Matter lifecycle
Within InTouch a matter can be one of 6 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.
Matters opened via a form are automatically set as leads.
Open
The matter is actively being worked on.
If a matter isn't progressing, place it on hold to pause any scheduled alerts. Select the settings cog to the right hand side of the matter > Place on Hold.
Completed
The transaction has concluded.
Matters will be automatically set to complete when all tasks are marked as complete.
Archived
Completed matters are automatically converted to archived after 28 days.
There is no operational difference between archived and completed matters.
You can change this timeframe in Settings > Organisation Settings > Advanced.
Aborted
The matter has been cancelled. The user will be prompted to provide a reason for this.
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.
Deleted matters are not visible to stakeholders within the InTouch portal.
Changing matter state
A matters state can be changed manually or automatically:
Manually
- Navigate to the matter
- Select the Current State drop down menu on the left hand side
- Choose the appropriate State
- If choosing Aborted, provide a reason for aborting the matter
Only matters with balanced accounts can be aborted or deleted.
Only certain users have permission to delete matters.
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
The matter state can be automatically changed through the completion of a task. To configure this:
- Navigate to the Matter Template
- Select Tasks
- Either Add a new task or select Edit on an existing task
- Scroll to the section "When this task completes" and select the appropriate action
A great time to automatically convert a matter to open is when you have been instructed by a client.
