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Customer Management

Customer Management in Dispatch helps you maintain your customer database, track relationships, and streamline order processing with stored customer information.

Customer Database​

Overview​

The customer database stores:

  • Contact information (name, email, phone)
  • Delivery addresses
  • Customer references and identifiers
  • Delivery preferences
  • Order history

Accessing Customers​

Navigate to Customers from the main menu to:

  • View all customers in a searchable list
  • Filter and sort by various criteria
  • Access individual customer details

Adding Customers​

Manual Entry​

Create customers individually:

  1. Click "Add Customer"
  2. Enter customer details:
    • Name
    • Email address
    • Phone number
    • Address information
  3. Add any references or notes
  4. Save the customer

Bulk Import​

Import multiple customers at once:

  1. Navigate to Customers > Import
  2. Upload a file with customer data
  3. Map columns to fields
  4. Review and confirm the import

Import Format​

Supported file formats:

  • CSV (comma-separated values)
  • Excel (XLSX)

Required fields:

  • Customer name
  • At least one contact method (email or phone)

Confirming Uploads​

After uploading:

  1. Review the import preview
  2. Fix any validation errors
  3. Confirm to complete the import
  4. View import results

Customer Details​

Profile Information​

Each customer record includes:

Basic Information​

  • Customer name
  • Email address
  • Phone number(s)
  • Company name (optional)

Addresses​

Store multiple addresses per customer:

  • Billing address
  • Default delivery address
  • Additional delivery locations

Customer Contacts​

Add multiple contacts for business customers:

  1. Navigate to customer details
  2. Go to Contacts section
  3. Add contacts with:
    • Name
    • Role/title
    • Email
    • Phone
  4. Designate primary contact

Managing Contacts​

  • Add new contacts as needed
  • Update contact information
  • Remove contacts who've left
  • Set contact preferences

Customer References​

Add external references to link with other systems:

  • Account numbers from other platforms
  • External system IDs
  • Custom reference codes

Adding References​

  1. Go to customer details
  2. Select References tab
  3. Add reference with:
    • Reference type
    • Reference value
  4. Save the reference

Removing References​

  • Delete references no longer needed
  • References don't affect other data

Customer Configuration​

Per-Customer Settings​

Configure settings specific to each customer:

  • Preferred carrier
  • Default service level
  • Special handling instructions
  • Communication preferences

Accessing Customer Configuration​

  1. Open customer details
  2. Navigate to Configuration tab
  3. View and modify settings
  4. Save changes

Customer History​

Recent Shipments​

View shipments for a customer:

  1. Open customer details
  2. Go to Shipments tab
  3. See recent and historical shipments
  4. Click any shipment for details

Sales Analytics​

Access customer sales data:

  • Order volume over time
  • Shipment frequency
  • Delivery performance
  • Revenue tracking

Searching and Filtering​

Search Capabilities​

Find customers quickly:

  • Search by name
  • Search by email
  • Search by phone
  • Search by reference

Filtering Options​

Filter the customer list:

  • By status (active, inactive)
  • By creation date
  • By last order date
  • By custom tags

Sorting​

Sort customers by:

  • Name (alphabetical)
  • Creation date
  • Last activity
  • Order volume

Pagination​

For businesses with many customers:

  • Results displayed in pages
  • Configure page size (up to 100)
  • Navigate between pages
  • Jump to specific pages

Page Parameters​

  • Page - Current page number
  • PageSize - Number of results per page

Updating Customers​

Editing Customer Information​

To update a customer:

  1. Find and open the customer
  2. Click "Edit"
  3. Modify the necessary fields
  4. Save changes

What Can Be Updated​

  • All basic information fields
  • Contact details
  • Addresses
  • References
  • Configuration settings

Deleting Customers​

Removing a Customer​

To delete a customer:

  1. Open customer details
  2. Click "Delete Customer"
  3. Confirm the deletion
warning

Deleting a customer removes their profile but may not delete associated order history for audit purposes.

When to Delete​

  • Customer no longer active
  • Duplicate record
  • Data cleanup

Alternatives to Deletion​

Consider instead:

  • Marking as inactive
  • Adding a note
  • Updating status

Best Practices​

Data Quality​

Maintain clean customer data:

  1. Complete profiles - Fill in all relevant fields
  2. Verify addresses - Ensure delivery addresses are accurate
  3. Update regularly - Keep contact information current
  4. Remove duplicates - Merge or delete duplicate records

Organization​

Keep customers organized:

  1. Use references consistently
  2. Add notes for special instructions
  3. Tag customers for grouping
  4. Review and clean up periodically

Privacy​

Respect customer data:

  1. Only collect necessary information
  2. Handle data according to regulations
  3. Delete data when requested
  4. Secure access to customer information

Troubleshooting​

Customer Not Found​

If you can't find a customer:

  • Check the search spelling
  • Try searching by different fields
  • Check filters aren't hiding results
  • Verify the customer was created

Import Errors​

If imports fail:

  • Check file format is correct
  • Verify required fields are present
  • Look for invalid data (bad emails, etc.)
  • Review the error report

Duplicate Customers​

If you have duplicates:

  • Search to find all instances
  • Decide which to keep
  • Transfer orders if needed
  • Delete the duplicates