Managing Customers and Items

This chapter provides an overview of managing customers and items and discusses how to:

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Customer Information

This section provides an overview of customer information and lists the forms used to manage customer information.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Customer Information

Customers can access order and invoice information to review the status of the account. They can review and revise information about their company, their company's forecast, or their orders. They can also review invoices or compare the total accounts receivable and open orders to their current credit limit, which is assigned in the F03012 table, to determine if the credit limit has been exceeded.

A customer can also review additional information about the customer master information that is contained in the enterprise system. However, this information is for display only.

By reviewing and modifying address book information, the customer can resolve discrepancies within the enterprise system. Reviewing customer master information enables the customer to identify discrepancies and communicate them to the enterprise.

Changing Name, Address, and Telephone Information

After you create the database of information about a customer, you maintain the database to ensure that the information is current. Company information such as name, address, and phone numbers can change. Also, information about employees and other individuals associated with the company can change. To support efforts to keep the address book information current, you can activate self service for the Address Book program (P01012).

When you activate self service for the Address Book, you enable the customers to review and change specific address book information about themselves such as name, address, phone number, effective date and who's who address book information.

Personalizing Customer Information

You can enable customers to further personalize their company information through Customer Self Service. Depending upon their business practices, customers can further customize Customer Self Service by selecting different ship-to addresses or entering their purchase order numbers in the sales order header.

The customer's company might order items for multiple locations in one sales order. Customer Self Service sales order functionality enables them to select a different ship-to address for different order lines within each sales order they create.

The ship-to addresses for the customer can be organized into structures that correlate to their company, or the customers can select from all addresses related to their company within the Address Book program (P01012). You specify the method the customer uses to select ship-to address by enabling the Customer Self Service Ship To Structure Type processing option on the defaults tab in the Sales Order Entry program (P4210).

Customers can specify a purchase order number on their Customer Self Service sales order header. This enables them to better track their purchases and can help them fulfill their accounts payable processes.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicForm Used to Manage Customer Information

Form Name

FormID

Navigation

Usage

Self Service — Update Address Book Records

W01012SSA

From the Tasks portlet, select Manage Customer Information.

Review the Company Name, Company Address, andCompany Contact Information group boxes. Select to modify customer name information.

Modify the primary mailing name and secondary mailing name. After you click OK, the system saves the changes.

Modify company contact information.

Review information such as payment terms, the date the account was opened, to whom to send statements, delivery instructions, tax information, and so forth.

Note. You can request a credit limit change. The system sends an electronic message to the credit manager.

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Customer Item Numbers

This section provides an overview of customer item numbers and discusses how to set processing options for Item Cross Reference Self Service program (P4104SS).

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Customer Item Numbers

The Item Cross Reference Self Service program (P4104SS) enables you to manage the relationship between customer item numbers and the supplier's item numbers. Typically, customers use this program to review, manage, and add cross-reference items to the enterprise's database.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicForms Used to Manage Customer Item Numbers

Form Name

FormID

Navigation

Usage

Add Customer Item Numbers

W4104SSB

From the Tasks portlet, select Add Customer Item Numbers.

Add customer item numbers. To save the new item numbers, click OK.

Manage Customer Item Numbers

W4104SSA

From the Tasks portlet, select Manage Customer Item Numbers.

Modify customer item numbers. To save changes, click OK.

Edit Customer Item Numbers

W4104SSB

On the Manage Customer Item Numbers form, select the row that contains the appropriate item number and click Edit.

Review and modify information such as customer item number, customer item description, supplier item number, and effective and expired dates.

You can also add another customer item number on this form by selecting the Add Item Cross-Reference option.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSetting Processing Options for Item Cross Reference Self Service (P4104SS)

Processing options enable you to specify the default processing for programs and reports.

Defaults

These processing options specify the default filter and sort options.

1. Customer Item Cross Reference Type Code

Enter a value from UDC 41/DT. The system uses default value C (customer part numbers).

2. Customer Self Service Address Structure

Specify the address book organizational structure type to display; enter a value from UDC 01/TS. If you leave this processing option blank, the system displays all related address numbers.