Customer Accounts

Marlin Tyre and Mechanical Workshop Software enables the creation of flexible customer accounts.

If a customer has an account, their account information can be added to the customer master file allowing transactions to be applied to the account, rather than having to select a payment method for each customer order.

Customer accounts can be set-up with various payment terms, which can be changed (along with their credit status) at any time.

To view and edit a customer's account information, open their master file and click on the Accounting tab at the top.

Once added, payments can be made toward customer accounts using the Customer Payments module, which is covered in its own, separate inform guide.

Adding Customer Accounts

Master Files > Customers > Customers > Customer

To add a customer Account, first Open the customer's master file and click on the Accounting tab at the top.

If the customer has no account, then the accounting tab will only show the Create Account button.

Clicking the Create Account button will show a form for adding a new account.

Payment Terms

Payment terms can be added to the account using the Payment Terms list on the left,

To the top right of the Payment Terms list click on the Add action button, or in the next empty Payment terms cell, and use the picker that appears to select the appropriate payment terms.

Multiple payment terms can be added to an account and then selected when finalising customer orders.

To set the default payment terms, click in the relevant Preferred checkbox.

One set of payment terms must be selected as Preferred, which will be the payment terms that transactions default to.

Payment terms can be deactivate for the customer account by unticking the relevant Active checkbox.

General Customer Account Details

Further information about the customer account can be added using the General section on the right.

If payments toward the customer account balance will be by a different party, use the Payer picker to select an existing customer to invoice for the account.

By default, the account's credit status will be set to Ok.

If necessary, the status of the customer account can be changed using the Credit Status drop down:

• Ok will only allow invoices to be applied to the customer's account and will not allow cash payments.
• Credit Hold will not allow invoices to be applied to the customer's account, other than by users with specific override permissions enabled.
• Prompt for Payment will prompt a cash payment when invoicing the customer, but can be overridden and applied to the customer's account instead by any user.
• Cash Only removes the account option when invoicing the customer's transactions, preventing invoices from being applied to their account. It is effectively the same as removing the account itself, except that it can be easily reactivated again by changing the status.

An account Credit Limit can be recorded in the textbox below, if desired.

Orders that would exceed a customer's credit limit cannot be invoiced unless the user has the override credit limit permission enabled.

Customer account payments will usually be made to the default branch account (set using the Bank Account picker at the top of their Money and Banking tab).

If desired, a bank account to apply the customer account's invoices to can be set fusing the of Bank Account picker.

If there are multiple branches within a Marlin system, the Statement Branch picker can be used to select which branch the customer's account is associated with, which determines the trading name that appears on their statements.

The Megalink textbox represents a future roadmap feature and can be ignored.

To save the account information and return to the Customer Master files Search list, click on the Save action button at the top right of the module window.

Invoicing Customer Accounts

When processing a transaction for account customers or suppliers the company has an account with (and the account's credit status is set to Ok), the Payment Methods list will be replaced by a Payment Terms section, showing the relevant account terms.

If the account has multiple payment terms available, then the Payment Terms toggles can be used to select which terms to apply to the transaction.

Customer and supplier invoices require a due date, which can be changed using the Due Date calendar picker, if desired.

Prompts for Payment

If the customer's credit status is set to Prompt for Payment, the Payment Methods list will still be shown, with an additional Pay Later checkbox at the bottom.

Payment can be taken straight away, using the Payment Methods list as usual.

Otherwise, the Pay Later checkbox can be ticked, which will replace the Payment methods list with the Payment Terms section and the account terms can be accepted by processing the transaction as usual.

Credit Holds

Placing a customer's account on hold prevents invoices from being applied to their account, (other than by users with specific override permissions).

Customer accounts can be put on hold by changing the Credit Status drop-down in the Accounting tab of their customer master file to Credit Hold.

If the customer's account's Credit Status is set to Credit Hold, a pop-up window will appear, warning that the account is currently on hold.

Clicking the Override button will allow the transaction to be processed using the account's payment terms as usual.