Creating a Customer
Customers are the core of your business in TimberCloud. Each customer profile stores contact information, billing and shipping addresses, pricing preferences, and order history. This guide walks you through creating and importing customer records.
Navigate to Customers
From your dashboard, click on Customers in the main navigation menu to access the customer management page.
Create a New Customer
- Click the Create New + button in the top right corner.
- Fill in your customer's information. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
- Click Save to create the customer profile.
Customer Fields Reference
Customer Type
Choose between two customer types:
- Individual – A personal customer account for consumers.
- Business / Company – An organization or company account.
This setting affects label displays throughout the system (e.g., "Customer Name" vs "Company Name").
General Information
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Customer/Company Name | Yes | The display name for this customer |
| No | Primary email address for communications and invoices | |
| Phone | No | Main phone number |
| Mobile | No | Mobile/cell phone number |
| Fax | No | Fax number (if applicable) |
| Website | No | Customer's website URL |
Financial Settings
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Discount (%) | No | A default discount percentage automatically applied to this customer's orders. For example, enter 10 for a 10% discount. |
| Status | Yes | The customer's current status (e.g., Active, Inactive, Pending). Configure available statuses in Settings → Orders. |
| Payment Terms | Yes | Default payment terms for this customer (e.g., Net 30, Due on Receipt). Configure available terms in Settings → Orders → Payment Terms. |
| Sales Rep | Yes | The sales representative assigned to manage this customer. Configure available reps in Settings → Orders. |
Shipping Settings
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Default Shipping Method | No | The preferred delivery option for this customer (e.g., Standard Shipping, Will Call, Local Delivery). Configure options in Settings → Orders → Delivery Options. |
Product Display Settings
Control which products this customer can see and purchase:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard and Exclusive Products | Customer sees all standard products plus any exclusive products assigned to their profile. |
| Exclusive Products Only | Customer only sees products that have been specifically marked as exclusive to them. |
Tip: Use exclusive products for custom or special-order items that are only available to specific customers.
Partial Payments
Enable the Partial Payments toggle to allow this customer to make partial payments on their orders. When enabled:
- Customers can pay any amount toward their order balance
- Remaining balance is tracked automatically
- Multiple payments can be applied to a single order
Note: This setting only appears if partial payments are not already enabled company-wide.
Billing Address
The billing address is used for invoices and payment processing.
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Yes | Name on billing documents |
| Address 1 | Yes | Primary street address |
| Address 2 | No | Apartment, suite, unit, etc. |
| City | Yes | City name |
| State/Province | Yes | State, province, or region |
| Zip/Postal Code | Yes | ZIP or postal code |
| Country | No | Country (defaults based on your company settings) |
Shipping Address
The shipping address is used for order deliveries and shipping rate calculations.
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | No | Recipient name |
| Address 1 | No | Primary street address |
| Address 2 | No | Apartment, suite, unit, etc. |
| City | No | City name |
| State/Province | No | State, province, or region |
| Zip/Postal Code | No | ZIP or postal code |
| Country | No | Country |
Note: If shipping address fields are left blank, orders will default to using the billing address for shipping.
Importing Customers from CSV
For bulk customer imports, use the CSV import feature:
Steps to Import
- Navigate to your Customers page.
- Click Import Customers in the toolbar.
- Upload your CSV file.
- Map your CSV column headers to the corresponding customer fields.
- Review the preview and click Import to process.
CSV Format Tips
- Include a header row with column names
- Required fields: Customer Name, Status, Payment Terms, Sales Rep, and Billing Address fields
- Use consistent formatting for phone numbers and addresses
- Leave optional fields blank if not applicable
Note: Depending on file size, imports may take a few minutes to complete. You'll receive a notification when the import finishes.
Customer Approval Workflow
When customers register through your storefront (embed), they may require approval before they can place orders:
- Registration: Customer creates an account on your storefront
- Profile Completion: Customer fills out required profile information
- Approval: Admin reviews and approves the customer (if approval is required)
- Active: Customer can now place orders
Configure whether new customers require approval in Settings → Orders → Storefront.
Next Steps
After creating a customer, you can:
- Manage their profile and view order history
- Understand what customers see in their portal
- Create orders linked to this customer
- Add contacts for multiple points of contact
- Attach notes and files to the customer record