Creating Customers

Cashier Manager Admin

Use this page to add a new customer account from the register, in the middle of a sale.

Quick steps

1. Tap the customer search box in the cart (it reads Search by name, code, email, phone, or swipe card...).
2. Search first. Type at least two letters of their name, or their phone number or email, to make sure they aren't already on file.
3. Not listed? Tap Create New Customer at the top of the dropdown. What you typed carries over into the form.
4. Fill in whatever the customer wants to share. Every field is optional, but a Name and Phone make them easy to find next time.
5. Tap Create. The customer is attached to the sale straight away.

tip

Swipe a loyalty card that nobody has yet and the New Customer form opens with the card number already filled in.

Common questions

The form says the person is already on file. Someone already has that phone number or email. Tap Use [their name] to attach that account instead of making a second one.

I don't see Create New Customer. Your role needs the Create Customers permission. Ask a manager.

Can I fix a typo after creating them? Yes, with the Manage Loyalty permission: tap the i button next to their name in the cart, then Edit under Contact Information. Otherwise, ask a manager.

Do they earn points on today's sale? Yes. If your loyalty program is on, they earn points when this sale is completed.

Can I delete a customer I made by mistake? Not from the register. Ask a manager or admin to archive it in the admin panel.

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More detail: who can create customers, and when to

When a customer wants to start earning loyalty points, or your store needs to track their purchases, you can create their account right from the register in the middle of a sale. You don't need to go to the admin panel.

Who can create customers

Creating a customer at the register needs the Create Customers permission, which cashiers, managers and admins all have unless your store turns it off.

Editing a customer's details, or changing their loyalty points, needs Manage Loyalty instead. Managers and admins have that; cashiers don't. The two are deliberately separate: taking a new customer's name at the counter is an everyday job, while points can be redeemed for money.

Anyone who has Manage Loyalty can also create customers, even if Create Customers is turned off for them.

Without either permission, the Create New Customer option isn't shown in the search dropdown, and swiping a loyalty card that isn't on file shows Loyalty card not found instead of opening the new-customer form.

When to Create a Customer

Create a customer account when:

• A new customer wants to start earning loyalty points.
• A customer wants to use store credit or rewards later.
• Your store tracks customers for compliance (for example, cannabis daily purchase limits).
• A customer is making a return and wants the refund as store credit.
• You want to track purchase history for a regular.

Customer accounts are optional

You don't need a customer account to complete a sale. Walk-in sales with no customer attached are normal. Only create an account when the customer wants one or your store policy requires it.

More detail: every step and field

Creating a Customer at the Register

Step-by-Step

1. Tap the customer search box in the cart. It reads "Search by name, code, email, phone, or swipe card...".

2. Search first. Type at least two characters of the customer's name, phone number, email or customer code to check they aren't already in the system.

3. If they aren't listed, tap Create New Customer. It's the first line of the dropdown, above the search results, and only shows if you have the Create Customers (or Manage Loyalty) permission. Whatever you typed in the search carries over: a name fills in Name, a phone number fills in Phone and an email fills in Email.

4. Fill in whatever the customer wants to give you. Every field is optional:

   Field	Notes
   Card number	Swipe a loyalty card or type its number. Only needed if your store uses physical loyalty cards.
   Name	If you leave it blank, the name becomes "Customer" plus their code (for example "Customer C10015").
   Email	Must be a valid email address if you enter one.
   Phone	Formats like 3065551234, (306) 555-1234 or 306-555-1234 all work.
   Date of birth	If the customer is under your store's minimum age (19 unless your store changed it), the form says so and the Create button stays greyed out.

5. Tap Create.

6. The new customer is attached to the current sale right away, and their name appears in the cart.

If the customer can't be created (for example, the card number is already on another customer), the reason shows in red above the Create button and the form stays open so you can fix it.

Swiping an unknown card

If you swipe a loyalty card in the customer search box and nobody has that card yet, the New Customer form opens with the card number already filled in. Add any other details and tap Create.

Minimum information

Brother POS makes a customer code and a default name for you, so you can create an account with no details at all. Collecting at least a name and phone number makes the customer much easier to find next time.

What Happens When You Create a Customer

When the account is created, Brother POS:

1. Gives the customer a unique code like C10015. Codes are numbered in order, starting at C10001, and can't be edited later. If your store shares customers with the owner's other stores, codes are numbered across all of them, so a new code is never already someone else's at another store.
2. Starts them at 0 loyalty points, $0.00 lifetime spend and 0 visits.
3. Leaves them without a tier. A new customer isn't placed in a loyalty tier when the account is made. Their tier is worked out from their spending and visits as they make purchases.
4. Attaches them to the current sale, so they earn points on this purchase if your store's loyalty program is on.

More detail: anonymous customers and loyalty cards

Anonymous Customers

If a customer only wants to collect points and would rather not share their name or contact details:

1. Tap the customer search box, then Create New Customer.
2. Leave every field blank.
3. Tap Create.

The account gets:

• A code (for example C10015)
• The name "Customer C10015"
• No phone, email or card number

Next visit, you can find them by:

• Searching their customer code, or scanning it into the product search
• Swiping their loyalty card
• Adding their name or details later, so you can search those

Printing a Loyalty Card

After the customer is attached to the sale:

1. Tap the i (info) button next to their name in the cart to open the customer details window.
2. Tap Print Loyalty Card at the bottom of the window (shown if you have the Manage Loyalty permission).
3. A label with the customer's code as a scannable barcode prints on your label printer.

The customer can keep the card or sticker and have it scanned on future visits.

Label printer required

The card prints on a Bluetooth label printer connected to the register, or on the network label printer set up for the register. If no label printer is set up, you'll see an error message when you try to print.

Without the Manage Loyalty permission, the Print Loyalty Card button isn't shown. Ask a manager to print the card.

More detail: duplicates and editing

Duplicate Prevention

Brother POS has a few safeguards against duplicate accounts:

• Search comes first. Matching customers show up in the same dropdown as Create New Customer, so you can attach the right person instead of making a new account.
• Same email or phone. If the email or phone you enter already belongs to a customer, no second account is made. The form shows "Sarah Miller is already on file with this phone number or email." with a Use Sarah Miller button, and Create stays greyed out. Tap Use Sarah Miller to attach them, or correct the phone or email if you typed it wrong. If your stores share customers, this also finds someone who shops at one of your other stores and brings their account over to your store.
• Loyalty cards are unique. A card number already assigned to another customer won't save. If your stores share customers, that includes customers at the other stores, and the message names who has it (for example "is already Jo's at Main Street").
• Customer codes are unique within your store, and across your stores if they share customers.

Check for duplicates

If a customer says "I already have an account", search by phone number, email and name before creating a new one. Duplicate accounts split loyalty points and purchase history.

Editing Customer Details After Creation

From the POS

1. Attach the customer to a sale.
2. Tap the i (info) button next to their name to open the customer details window.
3. In Contact Information, tap Edit. You'll only see this button if you have the Manage Loyalty permission.
4. Change what you need: name, email, phone, date of birth, loyalty card number, the Email receipts after a sale option, or notes. An edited customer must have a name.
5. Tap Save.

From the Admin Panel

Managers and admins can edit more customer details from the admin panel. See Customer Management.

More detail: more questions and best practices

More Common Questions

Can I delete a customer I just created?

Not from the register. If you created a duplicate by mistake, ask a manager or admin to archive it from the admin panel.

What if the customer already has an account at another store location?

It depends on whether the owner has set your stores to share customers.

• If your stores share customers, don't create a new account. Search for them by name or phone: they come up marked From [store name], and tapping them brings their account, card and points over to your store. Or just scan their card. If you do type them in as new, the same email or phone brings their existing account over instead of making a second one.
• If they don't, customer accounts belong to one store. A customer who shops at two locations has a separate account at each, and their points and store credit don't move between stores.

Store credit, gift cards and house accounts always stay with the store that issued them, even when stores share customers. See Customer Lookup.

Does creating a customer slow down the sale?

No. The new customer is attached as soon as you tap Create, and you can keep adding items or take payment right away.

Can a customer earn points on the same sale where their account was created?

Yes. If your loyalty program is on, a customer created and attached during a sale earns points when that sale is completed.

Best Practices

1. Always search before creating. A quick search by phone number prevents duplicates, even if the customer says they're new.
2. Collect at least a phone number. Names can be spelled several ways, but a phone number is easy to search.
3. Print a loyalty card right away. If you have a label printer, a card makes future lookups a single scan.
4. Read the details back. Confirm the name and phone number with the customer before tapping Create.

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What's Next?

• Customer Lookup: find existing customers at the POS.
• Loyalty Points & Tiers: how points are earned and how tiers work.
• Store Credits: using store credit at checkout.
• Customer Management: editing and managing customers in the admin panel.