> ## 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.
# Add and manage customer notes
> Leave short notes on a customer record so your team remembers preferences, promises, and follow-up without digging through messages.
Use this guide when your team needs to remember something about a customer that does not belong in a name, phone, or address field.
Notes live on the customer record in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts). They help the next teammate understand context quickly—without searching through [Inbox](/docs/inbox/overview) or guessing from memory.
## What you will accomplish
* Add a note on a customer record from the **Customer Notes** section.
* Choose whether a note is **Customer visible** or **Internal only**.
* Read notes from the customer page and from the combined activity feed.
* Know what belongs in a note versus a tag, CRM field, or Inbox message.
## When to use customer notes
* A customer prefers email over text, or only wants calls for urgent issues.
* Your team promised a follow-up that is not yet on the calendar.
* A tour, inspection, or paperwork step finished and the next person needs context.
* An assistant or spouse handles scheduling—you want that written where every teammate can see it.
**Notes are not text messages**
Notes are for your **team's memory** on the customer record. They do not send a text or email to the customer. To message a customer, use [Inbox](/docs/inbox/overview).
## Before you start
* The customer already exists in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts).
* You know whether the note should be visible to the customer in the portal (**Customer visible**) or only to staff (**Internal only**).
* Keep notes short and factual. Avoid storing passwords, gate codes, or payment card numbers in notes.
## Open the Customer Notes section
Click **Contacts** in the left sidebar, then open the customer—for example from [All Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts/all).
On the customer detail page, scroll past **CRM Information** until you see the **Customer Notes** card.
**Expected result:** You see existing notes (if any), who wrote them, and how long ago they were added.
***Customer Notes** appears on every customer record. Notes show the author, time, and whether the customer can see them in the portal.*
## Add a note
In the **Customer Notes** section, click **Add Note** in the top-right corner of the card.
Type what the next teammate needs to know.
Good examples:
* "Prefers email for scheduling. Do not text unless urgent."
* "Tour completed May 18. Waiting on signed storage agreement for the Huracan."
* "Assistant Jordan handles all pickup times—see Additional Contacts."
**Why this matters:** The best notes answer one question: "What should the next person do or avoid?"
Below the text box, pick one option:
* **Customer visible** — the customer may see this note in the portal (use for friendly reminders they already know).
* **Internal only** — only staff on your team can see the note (use for internal preferences and follow-up).
**Why this matters:** **Internal only** keeps scheduling preferences and staff reminders off the customer portal. Use **Customer visible** only for notes you would say politely to the customer in person.
**Expected result:** The toggle highlights the option you chose.
Click **Add note** to save.
**Expected result:** The new note appears at the top of the **Customer Notes** list with your name and a **Just now** or time label.
*Choose **Customer visible** or **Internal only** before you save. When unsure, use **Internal only**.*
## Read notes from the activity feed
Customer notes also appear in the customer's **Activity** timeline alongside messages, invoices, and schedule changes. This helps your team see notes in context with everything else that happened on the account.
On the same customer record, find the **Activity Feed** section (usually on the right side of the page on a wide screen).
**Expected result:** Recent events appear at the top—messages, billing, schedule changes, and notes your team added.
Notes show up as their own lines in the timeline, often with the author's name and whether the note was **Internal only** or **Customer visible**.
**Why this matters:** A porter might add a note about parking preferences while a billing teammate adds one about payment timing. Activity puts both in one place so the next caller sees the full story.
*Notes appear in the Activity Feed together with messages and billing—use **View all** when you need to search a longer history.*
If many events exist, click **View all** to open the full **Customer activity** page.
**Expected result:** Notes appear in time order with other customer events. You can filter to **Notes** or search by keyword on that page.
For a full walkthrough of the activity timeline, see [Review customer activity and history](/docs/contacts/review-customer-activity-and-history).
## Delete a note
Only remove a note when it is outdated or was added by mistake.
Scroll to the note you want to remove.
Click the small **trash** icon on the right side of the note row.
**Expected result:** The note disappears from the list. This cannot be undone—copy important text elsewhere first if you might need it later.
## What belongs in a note vs other fields
| If you need to… | Use this instead |
| - | - |
| Label a customer (VIP, winter storage) | [Manage contact tags and CRM fields](/docs/contacts/manage-contact-tags) |
| Change phone, email, or address | [Edit customer details](/docs/contacts/edit-customer-details) |
| Message the customer | [Inbox](/docs/inbox/overview) |
| Track what car they want to buy | [Track customer market interests](/docs/contacts/track-customer-market-interests) |
| Log a phone call or text thread | [Inbox](/docs/inbox/overview) — messages stay in the conversation timeline |
## What success looks like
* New teammates can open a customer and understand preferences without asking around.
* Internal-only notes stay off the customer portal.
* Customer-visible notes match what you would say politely to the customer in person.
## Troubleshooting
**I do not see Customer Notes**
Scroll further down the customer page—it sits below **CRM Information**. If you still do not see it, confirm you opened a **customer** record, not a [vendor](/docs/contacts/work-with-vendor-contacts) record.
**The customer says they see a note they should not**
Edit your process: use **Internal only** for staff preferences. Customer-visible notes may appear in the portal.
**Add note is grayed out**
Type at least one character in the note box. The **Add note** button stays disabled until there is text to save.
## What to do next
* [Review customer activity and history](/docs/contacts/review-customer-activity-and-history) — see notes together with messages and billing.
* [Manage additional contacts](/docs/contacts/manage-additional-contacts) — add assistants or spouses when notes mention who handles scheduling.
* [Respond to a conversation](/docs/inbox/respond-to-a-conversation) — reply to the customer when they need a real message, not just an internal note.
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.