Create a business partner
This article shows you how to create a business partner (Geschäftspartner) in the CRM module — for example a leasing company, a workshop, or an insurer — so your fleet team shares one verified record for that organization.
Before you start
Creating a partner requires the crm:manage permission, held by default by the SystemAdmin and FleetManager roles. If you can open the CRM module but the option to add a partner is missing, you likely have view-only access (crm:view).
Choose the partner type first
Every partner must be classified as one of exactly two types. Pick the type by the role the organization plays for your fleet:
- Supplier — leasing companies, workshops, tyre and glass services, fuel-card vendors, and other suppliers.
- Insurance — insurers and insurance brokers.
Note: The type is required and must be either Supplier or Insurance. A leasing company or workshop is a Supplier; only insurers use Insurance.
Create the partner
- Open the CRM module and go to the Partners list.
- Start a new partner (the "new" partner form).
- Select the partner type (Supplier or Insurance).
- Enter the name — this is the only other required field.
- Fill in the optional details you have (see the field reference below).
- Save. The partner is created as active, with a creation timestamp, and the action is recorded in the CRM audit trail.
Field reference
| Field | Required | Notes / limit |
|---|---|---|
| Partner type | Yes | Supplier or Insurance |
| Name | Yes | Up to 200 characters |
| Short name | No | Up to 100 characters; handy for long legal names |
| Tax ID (Steuernummer) | No | Up to 100 characters |
| VAT number (USt-IdNr.) | No | Up to 100 characters |
| Policy-number prefix | No | Up to 50 characters; most relevant for Insurance partners |
| Street | No | Up to 200 characters |
| Postal code | No | Up to 20 characters |
| City | No | Up to 100 characters |
| Country | No | Up to 100 characters; used by the dashboard's geographic breakdown |
| Website | No | Up to 200 characters |
| Notes | No | Up to 2000 characters |
Blank optional fields are stored as empty, and leading or trailing spaces are trimmed automatically on save.
Duplicate protection
Warning: The system rejects a new partner if one already exists with the same type and the same name. If you see "A partner with the same type and name already exists," search the Partners list first — the organization may already be recorded, possibly as inactive.
What to do next
After the partner is saved, open its detail page to add contact people and communications. For insurers, the record can also show linked insurance companies that are managed in the Versicherung module.
Related
- Edit or deactivate a partner
- Add contacts to a partner
- Record communications for a partner or contact
- Validation rules for partners and contacts
