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Creating and Managing Customer Records

Dave Carr
Dave Carr
  • Updated

This article is about Customer Records in Spektrix. In this article you'll find information on creating, updating, deactivating and managing Customer Records.

Before reading this article, make sure you’re familiar with:

TIP: If your organization uses the Opportunities Interface, you can also create and manage Customer Records from the People Dashboard.

Searching for Customers works the same as that in the Sales Interface, and Customer Records look similar to what you can find in the Sales Interface, except with a few additional features. For more information on these extra sections, read The Customer Record in the Opportunities Interface.

 

What information is needed to create a Customer Record?

To create a new Customer Record, you’ll need to enter the following information:

  • Last Name
  • First Name
  • Address
  • Name (Organisation Records only)

 

Email Addresses

An email address isn’t required to create an Individual Customer Record. Any email address entered must be unique - you can’t use the same email address on more than one Customer Record in your system.

It isn't possible to add an Email Address to an Organisation Customer Record. This is because Organisations can’t make purchases through Spektrix. Orders placed on behalf of an Organisation must be purchased as a Facilitated Booking by an individual who has a Relationship with the Organisation.

TIP: When creating a Customer Record, you may see extra fields known as Attributes. You can use Attributes to store additional Customer information, for example - an alternate email address, dietary requirements or student I.D.

 

How to create a Customer Record

Before creating a new Customer Record, you’ll need to search existing Customer Records, as one may already exist. Follow these steps:

  1. In the Sales Interface, click Customers.

     

  2. Select Individuals (the default option) or Organisations

    • Individuals: Type the Customer’s surname followed by a comma and their initial or first name and click Search. You can also search by Customer Id, Postcode/Zip code/Postal Code or Email:

      individual_customer_search.png

       
       

    • Organisations: Type the name of the Organisation and click Search. You can also search by Customer Id or Postcode/Zipcode/Postal Code:

      organisation_customer_search.png

If no matching Customer Record is returned in the search results, you can create a Customer Record. If a matching Customer Record is returned, check it isn’t a duplicate before creating a new record.

 

To create an Individual or Organisation Customer Record, click the tab depending on the customer type.

  •  

    If you’ve searched for a Customer and no matching Customer Record is returned, you can create a new Customer Record.

    To create an Individual Customer Record, follow these steps:

    1. Click Add new Individual:

      add_new_individual.png

       

    2. Details tab: Last name and First name (mandatory) will be pre-filled with the information you enter when searching for the Customer Record.
    3. Add any other information such as Email, Phone Number and Date of Birth.

    4. Click Next to move to the Address tab:

      add_new_individual_details_tab.png

       
       

    5. Enter the Customer’s Postcode / Eircode and click Find Address. Users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will need to enter the address manually:

      add_new_individual_address_tab.png 
       

    6. Select an Address from the list. If the address isn’t listed, click Enter a different address, and manually enter the details:

      add_new_individual_SELECT_address.png

       
       

    7. You’ll be taken back to the Address tab, where you’ll see details of the selected address. Click Next to go to the Contact Preferences tab.

       

    8. Contact Preferences determine whether a Customer wants to receive marketing information from your organisation. Contact Preferences can be changed at any time either through the Sales Interface, or by the Customer online.


      Choose from:

      • Yes: Choose this option if the Customer has agreed to receive information
      • No: Choose this option if the Customer doesn’t want to receive any information
      • Not Asked: Choose this option if you haven’t asked the Customer
         

    9. Select the Customer’s answer from the dropdown. Click Next to move to the Tags tab:

      contact_preferences_tab_for_individual.png

       
       

    10. Tags: If you want to add Tags to the Customer Record, select the checkbox next to the Tag:

      tags_tab_individual_customer_record.png

       
       

    11. Once you’ve finished adding Tags, click the green Save button:

      save_customer_record.png

       
       

    12. Alternatively if you want to save the Customer Record to perform a Sale, click the blue Save button. This will add the Customer to the basket/cart:

      save_customer_record_add_to_basket_or_cart.png

       
       

    TIP: You can add Tags to a Customer Record during its creation. You’ll only be able to add Normal Tags. If you see (Autotag), these will only apply to a Customer Record when the Customer meets the criteria for that Autotag. 

    Read Normal Tags and Auto Tags for further information.

     

  •  

    If you’ve searched for a Customer and no matching Customer Record is returned, you can create a new Customer Record.

    To create an Organisation Customer Record, follow these steps:

    1. Click Add new Organisation:

      add_new_organisation.png

       
       

    2. Details tab: Name (mandatory): The organisation name will be pre-filled with the information you enter when searching for the Customer Record.

    3. Add any other information such as Phone Number and click Next to move to the Address tab:

      add_new_organisation_details_tab.png

       
       

    4. Enter the Customer’s Postcode / Eircode and click Find Address. Users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will need to enter the address manually:

      add_new_organisation_address_tab.png

      Select an Address from the list. If the address isn’t listed, click Enter a different address, and manually enter the details:

      add_new_organisation_SELECT_address.png

       
       

    5. You’ll be taken back to the Address tab, where you’ll see details of the selected address. Click Next to go to the Contact Preferences tab

       

    6. Contact Preferences determine whether a Customer wants to receive marketing information from your organisation. Contact Preferences can be changed at any time either through the Sales Interface, or by the Customer, online.


      Choose from:

      • Yes: Choose this option if the Customer has agreed to receive information
      • No: Choose this option if the Customer doesn’t want to receive any information
      • Not Asked: Choose this option if you haven’t asked the Customer
         

    7. Select the Customer’s answer from the dropdown. Click Next to move to the Tags tab:

      organisation_contact_preferences.png

       
       

    8. Tags: If you want to add Tags to the Customer Record, select the checkbox next to the Tag.

    9. Once you’ve finished adding Tags, click the green Save button:

      organisation_tags.png

       
       

    Your Customer Record will now be created.

    TIP: You can add Tags to a Customer Record during its creation. You’ll only be able to add Normal Tags. If you see (Autotag), these will only apply to a Customer Record when the Customer meets the criteria for that Autotag. 

    Read Normal Tags and Auto Tags for further information.

     

 

How to Deactivate a Customer Record

You might wish to review your Customer Records on a regular basis. This might include deactivating Customer Records where a Customer is deceased or has requested a removal of their details from your system.

TIP: It isn't possible to completely delete a Customer Record. You can only make a Customer Record Inactive. However you can anonymize the data held in a Customer Record before making it inactive. Contact our Support Team for further information.

You can deactivate a Customer Record by following these steps:

  1. Search for the Customer Record you want to make inactive

  2. In the Details tab, hover your mouse over the section you want to to update and click the pencil icon:

    edit_details_customer_record.png

    Uncheck the following:

    • Active: Unchecking Active means the Customer Record won't be displayed in the Sales Interface. The Customer data will still be displayed in Reports, for example when reporting on Sales.
    • Online account active: Unchecking this option means the Customer's online account will be deactivated. The customer will not be able to log into their online account.

  3. Click Save

    active_customer_record.png

     
     

 

Bulk Deactivating Customer Records

If you want to bulk Deactivate Customer Records, first run a Customer List. You'll need build a Customer List and decide on the criteria you'll use to identify inactive Customers. For example, you might want to look for Customers who haven't made a purchase in two years.

Once you've run your Customer List, complete the Import Request Form. Our Support Team will get in touch and bulk deactivate the Customer Records in your Customer List.

 

How to update Customer Records

When speaking to Customers, it’s a good idea to ask if any of their details have changed. Keeping Customer Records up to date ensures that you can communicate with Customers effectively.

 

  1. In the Sales Interface, click Customers.
     
  2. Select Individuals (the default option) or Organisations

    • Individuals: Type the Customer’s surname followed by a comma and their initial or first name and click Search. You can also search by Customer Id, Postcode/Zip code/Postal Code or Email:

      search_individual_customer_record_to_update.png

       
       

    • Organisations: Type the name of the Organisation and click Search. You can also search by Customer Id or Postcode/Zipcode/Postal Code:

      search_organisation_customer_record_to_update.png

       
       

  3. Click on the Customer record you want to update.

To update a Customer Record, follow the steps in the tab below, depending on the details you want to update.

  • Details

    In the Details tab, hover your mouse over the section you want to to update and click the pencil icon:

    edit_details_customer_record.png

     
    Enter any updated information and click Save: 

    save_button_customer_record.png

  • Addresses

    You can add additional Addresses, such as a Delivery Address, if different to the Billing Address.

    To add an additional address, follow these steps:

    1. Click Add Address:

      add_address_button.png


       

    2. Enter the Customer’s Zip code/ Eircode and click Find Address. Users in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will need to enter the address manually:

      add_new_address_find_address_highlighted.png
    3. Select the address from the list.

    4. You’ll see the new address within the Addresses section. You can choose which is the Default Billing and Default Delivery Address:

      new_address_added_to_customer_recxord.png

       

  • You can make changes to a customer’s Contact Preferences at any time with the Customer’s consent. 

    There are three responses for Contact Preferences:

    • Yes: The Customer has seen and accepted the Contact Preference
    • No: The Customer has seen and declined the Contact Preference
    • Not Asked: The Customer has not been prompted or asked for the Contact Preference

    To edit Contact Preferences in a Customer Record, follow these steps:

    1. Scroll down to the Contact Preferences section and click the blue pencil icon:

      edit_contact_preferences.png

       
       

    2. Change the Contact Preference by choosing the appropriate option from the dropdown and click Save.

        

  • Tags

    You’ll only be able to add or remove Normal Tags to or from a Customer Record. If you see (Autotag), these will only be applied to a Customer Record when the Customer meets the criteria for the Autotag.

    An Autotag will be removed from a Customer’s Record when the Customer no longer meets the criteria for the Autotag.

    Read Normal Tags and AutoTags for further information.

    To add or remove a Normal Tag, follow these steps:

    1. In the Details tab of the Customer Record, click Edit Tags:

      edit_tags.png

       
       

    2. You’ll see a Select Tags screen. Add or remove any Tags and click Ok.


       

  • Relationships

    A Relationship is a way of identifying when two or more Customers are connected. A Relationship could apply to members of the same family, a friendship, or employees within an organisation.

    Read Customers and Relationships in Spektrix for more information. To add a new Relationship, follow the steps in Adding Relationships to Customer Records.

  • Gift Aid

    The Customer Record stores a list of current and previous Gift Aid declarations for a Customer:

    gift_aid_declaration_history.png

     

    You can also find Gift Aid Declarations in the Mailings and Wallet sections of a Customer Record.

    Each declaration has a value in the Claimable field. Declarations with Yes in this field are eligible for Gift Aid. If you have uploaded any supporting documents, such as declaration forms, you’ll see an icon in the Attachment column.

    Read Tracking and Claiming Gift Aid for further information.

    How to make a Gift Aid Declaration

    You can make a new Gift Aid Declaration in the Customer Record, without having to take a Donation.

    Once you’ve accessed the Customer Record, follow these steps:

    1. Click Make declaration:

      gift_aid_make_declaration.png

       
       

    2. You’ll see a Gift Aid Declaration screen:

      gift_aid_declaration_screen.png

       
       

    Choose from one of the following:

    • From today onwards and since X: Customers can backdate their Gift Aid declarations, as well as agreeing for Gift Aid to be claimed for any donations they make in the future. You can backdate Gift Aid declarations for gifts made during the previous four years.
       
    • From today onwards: Customers can choose this option to agree to Gift Aid for all future Donations.
       
    • Today: Customers can choose this option for all donations made that day as eligible for Gift Aid.
       
    • Click Next to move to the Details tab.
       

    Verbal Gift Aid Declaration Type

    If you choose a Verbal Declaration Type, you’ll see the following:

    verbal_gift_aid_declaration.png

    Choose one of the following:

    • Send details of this declaration to the customer as an email
    • Generate details of this declaration to post to the customer
    • Provide details manually about this declaration: Enter details of the declaration in the space provided after you choose this option
    • Upload a document supporting this declaration: You can upload a document - this could be a letter or a screenshot of an email

    Click Ok to save the Declaration

     

    Paper Gift Aid Declaration Type

    If you choose a Paper Declaration Type, you’ll see the following:

    paper_gift_aid_declaration.png

    Choose one of the following:

    • Provide details manually about this declaration: Select this option and enter relevant information in the box that appears
    • Upload a document supporting this declaration: Select this option to upload any supporting documents, such as a confirmation letter

     

    How to cancel a Gift Aid Declaration

    You can cancel a Customer’s Gift Aid Declaration by following these steps:

    1. Go to the Gift Aid section in a Customer’s Record and click Cancel Declaration:

      cancel_gift_aid_declaration.png

       
       

    2. You’ll see a Gift Aid Declaration screen:

      cancel_gift_aid_options.png

       
       

    Select one of the following options:

    • Stop treating Gifts as Gift Aid Donations from today onwards
    • Stop treating gifts as Gift Aid Donations from today onwards and since [date]

    Click Save Declaration.

    TIP: You can only cancel a Gift Aid Declaration and backdate a cancellation to a maximum of four years from the current date.

 

Managing Customer Records

It’s advisable to review your Customer Records on a regular basis.

This could include:

You now have the information needed to create, update and manage Customer Records.