9.1 Creating a Customer

Users with Customer creation permission can create new Customer records inside AIUNIFY CRM.

Before creating a record, search the Customers workspace to confirm that the company or account does not already exist.

9.2 Starting a New Customer

You can begin the Customer workflow from the Customers workspace or, when available to your account, from the Customer Quick Action.

The Customer form stores the company information used throughout the CRM relationship.

9.3 Customer Information

Complete the customer-information fields presented by the form as accurately as possible.

The Customer model supports company and address-related information, including normal customer address information and separate billing and shipping address data where those fields are used.

Additional fields visible in your deployment should be completed according to your organization's data standards.

9.4 Existing Customer Groups

The Customer form can display existing Customer Groups for organizational use.

When an existing group selection is available and applicable to your workflow, associate the Customer with the appropriate existing group. This User Operations Manual does not cover configuration of Customer Groups themselves.

9.5 Save and Add Contact

When creating a Customer, AIUNIFY CRM supports a Save and Add Contact workflow.

If you choose this option, the CRM first creates the Customer and then opens the Customer's Contacts area with the new-contact workflow ready.

This is useful when you already know the individual who will serve as the Customer's first Contact.

9.6 Creating the Customer Without Immediately Adding a Contact

If you save normally without the Save and Add Contact option, AIUNIFY CRM creates the Customer and opens the Customer profile.

You can add Contacts later from the Customer's Contacts area.

9.7 Customer Assignment and Limited Visibility

The system contains logic for users who can create Customers but do not have broad permission to view all Customers. In that situation, a newly created Customer can be associated with the current staff user so that the creator can continue working with the record according to the permitted workflow.

9.8 Editing a Customer

Open the Customer profile and edit the information your account is permitted to change.

The CRM checks Customer edit permission and customer-assignment/customer-responsibility rules before allowing an update.

9.9 Address Information

Customer updates support the main address and, when used, billing and shipping address information.

Review these values carefully because address information may later be used with invoices, estimates, proposals, contracts, or other customer-facing documents.

9.10 Customer Custom Fields

If your organization has made Customer custom fields available in the form, values entered into those fields are saved with the Customer record.

Complete only fields relevant to your operational workflow and follow the labels provided in your CRM environment.

9.11 Recommended Customer-Creation Workflow

1. Open Customers.
2. Search for the company to avoid a duplicate.
3. Select the option to create a Customer.
4. Enter accurate Customer information.
5. Review address, billing, and shipping information where applicable.
6. Select an existing group only when appropriate to your organization's workflow.
7. Choose Save and Add Contact when you are ready to create the first Contact immediately.
8. Otherwise save the Customer normally.
9. Review the resulting Customer profile.
10. Confirm that the information was saved to the correct record.

9.12 Editing Best Practices

• Verify that you opened the correct Customer before editing.
• Do not replace established Customer information with unverified data.
• Keep company and individual Contact information in their appropriate records.
• Review billing or shipping changes carefully before future financial documents are prepared.
• Use notes or related records for activity history rather than placing temporary comments into permanent company-information fields.