Creating a new customer or supplier

Summary

The following article outlines how to create a new Customer or Supplier Account.

More Information

Customer and Supplier information, i.e. name, address, telephone number etc, is stored against account codes. All transactions are stored against this for future reference.

You can create new accounts from the customer/supplier code field of the program you are in, e.g. whilst creating a new Workshop jobcard, creating a Purchase Order Processing Purchase Order or raising an invoice in " Stock Control\Counter Operations Point of Sale".

Type the first few letters of the customer/supplier's surname or company name into the "Customer/Supplier" box and press <Enter>.
This will take you to a search box allowing you to check if there is already an account for this name - see here if the search box does not appear.
Click the [Add] button to create an account code automatically that has the three letters you entered and a sequential number, e.g. 'JON003' for the third account on the system with a name of Jones.

Alternatively go to " Sales Ledger/Purchase Ledger Customer/Supplier File Maintenance Add or Edit Customers/Suppliers".

Type the first few letters of the customer/supplier's surname or company name and click [Search] to check they don't already have an account with you.
Click [Add] to create a new account using the first three letters of the name entered plus a sequential number.

Customer and Supplier codes can be up to six characters in length. The system default setting is for three letters and three numbers and there is a system setting for this. If you want to use a different setting, see your system administrator.

Entering Basic Account Information

It is important for you to fill in as much contact information as possible to make your database as useful as it can be.

"Name" - Enter the name of the customer or supplier. One important point here is to lay down a company-wide standard of how the names are entered. For example, decide whether you are going to use titles, e.g. Mr, Mrs, Ms, or not; are you going to use just initials or full forenames? Make sure everyone is aware of the standards to follow.

Search Tip - Enter customer and supplier names using full forenames and surnames to make searches more effective.

"Address" - If you have the Postcode Lookup enabled for your terminal you will be able to fill in the address by entering the customer/supplier's postcode - see Can I just enter a Post Code for an Address?.
Alternatively type their full address.
"Contact Information" - Enter as many contact details as you are able to obtain, particularly preferred 'Contact', 'Telephone', 'Mobile Number' and 'Email'.

When sending SMS messages and Emails from Platinum, the "Contact" field will usually be included in the message as opposed to the Account Name. An SMS reading Dear John... will look neater and less formal than Dear Mr John Smith....

"Reference" - This can be left blank or use it to record your supplier's account code for you.

"Notes" - Enter any notes relating to the account.

Click [Done] and [Accept] to save the new account.

At this stage you do not have to fill in any further details. More detailed account information should be entered by, or with advice from, your accounts department or system administrator following the instructions below.

Entering Detailed Account Information

Detailed information such as "Credit terms", "Country", "VAT Reg. No" and "Payment Defaults" may be filled in where necessary. You may need to refer to your accounts department for advice before amending these details.

These instructions refer to the main fields that you may wish to alter or populate. To create Internal or Warranty accounts please see How do I Create an Internal Account? or How do I Create a Warranty Account?.

Contacts

This page is used to store additional names and contact details, e.g. Accounts Department, Parts Ordering etc.

The prompts for each field can be configured in " Reports & Settings Maintenance Options System Administrator Platinum Settings".

Press <Page-Down> to [Contacts].
Enter the headings you require then press <Esc> and [Accept].

Invoicing

If applicable, tap <Ctrl+F1> on "Country" to search for an alternate country code to 'GB'.
- This will also set the "EC Member" flag to the correct setting and will alter the "VAT Rate" if necessary. See this article for further advice. Always check with HMRC if you are unsure whether to change VAT.
Enter the "VAT Reg Number" if applicable. This is important under certain circumstances.
- If you deal in second hand vehicles that are not using the margin scheme and need to produce self-billing purchase invoices, enter the VAT Reg No of the business or person selling you the vehicle here.
- If you export to the EU and want the system to populate Box 2, 4, 8 and 9 on your VAT return, then you must enter the business or person's VAT Reg No here. You might want to consider validating this using the HMRC validation tool.
See this article if you need to deal with this account in an alternate currency.
To allocate a status to an account, e.g. On Stop, Cash with Order etc, see this article.
Set the "Cash Sale?" flag to 'No' to treat an account as an account customer , i.e. no payment will be requested at the point an invoice is raised.
- When this is set to 'Yes' users will always be prompted to take payment from the customer at the point an invoice is raised.
If you have credit terms with the customer/supplier, you may enter the details in the "Credit Period" and "Credit Limit" fields.
Typically "VAT Rate" should be set at 'No Default' to ensure a customer is invoiced at the appropriate VAT rate of the items they are purchasing. Before altering this setting, please see this article.
- If a supplier always invoices you at a specific VAT Rate, e.g. Zero Rated, you may set this here to speed up posting Purchase Invoices/Credits.
If this Customer always pays/you pay a Supplier by a specific payment method, e.g. out of a particular bank account or into the bank via bank transfer you can set that default here. Whenever you post a payment, made or received, you will have the option to choose a different method.
- Press <Ctrl+F1> and <Enter> to search through your Nominal Codes.
If you give your Customer/your Supplier gives you a fixed Blanket or Settlement Discount you may set the parameters in the "Discounts" section.
- "Settlement Mode" - If your Supplier sends you a credit note for settlement discounts choose 'Credit note' else choose 'Adjustment'.

Banking

Banking details can be stored if you wish, and you can set security to prevent unauthorised users being able to access this tab.

Groups/Analysis

It is possible to group customers and suppliers together according to type, e.g. warranty accounts, by region, by salesperson or any other categories you wish.

"Group" is a maximum of 6 characters. The same characters entered on another account would deem them to be common to each other, e.g. INT for Internal accounts. Many reports can be run for a specific group or a range of groups, e.g. debtors/creditors lists and profit reports.
"Category" - Press <Ctrl+F1> to search for existing categories and/or [Add] new Category Codes.
Analysis codes can also be used to group accounts with common characteristics together. See this article for how to create new analysis codes.

Attributes

Attributes will be taken into account when producing mailshots using the Retention Centre.

Click here for information on how to allocate attributes to an account.

Remaining Tabs

The remaining tabs will differ between customer and supplier accounts. They also depend on the Platinum modules you have authorised for use.

If you need advice on any other fields, please Contact your Platinum dealer or our support team on 0116 230 1500 or by using our website support contact page for advice.

Click [Done] and [Accept] to save any changes to the new account.

Duplicate Accounts

While entering a new account, the software will check against existing accounts to see if you are entering a duplicate. Any possible duplicates are shown in the bottom half of the screen.

When you save the account if any possible duplicates are found you will be asked to confirm you still wish to create the account.
If you are entering a duplicate by mistake choose [No] and select the correct account to use from the "Duplicate Accounts" box.
If you are sure you wish to create a new account please click [Yes].

Common Queries

Duplicate, Existing or New Account?

When creating an account the system applies the following rules and procedures when deciding whether to search for an existing account, create a new one or select from the only choice available.

If an account matching the name you entered is found it will be selected for you automatically.
- If this is not the correct account you should return to the Customer/Supplier field. Type the name again and press <Ctrl+F1>. Click [Add] to start creating your new account.
If no accounts are found you will be informed. Press <Enter> to continue to a search box then click [Add] to start creating your new account.
If more than one possible account is found you will be taken to a search box. Check the account does not already exist and click [Add] to start creating your new account.

Slip Print or Full Invoices for Customers?

If your customer prefers to receive an A4 parts invoice instead of a slip print receipt:

Go to the [Stock] tab of the customer's account.
Select 'Full' from the "Document type" drop down menu.
Click [Done] and [Accept] to save the change.