CRM for Private Investigators

• The problem

  A new client describes the case on the phone, and half of the details never reach the investigator.

  In Kompot.ai

  The call is recorded and transcribed on the new contact. Intake facts — case type, who the subject is, what the client needs established, how they may be contacted — go into custom fields, and the case opens as an opportunity that moves from intake to agreement to field work.

• The problem

  Work begins on a handshake, and the confidentiality and retainer agreements are signed afterward, if at all.

  In Kompot.ai

  Send both agreements from templates with the client's details merged in — by email, by link or as a QR code at the first meeting. The client signs on a phone, the audit trail records when, and the PDFs are on their record before any field work is assigned.

• The problem

  The retainer is used up in the field, and the client hears about it only with the final bill.

  In Kompot.ai

  Invoice the retainer with a payment link before work starts, and the payment is recorded against it. Later invoices are itemized from your price list — surveillance hours, mileage, report preparation — so the client sees what the retainer covered, and unpaid balances are flagged as overdue.

• The problem

  Surveillance is split between investigators, and the office does not know who covers which evening.

  In Kompot.ai

  Each field assignment is a job with its type, the investigators assigned, a time window and an address, shown on the shared calendar. The investigator opens it in a phone's browser, reads the brief, and attaches photos and notes to the job when the shift ends.

• The problem

  The final report is pieced together from photos in someone's phone and notes scattered across notebooks and chats.

  In Kompot.ai

  Field notes, photos and files are already attached to the jobs of the case, and the jobs, tasks and invoices sit in one project. The report is written from that record, attached as a file and sent to the client or their attorney from the same conversation history.

What you keep on record

Case intake

Case type, subject details, the objective and the client's preferred way to be contacted, as custom fields on their record.

Signed agreements

Confidentiality and retainer agreements signed electronically, with the audit trail and PDF, on the client.

Field assignments

Jobs with investigators, time windows, addresses, notes and photos, grouped in the case project.

Case expenses

Fuel, parking and database fees entered as expenses from a photo of the receipt, so none are missing when you prepare the final invoice.

Questions owners ask

Who on my team can see a client's case?

Permissions work per section of the system, not per case. You decide which roles may open contacts, jobs, documents, invoices and reports, so a contract investigator can work with field assignments and be kept out of invoices and reports. One client's file cannot be hidden from a single staff member.

Can a client sign the confidentiality and retainer agreements remotely?

Yes. Both are document templates with merge fields. Send them by email or by link, or show a QR code at the meeting: the client signs from a phone, every step goes into the audit trail, and you export the signed copy as a PDF.

How do I bill a retainer and then the hours and expenses?

The retainer goes out as an invoice with a payment link, and the client pays by card through Stripe or PayPal. Later invoices are built from your price list of hourly rates and fees, with quantities you enter. Kompot.ai does not clock surveillance hours for you.

Can investigators add notes and photos from the field?

Yes. Kompot.ai runs in a phone's browser. An investigator opens the assigned job from the car, reads the brief and attaches photos, video files and notes. All of it shows up at once on the case the office is working from.