Duplicate customers are sometimes created in STORIS. You can use STORIS processes to search for duplicate customers, merge duplicate customers, and flag customers to be merged in the future. Customers can be merged on demand or you can schedule the automated customer merge process to run on a pre-set day and time using the Schedule a Process screen.
Duplicate Customer - This is the customer that you want to merge into another customer and then flag inactive. Also referred to as the "merge-from" customer.
Merge-To Customer - This is the customer into which the duplicate customer is being merged.
Recommend - You can identify one or more duplicate and merge-to customers and choose this action to flag them for later merging by a user with permission to merge customers.
Merge - If you have the necessary security permissions, you can identify customers for merging and select this action to perform the merge. The information for the duplicate customer record is consolidated into the merge-to customer and the duplicate customer is marked inactive.
Remove - Use this action to remove the merge status from a customer record. When used in the Manage Customer Merge List the customer is removed from the merge list.
Search for both duplicate and merge-to customers
Manually merge duplicate customers and their historical data into one customer
Manually manage a listing of recommended duplicate/merge customers
Automatically merge eligible duplicate customers and their historical data via the Schedule a Process
Display the merge eligibility of duplicate customers
Display the merge status of duplicate/merge customers
Automatically track the current actions you and your users performed
Report merge activity and eligibility statuses
Control "recommend" and "merge" access via security settings
Display the merge status/activity in customer settings
Display messages indicating the customer merge status in applicable entry programs, such as sales and receivables payment processing
Review Status and Merge Individual Customers - Use this screen to merge individual customers, recommend customers for merging, or remove a recommend status. If you access this screen from the menu, you indicate the Duplicate Customer Code ("merge from") and Merge To customer. If accessing the screen from the Search for Duplicate Customers to Merge or Manage Customer Merge List screens, the duplicate and merge to customers display from the previous screen. If you have permission via your security settings (see Settings below) you can choose to merge the customers immediately. If you do not have permission, you can recommend customers for merging at a later time. You can also remove a recommend status using this screen.
Search for Duplicate Customers to Merge - Use this screen to search for duplicate and merge-to customers by last name, phone number, email address, or social security number. Once you have selected the customers to be merged and click the OK button, the Review Status and Merge Individual Customers screen displays.
Manage Customer Merge List - Use this screen to view and manage the current merge status of customers that have been selected for merging. The screen displays current Duplicate/Merge-To recommended and eligible to merge statuses. You can check the box for one, multiple, or all customers listed and then select the action to take: REVIEW, MERGE, REMOVE, or PRINT.
Schedule a Process - Use this screen to schedule the automated Merge Customers process, which merges all duplicate customer records that have been updated with a Status of "Merge" and are eligible to be merged immediately.
Multiple duplicate customers can be merged into one "merge-to" customer.
The customer merge process cannot be run either manually or by the phantom when the system is in month-end overlap for the sales period.
Customers designated as merge-to or merge-from cannot be merged to or from another customer until the existing merge is completed.
Customers who were previously merged to another customer cannot have a customer merged to them, since they are now considered inactive.
Customers with open activity cannot be merged. This includes:
Open sales orders (duplicate customer)
Open A/R credit applications (duplicate customer)
Unsettled credit card or electronic check transactions (duplicate customer)
Unpaid A/R refunds (open AP bills for duplicate customer)
Open review item for credit granting (duplicate customer)
Open 3rd party financing transactions (duplicate customer)
Open 3rd party financing credit application (duplicate customer)
Unsettled 3rd party financing transactions (duplicate customer)
Pending deposit from web (duplicate customer)
Active or pending revolving plan (duplicate or merge-to customer)
Active or pending installment plan (duplicate or merge-to customer)
Additionally customers cannot be merged if:
The duplicate or merge-to customer record is locked
The duplicate (merge-from) and merge-to customers have different joint account holders
The duplicate and merge-to customers have different account numbers for the same finance company
Either the duplicate or the merge-to customer is in collections or bad debt
The duplicate customer has an open item statement that has not been printed yet
Point of Sale Control Settings is set to print open item balance on the delivery ticket, and the delivery ticket print is set to laser form (not ELP)
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have financed co-applicants
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have Extended A/R co-applicants
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have date of birth in customer record but they do not match
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have social security number in customer record but they do not match
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have co-signer defined in customer record but they do not match
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have bankruptcy score defined in customer record but they do not match
Duplicate customer and merge-to customer both have installment classification defined in customer record but they do not match
Create a User/Group System Security - Use Merge Duplicate Customer Accounts setting to control user/user group permission to merge customers. If users do not have this setting enabled, they can use the Recommend option, but cannot select the Merge option to merge customer accounts manually.
Advanced Customer Settings - The Advanced tab of this screen displays Merge Details, including the merge Status, By initials (operator who recommended or merged the customer), and the Merge To account number and name.
Report Customer Merge Status - Access this report from the menu and from the Manage Customer Merge List, to report on the merge status and eligibility of merge customers.
View a Customer's Account Summary - Access this window from an Action button on the grid of the Search for Duplicate Customers to Merge screen. This window provides information for the selected customer that is pertinent to the customer's merge eligibility. For example, if the window displays an open Revolving amount for the customer, that customer cannot be merged into another customer.