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Orchid CRM Docs

Feature Overview

This page is the definitive answer to “what does Orchid actually do?” It is written for agency staff, product managers, and anyone who needs to understand the system’s capabilities without reading code.

Intake & Recruitment

Getting new donors, carriers, and intended parents into the system.

  • Public intake forms — Agencies publish a customizable application form on their website. Prospective EDs, GCs, SDs, and IPs fill it out without needing an account.
  • reCAPTCHA protection — Bot submissions are blocked automatically on all public forms.
  • Lead capture — Phone or referral inquiries are logged as leads by agency staff.
  • Lead-to-contact conversion — Staff review leads and promote qualified ones to full contact records.
  • Circle intake — A separate intake path for referrals from the Circle partner agency network, with its own branding and routing.
  • Intake form builder — Agencies build their own intake forms by selecting from a pre-built question library or writing custom questions. Questions support text, multiple choice, date, file upload, and yes/no types.
  • Automatic account creation — When an intake form is submitted, a user account is created automatically and login credentials are sent by email.
  • DQ (Disqualification) screening — Configurable rules automatically flag applicants who don’t meet minimum criteria (age, BMI, medical history flags). Staff can review and override flags.
  • Screening workflow — A dedicated admin view for working through pending applications systematically.

Profile Management

Building and maintaining the rich profiles that get shared with intended parents.

  • Four profile types — Egg Donor (ED), Gestational Carrier (GC), Sperm Donor (SD), and Intended Parent (IP) each have their own profile structure.
  • Personal information — Height, weight, eye color, hair color, and other physical characteristics.
  • Education history — School names, degrees, graduation years (multiple entries per profile).
  • Ethnicity — Multi-ethnic support; profiles can list multiple ethnic backgrounds.
  • Family medical history — Detailed family member records with health conditions, relationships, and ethnicity.
  • Genetic / medical test results — Carrier screening, genetic panels, and other test outcomes attached to the profile.
  • Photos — Multiple profile photos with a primary photo designation.
  • Videos — Profile videos stored in S3 and served via CloudFront.
  • Documents — Medical records, ID copies, and supporting documents attached per profile.
  • Custom agency sections — Each agency can define additional profile sections with their own custom questions.
  • Profile visibility controls — Admins control which sections and fields appear on the public-facing profile per agency.
  • Profile approval workflow — Profiles are not visible to IPs until reviewed and approved by agency staff.
  • Profile completeness tracking — The system tracks which sections are complete and which are outstanding.
  • PDF printing — Profiles can be printed or exported as formatted PDFs.

Matching

Connecting intended parents with the right donors and carriers.

  • Matching queue — Agency staff build a curated, ordered list of candidates for each IP. IPs see one candidate at a time.
  • Pre-matching — An early browsing phase where IPs can explore profiles before a formal queue is established.
  • Four matching flows — Separate matching systems for ED, GC, SD, and pre-matching, each with its own logic and UI.
  • Matching filters — IPs can filter candidates by configurable criteria (age, ethnicity, education, etc.). Agencies control which filters are available.
  • Favorites — IPs can save candidates they are interested in for later comparison.
  • Match sheet generation — Structured side-by-side comparison documents showing both parties’ key information. Built from agency-defined templates.
  • Formal match proposals — After informal review, the agency presents a formal match proposal for the IP to accept or decline.
  • Match break tracking — When a match falls apart, the reason is recorded (reason code + notes) for agency analysis.
  • Matching preferences storage — IP preferences are saved so the agency can filter candidates appropriately.

Case Management

Tracking the full fertility journey from match acceptance to delivery.

  • Case creation — A case is created when a match is accepted, linking all parties together.
  • Four case types — GC (gestational carrier), ED (egg donation), SD (sperm donation), and IP cases.
  • Party management — Multiple users can be linked to one case with distinct roles (IP, GC, ED, etc.) via CaseParty records.
  • Case status and stage tracking — Cases move through defined lifecycle stages with a full audit trail.
  • Case notes — Staff notes on a case, with pinning for important notes.
  • Pinned notes — Critical notes can be pinned to always appear at the top of the case.
  • Case log / audit trail — Every action on a case is logged automatically with timestamp and user.
  • Case documents — Files uploaded directly to a case (distinct from profile documents).
  • Journey photos — IPs can upload milestone photos throughout their journey.
  • Case closing — Formal case closure with outcome recording and archiving.
  • GC-specific data — Supplemental gestational carrier data stored alongside the case.
  • Case archive — Closed or inactive cases are archived but remain searchable.
  • Family records — IP family information stored as part of the case.

Medical Cycle Tracking

Recording the medical events that happen during a fertility treatment.

  • Egg retrievals — Procedure date, number of eggs retrieved. Supports batch retrievals.
  • Sperm retrievals — Separate sperm retrieval records with dates and batches.
  • Embryo transfers — Transfer date, number of embryos transferred, and outcome.
  • Lab results — Lab test results (hormone levels, genetic screening) attached to cycles.
  • Pregnancy confirmation — Pregnancy records with confirmation date and status.
  • Delivery records — Birth date, number of babies, and outcome.
  • Multiple cycles — A single case can have multiple retrieval and transfer attempts.
  • Milestones — Key journey milestones (matching complete, legal complete, medical cleared) tracked with dates.

Workflow & Task Management

Keeping track of what needs to happen and who is responsible.

  • Workflow templates — Agencies build reusable templates with stages, sub-stages, and tasks. Applied to cases to generate to-do checklists automatically.
  • Case task lists — Every case has a task list generated from the workflow template, showing what is done and what is outstanding.
  • Task assignment — Individual tasks can be assigned to specific admins.
  • Task due dates — Optional due dates on tasks, with overdue tracking.
  • Document requirements — Tasks can require a document upload before they can be marked complete.
  • Date-based to-dos — Tasks that trigger automatically based on medical dates (e.g., “7 days before transfer date”).
  • Contact tasks — Tasks on contact records (pre-case), separate from case tasks.
  • Clinic tasks — Tasks related to provider/clinic coordination.
  • General admin to-dos — Freeform tasks not tied to a specific case.
  • Workview dashboard — A cross-case view showing all open tasks across all cases, filterable by assignee and due date.
  • Custom ad-hoc tasks — Staff can add tasks to a case outside the standard template.

Communication

Staying in sync with clients, providers, and the rest of the team.

  • Gmail sync — Two-way Gmail integration. Emails between staff and clients automatically appear in the right case timeline.
  • Outlook / Microsoft 365 sync — Same as Gmail sync but for Microsoft email.
  • Email inbox inside Orchid — Staff read, reply to, and compose emails without leaving the platform.
  • Automatic email-to-case matching — Incoming emails are automatically linked to the right case or contact by matching email addresses.
  • Manual email linking — Unmatched emails can be manually linked to a case or contact.
  • Email sync health tracking — The system records when sync disconnects and why (token expiry, manual disconnect, etc.).
  • Email templates — Reusable email templates with dynamic fields for sending consistent messages.
  • Transactional email — System emails (form assignment notifications, welcome emails, password resets) sent via SendGrid.
  • Mass email — Bulk email sends to contact lists for announcements and newsletters.
  • Drip campaigns — Automated multi-step email sequences for recruiting. Contacts are enrolled and receive timed follow-ups automatically.
  • In-app messaging (Gurgle) — Real-time chat between agency staff and clients within the platform.
  • SMS notifications — Text message alerts sent via Twilio for urgent communications.
  • Notification center — In-app notification feed for admins and users.

Contract & E-Signature Management

Handling the legal agreements that are required before medical treatment begins.

  • Contract templates — Agencies define contract types linked to HelloSign (Dropbox Sign) templates.
  • Electronic signature requests — Staff initiate a contract and all required parties receive signing invitations by email.
  • Multi-party signing — Supports any number of signers per contract (IP, GC, attorneys, etc.).
  • Signing status tracking — Real-time status of who has signed and who has not.
  • Signed document storage — Completed contracts are stored in S3 and accessible from the case record.
  • Webhook-driven completion — The system is notified automatically when all parties have signed, updating the case status without manual intervention.
  • Contract history — Full history of all contracts sent on a case, including declined contracts.

Provider Network

Coordinating with the external professionals who work on cases.

  • Provider directory — A searchable directory of all providers (clinics, attorneys, escrow agencies, etc.) the agency works with.
  • Provider portal — External providers log into their own dedicated portal to view only the cases assigned to them.
  • Case-level provider assignment — Providers are assigned to specific cases, not given blanket access.
  • Selective document sharing — Agencies control exactly which documents and match sheets are visible to each provider.
  • External API access — Some providers integrate via API rather than the portal, with the same access controls.
  • Clinic portal — A specialized variant of the provider portal for IVF clinics, with clinic-specific features.
  • Provider notes — Staff notes on provider records.
  • Provider contact directory — Contact people at each provider organization.
  • Cycle data sharing — Medical cycle information can be selectively shared with the treating clinic.

Forms Engine

Collecting structured information from clients throughout their journey.

  • Custom form builder — Agencies build forms by selecting from a pre-built question library or writing custom questions.
  • Multiple question types — Text, textarea, multiple choice, checkboxes, date picker, file upload, yes/no.
  • Form assignment — Forms are assigned to users as workflow tasks, creating a clear to-do item.
  • Save in progress — Users can save partially completed forms and return later.
  • Form submission tracking — Admin UI showing which forms are pending, in progress, and submitted.
  • Medical release forms — Specialized forms for authorizing medical record sharing.
  • Closing forms — End-of-journey documentation captured via forms.
  • External / public forms — Unauthenticated forms for external applicants who don’t have an account yet.
  • PDF export — Any form submission can be printed or exported as a formatted PDF.
  • reCAPTCHA on public forms — Bot protection on unauthenticated form submissions.

Reporting & Analytics

Understanding what is happening across the agency.

  • Pre-built reports — Standard reports available to all agencies: active case summary, matching pipeline, cycle outcomes, form completion rates, donor/carrier pipeline.
  • Custom report builder — Agencies build custom reports by selecting fields, filters, and sort order. Reports can be saved for repeated use.
  • Excel export — Any report can be exported as a formatted Excel file.
  • Dashboard widgets — Each admin customizes their own dashboard with the metrics that matter to them (case counts by status, pending tasks, recent activity, upcoming medical events, etc.).
  • Form question aggregation — Aggregate answers to specific form questions across many submissions — useful for understanding intake patterns across applicants.
  • Matching velocity tracking — How many days cases spend in each matching stage, highlighting bottlenecks.
  • Salesforce sync — Agency data can be synced to Salesforce for CRM reporting.

Agency Configuration

Making Orchid work the way each agency works.

  • Branding — Custom colors, logo, and white-labeling of the client portal per agency.
  • Program selection — Agencies enable only the programs they run (ED, GC, SD, or any combination).
  • DQ rule configuration — Numeric thresholds (age ranges, BMI limits) and boolean flags for automatic applicant screening.
  • Matching filter configuration — Which filter options appear in the matching UI, which are IP-visible, and what the defaults are.
  • Profile appearance — Which sections and fields are visible on each profile type.
  • Team management — Admins are organized into teams. Confidential cases can be restricted to specific teams.
  • Custom copy — Agencies override standard system messages with their own language.
  • Custom contact types — Agencies define their own contact type labels.
  • Notification preferences — Which notifications are sent, to whom, and by what channel.
  • Feature flags — Individual features can be toggled per agency without a code deployment.
  • Agency subscription management — Subscription tier and billing information managed per agency.

Admin & Staff Tools

Day-to-day tools for agency staff.

  • Admin dashboard — Configurable dashboard with widgets showing the metrics each coordinator cares about.
  • Calendar — Agency calendar showing case events, deadlines, and milestones.
  • Workview — Cross-case task view for managing daily workload across all assigned cases.
  • Activity feed — Per-case and per-contact activity timeline showing everything that has happened.
  • Change history — Full audit log of who changed what and when on any record.
  • Global search — Search across cases, contacts, and users.
  • Role-based permissions — 20+ admin role types (coordinator, case manager, company admin, legal, intake, etc.) with different permission levels.
  • Confidential cases — Cases can be marked confidential and restricted to specific admin teams.
  • Multi-admin collaboration — Multiple staff members can work the same case simultaneously.