Selecting the customer on a sales order

Selecting the customer is one of the most important steps in creating a sales order. The customer determines who the order is for, and their contact details, default prices, and payment terms are linked to this choice.

Before you start

• You must have at least one customer created in Contacts.
• The customer must be marked as a customer (not just a generic contact).
• If you need to create a new customer quickly, you can do it while creating the sales order.

Steps

1. Open the sales order form (either a new order or an existing one you want to edit). Open in Usystems

2. Click the Customer field (the first field after the order date). A dropdown list appears showing all your customers.

3. Type the customer's name or code to filter the list, or scroll to find them.

4. Click the customer to select them. Their details are now loaded:

   • Contact information (address, phone, email)
   • Default currency (if using multi-currency)
   • Any standing discount or payment terms

5. If the customer you need is not in the list, click Add new (if available) or close and create the customer in Contacts first. Open in Usystems

Accounting impact

The customer selection affects which account the sale is recorded against. Each customer may have a different account for tracking receivables (money owed by that customer).

Tips & common mistakes

• Check the customer code: many companies use customer codes (like "CUST-001") to make searching faster.
• Currency matters: if the customer is in a different country, make sure the correct currency is selected after you choose the customer.
• You cannot change the customer once you have added lines to the order. If you need a different customer, delete the lines first or start over.
• If a customer owes money, their balance is shown in the customer details. You can still create a new order, but be aware of any past-due amounts.