Capture the client data your firm actually tracks
Generic CRMs ship with the fields a software vendor imagined, not the ones a Canadian firm tracks — referral source, program account references, portal preferences, language. That data ends up in a side spreadsheet, which promptly goes stale. Staff then check two systems and trust neither.
SpidNums lets firm admins define custom fields on the client record, so the database captures what the firm actually tracks — referral source, preferred language, program account references — alongside built-in fields like legal name, fiscal year-end, status and assigned manager. Fields are defined once at firm level, filled per client, and give migrated spreadsheet columns a permanent home.
How firms run it, step by step
List what the old spreadsheet tracked
Write down every column your firm added to its client sheet over the years. Each one is a candidate custom field — or a habit worth retiring deliberately.
Client CRM
Define the custom fields as admin
Create each field once at the firm level. Defined fields appear on client records for staff to fill in, which keeps the database consistent instead of per-client improvised.
Client CRM
Backfill through the import template
For an existing book, populate the new fields in the CSV/XLSX sheet and import, rather than opening records one at a time.
Client CRM
Read the fields at the point of work
The payoff is mid-call and mid-file: the custom data sits on the same client record staff already have open, next to contacts, services and status.
Client CRM
Client CRM
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Frequently asked questions
Who can create custom client fields?
Firm admins. Custom fields are defined once at the firm level and then appear on client records, so staff fill fields in rather than inventing new ones per client — the database stays one consistent shape.
Can custom fields hold CRA program account references?
Yes. Custom fields are admin-defined, so firms can use them for reference data like program account numbers or Revenu Québec file references. SpidNums does not file with CRA, so these are working references for staff — not filing credentials — kept where the rest of the client's data lives.
Why not keep this data in the old spreadsheet?
Because point-of-work visibility is the whole game. A custom field sits on the client record staff already have open mid-call; a spreadsheet is a second place to check and a second place to go stale. One home also keeps the firm-specific data next to the deadline data it explains.
See this workflow with your own client list in it.
A tailored demo walks the exact steps above with your services and deadlines.