Managing spouses or partners

The best way to keep track of spouses depends on how much you deal with each partner, and what type of information you collect for them. Here's how to manage spouses or partners:

Using a single contact record with existing fields.

• This option is best if you primarily interact with one partner in the relationship, and provides a single record of reference so the history is together in one place, while still tracking names of both partners.
• Enter both spouse names into the single existing "Name" field. For example "Jonathan & Susan Anderson." Use the remaining fields to enter their respective email addresses and phone numbers.

Using a single contact record with additional custom fields.

• This option is best if you speak with both spouses on a shared set of topics. It provides a single record of reference for history, while allowing you to track unique details for each spouse separately.
• Enter the primary spouse's details in the default contact fields, and create custom fields for things like "Spouse name" and "Spouse birthday."
• Please note: if you create additional fields for "Spouse email" the click-to-email option will not work on that custom field. Similarly, a custom field for "Spouse phone" will not work with click-to-call.

Using separate contact records, connected by a company record.

• This option is best if you want to see the history of both spouses in one place, but still need a separate record for each person.
• Create a contact record for each different partner, entering all of the relevant details on each contact.
• In each contact's "Company name" field, enter the name of the household, such as "Smith Household." 
• This will create a company record for the household, and you'll be able to see all history from each person from the company record.

Using separate contact records, connected by a relationship.

• This option is best if you speak with both partners regarding separate topics, or if you worked with one partner prior to their marriage. Separate records allow you to track the unique history for each partner and reference any sensitive topics separately.
• Create a contact record for each different partner, entering all of the relevant details on each contact. Then, create a relationship to connect the two.
• The relationship will appear as a tag on both records for reference, and you can click on the other spouse's name in the relationship to jump to that record.

Using separate contact records, connected by a custom contact link field.

• This option is best if you work with a large number of spouses, and often speak with each spouse regarding separate topics.
• Create a custom contact link field to track the spouse or partner name.
• Create a contact record for each different partner, entering all of the relevant details on each record. In the new custom field, search for the other partner's name and select them. Repeat that process on the other spouse.
• The relationship will appear under the "Contact info" section of each spouse and you can click on the other spouse's name to jump to that record.