Welcome Desk: How to Add a New Client

August 24, 2026 · Serve513 Team

Someone just walked up to your desk for the very first time. Welcome! This guide shows you how to add a brand-new client to the directory and send their first visit off to the stations — all from the same search box you use for returning neighbors. It is 6 small steps, and the wizard does most of the work.

The short version: search their name, click Create a profile, fill in their details, and check them in. Their profile is saved the moment you finish — next visit, they come up in search like everyone else.

Step 1: Open the Welcome Desk

Log in and open the Service Day page, then head to the Welcome Desk station. The check-in wizard has four stops — Identify, Services, Items, Confirm — and a new client starts in the same place as a returning one: the question Who’s at the desk?

Step 2: Search first — always

Type their full name into the search box, even when they tell you they have never been here. Two reasons:

• They might already be on file. People forget, and a duplicate profile splits their history in two. If a match drops down, check it before you create anything — the returning-client card shows a date of birth you can confirm.
• The name you type becomes the new profile’s name. Typing the full name now saves you retyping it in a moment.

If nobody matches, the list says No matches — and right below it there is always a dashed row: Create a profile for “…”, marked First time at Serve513.

Step 3: Click Create a profile

Click the row. The name you typed carries straight into a new profile card, labeled with a green New tag and the note New profile · will be added to the directory. Nothing is saved yet — the profile is only created when you finish check-in, so a typo or a wrong turn here costs nothing.

Step 4: Fill in the neighbor details

The Neighbor details form is short on purpose — the desk line moves fast. Here is what each field does:

• Preferred name — what the neighbor actually goes by. It leads the card and it is the name every station sees, so ask: “What should we call you?”
• First and last name — their full name for the record.
• Birthday — type it as numbers, like 04/12/1978, so it saves onto their record. It is also the fastest way to tell two people with the same name apart next visit.
• Veteran — tap Yes or No, so the team can point them to everything they qualify for.
• Additional needs — tap any that apply: Mobility, Vision, Hearing, or Other.

Missing something? That’s fine. Only the name is needed to continue — the note under the form says it plainly: details can be updated later.

Step 5: Save & add services

Click Save & add services at the bottom of the page. The wizard moves to Step 2 with your new neighbor pinned at the top, tagged first visit. Now tap any combination of what they need today — Showers, Haircuts, Clothing, Hygiene. Picking Clothing adds an extra stop where you choose items and sizes.

Wrong person pinned up top? Change neighbor takes you back to the search box without saving anything.

Step 6: Review and send

The last stop shows the whole visit on one card — the neighbor, marked First visit, and every service you picked, each with an Edit link if something needs a tweak. When it looks right, click Confirm & send.

This click does two things at once: it saves the new profile to the directory and sends today’s visit to the stations. The confirmation screen says it back to you — Profile created · checked in — then point your neighbor to their first station and click Return to intake for the next person in line.

That’s it!

Speaking of next time: when they come back, the flow is even shorter — see Welcome Desk: How to Find a Returning Client. And if you get stuck mid-line, grab a team lead at the desk or use the Contact link at the top of any page. Thanks for making a great first impression!