Customers and Vendors

In SimpleBillBook application, customers and vendors are essential entities for managing your business transactions. This guide will help you understand how to create, view, and manage both.

Customers Management

Viewing Customers List

To view all your customers:

1. Navigate to Customers from the main sidebar
2. You'll see a table displaying all customer records
3. Use the Type to search field to filter customers
4. The All dropdown allows you to filter by status

Figure 1: Customers list page with search functionality and table view

Customer Table Columns:

• Name: Customer's name
• Email: Customer's email address
• Company Name: Associated company (if any)
• Contact Number: Phone number
• Status: Active/Inactive status

Creating a New Customer

Step 1: Access Customer Creation

While on the Customers page, you can add a new customer through the interface (the exact button location may vary, but typically there's an "Add Customer" or similar button).

Step 2: Fill Customer Details

When creating a customer, you'll need to provide:

Basic Information:

• Name: Customer's full name
• Email: Valid email address
• Company Name: Optional company name
• Contact Number: Phone number

Address Information:

• Billing Address:
  • Street
  • City
  • State
  • Pincode
  • Country
• Shipping Address: Check "Shipping Address Same as Billing" if identical

Figure 2: Customer creation form with address fields

Step 3: Save Customer

After filling all required fields, click Save to create the customer record.

Vendors Management

Viewing Vendors List

To view all your vendors:

1. Navigate to Vendors from the main sidebar
2. You'll see a table or list displaying vendor records
3. Use the Type to search field to find specific vendors

Figure 3: Vendors list page with search and table view

Vendor Table Columns:

• Name: Vendor company name
• Contact Name: Primary contact person
• Email: Vendor email address
• Phone: Contact number
• Status: Active/Inactive status

Creating a New Vendor

Step 1: Access Vendor Creation

Navigate to the Vendors section and look for an "Add Vendor" button or similar option.

Step 2: Fill Vendor Details

When adding a vendor, provide the following information:

Company Information:

• Company Name: Legal business name
• Contact Name: Primary contact person
• Phone: Business phone number
• Email: Business email address
• GST Number: Tax identification number

Location Details:

• Address: Physical address
• City: City
• State: State/Province
• Country: Country
• Pincode: Postal/ZIP code

Figure 4: Vendor creation form with company and address details

Step 3: Save Vendor

After completing all fields, click Save to add the vendor to your system.

Common Features for Both Sections

Search Functionality

Both Customers and Vendors pages include:

• Type to search field for quick filtering
• Status filters (typically in dropdowns)
• Pagination controls (like "10 ▼" for items per page)

Status Management

• Customers and vendors can be marked as Active or Inactive
• Inactive records won't appear in dropdowns during transaction creation

Navigation Access

Both sections are accessible from the main sidebar under:

• Dashboard → Home
• Customers → Customer management
• Vendors → Vendor management

Best Practices

1. Complete Information: Always fill as many fields as possible for better record-keeping
2. Regular Updates: Keep contact information current
3. Consistent Naming: Use consistent naming conventions for companies and contacts
4. Address Accuracy: Ensure billing and shipping addresses are correct to avoid delivery issues

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