Track referral introductions without exposing customer details

Decide what the tracker must answer

Choose the operational questions: who should respond, whether contact is welcome, what service is requested and what happened next. The tracker does not need a complete personal history to answer those questions.

Separate source attribution from customer information. A partner code or name can identify the introduction route without placing private details into a public link or widely shared report.

Use a permission checkpoint

Ask the person making an introduction whether the prospective customer has agreed, or have the customer contact you directly. Record the contact status in ordinary language rather than assuming that possession of an email address establishes permission.

If permission is unclear, ask for a forwarded offer link instead of contacting the person. This preserves a useful referral route while letting the individual choose their next step.

Build a minimal record

Use fields for received date, source, requested service, contact status, assigned owner, fit status, next action and known outcome. Keep detailed job information in an appropriately restricted place when it is actually needed.

Choose a small status list that distinguishes introduced, awaiting customer contact, suitable enquiry, quoted and completed. Do not mark a person won because someone else suggested their name.

Separate internal and partner views

Keep internal notes and personal details in a restricted file. A partner update should contain only what is useful and approved, such as aggregate counts or that a permitted introduction has been received.

Do not rely on hiding a spreadsheet tab to protect internal notes. Check file-level and folder permissions, and create a separate limited-access document when audiences need different information.

Review outcomes and stale entries

Assign a person to check waiting introductions and next actions. Close a record when the person declines or the request is no longer relevant. Establish a practical retention review so old contacts do not remain indefinitely by habit.

Use known outcomes only. An unanswered request may be unresolved rather than lost, and a forwarded link may never become an identifiable enquiry.

Audit the sharing process

Test the partner-facing view with an account that has only the intended access. Check links, attachments and inherited folder permissions. Confirm that a change to the internal tracker does not accidentally expose new columns.

Measure suitable enquiries and completed work by source, while preserving uncertainty. A small number of referrals can support a process review without proving which partner is best.

Illustrative partner-introduction record

A hypothetical decorator offers to introduce an organizer to a customer. The customer agrees to a joint introduction email. The organizer records source, permission confirmed, requested room and next action, with detailed contact information kept in the restricted enquiry file.

The partner receives an approved receipt acknowledgement, while an internal note about scheduling remains private. A later summary reports three introductions and two suitable enquiries without listing customers. These figures are illustrative and show record separation, not measured partner performance.

Questions about this task