Create a customer

Why it matters

A sale made to a "walk-in customer" leaves no usable trace: you cannot tell who buys, who comes back, who owes money. By saving your customers, each order fills their history, the tab becomes possible and you can then follow up with them on WhatsApp. Creating one takes only a few seconds: a name and a way to contact them.

Summary

A customer is created from Menu › Sales › Customers, Create customer button. A small window asks for the account type, the name and at least an email or a phone number. Once the customer is created, Genuka opens their profile directly, where you fill in the rest (tags, photo, shops, addresses).

Requirements

• The customers.create permission to see the Create customer button (and customers.view to open the list).

Steps

1. Open Menu › Sales › Customers.
2. Click Create customer. The Add customer window opens (at the bottom of the screen on a phone).
3. Choose the Account type: Individual or Company.
4. Fill in the Identity:
   • for an individual: the Gender (Male or Female), then the First name and/or Last name, at least one of the two;
   • for a company: the Company name (required); the first and last name then become the contact person, optional.
5. Fill in the Contact: Email and/or Phone, at least one of the two.
6. Click Create customer. The message "Customer created successfully" appears and the customer's profile opens.

Fields & options

The birthdate, registration number, tax ID, photo, credit terms, tags and linked shops are filled in afterwards from the profile.

Edge cases & common mistakes

• "The customer already exists". Genuka refuses to create a second active customer with the same phone number or the same email. Look for them in the list: it is almost always the same customer, saved another day or by a colleague.
• The number changes shape after saving. This is normal: a number entered without a country code is completed with the one of your company's country, so that WhatsApp and search can find it.
• I do not see the Create customer button. Your role does not have the customers.create permission. An administrator can add it in Settings › Company › Roles & Permissions.
• Two profiles for the same person. Select them in the list and use Merge customers: you choose the main profile, the others are gathered into it.

FAQ

Can I create a customer during a sale? Yes. The order creation screen offers the same quick-create window; the customer created is immediately placed on the order.

Is a phone number absolutely required? No, an email is enough. But without a phone number, you will not be able to message the customer on WhatsApp from Genuka.

How do I create many customers at once? By importing an Excel or CSV file: see "Import customers".

See also

• The customer profile
• Import customers
• Tag your customers
• The customer account (tab)