Some removal companies work with multiple brands or trading names. Think of a company operating under three names: one brand targets private customers, another targets business customers, and the third is an acquired company with its own name in the region. In Bas you can create "identities" for this, so each brand has its own look on documents and in emails.
This article explains when you need identities, what the difference is with separate accounts, and everything that's set up per identity.
When do you need multiple identities?
An identity in Bas is a separate brand or trading name you use externally. You need multiple identities if:
You operate under multiple brand names (e.g. Sun Removals, Moon Transport and Star Movers)
Your customers receive emails, quotes and invoices that look different per brand (different logo, different colours, different company details)
You apply different rates per brand (different packages with different prices)
You do not need a separate identity if:
You have two branches but operate under the same name
The only difference is the address in the footer of your documents
Your bank account, VAT number and look are the same for both branches
Identities vs. separate accounts
Multiple identities | Separate accounts | |
When | Same company, multiple brand names | Fully separate companies |
Customer base | Shared - all customers in one overview | Separate - each account has its own customers |
Staff | Shared - staff work for all brands | Separate - separate management per account |
Planning | One shared schedule | Separate schedules |
Invoicing | Same accounting, different look per brand | Separate accounting per account |
Example | Moon Transport with brands Sun, Moon Transport and Star Movers | Two entirely separate limited companies |
In practice you almost always choose identities within one account. A separate account is only needed if it's truly about separate companies with their own accounting, own staff and no overlap whatsoever.
What is set up per identity?
If you create an identity, you need to set up a number of things separately for that identity. Below is an overview of everything that differs per identity.
Templates (quotes, invoices, job sheets)
Each identity gets its own document templates with:
Its own logo at the top of the document
Its own colours in the layout
Its own company details in the footer (address, company registration number, VAT, bank account, phone number)
Its own contact details in the header
If you have three brands, you therefore need at least three quote templates, three invoice templates and three job sheet templates.
Messaging (emails to customers)
Each identity has its own set of customer messages. Bas has around 13 standard message types (see the article about messaging). All of these messages are created separately per identity. That means:
With 1 identity: around 13 messages
With 3 identities: around 40 messages (3 x 13, plus any variants)
Each message contains the logo, colours and tone of voice of that specific brand. If you change the message for "Quote sent" for brand A, nothing changes for brand B.
Note: More identities means more maintenance. Every change to a message has to be made per identity. With three brands you do the same work three times.
Mollie payment button per identity
If you use Mollie for online payments (iDeal), you create your own payment button per identity as a reusable block:
Go to Settings > Way of working > Customer messages
Filter by message types related to payment: Invoice, Reminder, Second reminder and Final notice
Open a message and click Edit > English > Blocks > Button
Set the text, for example: "Click here to pay your invoice online"
Choose the colour matching the identity (e.g. red for brand A, blue for brand B)
Select type: Payment
Save with a recognisable name, for example: "Payment button Sun" or "Payment button Moon Transport"
You then drag the correct payment button into all the messages belonging to that identity. That's around 4-5 templates per identity (everything related to payment).
Expected result: Each identity has its own payment button in the right colour. The button is saved as a reusable block, so you don't have to recreate it each time.
Note: Always check that you're dragging the right payment button into the right identity. A red Sun button in a Moon Transport email is easily done but stands out to the customer.
Packages per identity
Packages determine the rates and invoice structure of a file. You can create different packages per identity with:
Different rates (e.g. brand A charges higher hourly rates than brand B)
Different invoice lines (different descriptions, different structure)
Different invoice templates (linked to the correct identity)
Different revenue groups (if brands post to different general ledger accounts)
A package is always linked to an identity. When you create a new file, you first choose the identity and then only see the packages belonging to that brand.
Tip: With many identities and many packages, the total can add up quickly. Three identities with 10 packages each results in 30 packages. Keep your package structure as simple as possible.
Two branches, one identity
A common situation: your company has two branches but operates under the same name. For example a removal company with an office in one city and one in another, but with the same name, the same logo and the same branding everywhere.
In this case you do not need a separate identity. The only difference is in the footer of your documents (the address). The solution:
Keep one identity for both branches
Create a separate document template per branch with the correct address in the footer and header
All messages (emails) remain identical for both branches - you only have to set them up once
When creating a file you choose the correct branch, so the system uses the correct document template
Expected result: Your customers receive documents with the correct branch address, but your messages (emails) are the same for both branches. This saves you maintaining a full second set of around 13 messages.
Tip: Only choose a separate identity if the logo, colours or brand name genuinely differ. If it's just about the address, a separate document template is sufficient and far less work.
When to use a separate identity and when not
Situation | Separate identity? | Why |
Three brand names with their own logo and colour | Yes | Customers need to see a different look per brand |
Two branches, same name and logo | No | Only the footer differs - use separate document templates |
Separating commercial and residential | No (not yet) | This will be added as functionality in the future. For now, use separate packages. |
Acquired company with its own customer base | Yes | The acquired company's customers expect the old name and look |
Separate trading name for storage services | Depends | If the trading name has its own logo and look: yes. If it's just a different name on the invoice: discuss with support |
Step 1 - Creating an identity
You create an identity together with your Bas contact person during the onboarding. It's not a setting you switch on yourself, but a configuration that's set up on the back end.
Contact your Bas contact person and provide the following:
The brand name of the new identity
The logo (preferably as an SVG file)
The company details: address, company registration number, VAT, bank account, phone number, email address
The brand colours (for templates and the payment button)
Expected result: After the identity is created, it appears as a selectable option when creating files, templates and packages.
Step 2 - Setting up templates and messages
After creating the identity, you set up the templates and messages for the new brand:
Document templates - Create a quote template, invoice template and job sheet template per identity with the correct logo, colours and footer
Messages - Adjust all messages for the new identity (logo, colours, texts)
Payment button - Create a payment button block in the identity's brand colour and drag it into all relevant messages
Packages - Create the required packages linked to the new identity
Tip: Work through the identities systematically. Set up identity A completely first (templates, messages, payment button, packages) before starting on identity B. This prevents you losing track halfway through.
The impact on your day-to-day work
With multiple identities, little changes in your daily workflow. When creating a file you choose the correct identity, and the system does the rest:
The correct logo appears on the quote
The correct messages are sent
The correct packages are available
The correct payment button is in the invoice email
The only thing to watch out for: always choose the correct identity when creating a new file. A mistake here means the customer receives an invoice with the wrong logo.
Tips
Keep the number of identities as low as possible. Each identity multiplies the maintenance of messages and templates. Three identities means three times the work for every change.
Make payment button blocks reusable. Create a payment button per identity as a reusable block with a clear name. Then you only have to select the right block when inserting it.
Two branches? Use document templates. If you work under the same name, you don't need a separate identity. A separate template with a different footer is sufficient and much simpler.
Discuss the structure in advance with your contact person. Together you determine how many identities you need and how best to set them up.
Note
More identities = more maintenance. Every change to a message or template has to be made per identity. With three identities and around 13 messages, that's around 40 changes for one update.
Choose the correct identity for every file. A mistake here leads to documents with the wrong brand. The customer then receives a quote or invoice with another brand's logo.
Identities are not created by yourself. Creating and configuring identities is done together with your Bas contact person. This is not a self-service function.
Commercial/residential is not an identity. The separation between commercial and residential will be solved in a different way in the future (via package types and messaging per customer type). Don't create a separate identity for this.
Next step: Adding boxes - add your box types with dimensions, prices and supplier.