Difference between Lead, Contact, and Customer
A Lead, Contact, and Customer represent different parts of a relationship in ERPNext. Use the record that matches the party's current role instead of treating the three DocTypes as interchangeable.
Lead
A Lead is an unqualified person or organization that may become a customer. Use a Lead while your sales team is still confirming the requirement, interest, timing, or fit.
A Lead can be converted into an Opportunity and, when appropriate, a Customer.
Contact
A Contact is a person with communication details such as email addresses and phone numbers. A Contact can be linked to a Customer, Supplier, Lead, or another party.
Creating a Contact does not create a customer account or accounting relationship. Use Contacts to store the people your team communicates with at an organization.
Customer
A Customer is the commercial party used in selling and accounting transactions. Quotations, Sales Orders, Delivery Notes, Sales Invoices, pricing, credit controls, Addresses, and Contacts can be linked to the Customer.
Create a Customer when the party is sufficiently qualified and your process needs a reusable customer account.
Comparison
| Record | Represents | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | An unqualified prospect | Interest has been captured but the party still needs qualification |
| Contact | A person and their communication details | You need to record the individual you communicate with |
| Customer | The party you sell to | You need sales transactions, pricing, delivery, billing, or accounting history |
Common workflow
- Capture an enquiry as a Lead.
- Qualify the requirement and create an Opportunity.
- Create or select the Customer when a customer account is required.
- Link the relevant Contacts and Addresses to the Customer.
- Continue with a Quotation or Sales Order.
You can also create an Opportunity directly for an existing Customer. A Contact may be linked to multiple organizations when the same person legitimately represents more than one party.