Enter companies  (command-[ or control-[)

All companies and private individuals’ addresses are entered via this function. All addresses are stored together, whether they be potential clients, actual clients or suppliers.

Choosing the ‘Enter companies’ menu Item will take you first to a window asking for a company name and town, postcode and optionally a contact name:

Alternatively, Enterprise 6 users can click the [Enter companies] button (on the Functions Palette) to launch this function.

If you are entering a company (as opposed to a private individual), type in its name and town, then optionally the name of someone who works there.

If you are entering an individual’s private address, type in the first line of his/her address to the company, put in the person’s name, and click on the ‘Private' checkbox below. If you only type a contact name (leaving the company fields blank), Enterprise 6 will assume you are entering a private individual.

If you have set up a Default Role on the Core Functions screen of Preferences, any contact entered by means of this window will be assumed to be of that Role.

When you press [OK], the system checks that you are not duplicating previous entries. If there are possible duplicate(s) these are listed. You can either modify an existing record (by double-clicking on the relevant line) or, if the company you are trying to enter is not listed, click the [+] button in the Buttons Palette to create a new record. In the latter case, or if no possible duplicate matches were found, a screen comes up for the entry of other company details.

If the QuickAddress companion volume is present and you have entered a Postcode to the initial dialogue box, the address will be completed according to the details contained for that Postcode in the QuickAddress data file.

Page tabs 

At the top of the window are three page tabs - Address, Analysis and Financial - which are used to navigate between the three pages of the record.

This area is configurable to show different categories of diary items in custom tabs. So, for instance you can display appointments, sales calls, e-mailshots, and son in different tabs. Related data from other tables, such as Contacts, Orders, and Invoices also display in separate tabs. The following paragraphs use Contacts as an example of how this area works.

You may enter as many contact names as you wish. To create a new one, use the <Command-N> keyboard short cut, or click the [+] button in the Buttons Palette. Specify the individual’s Title, Forename, Surname, Salutation, Extension number and Role, and for more details double-click on that line. This takes you to the full screen of contacts information. (See Enter Contacts for full information on contacts entry).

If you are using the full version of the company entry screen (as opposed to the QuickAccess version), Enterprise 6 will check that no blank contact records have been inadvertently created when you click the [√] button to save the record. This is important because the existence of blank contact records can give rise to duplicate key errors next time a new company is created.

As with all Entry screens, the View menu of ‘Enter companies’ can be used to view or create items in files related, or, indeed, unrelated to the company being entered or viewed.

The View menu is one of the major methods used by Enterprise 6 to achieve full inter-volume integration. For example, ‘View diary Items’ can be used to review and/or add items to your diary. Selecting the function will cause previous Calls, Letters, Visits etc of the company on screen to be listed in summary. You may see one in detail, and modify it, by double-clicking; or can add a new item by using the [+] button. See ‘Enter to diary’ for details of all the information stored in the diary. This function launches a new process, it will not work if Multi-processes have been disabled from the File menu. If no diary Items exist for this company, you will simply be given the option to create one or to return to the companies screen. †If you have the Word Processing volume, the ‘Letters & Quotes’ item lists all diary Items with Document codes that have been recorded for the company in question. Double-clicking will display the full text of the Document.

Print company with diary Items  (command-p or control-p) This function prints basic details of the company together with any related diary Items. Print company with qualities  (command-r or control-r Available only to those users with the Campaign Manager volume, this function prints basic details of the company together with any qualities entered to page four of the company screen.

Add existing contacts

This function can be used to select one or more existing contacts to be added to the current company. When the function is selected, the contacts Quick Search window appears. The contacts More Choices window is available if necessary. Enter appropriate search criteria to find the contact to be added and then click [Find]. The contacts found are listed. Highlight the appropriate contact(s) then press the [√] button in the Buttons Palette. Enterprise 6 will then ask: Enter the appropriate address type code (for example, home address or work address) and click [OK].

Note that the number of contacts you’ve just selected is confirmed by the dialogue box. If you need to add contacts of different address types, you will need to perform the task once for each address type. After the allocations have been carried out, you’ll be returned to the company record with the newly added contacts in the list at the bottom of the screen.

Switch access   (command-- or control--)

Use this function to switch between the fast QuickAccess version of the companies entry screen and the slower, more detailed version.

The main differences between the two versions of the screen are: the QuickAccess screen contains only one page, with Comments, Omit and Value fields brought across from the second page of the full version; the Comments field does not have a scroll bar (the ‘Expand text’ function or the cursor keys should be used if necessary); the Superior field does not feature Up and Down arrows; no related data is displayed (Status, type, Source, Area and personnel); the address, Town, County etc field names are still set according to your address Format Preference, but they will not change according to the Country as they do in the full version; the Call Back and Document check boxes do not appear; and finally, the checking for blank contacts is not carried out when saving the company.

Expand text   (command-; or control-;)

This function is used to increase a selected text field to full screen size for ease of typing. The cursor must be in a text field for the function to operate.

The only text field on the company screen is the Comments field, which can be found on the Analysis page.

This resulting text window has a Functions menu with ‘Find’ and ‘Replace’ facilities.

‘Find…’ (<Command-F>/) allows you to specify what to Find. It will remember what was last searched for, or will pick up any word or phrase currently highlighted in the text. The searching is done from the current cursor position onwards. The first found example is highlighted for manual editing.

‘Find Next’ (<Command-G>/) finds the next occurrence of the text string last specified in the ‘Find…’ or ‘Replace…’ dialogue box.

‘Replace…’ (<Command-R>/) shows a window with a field for the text string to be found and another for its replacement. The [Replace] button replaces the first instance found after the current cursor position (including the current highlight if that represents the text to be found), and places the cursor after the last character of the replacement made. The window features a [Replace All] (<Command-A>/) button, which changes all instances from the current cursor position onwards.

‘Replace Next’ (<Command-T>/) replaces the next occurrence of the text string to be found.

To revert to the normal screen, click [√] if you wish to save the changes you have made to the text, or [X] if you do not.

Company code

A unique code is required for each company, and is automatically created by taking the initial characters (not including spaces or punctuation marks) of the company name (or Surname for an Individual), then adding a unique number. The number of initial characters used is set on the Core Functions screen of Preferences. Four is the default, but the permitted range is between one and five.

A further Preference (part of the Unique File Nos section of the User Details screen in Preferences) is the option to place a stroke between the initial letters and the unique number. You may change the code if required, but we strongly recommend following a consistent procedure for doing so. If a changed code has already been used to enter contacts or diary items you will be asked if you want to update these references - you do.

Superior

This is an optional feature which allows hierarchies of company addresses to be correctly linked together. type in the company code of the current one’s immediate superior (use the wildcard if uncertain), and you may then use the up and down arrow buttons to navigate the hierarchy.

When entering Orders with credit checking turned on, Enterprise 6 will not only check the credit status of the Client company, but also of their parent company (ie their Superior).

On the Analysis page of the company screen there is an ‘Invoice Superior’ check box. If switched on, this will cause Invoices created from Orders for this company to be addressed to the Superior company, if one exists.

Company name

The available space should be long enough to cater for most companies. The first letters of each word are automatically capitalised. In the case of entering ‘Companies’ solely in order to enter the address of an individual contact, it is suggested that the first line of the address is entered to the company name field - an individual’s name does not belong here.

Private

This check box should be switched on if the ‘Company’ being entered is in fact a private individual. Doing so will cause Enterprise 6 format the address correctly for a private individual whenever it is printed on any documentation.

Address

Two lines of address before the Town are provided, for Building and Street. If there are more lines before Town in an address, there should be enough characters available to use commas and enter two items to one line. Each address line can hold up to 79 characters.

Town

Depending on the capitalisation options set in Preferences, the Town field will usually automatically be capitalised (this is the Post Office’s preferred format). Ensure that you do enter the Town here (in the case of a short address, leaving one or both of the address fields described above blank) as this will greatly aid searching efficiency, for example in the case of mailshots.

County

The first letter of a County will usually be capitalised, depending on the capitalisation options set in Preferences.

Postcode

The letters of a Postcode are capitalised.

If Postcodes and Areas have been set up correctly in the Data Manager, entering a Post code will cause the corresponding Area to be brought in to the Area field, and the Area’s Default person to be brought into the Sales person field.

If the QuickAddress companion volume is present, altering the Postcode will cause either an alert if incorrectly entered or the other details of the address to be altered in line with the QuickAddress data files.

Country

Do not enter a Country for companies resident in the same country as you are unless you would like it to appear on letters and address labels.

Address Formats can be set up in the Data Manager to ensure that addresses in different countries are formatted correctly whenever they are printed on your documentation.

Telephone and fax

The Telephone and Fax boxes both allow up to 30 characters, so optional or dual numbers can be entered to the same boxes. Also note that Mobile and Extension numbers should be entered to individual contacts’ records.

Area

Areas are stored in a separate file, so a list can be obtained using the @ sign (or your alternative wildcard uf you have one set up), and selected using the mouse. If an entered area is not yet stored, you are prompted to create it.

If Postcodes and Areas have been set up correctly in the Data Manager, entering a Postcode will cause the corresponding Area to be brought in to this field, and altering both the Area and the Postcode will cause the Area’s Default person to be brought into the Sales person field.

Sales person

Use this to refer to the Sales person or whoever is responsible for the company being typed in. Use the @ sign to see a list of available personnel. (If the Default Salesperson check box in the Core Functions section of Preferences is checked, this field will be completed automatically by the system.)

When an entry is made to this field, the Call Back check box is automatically switched on if the Preference ‘Default to Call Back if Sales person’ is also switched on.

If you have entered an Area which has a Default Salesperson, that person’s initials will be placed in this field by default.

Taken by

This is a further reference to the personnel file, which defaults to the initials of the current user (ie the operator entering the company to Enterprise 6), but can be changed, using the @ sign if required, to represent perhaps the Telesales person responsible for initial contact with the prospect.

Call back

This check box, if switched on, will cause Enterprise 6 to ask you, once the company has been entered, when the next Call Back (or Appointment or Letter etc) should be. It does this by bringing up a blank diary screen when the [√] button is used to accept the company details. See the diary reference section for details of diary entry.

Note that the Call Back defaults to on whenever you newly allocate a company to a Sales person, so as to remind you to call new prospects. This is a preference that can be disabled within the Core Functions section of Preferences in the Data Manager.

Document

This check box, if switched on, will cause Enterprise 6 to assume, once the company has been entered, that you would like to mail this company immediately. It does this by bringing up request for a Document code when the [√] button is used to accept the company details.

Status

This code is used to represent the relationship of the company on screen to your company. Examples might be C - Client, S - Supplier etc. Remember that all addresses are typed into the same file, so it is very important that you categorise them in some way. Typing the Status code in part, or just entering the @ will display a list, from which you can select with the mouse. If, on the other hand you enter a code that does not exist, you may be given the option of creating it, depending on the privileges allocated to you in your personnel record.

Each Status record contains a check box ‘Prevent Users from changing this Status once allocated & saved’. If this is switched on for the Status of the company on screen, you will not be able to alter it. The Sales section of Preferences contains two settings: ‘Company Status on Enquiry’ and ‘Company Status on Order’. When an Enquiry or Order is entered, the Status of the company concerned will be altered automatically to these settings.

Type

Type means Business type, and the field behaves identically to Status, except that 9 characters are allowed to cater for SIC codes (Standard Industry Classification) or other similar classifications.

Source

Source is the method by which you came by the contact, or he/she came by you, for example Advertising, personal contact, Yellow Pages. It also behaves identically to Status.

Size

This field can be used to refer to the size of the company being entered in any chosen way - perhaps by number of employees, perhaps by turnover. Obviously, for searching to be effective, the chosen measure will have to be consistently implemented.

Last modified

When entering and subsequently modifying a company record, the current date will be automatically inserted to this field. It can subsequently be used, for example, to search on Prospects not contacted since or before a certain date.

Entry date

The date you entered the company record will be automatically inserted. This information, together with the Last modified field, gives you an ‘at a glance’ indication of how old, and therefore how accurate, this information is.

Financial year

For marketing purposes, it can be valuable to record the date of a company’s financial year end.

EMail

The EMail address of the company should be recorded here. The field can hold 51 characters.

www

The Worldwide Web address of the company should be recorded here. The field can hold 51 characters.

 

 

Invoice/statement address

†This represents an optional address to cater, for example, for Head Office accounting requirements. Any Invoices and statements produced from the Sales Ledger will feature this address, as will any Remittance Advices and Cheques produced from the purchase Ledger. In the case of supplier companies, the name and address of a factoring company could thus be included here.

Invoice superior

If this check box is switched on and the Superior field (on page 1) contains a value, when an Invoice is created for this company from an Order (or Job, booking, Attendee etc) it will be addressed to that Superior. There will be no contact. The Order’s original company and contact will be recorded in the Delivery company and contact fields on Page 2 of the Invoice entry screen - unless the Order specified a different Delivery address. Note that if the company defined as the Superior itself has this check box on and a Superior, the top company of the hierarchy will be treated as the Invoice address.

Omit from mailing

This field defaults to ‘N’, meaning ‘Do not omit this company from the mailing list’. Changing the entry to ‘Y ‘or any other one or two character code allows the option, for whatever reason, to prevent mailshots reaching the company on screen.

Also known as

If the company is known by two different names (for example, it may trade using one name, but be registered under another), you should use this field to record the second name. When searching for this company, you can type either the name entered on page 1 of this screen, or the Also Known As name in both the Quick Search and Comprehensive Search (More Choices) dialogue boxes.

Value

This Value field may be used to store any numeric value you like about a company, be it their profit, or the number of orders they have placed with you. It defaults to 1, and can be used as the basis for drawing quick graphs.

Comments

You may enter any amount of text about a company, such as directions on how to get there. To obtain a larger version of this field, ensure your cursor is within it and use the ‘Expand text’ item on the Functions menu. Comments about individuals within companies belong in the contacts’ Comments box.

Further analyses...

This included list can be used to store as many pieces of information as you like about the company, in a way that can subsequently be quickly searched on.

For example, you could allocate all companies a quality rating by typing in ‘Quality 1-5’; or could store their areas of product interest. Use the [+] button or <Command-N>/ to add a new line.

Note that the Further analyses included list area is not user-definable, since there is really nothing to define. It does not allow resizing or locking, and does not feature an [Editable/Selectable mode] button. It is always in Editable Mode.

Standard selection code

This field is part of the Mailsort companion volume. It will be filled in automatically when you enter a Postcode with a code in the format ‘21103’.

This represents the Mailsort system’s ‘Residue’ and ‘Direct’ codes - ie a sorting order. This figure will only be modifiable if you are allocated Full or no Deletions access to the companion volume.

Note that although the SSC field is on this page, the code refers to the primary (mailing) address on the Address page of the company record. When entering Towns and/or Postcodes to company records, the Postcode is checked, and the Mailsort SSC field is filled in with the relevant Post Office code. For Mailsort purposes, the Postcode checking is demanding to the extent that the first half of the code must exist in reality, not just in format. This field requires the Check Postcode Format check box to be switched on in the address Format record for the UK (found on the Core menu in the Data Manager).

Postcode outward/full/none

This field, again used by the Mailsort companion volume, is filled in automatically, also based on the Postcode, but using different rules to the SSC.

F for Full Postcode means that both the Outward and the Inward (the first and second) parts of the Postcode are specified and are in a valid format.

O for Outward means that only the first part is specified or that the second part is not valid.

N for None means that nothing is specified or neither part is valid.

Note that getting the message ‘That Postcode is not valid’ does not necessarily mean that you get an N - if the Outward part is valid and you tell it to ‘Allow’ the entry, then ‘O’ will be put in the Outward/Full/None field. The Outward/Full/None field can be searched on in the More Choices window, which is very useful for quickly assessing the quality of the database’s Postcodes. Mailsort requires 90% full postcoding. This field requires the Check Postcode Format check box to be switched on in the address Format record (in the Data Manager) for the UK (you may want to have the Enforce option switched on as well). It can provide a useful check against incorrect postcodes or poor typing, even if the Mailsort companion volume is not present.

Sales and purchase credit limits

All the companies you deal with, be they clients or suppliers, should be entered to Enterprise 6 using the Enter companies function. A company can, of course, be both your customer and your supplier, in which case, you would need to enter both a Sales and purchase credit limit. These figures can only be altered by personnel with full or no deletions access to the appropriate Ledger volume.

Actual buttons

These are to be found to the right of the Sales and purchase credit limits fields. Clicking them will give an instant view of this company’s current credit status.

Default CR stage

This option allows you to state in what way you want each individual company to be pursued for outstanding monies. This Default Stage is shown automatically on all invoices for the company. This function integrates with the Word Processor. Using the Payments Chasing option, you can instruct the system to mail all invoices at a certain stage.

Default SL terms

This field is used to set the default terms given to this customer (ie on the Sales Ledger side). The setting here is used as a default when an Order or Invoice is entered for the company.

Default PL terms

The presence of this field means that the same company can be both a Client and a Supplier and have different terms in each situation. The setting here is used as a default when a purchase Invoice is raised in the favour of this company.

Default VAT code

The VAT code field should be used for companies where the standard VAT code does not apply, for example Suppliers who are not registered. When entering Orders, Invoices etc this code is used in place of the default set up in Preferences. The field only needs to be completed if the VAT code applicable to the company being entered differs from the default VAT code set up on the accounts page of Preferences.

EC VAT reg no

It is important that this field is completed if you have customers or suppliers on the European mainland.

The information stored here will be used in the EC Sales List report in the Sales Ledger. The left part of the field features a selection list of EC registration Prefixes including the latest EC additions of Sweden, Finland and Austria. Once the VAT registration number itself has been entered, Enterprise 6 will check that the official format has been used. Numbers entered incorrectly will cause a warning to appear which will show the correct format.

Belgium, for example, requires nine digits, represented in the ‘Try again’ message as ‘999999999’. Meanwhile Ireland requires eight characters, including one alpha as the last character or two alphas as the second and last characters. This is represented as ‘9999999X’ or ‘9X99999X’. All the others have different variants of these themes except for Britain which can optionally have spaces (‘999 9999 99’), Austria which must start with a U (‘U99999999’) and Netherlands which must have a B in the third from last position (‘999999999B99’).

Sales price group

If the price Matrix companion volume is present, this field can be used to assign a special price for this company. Any price group entered here will override any price group entered for the Business type. It can be used to set up as a default a special set of Sales prices or Discounts for this Client which will be used when creating Sales Orders. For more details of this feature, please refer to the price Matrix section of the companion volumes chapter in the Reference Manual.

Purch price group

This field is the equivalent of the field above for use when creating purchase Orders. It can be used to set up a default price group which will be applied to Cost prices when raising purchase Orders in favour of the company on screen.

Factor number

If the company is a supplier who uses a Factoring company, their reference with those Factors can be entered here.

Autopay number

If the company is a supplier who requires payment by one of the available automatic banking facilities, an appropriate code number can be entered. It will be printed on the Remittance Advice and will also be used by the ‘Autopay List’ report in the purchase Ledger.

Their account No

This field is for noting the number that Suppliers have allocated to you (ie the Enterprise 6-using company) as their reference or account number, or equally, that Clients have allocated to you as their reference or Supplier code. The field is available for searching in the companies More Choices dialogue.

Default layer

This field is only enterable if the Multi-layer accounting companion volume is present. The default does not itself default to your Actual layer as specified in the accounts section of Preferences because leaving the field blank means that no change will apply to the normal methods. If a layer is specified for a particular company, then all Sales and purchase Order and Sales and purchase Ledger entries relating to this company will default to this layer, overriding the normal Preferences or Transaction type default.