Customer Grouping: A Comprehensive Guide to Customer Groups in shopVOX

Tyler MacDonald Updated by Tyler MacDonald

How to Efficiently Group Customers in shopVOX

In the realm of reporting and invoicing within shopVOX, the process of grouping multiple customers together is streamlined and intuitive. This functionality proves especially beneficial when dealing with entities such as schools, government organizations like the military, franchises, or large retail chains, where distinct entities may operate under the umbrella of a single overarching organization. Despite being technically affiliated, these entities often necessitate separate billing processes and cater to diverse needs.

Within shopVOX, grouping is managed within the customer interface, while departmental distinctions are established within individual contacts. This dual system allows for effective organization, ensuring that customers and contacts can be efficiently grouped, organized, or compartmentalized according to specific requirements. This article aims to elucidate the practical utilization of each feature, empowering users to leverage them effectively for enhanced workflow management

Categorizing Customers: A Quick Guide to Adding Customers to Groups in shopVOX

The first step is to ensure the "Group" field is turned in within the edit Customer Screen. To do so follow the following steps.

  1. Go to Settings then "Forms" on the left hand side
  2. From the Forms screen click the blue edit pencil by "Customer"
  3. Locate the "Group" field and turn on the "Visible" check box
  4. Click the green "Update Form" button on the bottom of the screen when done, to save changes

To add a customer to a specific group, follow these straightforward steps

  1. Navigate to the customer profile you wish to include in a particular group and click the "Pencil" to edit the customer details
  2. Locate the "Group" option in the middle of the page.
  3. You can select a group from the drop-down list provided, or If the group doesn't exist yet, you can create it at this stage. For this example lets create a new group called "Example Group" by selecting "+Add New Customer Group" and filling in the details
  4. Once completed, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "Update Customer" to save all your changes.

Assign Groups to Multiple Customers

Now that you've mastered enabling the group field in forms and editing the customer group field to include a group name, it's time to apply these groups to all other customers you wish to categorize.For this example I am going to add the group "Example Group" to two more Customers.

  1. Add in "Example Group" to Customer: Bass Imports ( you would use your own customer name at this point )
  2. Add in "Example Group" to Customer: Custom Acrylix.( you would use your own customer name at this point )

Visualizing Group Data in Reports

In order to view the data within a report, it's essential to have sample data available. In this demonstration, I generated three test invoices, each corresponding to one of the companies to which I assigned the group "Example Group."

Accessing Invoices from a Report

  1. From the top menu, select the home Icon, then choose "Reports"
  2. Here's an example by running the "Daily Invoice Report" here you can see the column "Group", which has our "Example Group"
  3. Here's another example running the Customer Contacts report . Notice how there is a "Group" column, and you can see our "Example Group"
  4. If you're unable to locate the "Group" column, simply click on the "Configure Columns" button to enable it.

This grouping can currently be exported from shopVOX via a number of different reports:

  • Invoices Daily report
  • Invoices Monthly
  • Invoices Yearly
  • Customers Report - Contacts
  • Customers Report - Details

These reports will have a column called "Group". With these columns you can filter this data in a spreadsheet program for more advanced reporting.

Exploring the Versatility of Custom Groups

Discover how custom groups can enhance your workflow with these practical examples:

Example 1: Schools

Imagine managing a university with numerous departments. While each department operates independently, you need to consolidate them for streamlined invoicing and reporting. Take "shopVOX University" as an example. By creating individual customer profiles for each department or club, you can then group them under "shopVOX University." This grouping simplifies reporting, allowing you to associate various departments under one organizational umbrella effortlessly.

Example 2: Military

In a military context, such as the United States Air Force, where there are countless squadrons or units, organizing them efficiently is paramount. By creating separate customer profiles for each squadron or unit, you can categorize them under a unified group like "United States Air Force - USAF." This grouping facilitates reporting by providing a clear overview of all affiliated units within the Air Force, aiding in data analysis and decision-making processes.

Example 3: Alternative Reporting Structures

While less frequent, there are instances where grouping customers based on common characteristics is beneficial. Consider the need to group wholesale customers together for specialized reporting. Although they may not belong to the same company, they share a common "kind" of business relationship. This alternative reporting approach showcases the flexibility of custom groups beyond traditional company affiliations, demonstrating their adaptability to diverse reporting needs.

How to Edit Add or Deactivate groups

Overtime, it may become necessary to clean up your Groups list. You can do so by following these steps.

  1. Got to settings, and navigate to "Categories" on the left hand side
  2. You will see the Categories Screen,
  3. Lets set up a filter to see the categories that are available in "Customer Group"
  4. From here you can Edit, or Deactivate your group

shopVOX offers a robust system for efficiently grouping customers, catering to diverse organizational needs and streamlining workflow management. By enabling the Group field within customer forms and utilizing the intuitive customer interface, users can seamlessly categorize customers according to specific requirements. This dual system empowers users to organize contacts within customers, ensuring effective grouping and compartmentalization. Visualizing group data in reports provides insights for enhanced decision-making, with various reports available for export, facilitating advanced reporting and analysis. The versatility of custom groups extends beyond traditional organizational structures, allowing for innovative solutions in diverse contexts such as educational institutions, military units, and alternative reporting structures. Moreover, the ability to edit, add, or deactivate groups ensures ongoing maintenance and optimization of the grouping system. Overall, shopVOX's efficient grouping functionality enhances organizational efficiency and reporting capabilities, empowering users to effectively manage their customer relationships and streamline invoicing processes.

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