Client How To's
FAQ – How to track sports teams
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Q: How do I track a sports team? A: Sports teams can easily be tracked by creating a client to represent the team. Instructions Create a client for the sports team. Use the Company Name field for the team’s name. Use the First and Last Name fields to track your main contact for the team....
Attaching a File
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Attach Word docs, PDFs, spreadsheets and more to your records in Spectra/Stratus Desktop. Files can be attached to clients, sessions, invoices, orders, and tasks. What type of files do you want to attach? We can think of a few! Proposals Contracts Event planning guides Scan of a handwritten form Job sheets Attaching a File Follow...
Choosing the Client Image
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Adding an image to a client record can give you a visual reminder of who the client is. You can also add a unique image to each of a client’s sessions, giving you a quick view of their session history with your studio. The Main Client Image and Main Session Image(s) are stored in your database...
Adding Clients to a Marketing Plan
Last Updated: July 15, 2026NOTE: This feature is available in the Essential, Professional, and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop. Open a client and click the Marketing tab. This tab lists all available marketing plans in the left panel and all the plans the client belongs to in the right panel. Note: To set up your list of marketing...
Using Client Status Triggers
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Client Status Triggers NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of both Spectra and Stratus Desktop. For each client status you can also set up various triggers to automatically send emails and SMS text messages, print letters, generate phone calls, or create tasks based on the client status due date or...
Removing Clients from a Group
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Before using client groups, see Client Groups and Using Client Groups. Removing a Single Client from a Group Open the client record and click the Groups tab. Highlight one or more groups in the Client Groups Selected list on the right. Click the single left arrow (<) to move the group(s) back to the Client...
Adding Clients to a Group
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Before using client groups, see Client Groups and Using Client Groups. Adding a Single Client to a Group Open the client record and click the Groups tab. Highlight one or more groups in the list on the left. These are the groups that are currently NOT selected for the client. Click the single arrow (>)...
Printing a Client List
Last Updated: July 15, 2026You’ve got 2 options to print a client list: Client List Report or the Export to Excel option on the hub. Utilize Export to Excel option if you need more options than those available on the Client List Report. See also: Client Lists and Labels Printing Client Lists Go to Reports > Lists and Labels > Client List and...
Setting up the Client Number System
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Following these steps to set up your client numbering options: Go to Maintenance > Preferences > Company (Studio) Preferences and open the Clients tab. See also: Company (Studio) Preferences – Clients In the Client Number Options section, choose when you want the software to assign the client number. When Creating a New Client – The client number will be assigned when the client is...
Adding Family Members
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Follow these steps to add family members to a client: Open the client record. Go to the General Tab, and click the Plus (“+”) button above the grid on the right-hand side to add a family member. Fill in the information for the family member. Click OK to save the family member information. Use the...
Tracking Referrals
Last Updated: July 15, 2026A strong referral program is key to a successful business. Spectra and Stratus provide the tools you need to start tracking your own referral program. First learn how to enter referrals and then how to track them. Entering Referrals Follow these steps to enter referrals: Open the client that was referred. Click the browse button...
Importing Clients
Last Updated: July 15, 2026You can easily import client records from another program into Spectra or Stratus Desktop. The types of files the software recognizes are comma delimited text files (.txt or .csv) and Excel® spreadsheet files (.xls). To import client records, watch the video and/or follow the steps below. ATTENTION! Is one of your columns actually a checkbox in...
Merging Two Clients
Last Updated: July 15, 2026When you find duplicate clients in your database, it may be helpful to merge them. The software provides a tool for that purpose. The client merge combines information from two client records into one and then removes one of the clients from the database. Client notes are combined and all sub-records (appointments, communications, invoices, sessions,...
Deleting a Single Client
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Follow these steps to delete a client from your database: Find the client you want to delete. See also: Finding a Client Use one of the following methods to delete the client: Open the client and click Delete on the client ribbon. Select (highlight) the client on the Clients hub and click Delete on the...
Finding a Client
Last Updated: July 15, 2026You can search for a client on the Clients hub or by using the Client Search tool under the File menu. Both search options are described below. Searching the Clients Hub You can narrow down your client list or search for a specific client using the Search box on the ribbon. Click the down arrow next...
Handling Duplicate Clients
Last Updated: July 15, 2026As you add new clients to your database, there’s always the possibility you may enter a client twice. To protect against that, the software has four possible duplicate checks so you can verify that the client you’re entering is not a duplicate. Setting the Duplicate Check To set up the duplicate check, go to Maintenance >...
Creating a Client
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Follow these instructions to add a new client to your database: From any hub, click File > New > Client. Or, from most ribbons, click Client in the New group of the ribbon. Take a look at the new client form. You will see the following areas: Client Ribbon – The ribbon is where you’ll find...
Creating a Client from a Family Member
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Follow these steps to quickly create a new client from a family member. Open the “Parent” client. Right-click on the family member that should become a new client. Click the option to create a new client record. A new client record will open containing the family member’s information, along with a new client number. Note:...
Finding a Family Member
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Family Members on the Clients Hub You can customize the Clients hub to display additional family member information for each client and include family members when using the Search tool. Open the Clients hub. Click Include Family Members on the ribbon. Open the Column Chooser and check one or more family member fields (i.e., “Family...
Printing a Client Profile
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Follow these steps to print a client profile: Open the client. Use the tools on the ribbon to Print, Preview, or Export a client profile.
Using Client Status Due Date
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Not only can you create a client status, but you can assign a due date for each status. For example, you can set a due date for your “Web Inquiry” status to remind you to follow up in a timely manner. Just set the default duration of that status to the number of days you...
Using Lead Sources
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Lead sources help you track where your new clients and prospects are coming from. Did they see your work on Facebook or Pinterest? Did one of your current clients tell their friends about you? Did they pick up a card at one of your business partners? Keeping track of this information provides you with valuable...
Using Client Groups
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Using Client Groups You can use client groups to: Filter your clients Export a group of clients Print a list or set of mailing labels for a group of clients Refer to Client Groups for set up instructions prior to using client groups. Filter the Clients Hub Use your client groups to narrow down the list...
Communicating with a Client
Last Updated: July 15, 2026It’s easy to use Spectra and Stratus Desktop to communicate with your clients by email, text message, or phone! For details, start with the Communication topic.
FAQ – Membership Plans
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Q: Can I set up Spectra/Stratus to keep track of a baby or family plan? A: Yes! Here’s an example of how Spectra and Stratus make it easy to manage your membership plans: Setup Recommendations Go to Maintenance > Price List > Price Lists and add an item called “Baby Plan Membership” along with the...
Exporting Clients
Last Updated: July 15, 2026It is easy to export your entire client list, a partial list, or just a few key client records. The software exports to comma delimited text files (.txt or .csv), that can be opened by applications outside of the software. Note: The video below demonstrates how to export a group clients, as well as how to delete a group of clients. If...
Net Promoter Scores (NPS) (myStratus Only)
Last Updated: July 15, 2026NOTE: This feature is available in the Essential, Professional, and Enterprise versions of Stratus Desktop. Spectra does not include this feature. Ever received a 1-10 scoring scale from a business you visited online? “How likely are you to recommend our service to a friend or colleague?” The number you select during this survey contributes to something called...
Deleting a Group of Clients
Last Updated: July 15, 2026It may be necessary to delete a set of clients if you change locations, want to delete event lists that have already taken place, or for other organizing and maintenance reasons. The software will prevent you from deleting clients that have session, invoice, or deposit/payment records currently attached. To delete these clients, you’ll need to delete...
FAQ: How to add Allow Marketing flags
Last Updated: July 15, 2026We’ve received reports from clients about their Communication Wizard not showing all selected client records. This is most likely the result of a new 2019 setting for Allow Email Marketing. If this setting was not turned on after upgrading to 2019, it may cause some client records to not appear in the Communication Wizard. See...
Client’s Summary: YTD totals explained
Last Updated: July 15, 2026What’s the difference between Client’s YTD / Life-time Session Sales (the red box below) vs YTD / LIfe-Time Bill-to Sales (the blue box below) found on the Summary tab of the client record? HERE’S A FLASH FOR YOU! Did you know you can toggle between viewing All Invoices, Session Invoices Only, and Bill-To Invoices only?...
FAQ – How to mass update client records
Last Updated: July 15, 2026Occasionally you may find the need to update client records – say you forgot to check the box that notes a phone number is ok to send SMS too. Rather than having to manually open each record and flag the box, Stratus lets you update records by importing – updating the client records. *Examples below...