yes, enter the 11-digit ABN. An ABN that can't be verified shows a warning, but you can still continue.
• Why isn't my account offered under Link an account? Effi only suggests accounts with exactly the same contacts as the lead's applicants. Otherwise, create a new account.
• How do I remove a lead from an account? On the lead's Client Profile tab, click Unlink in the account banner.
• Will the client get an invite? Only if you tick Send consumer portal invite or Invite applicant, or click Send invite on the contact later.

Video walkthrough

Watch the 30-second Accounts & Contacts Walkthrough, which covers both examples with on-screen captions.

Related articles

• Understanding Contacts and Accounts