# Managing Your Contacts (Customers & Suppliers) **Contacts** are the people and businesses you deal with — your **customers** who buy from you, and your **suppliers** who sell to you. This guide covers everything you need to know about managing contacts in ActuaryPOS Hybrid Solution. --- ## What You'll Learn - How to add customers and suppliers - How to view and edit contact details - How to import contacts from a file - How to manage customer groups - How to view a contact's ledger (transaction history) - How to record payments --- ## Understanding Contact Types | Type | What It Means | |---|---| | **Customer** | Someone who buys products or services from you | | **Supplier** | Someone who sells products to you (your vendor) | | **Both** | A contact that acts as both customer and supplier | --- ## How to Add a New Contact 1. Go to **Contacts** from the left sidebar. 2. Click **Suppliers** or **Customers** depending on what type you want to add. 3. Click the **Add** button (+ icon) at the top right. 4. Fill in the details: ### Basic Information - **Contact Type** — Choose Customer, Supplier, or Both - **Business Name** — The company name (optional for individual customers) - **Name Prefix** — Mr, Mrs, Ms, etc. - **First Name** — The contact's first name - **Last Name** — The contact's last name - **Mobile** — Primary phone number - **Email** — Email address - **Contact ID** — A unique code (auto-generated or enter your own) ### Tax & Business Details - **Tax Number** — VAT/GST/NTN number (if applicable) - **Pay Term** — Payment terms (e.g., 30 days, 60 days) - **Opening Balance** — If this contact owes you (or you owe them) from before you started using ActuaryPOS Hybrid Solution - **Credit Limit** — Maximum amount you'll sell to them on credit ### Address - **Address Line 1** — Street address - **Address Line 2** — Additional address info - **City, State, Country, Zip Code** 5. Click **Save** to create the contact. 📸 *[Screenshot: The Add Contact form with key fields highlighted]* > 💡 **Tip:** You can add **custom fields** if you need to track extra information. Ask your administrator to set these up in Business Settings. --- ## How to View and Edit Contacts 1. Go to **Contacts → Customers** (or **Suppliers**). 2. You'll see a list of all contacts with key details: - Name, mobile number, total purchase/sale, and balance due 3. Click the **Actions** button next to any contact. 4. Choose **Edit** to modify their details. 5. Make your changes and click **Update**. 📸 *[Screenshot: The contact list with the Actions dropdown visible]* --- ## How to View a Contact's Ledger The **Ledger** shows a contact's complete transaction history — every purchase, sale, payment, and outstanding balance. 1. Go to **Contacts → Customers** (or **Suppliers**). 2. Click the **Actions** button next to the contact. 3. Select **Ledger**. 4. You'll see a timeline of all transactions with this contact: - Sale or purchase amounts - Payments received or made - Running balance 📸 *[Screenshot: A contact's ledger showing transactions and running balance]* > 💡 **Tip:** Use the date filter to see transactions for a specific time period. --- ## How to Record a Payment ### Receiving Payment from a Customer 1. Go to **Contacts → Customers**. 2. Click the **Actions** button next to the customer. 3. Select **Pay** (or go to **Sale → Pay Customer**). 4. Enter the payment details: - **Amount** — How much is being paid - **Payment Method** — Cash, Card, Bank Transfer, Cheque, etc. - **Payment Note** — Any reference information 5. Click **Pay** to record the payment. 📸 *[Screenshot: The customer payment popup with amount and method fields]* ### Paying a Supplier 1. Go to **Contacts → Suppliers**. 2. Click the **Actions** button next to the supplier. 3. Select **Pay** (or go to **Purchases → Pay Supplier**). 4. Enter the payment details. 5. Click **Pay** to record it. 📸 *[Screenshot: The supplier payment popup]* --- ## How to Import Contacts from a File If you have a large list of contacts in a spreadsheet, you can import them all at once: 1. Go to **Contacts → Import Contacts**. 2. Download the **sample file** by clicking the template link — this shows you the correct format. 3. Fill in your contacts using the same column layout as the sample. 4. Save your file as **.csv** or **.xlsx** format. 5. Click **Browse** and select your file. 6. Click **Submit** to start the import. 7. The system will show a summary of how many contacts were imported. 📸 *[Screenshot: The import contacts page with the file upload area]* > ⚠️ **Important:** Make sure your file matches the template format exactly. Extra columns or wrong headers may cause errors. --- ## Managing Customer Groups Customer groups let you organise customers into categories (e.g., "Wholesale", "Retail", "VIP") and offer group-specific pricing. ### How to Create a Customer Group 1. Go to **Contacts → Customer Groups**. 2. Click **Add** at the top right. 3. Enter: - **Group Name** — e.g., "Wholesale Buyers" - **Calculation Percentage** — A discount percentage for this group (e.g., 10% off for wholesale) 4. Click **Save**. 📸 *[Screenshot: The Add Customer Group form]* ### How to Assign a Customer to a Group 1. Edit the customer's contact details. 2. Look for the **Customer Group** field. 3. Select the appropriate group from the list. 4. Click **Update**. --- ## Contact Map If your contacts have addresses, you can view them on a map: 1. Go to **Contacts → Contact Map**. 2. You'll see pins on the map for each contact with a valid address. 3. Click any pin to see the contact's name and details. 📸 *[Screenshot: The contact map view with location pins]* --- ## Settings & Options | Setting | What It Does | Where to Find It | |---|---|---| | **Contact ID Prefix** | Sets a prefix for auto-generated contact IDs (e.g., "CU" → CU0001) | **Settings → Business Settings → Prefixes** | | **Credit Limit** | Maximum amount a customer can owe you before the system warns you | Set per contact when editing | | **Pay Terms** | Default payment terms for new contacts | Set per contact or in Business Settings | | **Custom Fields** | Extra fields to track additional information | **Settings → Business Settings → Custom Labels** | --- ## Common Questions **Q: Can I delete a contact?** A: You can only delete contacts that don't have any transactions. If a contact has transactions, you can make them inactive instead. **Q: How do I find a contact quickly?** A: Use the search bar at the top of the contacts list. You can search by name, phone number, or contact ID. **Q: What does "Opening Balance" mean?** A: This is the amount a contact owed you (or you owed them) from before you started using ActuaryPOS Hybrid Solution. It helps you track your complete payment history. **Q: Can I export my contacts list?** A: Yes! Look for the **Export** buttons (CSV, Excel, PDF, Print) above the contacts table. --- ## Tips & Best Practices - 📌 Always enter an email address — it's needed for sending invoices and notifications - 📌 Use **Customer Groups** to easily apply wholesale vs. retail pricing - 📌 Set **Credit Limits** to prevent over-selling on credit - 📌 Review the **Ledger** regularly to follow up on overdue payments - 📌 Import contacts from a spreadsheet when first setting up — it saves hours of manual entry