A customer is a subset of an account. In most cases, a single account has a single default customer record, therefore making the customer record transparent. However, there are multiple scenarios when multiple customers within a single account may occur:

1. A family brings their vehicles to the same installer for oil changes, etc. The parent who pays the bills is considered the Account and the default Customer. The other members of the family are considered customers. All invoices will be listed on a single statement.

2. A shop owner allows his/her mechanics to make purchases on a single account, but needs to track which employees order which parts. The business
owner (or business name) is the Account, while all employees allowed to purchase on that account (all authorized buyers) are customers.

3. A business has multiple locations who share pricing structures and request a single statement. The main location is considered the Account, while the remote locations are considered customers.

**Please note: There are multiple tables within Counter Control: Customers, Ship Tos, and Vehicles. If users are unsure of how to handle Accounts versus Customers or Ship Tos, please call the SBC Training Department at 800-829-4722 or send an e-mail to SBCTraining@autologue.com.

Customer Record - General tab

Account Number: Select the applicable account number from the drop down list.

Default Customer: Enter Yes to set the customer as the default customer.

Last Name: Enter the customer’s last name. If the customer is a business, enter the entire business name in Last Name. If the customer is a person, enter their last name only in the Last Name field.

If this is a commercial account, enter the last name of the individual requesting service on the vehicle. You are required to enter information in this field in order to save the customer information.

Note: when the record is in display mode, the user can go to another customer for the Account Number listed by using Ctrl-F5 or View Menu | Lookup w/ Tab.

First Name: Enter the customer’s first name.

Middle Name: Enter the customer’s middle name.

Preferred Name: Enter the customer’s preferred name.

Address 1/Address 2: Enter the street or mailing address for the customer. If this is a commercial account, enter the address you will be sending customer follow-up mailing to. In Address 2, enter the remainder of the customer's street or mailing address. Since not all addresses are long enough to warrant filling out both fields, Address 2 field may be left blank.

City: Enter the city name.

State: Select the 2-character state abbreviation.

Zip Code: Enter the zip code.

Country: Select the country code.

Cell Phone: Enter the customer’s cell phone number.

**Please note: it is highly recommended that users enter telephone numbers into the same field when entering customers at Point Of Sale.

Home Phone: Enter the customer’s home phone number.

Work Phone / Work Ext: Enter the customer’s work phone number and extension, if applicable.

Pager: Enter the customer’s pager number.

Fax Number: Enter the customer’s fax number.

E-mail Address: Enter the customer’s E-mail address.

Alpha Look Up: Enter any alternate name that can be used to call up the customer. Most users enter the first few characters of the business name. By entering the same first few characters, a “multiple records found” box will display allowing users to select from a listing.

Remarks: Enter any additional comments or reminders for this customer, if applicable. Note: this field is for the user and will not be used by the application

Codes: Enter a code here to assign to the customer for reporting purposes only. The system does not keep track of valid codes, therefore, we recommend you keep a list of all codes that you establish and what they represent.

Date Customer Added: This field will be automatically populated based on the last transaction date. The date can be modified if necessary.

Date Last Sale: This field will be automatically populated based on the last transaction date. The date can be modified if necessary.

Note: This field will not be updated if the last transaction date is earlier than the transaction date currently listed.

Send Followups: Select No to not send any follow-up letters to this customer.

Select Yes to allow follow-up letter to be sent to this customer.

Note: This field can be used in the Customer Letter selection criteria.

Tax Number: If the customer has a different tax scenario than the customer’s account, enter the information in the tax number field. Otherwise the account record’s tax information will be used.

Tax Rate 1: If the customer has a different tax scenario than the customer’s account, select the appropriate tax rate. Otherwise the account record’s tax information will be used.

Tax Rate 2: If the customer has a different tax scenario than the customer’s account, select the appropriate tax rate. Otherwise the account record’s tax information will be used.

Customer Record - Notes tab

Notes: the Notes area is a large notepad that allows users to enter any information pertaining to a customer. If the information extends past the height of the box, a scroll bar will appear. This box is useful when recording customer receivables information. For example:

“4/12/13: JMM: I spoke to Arlene McGuire and she says a check for $400.00 was mailed 4/10/13”.

The information recorded in the Notes box does not display in Point Of Sale. If users have messages to pass along to employees, they’ll want to enter that information in the Invoice Messages fields on the Invoicing tab.

When finished entering all information, click on the Save icon at the top of the screen to save the changes.