Customer
From Fishbowl Inventory
The Customer module allows information regarding customers to be edited within your database. The following functions may be performed within the Customer Module:
- Create a new customer
- Edit a customer
- Delete a customer
- Modify customer details
- Create, delete, or edit customer Addresses
- Create, edit, or delete customer contact information
- Manage customer groups
Contents |
Create a New Customer 
Before we begin, the first thing to know is the only required fields when creating a new customer are the name and the street address. Once a Customer has been created, the information entered may be edited at any future time if necessary. The following steps will help create a new customer in your Fishbowl database.
In the Sales Module Group choose the Customer Module. This will open the Customer Details screen. On the left you will see a listing of all existing Customers in the Customer Module Search Panel. Click on the New icon located on the Module Toolbar to launch the Customer Wizard.
Enter the Customer's name and Customer's number (optional) in the appropriate field. This first step also allows the user to specify a Customer Job if desired. All of the Customers currently shown within the Customer Module will appear in the Customer Jobs drop down menu. Once the information on step 1 has been entered, choose Next.
- To help with searching, Fishbowl requires that all customers have a unique identifier. This means that you cannot have more than one Customer of the same name. This makes it possible to distinguish between Customers in the Customer drop-down boxes found throughout Fishbowl. If you have more than one Customer of the same name, add a unique identifier to the name. Numbers, zip codes, area codes, or business names are commonly used to distinguish between Customers.
Next you will reach the address section. Fill out the information for a Main Address and click Next. If multiple addresses for a Customer such as a Bill To, Ship To, etc. they may be done via the Customer Import or through the Address subtab. In the following screen you can enter your Customer's phone number, fax number, mobile number, other number and e-mail address. Enter as many or as few of the fields as you desire. When you have finished, click Next.
Next is the Customer Details screen. This is the accounting portion assigned to each customer. You will choose the shipping terms, default terms, tax rate and status of this customer. A note field is also available. A few details are described below.
- COD - Terms of type Cash on Delivery . This is for customers who pay you at the time of receipt.
- CIA - Terms of type Cash in Advance . For customers who must pay in advance.
- CCD - This stands for Cash Concentration and Disbursement. This is a format for Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) type payments, or payments dealing with electronic transactions.
- Net 30, 15, 60, 75 - Net terms allow you to specify the number of days a customer has to pay.
- Status - The status lets you indicate your feelings toward the customer. The default is Normal. A Customer with a hold status will not be able to have their order either Picked or Shipped, depending on the settings within the User Rights module.
- Tax Exempt - If this customer is tax exempt, check the box and enter the tax exempt number in the available field.
Click Next when finished.
You may now assign the customer to a Customer Group if you wish. If you have created Customer Groups you may add your New Customer to one of them using the blue arrows in the center. If not, you may go back and create a Customer Group first and then add a Customer to a specified group.
Click Finish to add a New Customer to your Fishbowl database.
Modify an Existing Customer
After a customer has been created their information may be modified at any time in the customer module.
To edit a customer, Double click on any customer from the Search Panel.
Any desired changes may be made by clicking the various subtabs. For an explanation of each subtab see the About Customer section. Remember to click the Save icon from the Module Toolbar after any modifications are made to save your changes.
Remove a Customer
Delete A Customer
Deleting a Customer can only be done when the Customer is brand new and has not been attached to any orders. Once it has been used, a Customer cannot be deleted and therefore should be set as inactive.
Inactivate a Customer
Making a Customer inactive will still store history and information about that Customer. However, making them inactive will prevent them from being seen on any list containing Customer names unless a search is chosen to show inactive customers. To make a customer inactive, simply follow these instructions:
- In the Search Panel (on the left), double-click the customer you would like to make Inactive.
- In the Account Info subtab, uncheck the Active box located at the right of the screen.
- Click the Save Icon from the Module Toolbar. The Customer is now considered Inactive. You may view an inactive customer by choosing the Advanced Search button and choosing the Show Inactive only or Show all options.
Pipeline sync
The Customer module has two buttons used to synchronize customers with Fishbowl Pipeline. Pipeline is Fishbowl's cloud-based platform with CRM features. Read more about Pipeline here or visit the Pipeline wiki.
-
The Push To button will upload or sync the currently open Fishbowl customer to Pipeline.
-
The Pull From button will download or sync all accounts from Pipeline that are set to by synchronized.
Access to these buttons can be set via access rights in the User Group module.
Create Customer Groups
Customer Groups can be used to organize your Customers. For example, you may like to put Customers who purchase on a regular basis in a different group than Customers who don't purchase as often. Also, you may like to separate your family members and friends so that you may apply certain types of pricing for each group. To create a Customer Group, simply follow these steps:
Open the Sales Module Group and select the Customer Module. Once in the Customer Module, click the Groups subtab. In the upper right-hand corner, select the Manage Groups button. The Group Manager window displays current Customer Groups and allows you to create a new group, edit an existing group, or delete an existing group. Click the New 
icon to add a Group.
Type the name you wish to give to the new group and click OK . The name will appear in the Group Manager window. Continue adding groups using this process.
Click OK when you are finished adding, editing, or deleting groups to close the Group Manager window.
- You may edit any group by selecting the group you wish to edit (in the Group Manager window) then clicking the Edit
icon.
- You may delete any group by selecting the Group as above, then clicking the Delete
button.
Search for a Customer
When searching for a Customer, you have the option of first using the Search Panel. The search panel allows for the customer Name, City, or State to be used. If these do not help find a customer, you may wish to use the Advanced Search feature.
To do this, select Advanced Search from the Customer Search Panel. In the Advanced Search feature you also have the options of searching by Customer Groups, Salesmen, Customer Numbers (this information may be found in the Customer Module | Details subtab), or Inactive Customers. You may also search by Custom Fields using the Custom Subtab.
Update a Customer's Address
Addresses may be updated manually through the Customer Module of the Fishbowl Client, or they may be updated via the Customers Import. Customer Addresses may be edited via the import when each Address has a unique name. If desired, an Address Name may have multiple Address Types affiliated with it; however, when updating Address information, both the unique Address Name and Type will both need to be specified.
History button
The Customer module has a History button that will open the purchase history report. If a customer is open, the report will show the purchase history of the current customer. To change the report that is loaded when clicking the History button, open the Reports Module Options and change the report for Customer Purchase History. The same button is also found in the Sales Order Module.
About Customer
Account Info Subtab
If desired, you may change the customer's name in this subtab. To do so, simply change the customer name in the Name field and click Save in the module toolbar to save the changes. This account info subtab is also where you may inactivate a customer if you choose to. Simply deselect the active box in the upper right hand corner of the main screen. At the bottom of the main screen there is a section labeled Default Numbers. This is a read-only field for a quick-glance of contact information available for this customer. If you would like to modify this information, it should be done under the Contact subtab.
Details Subtab
The details subtab gives a list of default information that is pulled into the details subtab of the Sales Order for that specific customer. For any specific customer you may choose a credit limit, discount level, status, default payment terms, Tax rate, shipping terms, and salesperson. An alert note entered into this field will automatically display itself when a user puts this customer's name on a new Sales Order.
- Credit Limit - The credit limit set for this customer. A dialog box will be displayed with this limit whenever a new Sales Order is created for this customer.
- Status - The status allows you to verify where you stand with the customer. Normal is default; however Preferred, Hold Shipment, Hold Sales, and Hold All are also options for your customer.
- Default Terms
- COD - Cash On Delivery. This refers to customers who pay at the time of receipt.
- CIA - Cash in Advance. This is for customers who are required to pay in advance.
- CCD - Cash Concentration and Disbursement. This is a format for Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) type payments, or payments dealing with electronic transactions.
- Net 30 - This allows customers up to 30 days to pay.
- Default Carrier - The default shipping method for the customer.
- Shipping Terms - Prepaid and Billed, Prepaid, or Freight Collect.
- Salesperson - This is a user of Fishbowl set up to be a default Salesperson for this customer. The salesperson will appear on the details subtab of the Sales Order.
- Account Number - The number associated with this Customer.
- Tax Rate - A default tax rate may be selected per customer in this dropdown. Tax rates available in the drop down list have already been created in the Tax Rate Module.
- Tax Exempt - If this customer is tax exempt, check the box and enter the tax number in the available field.
- Alert Note - An alert note allows you to enter information about the customer that needs to be viewed before another Sales Order is created for this customer. When an alert note has been added to a customer and a sales order is created with the customer's name, the alert note will immediately pop up on the screen for the user to view.
Address Subtab
You may have a default address for every different address type. Each Address Type should also have a unique Address Name. This unique name tied to a specific type allows for Customers and their Addresses to be created and updated through the Customers Import. To edit an address, simply highlight the desired address and modify the information shown on the right side of the screen. To add information such as Contacts, choose the add address information icon from the Address Information section and enter a name, Type, and data for the contact. Choose ok to add the contact. After any changes are made to an address, make sure to choose the save icon located on the Module Toolbar. To delete an address highlight the name and click the Delete Address button.
To the right of the Address Type you will notice a small world icon. Clicking on this icon will pull up your Customer address on a Google Maps page for your convenience.
Groups Subtab
Customer Groups may be used to organize your customers. For example, Customers who purchase on a regular basis may belong in a separate group from those who randomly purchase. You may also set up specific Pricing Rules to apply for customer groups(for additional information on setting pricing rules per group please view the Pricing Module). If you have family members, employees, or friends that receive certain prices, customer groups would be an excellent way to manage them. To edit any group, click Manage Groups. Groups may then be edited by selecting the group you wish to edit (in the Group Manager window clicking the edit 
icon in the Component Toolbar.
Memo Subtab
The memo field is an internal-use subtab that allows a user to enter notes regarding this customer. You may add a new note, edit an existing note, or delete a note by highlighting the line item to be changed and clicking the corresponding button located on the component toolbar.
Custom Subtab
The custom field subtab is an internal-use field for extra information. You can set up specific names for each custom field line in the Custom Fields Module. You may also complete an advanced search for customers by custom fields. A selection of reports allow for a search by custom field.
