Chapter 3 Customers
Customers are the lifeblood of Big Business, which manages Quotes, Orders, Invoices.
By managing key aspects of customer relationships, Big Business makes it easy to sell. These include Terms, Credit, Orders, Backorders, Payments, Refunds, and much more.
This Chapter covers core customer features, and additional chapters cover more topics.
• Customer Features
• Basics
• Preferences
• Working with Customers, searches, and transactions
• Procedures
• Troubleshooting
You use the features in the Customer toolbar to keep track of who your customers are, what you sell them, and what they pay you.
• Click the Customer Card tool to enter and view customer information, including address and financial data. See "Working with Customer Information."
• Click the Customer Card, Quote, Sales Order, Invoice, and Receive Money QuickSearch tools to find information you need. See "Searching" in Chapter 2.
• Click the Quote tool to create sales proposals. See "Working with Quotes."
• Click the Sales Order tool to create customer orders. See "Working with Sales Orders."
• Click the Invoice tool to record sales. See "Working with Invoices."
• Click the Miscellaneous Sales tool to generate invoices without line item details. See "Entering a Miscellaneous Sale."
• Click the Finance Charges tool to assess finance charges against customers with past due invoices. See "Assessing Finance Charges."
• Click the Receive Money tool to enter payments that you receive and apply them to invoices. See "Receiving Money."
• Click the Customer Preferences tool to set defaults and options. See "Setting Customer Preferences."
You use Customer Cards to keep track of your customers. Each customer has a single card that can show three kinds of information.
Click the Customer Card tab to enter or view basic information like the company name, address, and contacts. This is the information you see when the card opens.
Click the Customer History tab to see the customer's financial profile and a history of their transactions with you. You can either accept the default financial settings or tailor the settings for individual customers.
Click the Customer Folder tab to enter information that isn't recorded elsewhere. You can track documents and notes, assign tags, and enter customized field data.
There is an optional Custom Tab, which you enable and label in Customer Prefs. It contains an addtional 33 customized fields.
When you click the Customer Card tool in the Customer toolbar, you see the Customer Listing window, which displays the list of Customer Cards. If you need to view or change information for an existing customer, open the appropriate card.
If you want to add a new customer, click the New button in the dialog box to create a new Customer Card. A new Customer Card is empty except for the default settings determined by the Customer Preferences window. You fill in the missing information and change any defaults that aren't appropriate for this customer. After you've entered customer information, you can update it at any time by opening the Customer Card and changing the appropriate fields.
See the next three sections for information about how to enter and change information in the Customer Card. (See "Tracking Miscellaneous Information" in Chapter 2 for instructions about the features available when you click the
Folder tab.)
Adding Multiple Bill To and Ship To Addresses
Big Business allows you to set up and use multiple billing and mailing addresses for your customers. This solution outlines the process to setup the multiple addresses and explains how specify which to use as needed. (5166)
It is not uncommon for a customer to have more than one address or office. Big Business allows you set up and use multiple billing and mailing addresses for your customers and vendors. Once you have set up additional addresses, you can select from a list of optional addresses when creating a transaction for a customer.
Set Up Additional Addresses (Contacts)
You must first set up the multiple addresses in the Additional Contacts section of the
Customer Card by clicking on the Plus button. The information inserted into the Primary Name and Address field will be used to populate the Bill To Field of a Quote, Order, or Invoice. The information inserted into the Secondary Name and Address field will be used to populate the Ship To Field of a Quote, Order, or Invoice. You may want to use the First Name and Last Name fields to designate the location of the multiple address, rather than a specific individual.
Use Alternate Address
Once you have set up your multiple addresses, they are now available to insert into a customer transaction. Open up a Quote, Order, or Invoice and enter or select the customer in the Customer Name field. After choosing the customer, click on the Other button in the upper right corner of the Bill To or Ship To address area.
This will bring up a dialog box that lists all of all additional contacts available for this
customer. Scroll through this list and select the desired address, then click on the OK button. This will populate the Bill To or Ship To field with the desired information.
Note: This process must be performed separately to insert the Bill To or Ship To addresses.
Default Payment Method
Default Payment Method lets you set the Payment Method that is preselected for a new Receive Money or the Customer Receipt Import . (6209)
To set a Default Payment Method:
1. Go to the Customer toolbar to Customer Prefs.
2. Go to the Bookkeeping tab.
3. Choose an entry for Default Payment Method.
4. Click OK to Save changes.
Changes take effect the next time Employees Sign In.
The Customer Card displays basic customer information when you open it. When you create a new customer record, you should enter a company name, customer code, or primary contact name so that you can uniquely identify the customer. Other fields are optional or filled in automatically with default information taken from the Customer Preferences window.
To enter basic information:
1. If this is a new card, enter a company name, company code, or primary contact
name.
2. Enter or change other information as needed.
Using Multiple Addresses
It’s not uncommon for a single customer to have more than one address. Big Business allows you to choose from all the addresses entered for the customer, including those entered in the Additional Contacts area of the Customer Card.
This Solution provides instructions for use. (3071)
Big Business includes a number of features, which are the same for Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices. In the following sections, the screen shots show only Quotes, but the same functionality applies to Sales Orders and Invoices as well.
Using Multiple Shipping and Billing Addresses
Before you can select from Multiple Addresses for Customer, you must first add the addresses on the Customer Card. Refer to the entry, "Multiple Bill To and Ship To Addresses," for detailed instructions.
Using Multiple Addresses is easy, once you have entered the addresses. Simply click the Other button, located above the Bill To or Ship To address on the sales transaction and select from the popup list.
To use alternate addresses:
1. After choosing the customer in a quote, order, or invoice, click the Other button in the Ship To or Bill To address area.
2. In the dialog box that appears, choose an address, then click the OK button.
If Multiple Addresses are not available for the selected Customer, a dialogue will appear, informing you that no additional addresses are available.
In addition to information about your primary customer contact, you can include information about additional contacts. Additional contacts appear in a list in the card. A Contact Card is also created for each additional contact. (See "Working with Contact Cards" in Chapter 8 for more information about Contact Cards.)
You add additional contacts by clicking the Add (+) button in the Additional Contacts list. A dialog box appears, where you can fill in information about the contact. Much of the information (company name, address, and so on) is filled in automatically, but you can change it.
To edit an existing contact, select it in the list, click the Edit button, and make changes in the dialog box. To delete a contact, select it and click the Delete (-) button.
To add an additional contact:
1. Click the button in the Additional Contacts list.
2. Enter a contact name.
3. Enter or change other information as necessary.
4. Click the OK button to add the contact and create a Contact Card.
button.
Clicking the Customer History tab in a Customer Card allows you to enter and view the credit limit, terms, price levels, and financial categories that apply to the customer's transactions with your business.
Default values for these items are set in the Customer Preferences window. If one or more of the defaults isn't appropriate for the customer, you can change it in the Customer Card. You can also change some values for individual transactions when you create invoices and quotes.
• The Credit Limit field sets a limit on the unpaid balance from this customer. Big Business can prevent you from entering a transaction that causes the credit limit to be exceeded.
• The Terms field determines how long a customer has to pay an invoice, if there will be a discount for payment, and if finance charges will be assessed for late payment. See "Setting Customer Terms" later in this section for more information about customer terms.
• The Price Level determines which price level applies to the customer. You decide on actual prices in the appropriate Item Card.
• The Shipping Method specifies how a customer order will be sent.
See "To Enter Financial Information" later in this section for more information about customer financial information.
• The Tax Status sets the sales tax level on transactions with this customer.
• Resale Number may be needed if a customer will resell items. Generally, transactions with resellers aren't subject to sales tax.
• Receivables Category specifies which category applies to invoice balances for this customer.
• Income Category specifies which category applies to sales made to this customer.
See "Setting Customer Preferences" at the end of this chapter for more detailed information about these settings.
To enter financial information:
1. Click the Customer History tab in a Customer Card.
2. Enter or change financial information.
Customer terms determine how long a customer has to pay, whether they will receive a discount for early payment, and whether finance charges will be assessed for late payment. When you create a new Customer Card, the customer is assigned the default customer terms defined in the Customer Preferences window. You can choose different terms if you want.
The terms you can choose from are maintained in a QuickPop list that you can add to and change. (See "Editing QuickPop Lists" in Chapter 2 for basic instructions about working with QuickPop lists.)
If you choose to add or edit customer terms, you see a dialog box where you enter information about the terms. The dialog box is divided into two sets of fields--one set for basic customer terms and another for finance charge information.
You need to specify a number of variables for the basic customer terms:
• The name that will appear in the list. Terms are usually named after the time periods and discounts they contain. "1% 10, Net 30" means the balance is due within 30 days and the customer will receive a 1% discount for payment within 10 days.
• The date from which terms are calculated. You can choose to calculate from the invoice date or the end of the month in which the invoice was issued.
• The due days, which specifies how long the customer has to pay without penalty.
• The discount days, which specifies how long the customer has to pay while still
receiving a discount.
• The discount percentage the customer receives if they pay within the specified discount period.
If you want to assess finance charges against overdue invoices from this customer, click the Assess Finance Charges checkbox. When this checkbox is checked, the Assess From and Annual Rate fields become available. These fields are used to calculate the finance charges that appear automatically in the Finance Charges window. You can change the actual amount of the charge. See "Assessing Finance Charges," later in this chapter.
• The Assess From field lets you decide whether to assess finance charges from the date of the invoice or from the end of the month.
• The Annual Rate field lets you enter a percentage rate for the charges.
To define customer terms:
1. Choose Show List in the Customer Terms QuickPop list.
2. If you want to add a new customer term, click the button in the dialog box. If you want to edit an existing term, select the term and click the button.
A dialog box appears. If you're adding a new term, the dialog box is blank. If you're edit- ing an existing term, the dialog box contains its information.
Choose when to start charges.
Enter an annual rate.
Click if you want finance charges included in these terms.
3. Enter basic customer terms.
4. If you want finance charges to be part of this term, click the Assess Finance
Charges button, then fill in the Assess From and Annual Rate fields.
5. Click the OK button to save your changes.
Addresses Changes
A number of features like Shipping, and now Taxes, rely on Addresses on the transaction, so these are added and need configuration.
This Solution lists the current features and can be used as a starting point. (6831)
From Addresses are new for Taxes. This feature will load your Company address, or Channel address, or Warehouse address.
To use From Addresses:
1. Go to the Customer Prefs.
2. Click the checkbox for From Addresses.
3. Click OK to save.
From Addresses
From Addresses are new Fields on Quote, Order, and Invoice, to be used with Channels, Sales Taxes, and Warehouses.
This Solution provides an overview of this feature. (6837)
From Addresses are new Fields on Quote, Order, and Invoice, to be used with Channels, Sales Taxes, and Warehouses.
To use From Addresses:
1. Go to the Customer Prefs.
2. Click the checkbox for From Addresses.
3. Click OK to save.
Clients will need to restart to see changes.
New Fields are:
From Name
From Address 1
From Address 2
From City
From State
From Zip
From Country
New Fields appear on:
Shipping tab on Quote, Order, Invoice
Searches for Quotes, Orders, Invoices
Exports from Searches
Imports
Custom Forms
TaxJar Mappings
Billing Addresses
Billing Addresses are an option on Quote, Order, and Invoice, to help with:
• automated billing using EDI, procurement systems, or online invoicing
• automated order processing from web stores, etc
This Solution provides an overview of this feature. (6839)
Billing Addresses are an option on Quote, Order, and Invoice, which may be needed for automated billing.
To use Billing Addresses:
1. Go to the Customer Prefs.
2. In Load Addresses click the checkbox for Bill To.
3. Click OK to save.
Clients will need to restart to see changes.
Billing Addresses Fields are:
Billing Name
Billing Address 1
Billing Address 2
Billing City
Billing State
Billling Zip
Billing Country
Billing Phone 1
Billing Phone 2
Billing Email
New Fields appear on:
Billing tab on Quote, Order, Invoice
Searches for Quotes, Orders, Invoices
Exports from Searches
Imports
Custom Forms
TaxJar Mappings
Folder Mappings
You can keep track of a customer's transactions with your business by clicking the Customer History tab in the Customer Card. The History list displays all of the customer's transactions, as well as the current balance. Double-clicking on a transaction in the list (or clicking the button) opens the appropriate record.
The list displays a number of different items of information about each transaction:
• The date and transaction type (invoice or payment).
• The transaction number. This can be an invoice number or a payment reference number such as a credit card authorization or check number.
• The age of the invoice. This is the number of days since an invoice with an unpaid balance was generated.
• The sales amount of each transaction.
• The open amount for each transaction. For invoices, this is the unpaid balance due. For payments, an open amount means that a payment has not been fully applied to invoices.
Print When Saving
You can choose whether Big Business shows you Print Options every time you save (Ask Each Time) or automatically prints (Print) or not (Don't Print). (6899)
To set printing :
1. In the Customer Prefs, go to Print When Saving
2. Select, Ask Each Time, Print, or Don't Print
To view the customer history:
• Click the Customer History tab in the Customer Card.
The Sales Amount, Payment Amount, and Open Amount columns are totaled at the bottom of the list.
The Aging area separates the total amount due into four categories. The Current category totals all open amounts for invoices that are zero to 29 days old. The same information is provided for invoices that are 30 to 59 days old, 60 to 89 days old, and over 90 days old.
The Average Pay Days field lists the average number of days between invoice and payment for the customer. Month-to-date and year-to-date sales are also listed.
Understanding Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices
Understanding Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices (6421)
There are three kinds of customer transaction windows--quotes, sales orders, and invoices.
• A quote is a proposal. It supplies pricing information to customers, but doesn't have any impact on your inventory or finances. Once the customer is committed to a sale, you can convert a quote into a sales order or invoice.
• A sales order is a firm order that you haven't yet shipped. Because the customer hasn't been billed, dollar amounts on sales orders don't affect your finances. However, item quantities are allocated; that is, the items are reserved for later shipment and the number of items available is decreased. (See "Understanding Item Inventories" in Chapter 5 for more information about how sales orders affect inventory.) When items are ready for shipment, you can convert the sales order into an invoice.
• An invoice represents an actual sale and records the shipment of one or more items to the customer. Dollar amounts on invoices are posted into your accounting system. Item quantities on invoices decrease the number of items on hand.
Customer Quote, Order, Invoice
Big Business lets you create and manage Quote, Order, and Invoice transactions to sell.
Use Quote for winning offers, Order for confirming sales, and Invoice when you fulfill. Convert, carry forrward, backorder, or skip ahead, with live updates to inventory, too.
Choose your workflow, control profitability, allocate product, and see your inventory.
To Work with Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices
To Work with Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices (6422)
You work with quotes, sales orders, and invoices in similar ways. Their windows all have an area where you enter the customer information and an area where you enter item information. You can print all three for presentation to the customer.
However, each window also has features related to its specific purpose. For example, in an invoice, you can see which financial categories were affected by the sale.
In all three cases, Big Business makes it easy to enter information because much of it can be brought over automatically from other parts of the program. For example, you don't need to enter the customer address because it is filled in automatically when you choose the customer. You don't need to fill in item descriptions and prices because they are filled in automatically when you enter the item code.
You enter the customer information by choosing from the Customer QuickChoose list or by typing the customer listing. Big Business fills in the customer name, address, salesperson, ship method, and terms from the Customer Card.
With the exception of the customer terms, you can change the information that is automatically filled in. These changes apply only to this quote; they aren't applied to the Customer Card.
Two fields are optional and need to be filled in by hand:
• The Customer Reference Number field can be used to enter a purchase order
number or similar number that the customer uses to keep track of orders.
• The Department field lets you keep track of which department of your business
generated the quote.
You enter item information by typing all or part of the item code or description into the appropriate column of the Line Items list. (The two description columns next to the Item Code column are named in the Item Preferences window. See "Setting Item Preferences" in Chapter 5 for instructions.) If you don't type enough characters to identify an item, you'll be prompted to choose from the Item List when you move to another column.
• The unit price and tax status are automatically filled in based on information in the Item Card. The price is determined by the price level assigned to the customer. You can change the unit price for this quote. The tax status of an item can only be changed in the Item Card.
• After the basic item information is filled in, you enter a quantity. Because this is a quote, the quantity doesn't affect the item inventory. The extended price is calculated based on the price of the item and the quantity you enter.
• The Comments and E.T.A. (Estimated Time of Arrival) fields are optional. Use the Comments field for short notes about items. Use the E.T.A. field to record when you expect the item to be delivered.