Customer Inquiry

Use the Customer Inquiry to view a variety of information for a customer, location or a service connection. The Customer Inquiry provides the tools to quickly and easily access the information you need from the Utility Billing software. The Customer Inquiry is divided into two main panels, a left panel referred to as the Service Connections Panel and the right panel referred to as the Customer Panel. The Service Connections panel focuses on the location, services and service connections and shows the information used to generate billing transactions. The right panel focuses on information pertaining to the customer, which may be the customer for the location, the service or the service connection. There are four toolbars within the Customer Inquiry to provide additional tools and functions, as well as, additional information.

Note: The directions below pertain to the EDIFICE Classic Inquiry. For directions on the EDIFICE Enhanced Inquiry, click here.

For special features, click More.

Directions:

To see directions for...

Opening the Customer Inquiry, click More.

The Customer Inquiry automatically opens when Utility Billing is launched.
Tip: To display the Customer Inquiry after starting other windows, click Customer Inquiry on the Edifice Toolbar.

Customer Inquiry Window Example:

Tip: To see detailed instructions for each section or field name in the examples below, the cursor becomes a hand when you position the cursor over the field or section. Click once to display the associated topic.
Entering a customer, click More.
Tip: For more information, see the Customer Inquiry - Inquire By Selection Area topic.
1. At the Inquire By prompt, click Customer in the drop-down list.
2. Press [TAB] to the Customer prompt and enter a valid Customer ID.
  
  Tip: To inquire by Location, Inventory Number or Street Index instead of by Customer ID, choose the desired Inquire By option and then enter the appropriate Location ID, Inventory Item Number or Location Street ID to retrieve.
Creating a new customer, click More.

Note: The Customer Inquiry is only for viewing information for existing customers. To create a new customer, use the Create Customer Wizard.
Editing an existing customer, click More.
Note: To avoid losing data, you must save new or changed records.

Tip: Although most Customer Inquiry fields are for viewing only, you can edit the fields in the following windows:
- Budget Panel of Customer Finance Master Maintenance
- Customer Address Maintenance
1. To display the record to be changed, enter the Customer ID and click Retrieve , or press [ENTER].
Keyboard shortcut: [ALT + t]

Tip: If you do not know the Customer ID, you can click Search to see a list of customers.

2. To position the pointer to the information that you want to change, press [TAB] or click the field using the mouse.

3. Enter the data changes.

4. To complete the edit process, click Save , or press [ENTER].
Keyboard shortcut: [ALT + s]
Deleting an existing customer, click More.
Notes:
- The Customer Inquiry is for viewing existing customers. To delete a customer, use the Remove Customer Wizard.
- Although you can not remove a customer during the Customer Inquiry, you can delete certain customer information. During the Customer Reasons Panel and the Customer Messages Panel you can delete a specific record as needed.
Understanding the field values for the following areas, click the section name in the table below:

Field Details by Section
Inquire By Selection Area	Contains the fields to choose the type of inquiry and the customer, location or service connection to view.
Service Connection Toolbar	Contains the buttons to launch frequently used service connections inquiry tasks, panels and programs.
Services & Service Connection Panel Areas
General Location Information Area	Displays the customer's name, associated tenants, general billing and physical location information, as well as, the Owner/Tenant History for the location.
Service General Billing Information Area	Displays general billing information for the service.
Service Connections Area	Displays the billing information used to generate billing transactions for the service connection and the associated inventory information.
Service Connections History Area	Displays the billing history for the service connection.
Service Connections Reference Activity Area	Displays additional information for the service connection including the usage history, change out history, interim readings history and power factor history, if applicable.
Service Balance Totals Area	Displays the customer's or the location's outstanding A/R total for the service. Tip: To view the associated balance details, click Plus .
Customer Panel Additional Functions Toolbar
Customer Inquiry - Additional Functions Toolbar	Contains the buttons to perform additional functions within the Customer Inquiry.
Customer Finance Master Maintenance	Displays certain customer financial information including A/R balances, budget, and lien information. Tip: You can access this program from the Additional Functions Toolbar.
Customer Alert Window	Displays the optional customer messages, which alert your business about the customer. Tip: You can access this program from the Additional Functions Toolbar.
Customer Addresses Maintenance	Allows you to maintain additional addresses to print on specified customer statements and correspondence such as lien notices. Tip: You can access this program from the Additional Functions Toolbar.
View Report Window	Prints a report of the data currently displayed in the Customer Panel. Tip: You can access this program from the Additional Functions Toolbar.
Customer Letter Window	Prints specified customer letters. Tip: You can access this program from the Additional Functions Toolbar.
Customer Panel Areas
Customer Panel Toolbar	Contains the buttons to view a variety of customer information.
Customer Balances Panel	Displays the customer's balances for each service and the associated details for the balances.
Customer Billing Summary Panel	Displays the customer name and address as well as, their ACH settings and web information.
Customer Credit Message Panel	Displays a log of all the system-generated correspondence from your office to the customer.
Customer Transaction Summary Panel	Displays a history transaction summary for the customer for each service.
Customer Service Panel	Displays the detail of the most recent miscellaneous service work order maintained during the Customer Miscellaneous Servicing Information Wizard. Tip: The Customer Service Panel information is not part of the Edifice Service Management module.
Customer User Definable Panel	Displays the customer's information for the user definable fields.
Customer Status Panel	Displays a variety of customer settings as well as, payment, billing, discount, deposit and overdue balances information.
Customer Demographics Panel	Displays the customer name and address, as well as, their ACH Receipt settings and their Web information.
Customer Reasons Panel	Displays a log of the reasons why certain transactions were used for the customer.
Customer Messages Panel	Displays a log of all the messages assigned to the customer during the Customer Add Message Code Message Wizard.
Customer Payments Panel	Displays the customer's payment history.
Customer Payment Plan Panel	Displays the details for the customer's payment plan for their outstanding balance, if applicable.
Customer Calls Panel	Displays a log of the customer's service calls, which are entered during the Call Center - Call Entry.
Customer Prev. Locations Panel	Displays the customer's previous locations, if applicable.
Customer Loans Panel	Displays the details for the customer's loans, if applicable.
Wizards Panel Toolbar	Contains the buttons to launch the Wizards Control Menu, to launch the Book Sequence routine and to display images associated with the customer.

Special Features

Directions: