Matter states

Within InTouch a matter can be one of 7 different states:

Lead

The matter is not yet confirmed.

When creating a new matter, you will be asked whether it should be set as lead or open.

Tip

Matters opened via a form or the data extraction tool are automatically set as leads.

Open

The matter is actively being worked on.

Tip

If a matter isn’t progressing, place it on hold to pause any scheduled alerts. Select the hold icon in the top right hand toolbar of the matter.

Completed

The transaction has concluded from a client’s perspective i.e. at completion or settlement date, but there is still work that’s required at your end.

When you complete the last outstanding task on a lead or open matter, InTouch asks whether you would like to mark the matter as completed. Select Yes to complete it, or No to leave it as it is.

Closed

The matter has fully concluded.

Note

Matters must have balanced accounts in order to be marked as closed.

Archived

The matter has fully concluded and is being stored for record keeping purposes.

Note

Matters must have balanced accounts in order to be marked as archived.

Note

There is no operational difference between archived and closed matters but using this state allows you to filter out these matters from your homepage.

Tip

Matters can be automatically changed to archived after a defined time period. Configure this setting within Settings > Organisation Settings > Advanced.

Aborted

The matter has been cancelled. The user will be prompted to provide a reason for this.

Note

Matters must have balanced accounts in order to be marked as aborted.

Caution

Aborted matters are not visible to stakeholders within the InTouch portal.

Deleted

The matter is no longer required.

The matter will be placed in a “Trash Can” and permanently deleted from InTouch after 31 days.

To restore a deleted matter, within the InTouch homepage change the state filter to ‘Trash Can’ and select the matter to be restored.

Note

Matters must have balanced accounts in order to be marked as deleted.

Note

Only certain users have permission to delete matters.

Caution

Deleted matters are not visible to stakeholders within the InTouch portal.

Changing matter state

A matter’s state can be changed manually or automatically:

Manually

1. Navigate to the matter
2. Select the Current State drop down menu on the left hand side
3. Choose the new state, such as Mark as Completed
4. Confirm the change: InTouch asks, for example, “Change this matter from Open to Completed?”. Select Change state, or Cancel to leave the matter as it was

Aborting and deleting confirm in their own way instead. Mark as Aborted asks you to provide a reason for aborting the matter, and Delete Matter asks you to confirm with Delete.

Tip

Change the state of multiple matters through the InTouch homepage. Use the checkboxes to the left of the matters and choose whether to Abort or Delete.

Automatically

A matter’s state can be automatically changed through the completion of a task. To configure this:

1. Navigate to the Matter Template
2. Select Tasks
3. Either Add a new task or select Edit on an existing task
4. Navigate to the “When this task completes” section and choose the appropriate action

Tip

We recommend changing a matter’s state at the following milestones:
- Convert to “Open” once instructions have been received
- Convert to “Completed” once completion or settlement has been reached
- Convert to “Closed” once all post completion tasks have been actioned