Global Search and Command Palette
The Search bar in MaidCentral Pulse lets you find any record in seconds. Instead of clicking through menus, you type a name or keyword and jump directly to the result. You can also trigger common actions like adding a customer or scheduling a job without leaving your current page.
Who Can Access This
| Role | Access Level |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Full access |
| Office Manager | Full access |
| Sales | Full access |
| HR Admin | Full access |
| Payroll Admin | Full access |
| Field Technician | No access |
| Customer | Full access |
If you don't see the Search bar, Global Search may not be enabled for your company. Contact your administrator to check your feature settings.
Overview
The Search bar sits in the center of the top header bar on every page. Clicking it (or pressing the keyboard shortcut) opens the command palette — a pop-up panel that combines search results and quick actions in one place.
When you start typing, the palette searches across six types of records at the same time:
- Customers — active and inactive customer accounts, matched by name, phone number, email address, or street address
- Leads — prospects in your sales pipeline
- Homes — service addresses linked to customers
- Jobs — scheduled, in-progress, and completed jobs
- Technicians — your field team members
- Reports — named reports in your report library
Results appear grouped by type so you can quickly spot what you are looking for. Each result shows the name, a subtitle with extra context (such as an address or phone number), and a status badge where relevant. All server-matched results appear in the list — the palette does not filter or hide matches after they arrive from the server.
The palette also surfaces Quick Actions — shortcuts for creating new records or sending messages. These appear at the top of the list and depend on your role and your company's enabled features.
How to Open Search
You can open the command palette in two ways:
- Click the Search... bar in the center of the top header.
- Press ⌘K on Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows from anywhere in the app.
The palette opens instantly and your cursor is placed in the search field automatically.
How to Search for a Record
- Open the command palette using the Search... bar or ⌘K / Ctrl+K.
- Type at least three characters. This can be a customer name, phone number, email address, street address, job number, or any keyword.
- Results appear grouped by type — Customers, Leads, Homes, Jobs, Technicians, and Reports.
- Use the arrow keys to move through the list, or click any result directly.
- Press Enter or click a result to open that record.
The palette shows up to three results per category. If you see fewer results than you expect, try a more specific search term.
How to Use Quick Actions from the Palette
When the command palette is open, Quick Actions appear at the top of the list. You can also search for them by typing a keyword like "new customer" or "schedule job."
Available Quick Actions depend on your permissions and your company's settings:
- New Customer: opens the Add Contact drawer, or the Full-Page Estimate if your company doesn't use Add Contact.
- New Lead: opens the Add Contact drawer with Lead selected, or the Full-Page Estimate if your company doesn't use Add Contact.
- New Technician: opens the new technician form.
- Schedule Job: opens the schedule job form. Keyboard shortcut: ⌘J / Ctrl+J
- Schedule Event: opens the schedule event form.
- Send Message: takes you to the Messages page.
- New Automation: opens the automation builder.
See Command Palette for the feature and permission each action needs.
If an action does not appear, your role may not have permission to perform that action, or the related feature may not be enabled for your company.
Navigating Pages from the Palette
When the palette is open with no search text, it shows a list of the main pages in the app under Pages and Sections & Settings. You can click any page to go there directly. This is a fast alternative to using the sidebar when you know exactly where you want to go.
When you type a search term, matching pages and settings sections also appear in the results so you can navigate and search at the same time.
Keyboard Shortcuts Inside the Palette
Once the command palette is open, these keyboard controls apply:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Type any text | Search records and actions |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move up or down through results |
| Enter | Open the selected result or run the selected action |
| Esc | Close the palette |
The palette footer shows a reminder of these controls.
Tips and Best Practices
- Use ⌘K / Ctrl+K as your default way to navigate. It is almost always faster than browsing the sidebar.
- Search by phone number, email address, or street address when you do not remember a customer's name. All three fields are matched against the customer database.
- Type an action keyword (for example, "add customer") instead of clicking the Quick Action button — the palette finds it immediately.
- The palette remembers your place on the page. When you close it, you return exactly where you were.
- Results are cached briefly so repeated searches for the same term respond quickly.
- Keyboard shortcuts like ⌘J work anywhere in the app, not just inside the palette. You do not need to open the palette first.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Solution |
|---|---|
| The Search bar is missing | Global Search may be disabled for your company. Contact your administrator. |
| Typing returns no results | You need at least three characters to trigger a search. Try typing more of the name, phone number, email, or address. |
| A record I know exists does not appear | Check that the record matches your current branch. If you have multiple branches, switch to the correct one using the branch selector in the sidebar. |
| Quick Actions are missing | Your role may not have permission to create those record types. Check with your administrator. |
| A spinner shows but results never load | Your connection may have timed out. Close the palette, refresh the page, and try again. |
| Keyboard shortcut does not work | Make sure you are not typing inside a text field. Click an empty area of the page first, then press ⌘K / Ctrl+K. |