The first step in setting up a billing is to ensure you have a client to bill. If this is a returning customer, you can skip this step. If it’s a new client, navigate to the client entry screen. On the navigation pane, enter [b] Receivables, then [a] Client Entry:
As we saw in the introduction, entry screens always have a list of records on the first tab:
If you want to find a returning client, you can use the filter fields at the top to narrow the list, until you find the client you’re looking for.
To enter a new client, navigate to the Details tab. Abio will position you on the record that was selected on the List tab:
Action A will Add a new client:
You will be prompted for a client id. We recommend using the first three letters of the client’s first name, and the first three letters of their last name. In this example the client is Abio Systems Group (us), so we’ve made the client id ABISYS. We’ll enter the address and Apply the record:
Once you press Apply, you’ll immediately be prompted to Add another client. This mechanism speeds data entry by anticipating the user is entering a number of records at the same time.
To review the client you just added, you can go back to the List tab and select it, or, as a shortcut, you can just press <PgUp> and <PgDn>. Those keys move you through the list, and the new record is at the bottom of the list so it is now displayed.
You’ll notice there are five tabs for Client Entry. You don’t need to populate them right now, but here’s a summary of what they’re for:
Department
If your client is a large business, you may have more than one department you communicate with. The Department tab lets you set up separate departments for each contact you have:
In this example, we’ve setup two different departments. You can reference the main client, or one of the departments when you create an invoice for this client.
Log
The Client Log is where you can record communications with this client. You would normally do this when invoices aren’t paid in a timely manner. You can record who you spoke to and when, and record a number of follow up days:
The Client Log Action Items report shows clients you should follow up on:
You can put an alert on this report so it displays when you sign on if there are action items to address:
Finally, if you are running more than one set of books under the same parent company, the Books tab shows the a list of the books with this client defined:
