Use Relationship Types to define the kinds of relationships users can create between contacts in InterAction+ AI. Firm Administrators manage these settings in Firm Settings, where they can create new relationship types, edit existing ones, control who can create each type, and define how the forward and converse relationship names appear.
On This Page
- What Relationship Types Are
- Who Can Manage Relationship Types
- What You Can Configure
- Categories, Permissions, and Status
- Create a Relationship Type
- Edit a Relationship Type
- Guidelines for Defining Relationship Types
- How Specific Relationship Types Should Be
What Relationship Types Are
Relationship Types define how one contact is related to another contact. Several relationship types are provided with InterAction+ AI, and administrators can add more when their organization needs to track additional types of connections.
A relationship type can be configured for the following contact combinations:
- Person to Person
- Company to Person
- Person to Company
- Company to Company
These settings control which relationship types are available when users add a relationship to a contact.
Who Can Manage Relationship Types
Only administrators can manage Relationship Types because this setting is located in Firm Settings.
What You Can Configure
The Add Relationship Type popup includes two tabs: General and Name Format.
On the General tab, administrators can configure:
- Name and Description
- Valid for: Person to Person, Company to Person, Person to Company, and Company to Company
- Permission to create a relationship of this type: Everyone or a selected user group
- Category: Create New or select from an existing category
- Converse Relationship: Create New or Converse to Self
- Former value: Does not apply or Former value is applicable for this relationship
- Strength of Relationship: User sets the value, Automatically sets as very strong, or Automatically sets as not strong
- Active checkbox
On the Name Format tab, administrators define how the relationship appears to users:
- Forward Relationship: Name and Sentence
- Converse Relationship: Name and Sentence
Only relationship types that are both active and valid for the selected contact combination appear to users.
Categories, Permissions, and Status
When you create a relationship type, you can create a new category or assign the type to an existing category. Available categories may include Employment, Acquaintance, Service Relationship, Miscellaneous, Board Membership, Organization Membership, Charitable Organization, Company Structure, System, Education, Key Contact, and Fund Management.
Permissions control who can create the relationship type in day-to-day use. Choose Everyone when the type should be broadly available, or limit it to a specific user group when the relationship type should be used only by selected users.
Status determines whether users can select the relationship type. Active types are available to users. Inactive types remain available for administrators to review or update, but are not available for new relationship mapping. The Relationship Types page uses the Kendo grid, so administrators can filter and review relationship types in a consistent grid experience.
Create a Relationship Type
You must be a Firm Administrator to create a relationship type.
1. In InterAction+ AI, go to Firm Settings > Relationship Management > Relationship Type.
2. Select +Create Relationship Type.
3. On the General tab, enter the Name and Description.
4. Under Valid for, select the contact combinations that this relationship type supports.
5. Under Permission to create a Relationship of this Type, choose Everyone or select a User Group.
6. Under Category, create a new category or select an existing one.
7. Choose the Converse Relationship option. Select Create New if the reverse relationship needs its own name or select Converse to Self if the same term should be used for both sides.
8. Set the Former value option.
9. Choose how the Strength of Relationship value should be set.
10. Select the Active checkbox if the relationship type should be available right away.
11. Open the Name Format tab. Enter the Name and Sentence for the Forward Relationship and the Converse Relationship.
12. Select Save.
The new relationship type appears in the Relationship Types list. If it is active, users can select it when they create a matching relationship.
Edit a Relationship Type
1. In InterAction+ AI, go to Firm Settings > Relationship Management > Relationship Type.
2. Find the relationship type that you want to update.
3. Select the pencil icon to Edit the relationship type.
4. Update the settings on the General tab or Name Format tab as needed.
5. Select Save.
The updated relationship type is available based on its current status, permissions, and supported contact combinations.
Guidelines for Defining Relationship Types
Use the following guidelines as you identify any additional relationship types your organization needs to track:
- Make each side of the relationship easy to identify. For example, use Parent and Subsidiary instead of using the same generic term for both sides.
- A relationship type can be the converse of itself. For example, the converse of Acquaintance can also be Acquaintance.
- Use specific relationship types when users are likely to search for that relationship later.
- Avoid creating so many detailed relationship types that the list becomes difficult for users to understand.
- When available in your configuration, provide a custom description label so users know what kind of additional information to enter.
- Get feedback on the list of types you plan to use before you complete deployment.
How Specific Relationship Types Should Be
Although you can create a large number of detailed relationship types, that level of detail is not always necessary. Specific types are most useful when users need to search reliably. For example, it is more reliable to search for contacts with a Board Member relationship than to search for a general relationship type and rely on description text.
On the other hand, some information may be better handled with a broader relationship type. For example, many organizations do not need separate relationship types for husband, wife, parent, and child. A broader type such as Relative or Other Relationship may be enough, especially when users are more likely to browse that information than search for it.
As a general rule, use a specific type when users are likely to search on the relationship. Use a broader type when the information is more nice to know than search-critical.