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 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. If you want to use a different setting, see your system administrator or Contact your Platinum dealer or our support team on 0116 230 1500 or by using our website support contact page for advice.

Basic Customer/Supplier Details

It is important for you to fill in as much contact information as possible to make your database as useful as it can be. You should also ensure all staff follow an agreed policy on how they enter data e.g. always enter the customer title and full first name and surname.

"Name" - Enter the name of the customer or supplier.

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 enter the customer/supplier's postcode and press <Enter> to complete their details - 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. If you are exporting sales to an external accounting package you may be advised to record the third party account code for the customer here.

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

Don't forget to record the customer/supplier contact preferences on the attributes tab, if applicable.

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

Each of the sections below correspond to the individual tabs within the record. The number of tabs you see will depend on the modules your company has and your individual user permissions.

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 Internal Accounts or 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".

Invoicing

If applicable, tap <Ctrl+F1> on "Country" to search for an alternate country code to 'GB'.
- The "EC Member" flag will be set based on the country settings. If you need to update the EC status for a country e.g. when a country joins or leaves the EU, follow the advice in this article.

Changes in membership of the European Union may require you to update a country code and associated customers/suppliers to define whether they are an EC member. The current list of members can be found on HMRC's website.

- The "VAT Rate" may change based on the country settings. Always check with HMRC if you are unsure whether to charge VAT.

Enter the "VAT Reg Number" if applicable. This is important under certain circumstances.
- If you deal in second hand units 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 unit here.
See this article if you need to deal with this account in an alternate currency.

Unless you are using full currency translation set the "Currency" to 'GBP'.

A Status can be applied to an account e.g. On Stop. Leave blank if not required at this stage.

"EORI number" - if a customer/supplier has supplied you with their EORI number you may record it here. This will not print on documents by default.
"Incoterms" - If a customer has advised of the international commercial terms they wish to use, click the drop down and select the appropriate code. These two fields will not print on customer documents by default. Please Contact your Platinum dealer or our support team on 0116 230 1500 or by using our website support contact page if you wish to add these fields to your documents. Please be aware configuration of documents will usually incur charges.

If the record you are creating is for a customer with account terms, i.e. no payment is required at the point an invoice is raised, set the "Cash Sale?" flag to 'No'.

See this article for more information on specifying credit terms i.e. the period and units to apply to customer with account terms or a supplier account.

Unless the record you are amending is for an internal account or a customer outside the UK, typically the "VAT Rate" should be set to 'No Default'. This ensures the customer is invoiced at the appropriate VAT rate for 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 or credits.

The "Ledger Centre" should be left blank for customer accounts although it can be handy to default this for supplier accounts for whom you always code their invoices to a specific purchase centre e.g. Motor Expenses. Use <Ctrl+F1> to search for a suitable code if required.
The default "Payment Centre" will be based on the system default. When selling to cash customers you will be able to select the payment method at time of invoice. You may wish to default this field for a supplier account e.g. if you always pay a Supplier by a specific payment method such as by Z992 - Current Bank Account or a company credit card. Whenever you post a payment, made or received, you will have the option to choose a different method. Use <Ctrl+F1> to search for a suitable code if required.
If you give your Customer/your Supplier gives you a fixed Blanket or Settlement Discount you may specify the default in the "Discounts" section.
- "Settlement Mode" - If your Supplier sends you a credit note for settlement discounts choose 'Credit note' else choose 'Adjustment'.
If your customer is part of a buying group please see this article.

Banking

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

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.
You may also set up discount structures for groups of accounts - see How do I Create a Pricing Matrix for a Customer?
"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

When saving the 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 and 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.

Deleting or Merging Accounts

If an account has no transactions associated to it you may delete it if it has been created in error. From any field within the account press <F10>. The system will not allow you to delete an account if it is in use/has transactions.

You may not merge accounts but you may instead supersede them. See How do I supersede an account?.