Adding a New Customer

To add a new Customer's details to the Merlin Back Office system, double click on the Customer Maintain icon in the main Workspace.

If your system is Multi-Locational, click here for further details.

Type the new Customer Code into the 'Customer' box. If this matches a code already held on the system, the details of that Customer will appear in the fields below. If this is a code that the system does not recognise, you will notice that the 'Create' button is

enabled. You must then select the Location at which the Customer has been created.

Clicking on the 'Create' button will open up all the fields below so that you can enter your new data.

Fill in all the relevant contact details for the new Customer in the Contact Details tab, before moving on to the Comments and Business Informationtabs.

Note: the Merlin Back Office system will save the data you enter as you type, so there is no need to 'save' the details you input. This is done automatically by the system.

Therefore, once you are satisfied that the details you have entered are correct, you can simply exit the program.

Note: new Customer details can also be added at the Point of Sale. For details of how to do this, see the Account Setup & Maintenance section in the Merlin EPOS Help File.

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12.1.3 Contact Details

The Contact Details tab is very straightforward to fill in. It is the place where you enter and amend details of the Customers on your system.

You need to make sure that the details you are inputting are correct, as this is your record of each Customer's address and contact details. The screen also includes fields for the name of your main contact (in the case of business Customers this may differ from the Customer name), as well as contact telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.

In the bottom right hand corner of the screen is an area called 'Loyalty Scheme'. This is for you to store details of the Customer's loyalty discount, if your business offers such a scheme.

Note: the Merlin Back Office system will save the data you enter as you type, so there is no need to 'save' the details you input. This is done automatically by the system.

Therefore, once you are satisfied that the details you have entered or amended are correct, you can simply exit the program.

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12.1.4 Business Information

The Business Information tab is where you enter the details of your dealings with that particular Customer.

The first field allows you to specify the type of account that you are prepared to offer the Customer. Click on the down arrow to the right of the 'Account Type' field and select an account type from the drop-down list that appears. These account types are fixed within the system, which means that you can only select from this list - you cannot add new account types.

Each account type has a corresponding letter which the system uses for identification purposes - this appears in the small field to the left of the 'Account Type' field. It cannot be changed.

A Cash

C Credit

S Savings

D Cash on Delivery

The next field allows you to divide your Customers into different categories. Click on the down arrow to the right of the 'Category' field to see the categories that already exist on the system, and select from the drop-down list. If the category that you require does not appear in the drop-down list, you can also create a new category from this screen. Click on the plus (+) button to the right of the 'Category' field, and the following box will appear:

Type the name of the new Customer category that you wish to create in the box, and press the 'OK' button. This has the effect of entering your new category into the field, and adding it to the drop-down list for future use.

The next field is for the Settlement Terms that you are prepared to offer the Customer,

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and will only be available if the Customer has a credit account with you. This is a more complex topic, and is covered in a separate section.

Below this is a field allowing you to set a credit limit for the Customer, and also a field where you can set the discount level that applies to this Customer (if any). Do this by clicking on the down arrow and selecting from the drop-down list that appears. The 'Discount Level' field relates to the five levels of discount that you can apply to each stock item using the Stock Maintain program. See Discount Levels for more details.

You then need to check the box to specify whether the Customer is VAT registered or not. If this is the case, you can enter their VAT number in the field below.

The system also provides you with a check box so that you can determine whether this Customer will receive a statement of their account.

Note: the Merlin Back Office system will save the data you enter as you type, so there is no need to 'save' the details you input. This is done automatically by the system.

Therefore, once you are satisfied that the details you have entered or amended are correct, you can simply exit the program.

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