From the Accounts Receivable screen, select the Maintenance menu and then Customers.
At the Customers screen, click the New Record button.
Note: For any field equipped with the repeat function, click the Repeat button or press the Ctrl+R keys to repeat the previous entry for the specified field. The repeat function is only available after your initial entry.
Enter a unique ID for the customer in the Customer ID field. The ID can be alphanumeric and up to 10 characters long (no spaces).
Note: To have the system automatically assign the ID using the first 10 characters (letters and numbers only) of the Legal Business Name (or Last Name if an individual), leave the ID field blank; once the record is saved, the ID will be assigned. If the company's name starts with the word "The" and "The" is entered at the beginning of the company name in the Legal Business Name field, the system will disregard "The" when automatically assigning the ID. If the ID entered in the field is for an existing entity not currently flagged with the entity role of AR Customer, a prompt will appear asking if the AR Customer role should be added; click Yes to make the entity a customer in Accounts Receivable.
Select the Active field to stipulate the customer is currently active and used by the district. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected. When adding a new customer, the Active field is selected by default.
The role(s) in which the customer is defined and used within the School Accounting System appears in the Entity Roles field. When adding a new customer in Accounts Receivable, the system automatically assigns the entity role of AR Customer. If more than one entity role appears, the customer can be used and accessed in all the applicable areas using the exact same ID.
If the customer is a company, enter the name of the company in the Legal Business Name field. If the customer is an individual, leave this field blank. The name can be alphanumeric and up to 75 characters long.
Note: If the company's name starts with the word "The", be sure to enter "The" at the beginning of the name in the Legal Business Name field; the system will disregard "The" when automatically assigning the ID (if applicable) and when searching on the Customer Name field in other areas of the system (for example, "The Paper Company" becomes "Paper Company, The" for sorting and searching purposes).
If the customer is an individual, enter the person’s last name in the Last Name field. If the customer is a company, leave this field blank, or if desired, enter the last name of the person who owns the business in the Last Name field. The last name can be up to 40 characters long.
If the customer is an individual, enter the prefix (such as Dr., Mr., or Mrs.) for the person in the Prefix field if applicable, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. If the customer is a company, leave this field blank.
If the customer is an individual, enter the suffix (such as Jr. or Sr.) for the person in the Suffix field if applicable, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. If the customer is a company, leave this field blank.
If the customer is an individual, enter the person’s first name in the First Name field. If the customer is a company, leave this field blank. The first name can be up to 30 characters long.
If the customer is an individual, enter the person’s middle name in the Middle Name field. If the customer is a company, leave this field blank. The middle name can be up to 30 characters long.
If the customer is a company and the correspondence should be sent directly to a specific person or department at the company, enter the name of the person or department in the Attention field. The name can be alphanumeric and up to 30 characters long.
Enter the address (up to two lines) for the customer in the Address 1 and Address 2 fields. The addresses can be alphanumeric and each can be up to 30 characters long.
Enter the city where the customer is located in the City field. The city can be alphanumeric and up to 25 characters long.
Enter the appropriate state abbreviation (or applicable code for the province, if located outside of the United States) for the customer in the State/Province field. If the state abbreviation or province code is not known, click the down-arrow button to select the correct one, or press the Ctrl+F keys to access the search feature.
Note: Only the state abbreviations and province codes for the specified country (as entered in the Country field, or United States if the Country field is blank) appear by default when searching, but the filters can be changed if needed in order to view other state or province codes.
Enter the zip code for the customer in the Zip Code field. The zip code can be alphanumeric and up to 15 characters long. The system will automatically add the dash in the zip code if 9 digits are entered, using the format of ##### - ####.
Enter the applicable 2-digit code of the country where the customer is located in the Country field, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. If the State/Province field is completed, the corresponding country code will appear by default in this field and can only be changed by first deleting the state or province (or specifying a different state or province).
Enter up to three phone numbers (including a fax number, if applicable) for the customer in the Primary Phone Number, Secondary Phone Number, and Other Phone Number fields. Then enter the appropriate type (Business, Cell, Fax, Home, or Other) in the Phone Type field for each phone number entered, or click the down-arrow button to select the correct one. Each phone number can be up to 30 digits long. The system will automatically add the dashes for the phone numbers (if entered with numbers only) using the following formats: 1) ### - #### if 7 digits are entered; 2) ### - #### x ## if 8 or 9 digits are entered; 3) ### - ### - #### if 10 digits are entered; or 4) ### - ### - #### x ## if 11 or more digits are entered.
If desired, enter the address of the website for the customer in the Internet Address field. The website address can be up to 50 characters long.
Note: If your computer is connected to the Internet, click the Go To button located to the right of this field to launch the Internet browser and display the specified website.
If the customer is a company, enter the name of the person or department who should be contacted with any questions in the Contact Person field. The name can be alphanumeric and up to 30 characters long.
Select the Email Statements field in order to email statements to the customer. A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: If the Email Statements field is selected, the customer must have a valid email address entered in the Business, Personal, or Other field in the Email Addresses section with at least one of the usage fields (Direct Deposit, Tax Forms, or Other Communication field) selected for each applicable email address (the usages for which email addresses to use is specified at the time the statements are emailed).
Leave the Last Invoice Date field blank when entering the new customer, as the system will automatically update this field with the latest date an invoice (or prepaid invoice, if applicable) was entered and posted for the customer. If a date is in this field, it will display below the customer's address when entering invoices, prepaid invoices, and payments.
Leave the Last Payment Date field blank when entering the new customer, as the system will automatically update this field with the latest date a payment (or prepaid invoice, if applicable) was entered and posted for the customer. If a date is in this field, it will display below the customer's address when entering invoices, prepaid invoices, and payments.
Enter any additional information to track for the customer in the Comments field, if desired. The comment can be alphanumeric and up to 1,000 characters long. If a comment is entered, it will display below the customer's address when entering invoices, prepaid invoices, and payments.
If desired, enter the email address(es) for the customer in the Email Addresses section.
Enter the business email address for the customer in the Business Email Address field. Enter a home or personal email address for the customer in the Personal Email Address field. Enter another email address for the customer in the Other Email Address field. The email addresses can be up to 50 characters long and must follow the proper format of "username@example.com".
Specify the uses for each email address by selecting the appropriate usage fields (Direct Deposit, Tax Forms, and/or Other Communication fields). If the customer will be sent other email communications, such as reports, from within the School Accounting System using the particular email address, select the Other Communication field. Disregard the fields for Direct Deposit and Tax Forms as they are not applicable to a customer (would only be used in other areas if the customer had multiple entity roles). A checkmark will appear in the box if the field is selected.
Note: In order to email reports or statements to a particular email address for the customer, at least one of the usage fields (Direct Deposit, Tax Forms, or Other Communication field) must be selected for the email address (at the time a report or statement is emailed, the usages for which email addresses to use is then specified).
Click the Save button to save the new customer.