Document - Customer Search


Search window -> Customer # field in documents -> Customer Search

The customer lookup window provides the option to search for and select from the existing customer records already stored in your company's Customer Information file from the operational programs including document entry. This is a useful and necessary tool for the operator when he does not know the correct customer number.

If the Customer# or the Alternate Account number for the customer is known, either can be entered in the customer number field to select or assign the customer record without utilizing the search.
If the first few characters of the alpha key were entered in the Customer# field, then the search program skips the search criteria options and immediately displays any matches as explained in the Search Results below.

Note: The Accounting Customer Search search option is a separate search utility that is available in the Accounts Receivable and reporting programs when a customer number needs to be entered.

Document Customer Search filters:

The lookup option first prompts for:

DIVISION
This field defaults to the value specified for "Customer Search" for the operator currently signed into Texada SRM as defined in Operators.
This default division value can always be over-typed as required in the search window.

The division selection choices include:

  • Accept the operator default search value for customers as defined in Operators.
  • Type ALL to include customers from all divisions in the customer selection list.

  • Enter a single division to limit the lookup to include only customers assigned to this specific division, or select the preferred division from the drop-down list.

  • Type SEL to select a range of divisions to include in the report, as outlined in Division Select By Region.


ACCOUNT TYPE
Select one of the following account types if relevant to help narrow the search:
  • Cash to list only customers flagged as Cash only in the search results.
  • On Account to list only customers flagged as charge On Account.
  • Both to include all customers.

Search Options:
Select either the Alpha Code search by customer name, or the search by Telephone#, or the Alternate Search by keyword, to build the customer selection list as follows:
  • ALPHA CODE:
    Enter the first few characters of the Alpha Key for the starting customer in the range to generate a search list.

    The Alpha Key field is a field in the AR Customer Information file that is used to alphabetically sort customer records.
    For example, if the customer's name was Arrow Construction Company, the alpha key would be entered as ARROW.
    If the customer's name was Joe Hardwicke, the alpha key would be entered as HARDWICKE.

    Note: To search for a customer using a few characters within the name, preface the characters with the wildcard character % and include at least 2 standard characters to narrow the response.
    e.g. %TO would find JOHN HAMILTON, SANDSTONE CRANE, PLUTO SALES, STOFMAN LUMBER

    If a list of all customers is required, use the Keyword Search option with no filters.
    This could take a few minutes to return the output because of the quantity if records to be sorted.

  • TELEPHONE#:
    To use the telephone number search, skip the Alpha Code field and enter the first few numbers of the starting Telephone number.
    This phone number search checks all the customers' alternate phone numbers as well as main telephone number in Customer Information.

  • FOB
    The FOB identifiers are optional codes that can be assigned to individual staff for a customer in the Name Check List.
    This code can be used to search for a customer by the staff FOB ID, immediately returning the associated customer number.

    A customer can also be selected on a rental document by scanning or manually entering this code in the Customer # field on the document header.

    If the customer is assigned to the document using the FOB code, the associated name from the Name Check List becomes the staff Name on the document.

  • KEYWORD SEARCH:
    This advanced keyword search mechanism provides the ability to search on Name, Alpha Key, Trading As, Phone#, Fax#, Address, City, Province/State, and Postal/Zip Code, as defined in the Customer Information.

    An added advantage of the keyword search method is that it does not just try to match against the starting characters in the field. It searches the entire field. This can be useful if the street name is known but not the complete address for a customer.

    Example: If 'WILLOW' is entered in the address field and the customer's address is 121 WILLOW AVENUE, it will find this customer.

    Another scenario would be if you knew the exchange number but not the area code for a customer, or if the area code had been entered incorrectly into the system.
    By searching for a customer by phone # using the traditional "Telephone#" method, with 208 as the key, the search list will only include those customers whose phone #s start with 208.
    By using the Alternate Search method, any customers with the string of numbers '208' anywhere in the phone number will be listed.

    Note: For efficiency reasons, the phone number search within the Alternate search, only queries on the main customer phone number. It does not read all the customer's alternate phone numbers.

    To minimize the list of customers displayed, multiple search criteria can be specified.
    Example: Entering 'WILLOW' in the address field and ON in the Province/State field will only return customers with the string 'WILLOW' in the address and ON in the Province/State.

    The Division field can be used to limit the search to only those customers assigned to a specific division or region, as explained above.


Search Results:
The matching customer records are listed with the numbers, names, phone numbers, On Account status, Credit Rating, Contact, Address, Fax number, Account Balance, Alpha Key, Customer Comment, Terms, and Salesman code.
The customer list can be resorted by any column in ascending or descending order, by clicking on the column heading.
Columns can also be dragged and dropped to reposition them as required.

To select a customer, double click on the customer record, or click the SEARCH button.

ACTIONS:
Additional actions provided on the Customer Search screen include the ability to Add a new customer from within the search window when entering a document, or to Scan a driver's license to identify or add a new customer as follows:

Enhanced Search for an Existing Cash Customer:
This Enhanced Customer Search option is only available in documents that are most often utilized by repeat business, including Contracts, Counter Worksheet, Sales Orders, Rental and Sales Quotes, Miscellaneous Invoices, Point Of Sale Invoices, Estimates and Work Orders.
The enhanced Customer search feature can be activated by division in the Divisional Miscellaneous Parameters.

This search method attempts to find a match for a customer name or partial name, by matching all words in the name entered, or matching any single word in the name entered.
It applies at document entry when a blank "Customer Number" is entered in Add mode, where it causes a window to open prompting the operator for a customer name for the search.

Note: If the Scan Driver's License processing has also been activate in the Divisional Contract Parameters, the enhanced customer search is provided after the scan, if no customer was selected or added.
For detailed information on the scan feature refer to Driver's License Scanners.


Topic Keyword: ARCF06
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