Section Three

Section Three
Clients

General Description
The Clients Menu
Adding a new Client
Showing a Client Record
Listing Clients
Changing Client Details
Deleting a Client
Data stored in a Client Record

General Description
The Clients module is used to keep and maintain records of your business clients.
Finding a client record is easy, just type in the Client Number at the data entry bar and the record will appear on the screen.
If you don't know the Client Number then you can tell the computer to search for it by using the client's name, phone number, address or a search pattern.
You can enter new clients, delete old clients or modify certain details about them.
You can list and print a Client Listing in numerical, alphabetical or matches to client name or address.
This list contains all the details of your clients.

The Clients Menu

Screen Presentation of the Clients Menu

Adding a New Client
Clicking "Add New Client" at the Clients menu will let you add a new client record to the database.
You will be prompted to firstly enter the surname or second name, followed by first or given names.
Use standard editing keys to correct any errors whilst entering data.
You should type in the surname as you would write it, ie with the first letter in uppercase (capital letter), and the rest of the surname in lowercase letters.
It is a good idea to follow the surname with a comma and a space and then type the first name of the client with the first letter in uppercase.
For example to enter John Smith as a client you would type "Smith, John".
You are then prompted for the Address, Phone number, Business Phone or Fax number, mobile phone, other details and Account type.
The address should be entered with the number and name of the street on the first line followed by the suburb on the second and State and postcode on the third.
For example to enter 32 Hathaway St Endeavour Hills 3802 you would type "32 Hathaway Street" in the first box then type "Endeavour Hills in the second and then VIC 3802" in the third.
The account type for your client is defaulted to No Account.
Click the box to change it and give this client an account.
If you do regular work for other businesses and want to bill them on a specific cycle then set the appropriate account type.
You can select seven day, fourteen day, twenty eight day or ninety day accounts.
A seven day account is an account that should be paid within seven days after the end of the billing cycle which should also be seven days.
This means that a account would become overdue a maximum of fourteen days after the work was completed and the invoice for that job produced.
The most common form of billing is the twenty eight day account (monthly account) this means that at the end of every month the accounts are produced, sent out and the client should pay before the end of the new month otherwise the account would become overdue.
(See Section Four Accounts for more information).
All invoices printed for clients with accounts do not have a remittance advice attached but have the message, "Please Pay on Account" printed instead.
On completion of the data entry, the complete record is should look similar to the displayed record below with the Last Job Number showing NTFY which means No Jobs This Financial Year will appear instead of the Last Job Number.
Clicking Save will return you to the Clients menu and save the record.
If you make a lot of counter sales, then you could generate a client called counter sale or cash sale leaving the other fields blank for that record.

Screen Presentation of Client Details

Show Client
This option is used for displaying a client record in the computer's database and if required, changing the client's details.
By Clicking "Show" at the Clients Menu, you will be prompted to enter a client number which can be up to five digits in length. If you know the client number then type the number and click Show.
The client details will then appear on the screen.
If you do not know the client number then click List to enable you to find the client you are looking for.

Screen Presentation of the Show Client Menu

Listing Clients
A list of clients can be used to find clients from a partricular address or postcode, or a match to a name or even a phone number.
Click the List button on the Clients menu and the List type selection box will appear allowing you to list Numerically, Alphabetically, by matches to Client Name, Phone Number or Address.

Screen Presentation of the Client Listing type selection box

Listing in Numerical Order
Listing in this fashion will produce a Numerical order client listing with the first client entered into your system at the top of the list.

Listing in Alphabetical Order
Listing in this fashion will produce an Alphabetical order client listing.
As new clients are entered into the system the records are stored automatically in alphabetical order.

Listing by Client Name
If you select "Matches to Name" at the List Client menu you will be prompted for the name or search pattern to be typed at the data entry bar.
The search is performed using what you type in, so if you typed an "A" for example, all your clients whose second or surname starts with the letter "A" would be presented to you in the list.
You can scroll through the list and when you see the record you want, double click it to display the full record.Clicking the forward or backward arrows will cause the next entry in the list to be displayed.

Listing by Phone Number
If you select "Matches to Phone Number" you will be prompted for the number or search pattern to be typed at the data entry bar.
All Three phone numbers are searched simultaneously.
When a match is found the list is produced as before.

Listing by Address
If you select "Matches to Address" you will be prompted for the address or search pattern to be typed at the data entry box.
You can type in a street number, street name, suburb or postcode or any search pattern.
As this option searches the address looking for a pattern match you don't need to know all the address details to find the client.
For example, If a client lived at 45 Keilor Road, Essendon, 3040 it would be possible to find this client by typing 45, Keilor, Essendon or 3040.
If you typed in 45 then all clients that had an address with a 45 in it would be found and put in the list.
Any list can be made concise, detailed or made into mailing labels.
The labels are 2*8 (16 labels per sheet) and available at most large newsagents and office supplies stores.
The contents of the list is Client Number followed by Client Name and Address.
The Phone Numbers and the account type and Last Job Number.
On completion of the listing to the screen, you will be prompted "Click Print to Print the List".

Screen Presentation of a Numerical Client Listing

Changing a Client's Details
When a client record is on the screen, you can change details by clicking in the fields and editing the data.
The OK button becomes a Save button when a change is made and if it is clicked the record is permanently saved in the database.
Please Note that due to the method of record structuring you cannot modify a client's name completely, but only the second and subsequent letters.
For example, if your clients name was originally entered as Smith, John and Betty and you later found out that the name was actually spelt Smyth, then it is possible to correct the name by highlighting mith and typing myth into the data entry box as the first letter of the name is set to be an "S" by the program.
Only a surname beginning with the letter "S" will substitute for the original name Smith.
You are also presented with the Address, Phone Number, Business Hours Phone or Facsimile Number, Mobile Number, Other Details and Account Type to permit changes to be made to these details.
Click the Save Button to permanently save the details into the client database.

Deleting a Client
Clicking "Delete" Whilst a Client record is showing will prompt you "Delete This Client Record".
Clicking "Yes" will then delete the client record and make it available for a new entry.
The next client added to the database whose surname begins with the same letter as the deleted client, will be issued with that Client Number.
Note. A client can only be deleted if there are no jobs on record in the current financial year for that client.
If you attempt to delete a client with a job on record for them then a message appears to tell you that you cannot delete the client record.

Data stored in a Client Record

Name Client Surname, First name

Address Street number and name, Suburb and postcode

Phone Number Home phone number

Business Hours Phone Business, phone or Fax number

Mobile Phone Mobile phone number

Other Details Other Client details

Account Type Type of Account held

Last Job Number Last job done for this client this financial Year

Contents Page Previous Section Next Section