The Client Group feature allows you to manage groups of clients for roster creation, shift automation, and billing in a more efficient way. This article explains how Client Groups work and how they are used in Sygnal Web and Mobile.
1. Client Group Overview
What is a Client Group?
A Client Group allows users to group up to 100 clients together under a single logical group. This enables efficient shift creation, automated future-shift generation and easier management of clients who receive the same service (time, staff, fund type and price point).
Where can I find the Client Groups menu?
You can access Client Groups under:
Clients > Client Groups
This sub-menu is only visible to users with the appropriate permissions.
What permissions are required?
In the Role module under the Client section, two new permissions are available:
- View Client Groups
- Manage Client Groups
Users with these permissions can view, create, and manage Client Groups and their associated clients.
How is the client list filtered when creating a Client Group?
The client list is automatically filtered based on the logged-in user’s assigned subsidiaries. Only clients belonging to those subsidiaries and meeting the validation rules will be available for selection.
What validations are applied when selecting clients?
For a client to appear for selection in a Client Group, all of the following must be true:
- The client has an active debtor set as default.
- The client has an active agreement.
- The agreement expiry date is valid for the group’s usage period.
If a client does not meet these criteria, they will not be available for selection in the Client Group view.
Is there a maximum number of clients per group?
Yes. Each Client Group can contain a maximum of 100 clients.
What happens when a Client Group has an expiry date?
If a group is configured with an expiry date and that date is reached:
- Users cannot assign new clients to the group.
- Users cannot edit the group.
Where can I see which Client Groups a client belongs to?
On the Client Profile view header, all assigned Client Groups will be displayed. If the client belongs to multiple groups, all group names will be shown.
2. Behaviour When Adding, Removing, or Deactivating Client Groups
What happens when a new client is added to an active Client Group?
When a new client is added to an existing active Client Group:
- The system automatically creates new shifts for that client for all future-dated shifts associated with the group.
- Historical (past) shifts are not created or updated.
- The new client shifts inherit all shift-level configurations from the existing group shifts, including:
- Time
- Staff
- Fund Type
- Price Point
What happens when a client is removed from an active Client Group?
When a client is removed from an active Client Group:
- All future shifts associated with that client (created through the group) are deleted automatically.
- Past shifts remain unchanged for record-keeping and reporting.
What happens when a Client Group is deactivated?
When a Client Group is deactivated:
- All future shifts associated with that group and its clients are deleted automatically.
- Past shifts created from the group remain for audit and reporting purposes.
3. Client Group Selection for Shift Creation
How do I select a Client Group when creating a shift?
In the roster creation interface, a toggle labelled “Select Client Groups” is available.
- When the toggle is OFF, the standard single-client selection behaves as normal.
- When the toggle is ON:
- The standard client selection field is disabled.
- A single-selection Client Group dropdown is displayed.
Can I select individual clients and Client Groups at the same time?
No. Client and Client Group selections are mutually exclusive. Only one mode can be used per shift (either individual client or Client Group).
How is the Client Group dropdown filtered?
The Client Group dropdown shows only Active Client Groups filtered by:
- The selected Subsidiary.
- The shift start and end date/time.
- Group expiry date is greater than or equal to the shift end date.
If the user changes the Subsidiary or Shift Time, any selected Client Group is reset and the list is refreshed. Groups are listed in alphabetical order by Group Name.
What happens to the Client Location fields when a Client Group is selected?
When “Select Client Groups” is enabled and a group is selected:
- The Add Client Location button is hidden.
- A manual address entry field is displayed for entering and selecting the address.
Are there any fund type restrictions for Aged Care Client Groups?
Yes. For the Aged Care client type, when “Select Client Groups” is enabled, only the following fund types are available:
- Home Support Ongoing (ON)
- Care Management (CM)
For other client types (NDIS, iCare, Private), there are no fund type restrictions.
Does staff selection change when using Client Groups?
No. Staff selection remains the same as in standard shift creation. If KM (kilometre) configuration applies, it behaves as before.
How is the financial (billing) section handled for Client Groups?
For Client Group shifts:
- There is no client-wise financial breakdown in the shift creation screen.
- Only shift type-wise and time-wise breakdown is available.
- The system auto-assigns Default Debtors for each client in the group, provided each client has an active default debtor and an active agreement.
- If a client’s debtor or agreement becomes inactive after the Client Group is created, that client will be automatically removed from the group.
- A single Price List and Price Point is selected and applied to all clients in the group.
Users can still split shifts or change the billing template and apply price points at the shift level if required.
4. Client Group Shifts with Recurrence & Drag and Drop
Can I create recurring shifts for Client Groups?
No. Users cannot create recurrence for Client Group shifts in the same way as regular shifts.
Can I drag and drop Client Group shifts in the roster creation screen?
No. Users cannot drag and drop Client Group shifts in the roster creation screen.
5. Roster Calendar View and Approval for Client Group Shifts
How are Client Group shifts displayed in the Roster Calendar (Resource View)?
In the Roster Calendar – Resource View:
- A single consolidated shift is displayed for the Client Group.
- The Group Name is displayed as the client's name on the roster card.
- Client Group-created shifts are indicated by a purple line at the bottom of each roster card.
- All existing shift colour logic and indication icons remain unchanged.
- The approval flow and the report generation will remain the same, and each client-wise record will be created for the reports.
How are Client Group shifts displayed in Client View or Subsidiary View?
In Client View or Subsidiary View:
- Each client’s shift is displayed individually.
- All associated clients belonging to the group will have their own roster records.
What happens when I unpublish or delete a Client Group shift?
When actions are taken on Client Group shifts:
- If the user unpublishes or deletes the shift from the Resource View, all client-associated (group-associated) shifts will be unpublished or deleted from the system.
- If the user deletes the shift from the Client View, only that specific client’s shift will be deleted.
- If the user cancels the shift for the group, all shifts associated with that group instance will be cancelled.
For any questions or implementation support, contact Sygnal Tech Support.