> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.shortcutco.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.shortcutco.com/readme/leads-prospects-customers/customer-tags.md).

# Customer tags (create, apply, filter)

Tags are your own labels for customers — **VIP**, **Gate code**, **Corner lot**, **Do not text** — so you can mark what matters to your business and find those customers anywhere. [Open Tag settings →](https://shortcutco.com/settings/tags)

## What tags do

* One shared list for your company — create a tag once, use it on any customer
* Show on the **customer profile** and in the **estimate builder**, so context travels with the customer
* Power **Tags filters** on Customers, Jobs, and Dispatch
* **Internal only** — customers and crew never see tags (not on proposals, invoices, the customer portal, or the worker app)

## Where tags show up

* **Customer profile** — tag chips in the contact card, with an **+ Add tag** button.
* **Estimate builder** — the same tag chips while you're quoting, so notes like **Senior discount** are in front of you when it counts.
* **Customers list** — each row shows a tag pill (up to three names, then **+N**). Add or remove tags right from the row.
* **Jobs list** — job rows show the customer's tags, so you can spot **VIP** work at a glance.
* **Dispatch** — filter the day's plan by tags; saved views remember the filter.
* **Settings → Tags** — the one place to create, rename, and delete tags for everyone.

## Create and manage tags

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open Tag settings

Go to [Settings → Tags](https://shortcutco.com/settings/tags) (under **Company Setup**).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Create a tag

Click **New tag**, type a name (up to 60 characters), and click **Add tag**.

Names are unique ignoring case and extra spaces — **VIP** and **vip** are the same tag, so you'll see "A tag with this name already exists." instead of a duplicate.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

From the same page you can also:

* **Rename** (pencil icon) — the new name updates everywhere the tag is used: every customer, every list, every filter.
* **Delete** (trash icon) — Shortcut shows how many customers the tag is on before you confirm.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Deleting a tag removes it from **all** customers and from any filters using it — including saved Dispatch views. There's no undo; if you delete one by mistake, recreate it and re-apply it.
{% endhint %}

## Tag a customer

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open the tag picker

Three ways in:

* On a **customer profile**, click **+ Add tag** in the contact card.
* In the **estimate builder**, click **+ Add tag** next to the customer's details.
* In the [Customers list](https://shortcutco.com/customers), click the dashed **+** button on the row.
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Pick or create

Search the list and click a tag to apply it (a checkmark shows it's on). Click a checked tag to take it off.

If nothing matches what you typed, click **Create "…"** (or press **Enter**) — the tag is created and applied in one step, and it's added to the shared list in Settings for next time.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

**To remove a tag:** hover a chip (profile/estimate) or a name in the row pill (Customers list) and click the **×**, or untick it in the picker. On a phone or tablet, use the picker or the profile chips.

## Filter by tags

* **Customers** — open the filters, choose **Tags**, and pick one or more. The list shows customers with **any** of the selected tags.
* **Jobs** — same **Tags** filter; jobs match when their **customer** has the tag. Tag the customer once and every one of their jobs is filterable — nothing to set per job.
* **Dispatch** — filter the plan by **Tags** to focus the day (e.g., only **VIP** stops). Saved views keep the tag filter, so a "VIP day" view is one click.

{% hint style="info" %}
Tags and the pipeline views (**All / Needs estimate / Estimate pending / Needs scheduling / Scheduled**) stack: pick a view, then add a tag filter to work one slice — e.g., **Needs scheduling** + **Prepaid**.
{% endhint %}

## Common questions

<details>

<summary>“Do my customers or crew see tags?”</summary>

No. Tags are internal to the office. They never appear on proposals, invoices, the customer portal, or the worker app.

</details>

<details>

<summary>“Who can create and apply tags?”</summary>

Admins. Creating, renaming, deleting, applying, and removing tags are all admin actions — workers can't change them.

</details>

<details>

<summary>“Why does the Jobs list show tags I never added to the job?”</summary>

Tags live on the **customer**, and every job inherits them. That's the point — tag once, and all of that customer's work is findable.

</details>

<details>

<summary>“I renamed a tag — do I need to re-apply it?”</summary>

No. Renaming updates the same tag everywhere it's used, instantly. Only deleting detaches it from customers.

</details>

<details>

<summary>“What's the difference between tags and the views at the top of Customers?”</summary>

Views are Shortcut's pipeline stages (who needs an estimate, who needs scheduling). Tags are **your** labels — anything Shortcut can't know, like **Gate code** or **Slow payer**. Use them together.

</details>

{% hint style="info" %}
Still stuck? Email **<hello@shortcutco.com>** with the tag name and a screenshot of what you're seeing.
{% endhint %}