Overview

The Customer Sale transaction is used to record sales to customers. These transactions upload to the host system as receivables transaction entries in the Sales module when the integration is turned on.

Prerequisites

Required Prerequisites

Before entering a Customer Sale, the user must complete the following:

• Customer Setup
• Financial Account Setup

Optional Prerequisites

• Turn on integration for AR Invoice/Return. 
• Default Cash payment checkbook (Sales Order Preferences)
• Default Check payment checkbook (Sales Order Preferences)
• Default Credit Card payment checkbook (Sales Order Preferences)
• Attributes setup for Customer Sale transaction

Understanding the data flow

A customer sale transaction can be used to record sales transactions to customers and returns from customers. When the transaction status is changed to “Ready to Post” and the integration is turned on, a Receivables Transaction Entry is created in the host system’s Sales module.

To view the data flow of Customer Sale transactions, click here.

Step 1: Entering the transaction in NorthScope

Entering a new transaction

From NorthScope, expand the Purchasing module on the navigation menu and select “Sales”. This will open the Purchasing Sales List View, which displays all Purchasing sales with a status of New, Approved, and Ready to Post.

Click the “New” toolbar to open the New Sale record view. On the New Sale record view Home tab header, select the Customer from the Sold To drop-down menu and click save. Saving the new sale with a customer as the sold to entity will refresh the transaction as a customer sale as opposed to an employee sale.

For more information regarding the Customer Sale transaction fields, refer to the online help here.

Completing the header fields

• Cash: An optional field to enter the amount of cash received from the customer for the sale. 
• Check: An optional field to enter the amount received from the customer via check for the sale.
• Credit Card: An optional field to enter the amount received from the customer via credit card for the sale.
• Description: An optional field for a description of the transaction.
• Doc Date: Identifies the date of the sale or return.
• Doc No: An optional field for the user to enter a document number for the transaction. This field is not required. However, if entered, this field must be unique by transaction type.
• PO: An optional field to enter a purchase order associated with the transaction.
• Status: This field is to select the status from the following options:
  • New - This is the default.
  • Approved - Used when there is a two-step process for finalizing transactions. Setting the status to “Approved” disables all editable fields except Status.
  • Ready to Post - Used when the user is ready to post the transaction. Setting the status to “Ready to Post” disables all editable fields including status.
• Tax Class: An optional field is to select the tax class to apply to the transaction in order to charge sales tax. This field is only enabled if the Company module preference for 'Enable Sales Tax on Customer Sales' is set to 'Yes'. 

Adding line items

By default, new customer sales open with 5 blank rows for data entry. Complete the data entry by adding one line for each transaction.

Required line item fields

• Description: Offers a description of the line item being sold or returned. This field defaults once the item has been selected.
• Extended: This field is read-only and displays the product of the price per UOM and the quantity. 
• Item: Select the item being sold or returned. This field offers a lookup of all active items.
• Price: Enter the price per UOM for the line item. Prices must be greater than or equal to 0. This field defaults to 0.
• Quantity: Enter the amount of the line item being sold. This field defaults to 1.
  • Note: If the customer sale is recording a return, the user must use the Quantity field to record the negative (i.e. -1) and enter the absolute value of the price of the item(s) to be returned in the Price field. For example, a return of $500 would be entered by placing a -1 in the Quantity field and a positive 500 in the price field.
• Sale Account: Select the sale account to be credited on the line item journal entry. This field defaults once the item has been selected.
  • Note: If the customer sale is recording a return, the sale account will be debited.
• UOM: Select the unit of measure for the line item. This field defaults once the item has been selected.

Note: If a Tax Class is selected, a line item will auto-populate in the grid to display the total amount of taxes applicable to the transactions. This line item is not editable by the user. 

Step 2: Assigning transaction properties (Optional)

The properties tab allows users to change the payments terms and a GL Date. Since all properties have default values, this step is not required.

The payment terms field defaults to the payment terms configured on the customer record, but the field is editable when the transaction status is New. The due date is calculated from the default payment terms. The discount date is also calculated from the default payment terms, if the payment terms include a discount term. If the payment terms are changed, the due and discount dates must be manually updated. Due and discount dates can be updated even after the transaction has been posted.

Users can also update the GL date in the properties. The field defaults to the transaction date, but this is editable as long as the transaction status is New. The GL date must be greater or equal to the transaction date and must be in an open fiscal period. Save the transaction record after updating the transaction properties.

Step 3: Recording payments/refunds on the transaction (Optional)

Payments received from the customer for the sale transaction may be recorded at the time of the transaction using the Payment Details tab.

To record payments received from the customer for the sale transaction, open the Payment Details tab. Then, enter the amount received in the Amount column corresponding to the 'Payment Type' through which the money was received - either Cash, Check, or Credit Card. In the reference field, the user has the option to enter a reference for the payment that will display on the cash receipt - however, this is not required. Finally, select the checkbook to receive the payment from the Checkbook drop-down menu. Selecting the checkbook will default the Cash Account field with the cash account assigned to the checkbook. The default checkbook for each payment type can be configured in Sales order Preferences.  In order for the transaction to be approved or posted, the total payment amount for a customer sale cannot exceed the total transaction amount. However, partial payments can be applied. 

Once the payment has been entered and the transaction is saved as 'Ready to Post,' an invoice for the transaction will be sent to the host system with a cash receipt attached for the entered payment amount, if the integration is turned on.

Refunds to the customer for a return transaction may also be recorded at the time of the transaction using the Payment Details tab.

To record refunds to the customer for the return transaction, open the Payment Details tab. Then, enter the amount refunded in the Amount column corresponding to the 'Payment Type' to which the money was returned - either Cash, Check, or Credit Card. In the reference field, the user has the option to enter a reference for the refund - however, this is not required. Finally, select the checkbook from which the refund is being made from the Checkbook drop-down menu. Selecting the checkbook will default the Cash Account field with the cash account assigned to the checkbook. The total refund amount for a customer sale cannot exceed the total transaction amount. However, partial refunds can be applied. 

Once the payment has been entered and the transaction is saved as 'Ready to Post,' a 'Return' transaction will be sent to the host system, if the integration is turned on.

Note: If payments/refunds are recorded, each payment/refund value must correspond to the overall transaction amount value. For example, if the overall transaction amount is positive, then each payment/refund amount value must also be positive. Alternatively, if the overall transaction amount is negative, then each payment/refund amount value must also be negative. 

Step 4: Assigning attributes (Optional)

The Attributes tab on the transaction will include all user-defined Attributes assigned to the Sales Order - Customer Sale Transaction.

To setup Attributes for the Sales Order - Customer Sale Transaction, navigate to Company → Attributes → Sales Order → Transactions → Customer Sale.

Step 5: Finalizing the transaction in NorthScope

Changes can be made to a transaction until it is finalized. To finalize a transaction, the user will need to change the status to “Ready to Post”. In some companies, posting is a two-step process where transaction(s) are “Approved” by one person and posted by another.  

Approving the transaction

This step is optional and is used for companies that require a two-step process where there the person who approves the transaction cannot be the same person that posts the transaction.

To approve a transaction open it from the list view, change the status to “Approved”, and click the “Save” icon on the header toolbar. In addition to the validations performed each time the “Save” icon is clicked, there are additional validations that are performed:

• Ensures there is at least one valid line item on the transaction
• Ensures that all default GL Accounts can be assigned.
• Ensures that all required attributes have been assigned. 

Once the status has been successfully updated to “Approved”, all the editable fields, with the exception of Status, will be disabled.

Finalizing the transaction

When the transaction is ready to be finalized, the user must open it and change the status to “Ready to Post” and save the transaction. Setting the invoice to “Ready to Post” does the following:

• Validates the same conditions as the approval status and locks down all editable fields including status.
• Creates the transaction entry in the Host System, if the integration is turned on.
• Creates posted and settled Cash Receipt records  for each payment recorded on the transaction.

Step 6: Posting the transaction entry.

For every Customer Sale a Receivables Transaction Entry will be made in the host system if the Integration Setup for AR Invoice/Return is set to Timed or Immediate. The transaction entry will appear in the host system's Sales module in the batch titled NS followed by the year, month, and day with the following format: NS: YY_MM_DD. For example, if the Customer Sale was integrated on July 14, 2015, the Batch ID for the transaction entry would be NS: 15_07_14. 

If the Integration Setup for AR Invoice/Return is set to None, the transaction status is set to 'Posted' when the transaction is saved as 'Ready to Post'.

Journal entries for positive sale line items

• One debit line showing the summarized amounts for the customer’s “Accounts Receivable” account. The GL Account comes from the customer’s “Accounts Receivables” account in the host system.
• One credit line showing the summarized amounts for each unique “Sale Account” on the transaction.

Note: If a payment was recorded on the Customer Sale, the customer's 'Accounts Receivable' account will be credited for the amount of the payment and the payment's 'Cash Account' will be debited for the amount of the payment. 

Journal entries for negative sale line items (Returns)

• One debit line showing the summarized amounts for each unique “Sale Account” on the transaction.
• One credit line showing the summarized amounts for the customer’s “Accounts Receivable” account. The GL Account comes from the customer’s “Accounts Receivables” account in the host system.

Note: If a refund was recorded on the Customer Sale, the customer's 'Accounts Receivable' account will be debited for the amount of the refund and the refund's 'Cash Account' will be credited for the amount of the refund. 

Note: Although this step is required, it does not need to be done for each transaction. Posting can be done nightly or as needed.

Step 7: Reviewing in NorthScope

Once Step 6 is completed, the following will occur in NorthScope:

• The posted Customer Sale(s) will automatically update from “Ready to Post” to “Posted” and will no longer be visible in the Purchasing Sale List View.