> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Referral Sources: Track Where Your Clients Come From > Set up referral sources in Hive Inspect, let clients pick one with How did you hear about us? when they book online, set or change the source on any inspection, and see which sources bring you the most inspections in Metrics. In the dashboard: **Business Tools → Referral Sources**. Results: **Metrics → Referral Sources**. Referral sources tell you how each client found you, for example from a real estate agent, Google or a past client. You make a short list of sources, each inspection gets one, and **Metrics** shows which sources bring in the most inspections. That tells you where your marketing is working. It works in three steps: 1. [Add your referral sources](#add-your-referral-sources) in **Business Tools**. 2. Each inspection gets a source: the client picks it when they [book online](#clients-pick-a-source-when-they-book-online), or [your team sets it](#set-the-source-on-an-inspection) on the inspection. 3. [See the results](#see-which-sources-bring-in-inspections) in **Metrics**. ## Add your referral sources 1. Go to **Business Tools** in the left menu and click the **Referral Sources** card. 2. Click **Add Referral Source** at the top right (or **Add Your First Referral Source** if you have none yet). 3. Type the **Name**, for example **Google**, and click **Add Referral Source**. ![The Add Referral Source window: Add a new referral source to track where your clients come from. Name (Required, 14/100) Home Show 2026, and Cancel and Add Referral Source buttons](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-add.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=531394d015cd922ce328b654abed8c3b) Names can be up to 100 characters. Two sources can't have exactly the same name. ![The Referral Sources page, Track where your clients come from, with an Add Referral Source button and six cards: Real Estate Agent, Google, Past Client, Facebook, Word of Mouth and Yelp, each with its created date, an Edit button and a red delete button. A Referral Source Tracking note below explains what sources are for](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-page.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=9ec3207dce4a39875fe3ab7ed2df09fe) The newest source is listed first. > [!TIP] > > **Keep the list short and clear.** Your clients see these names when they book online, so use words they'd recognize, such as **Real Estate Agent**, **Google**, **Facebook**, **Yelp**, **Past Client** and **Word of Mouth**. Six to eight choices is plenty. Add a source for a campaign you want to measure, such as **Home Show 2026** or **Mailer – Spring**. ## Clients pick a source when they book online Once you have at least one source, your [scheduling widget](/how-tos/scheduling-widget) asks **How did you hear about us?** on its first step, under the phone number. It shows on every booking, whether the home buyer or an agent is booking. ![Step 1 of the online scheduler, Home Buyer / Client: First Name Jordan, Last Name Taylor, Email Address, Phone Number, and How did you hear about us? with the list open showing Facebook, Google, Past Client, Real Estate Agent, Word of Mouth and Yelp](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-widget.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=8b3ae7afc0aa9bdfa9eaedf2f7c9ccab) * The client picks one source from the list. They can't type their own answer. * It's optional. A client can skip it. * On the widget the list is in alphabetical order. * The source is saved on the new inspection, and you see it on the inspection's page. The [quote widget](/how-tos/quote-widget) doesn't ask this question. For a quote, set the source on the inspection when it comes in. > [!NOTE] > > If you have no referral sources, the widget doesn't ask the question at all. Add a source in **Business Tools** to turn it on. ## Set the source on an inspection You can set or change the source for any inspection, including ones booked online. 1. Open the inspection, or click **New Inspection**. 2. Near the bottom of the page, click **Referral Source** to open the section. 3. Under **How did the client find you?**, pick the source. ![The Referral Source section on the inspection page, How did the client find you?, with the list open: No referral source, Real Estate Agent, Google, Past Client, Facebook, Word of Mouth and Yelp](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-inspection.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=a0f0215ee08c10fd38885f5fe633b3f2) * **On an inspection you already saved**, the change saves straight away. You see **Referral source updated**. * **On a new inspection**, the source is saved when you click **Save as Draft** or **Confirm Inspection**. * Choose **No referral source** to clear it. * Each inspection has one source. * The section is closed when the page opens, even if a source is set. Click **Referral Source** to see it. The **Referral Source** section only appears once you've added at least one source. The mobile app's **Schedule** tab opens this same page, so you can set the source when you book from your phone. The source isn't shown elsewhere in the mobile app. When you **Reorder** an inspection, the new one gets the same referral source. Change it if the repeat client found you another way. ## See which sources bring in inspections Go to **Metrics** in the left menu and find the **Referral Sources** card. ![The Referral Sources card in Metrics, set to All Time, with bars for Real Estate Agent 42%, 48; Google 23%, 27; Past Client 16%, 18; Word of Mouth 10%, 11; Facebook 6%, 7; Yelp 3%, 4. A download button is at the top right](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-metrics.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=2795a46662d13e1922f192e6f9432835) * Each bar shows how many inspections came from that source, and its share as a percentage. * Pick the dates in the menu on the card: **All Time** (the default), **Year to date**, **Last month**, **Last 30 days** and more. * If you have many sources, the smaller ones are grouped as **Other**. * Click the download button at the top right of the card to export a spreadsheet (CSV) with **Referral Source**, **Inspections** and **Share**. ### How the numbers are counted * **Only Confirmed inspections count.** Drafts, quotes waiting for the client, inspections in review and canceled inspections are left out. * **The date is the inspection date**, not the day it was booked. "Last month" means inspections that took place last month. * **The percentage is out of inspections that have a source.** Inspections with no source aren't in the card at all. * It counts inspections, not money. For revenue, see the other cards in Metrics. If you can't see the card, click **Customize** at the top of Metrics, then **Add Metrics**, and add **Referral Sources**. > [!TIP] > > To make the numbers useful, give every inspection a source. When you book by phone, ask the client "How did you hear about us?" and set it in **Referral Source** before you save. ## Rename or delete a source **Rename:** click **Edit** on the source, change the name and click **Update Referral Source**. The new name shows everywhere, including on past inspections and in **Metrics**. Use this to fix a typo or tidy a name. **Delete:** click the red trash button and confirm **Delete**. ![The Delete Referral Source window: Are you sure you want to delete the referral source Yelp? This action cannot be undone. Cancel and Delete buttons](https://mintcdn.com/hiveinspect-43c85ed1/_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I/images/how-tos/referral-sources-delete.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=_QBtWE8rJFg-6c6I\&q=85\&s=9850576f341050d81b7f7c4631e2f525) > [!WARNING] > > **Deleting a source also removes it from every inspection that used it.** Those inspections end up with no source, and they drop out of the **Referral Sources** card in **Metrics**. This can't be undone. If you only want to stop using a source, keep it, or rename it to something like **Facebook (old)**. There's no way to hide a source from the online scheduler without deleting it. ## Who can manage referral sources * **Add, rename and delete sources:** team members who can open **Business Tools**. * **Set the source on an inspection:** anyone who can edit the inspection. * **See the Metrics card:** Inspectors, and team members with the **Business Metrics** permission. See [Team permissions](/business-tools/team-permissions). ## Common questions > **Why doesn't my online scheduler ask How did you hear about us?** > > You haven't added any referral sources yet. Add at least one under **Business Tools → Referral Sources** and the question appears on the first step. It doesn't appear on the quote widget. > **Can clients type their own answer, or pick Other?** > > No. They choose from your list or skip the question. If you want an **Other** choice, add a source called **Other**. > **Why is an inspection missing from the Referral Sources card?** > > It isn't **Confirmed** yet, it has no source, or its inspection date is outside the dates you picked on the card. Confirmed inspections count by their inspection date. > **Can I filter my inspection list by referral source?** > > No. The inspection list doesn't filter or show referral sources. Use the **Referral Sources** card in **Metrics** for totals, or ask **Ask Agent**, for example "How many inspections came from Google this year?" > **Can I put the referral source in an email or automation?** > > No. There's no placeholder for it. > **Is this the same as the agents who send me clients?** > > No. A referral source is a category you pick, such as **Real Estate Agent**. Which agent sent a job is tracked separately, by the agents you add to each inspection. > **I chose the wrong source. How do I fix it?** > > Open the inspection, click **Referral Source** and pick the right one. It saves straight away. ## Where to go next * [Online scheduling widget](/how-tos/scheduling-widget) * [Discount Codes](/how-tos/discount-codes) * [Sample Reports](/how-tos/creating-sample-reports) * [Inspection Event Presets](/how-tos/inspection-event-presets) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.