All client-related screens in A4W include a finder control at the top of the screen. The system also remembers the last client you worked with, so you can quickly access their details across different screens without re-entering search criteria.
Basic search
Navigate to Clients > Client Details (or use the toolbar icon).
In the Select by dropdown, choose how you want to search: Name, Reference, or NI Number.
In the Search for box, type your search term. You do not need to enter the full name — the system searches for partial matches.
Click Find.
A list of matching clients is displayed. Scroll through the results if needed.
Double-click a client or click Select to open their record.
📌Note: The client's name appears at the top of the A4W screen, indicating they are now the active client. You can open other screens (such as Client Enquiry) and click Find to load the same client without re-searching.
Advanced search
Use the advanced search when you do not know the exact name or spelling, or need to search across multiple criteria.
Navigate to Clients > Client Search (or use the toolbar icon).
Use up to 8 search criteria to narrow your results. For each criterion, select the field (such as Last Name, Date of Birth, Address, or Post Code), a comparison operator (such as Starts with, Contains, or Between), and the value to search for.
Click Find to run the search.
Double-click a matching client to select them.
Search operators
Operator | Use for |
Contains | Finding text anywhere in a field - useful for names and addresses. |
Starts with | Finding records beginning with specific text. |
Equal to | Exact match - use with caution as it is case-sensitive. |
Between | Date or value ranges, such as date of birth between two dates. |
Greater than / Less than | Finding records above or below a value. |
🤓 Tip: If the search returns too many results, add more criteria to narrow it down. If it returns nothing, try relaxing your criteria — for example, use Contains instead of Equal to.