You open a case, click its Stage, and the stage you were looking for is not in the list. Sometimes the list is nearly empty. Nothing is broken, and nothing is wrong with the case.
Stages in NextAgency are not one global list. Each stage is attached to one or more sales statuses, and the Stage picker on a case only offers the stages attached to that case's sales status. If a stage is not attached to the sales status the case is using, there is nothing for the picker to show.
This article explains why it works that way and shows you the two ways to get the stage you want.
Before you start
You will need administrator access, because the fix lives in Settings. If you cannot reach Settings, ask an administrator at your agency to make the change.
What you are seeing
Here is a case whose sales status is Direct. Clicking its stage bar opens the STAGES picker, and only three stages are offered.
The sales status Direct simply does not have the other stages attached to it yet. Any case on that status will show the same short list.
Why stages are tied to sales statuses
This is deliberate. Each sales status behaves like its own sales pipeline, with its own set of stages.
On the Pipeline view you select one sales status at a time, and the columns you get are the stages attached to that status.
That is what keeps your pipelines meaningful. A prospecting pipeline and a servicing pipeline do not need the same columns, so you can give each sales status only the stages that make sense for it, rather than scrolling past every stage your agency has ever created.
The trade-off is the one you just ran into: a stage has to be attached to a sales status before a case on that status can use it.
Option 1: Move the case to a different sales status
If another sales status already includes the stage you want, change the case's sales status and the stage becomes available immediately.
This changes the case itself. A sales status can drive other behavior, such as which workflows apply to the case, so this option fits when the other sales status is the right home for the case anyway.
Option 2: Add the stage to the sales status you are already using
This leaves the case where it is and changes the sales status instead. The case's sales status does not change, so anything keyed to that sales status keeps behaving exactly as it does today.
It also applies to every case on that sales status, not just the one in front of you.
Step 1: Open Settings
Click your name in the top right, then Settings.
Step 2: Go to Cases Settings, then Sales Statuses
Along the top of Settings, click the CASES SETTINGS tab. Then in the left sidebar, click SALES STATUSES.
You will see your agency's sales statuses, with a STAGES column listing the stages attached to each one. This is the fastest way to see the whole picture at a glance.
Tip: this list is paginated, and most agencies have more sales statuses than fit on the first page. Rather than clicking through the pages, type the status name into the Search box above the table. You can also raise the entries-per-page number next to it.
Step 3: Edit the sales status
Find the sales status your case is using. Click Actions on its row, then Edit.
Step 4: Tick the stages you want, then save
The Edit Sales Status window lists every stage your agency has, with a checkbox for each. Ticking a checkbox adds that stage to the Selected Stages panel on the right. To remove one, click the red X next to it in that panel.
Tick every stage you want this sales status to offer, then click Save. You will get a confirmation, and the STAGES column for that status updates right away to show the stages you added.
Step 5: Set the stage on your case
Go back to Cases/Policies and click the stage bar on your case. The stages you just added are now in the picker, and you can select the one you need.
The change applies to every case on that sales status, not just the one you were working on. If you had several cases waiting on the same missing stage, they are all sorted in one pass.
If the stage does not exist at all
Everything above assumes the stage already exists in your agency and just is not attached to the right sales status. If the stage itself has never been created, create it first under Settings > Cases Settings > Stages, then come back and attach it to your sales statuses using Option 2.
Quick reference
| What you want | Where to go |
|---|---|
| See which stages a sales status offers | Settings > Cases Settings > Sales Statuses, then read the STAGES column |
| Attach an existing stage to a sales status | Settings > Cases Settings > Sales Statuses > Actions > Edit |
| Create a brand-new stage | Settings > Cases Settings > Stages |
| Change one case's sales status | Open the case and edit its Sales Status |
Common questions
Will adding a stage change my cases?
No. Attaching a stage to a sales status only adds an option to the picker. It does not move any case into that stage, and it does not change any case's sales status.
Why is the stage available on some cases but not others?
Those cases are on different sales statuses. Compare their sales statuses against the STAGES column on the Sales Statuses page and you will see which one is missing the stage.
Can a stage belong to more than one sales status?
Yes. Most agencies attach the common stages to several sales statuses and keep the specialized ones on a single status.