Overview
If you notice that a contact's status changed unexpectedly — for example, a "Signed" agent moved back to "Lead" in Recruiting — this article explains the most common causes and how to prevent them.
Automatic Recruiting vs. Retention Separation (MLS Imports)
Brokerkit automatically separates agents between Recruiting and Retention based on MLS office data during each Relitix or Courted import:
- Recruiting queries automatically exclude your own company's agents — only agents at other offices appear in your recruiting list.
- Retention queries display only agents currently at your office(s) in the MLS.
- When an agent joins your office in the MLS → they are moved to Retention.
- When an agent leaves your office in the MLS → they are moved back to Recruiting.
This applies to both Relitix and Courted integrations and happens automatically during each scheduled import.
Relitix imports run on the first Saturday after the 13th of each month at 1:00 AM Mountain Time. Courted imports follow the same monthly schedule.
Common Scenario: "Signed" Agents Moved Back to Recruiting
If you mark an agent as "Signed" (moving them to Retention) before they have transferred their MLS membership to your office, the next MLS import may move them back to Recruiting. Here is why:
- You mark the agent as "Signed" in Brokerkit → they move to Retention
- The monthly MLS import runs and checks MLS data (Relitix or Courted)
- MLS still shows the agent at their previous office (transfer not yet complete)
- The auto-separation feature moves them back to Recruiting as a "Lead"
How to prevent this:
- Option A: Wait until the agent has completed their MLS transfer before marking them as "Signed" in Brokerkit.
- Option B: After marking them as "Signed," manually move them back to Retention if the import moves them. Once the MLS transfer completes, the next import will keep them in Retention.
- Check your import schedule under Data > MLS Import to know when the next monthly import will run.
Status Behavior During Imports
For new contacts: When a Relitix or Courted import brings in a contact for the first time, the contact is created with a "Lead" status in Recruiting.
For existing contacts matched by Agent ID or email: MLS imports will update production data and other MLS fields but will NOT change the contact's status within the same list. For example, if a contact is at "Contact Made" in Recruiting, they will stay at "Contact Made" after the import updates their production data.
Other Reasons Contact Statuses May Change
Besides MLS imports, contact statuses can also change when:
- Performing actions in the contact profile — Sending an email, text, logging a call, or setting an appointment each have a default status. For example, sending an email defaults to "Contact Attempt" if the current status is earlier in the pipeline. You can override this default in the status dropdown before saving.
- File imports (CSV) — Importing a CSV with a status column will update the contact's status if a value is provided in that column.
- API integrations — External tools connected via the Brokerkit API can update statuses.
- Reassigning contacts between accounts in an organization resets statuses (recruiting contacts reset to "Lead," retention contacts reset to "Onboarding").
"Moved from Backlog to Normal" Activity Notes
You may see an activity log entry like "Moved from Backlog to Normal by [User]" on imported contacts. This is not a status change — it is a bucket change, which is a separate concept from status.
- Backlog is where imported contacts (file imports, Relitix imports, Courted imports) are staged so they don't flood your Today view with thousands of new "Leads" after each monthly import.
- Normal is the standard bucket where contacts appear in your main Recruiting, Retention, and Today views.
- When you start working an imported contact — manually via Move To → Normal, by marking them Signed, or by promoting a Retention contact to Onboarding — Brokerkit moves the contact from Backlog to Normal and logs the change.
"Backlog" is not a custom status. For full details on the three bucket values (Normal, Backlog, Archived) and how each is used, see Understanding Normal, Backlog, and Archived Contact Buckets.
How to Investigate Unexpected Status Changes
- Check MLS Import history — Go to Data > MLS Import to see when the last import ran. If a status change happened on the same day as an import, the import is the most likely cause.
- Check the contact's activity log — Open the contact's profile and scroll through their recent activity entries. Status changes from user actions (emails, texts, appointments) will appear here.
- Search for duplicates — Search for the contact by name to check if the import created a duplicate record instead of updating the existing one.
- Contact support — If you cannot determine the cause, reach out to support@brokerkit.com with the affected contact names and the approximate date the status changed.