Purpose

This function is used to identify and manage overdue Accounts Receivable customer accounts and invoices. Customers with a Credit Balance will NOT show up in this Collection function.

In a multi-branch environment, there is an option that limits the Collections screen to the Branch that the user is in.

Using Customer Collections 

From the main COSTAR menu:

1. Click on Customers and then

2. Collections.

 The following screen will appear.

You have a number of search criteria to choose from:

1. Search for Customers > overdue by "X" days,

2. Customers overdue by 30 Days, 60 Days or 90 Days or More,

3. by a specific Customer,

4. or overdue by an Amount >= "X" dollars.

You may also search by a combination of the Customers Overdue by 30 Days, 60 Days, 90 Days or More and an outstanding amount. An example might be searching for Customers 90 Days or More with outstanding amount >= to $5000.00.

When using the Search for Customer option you only need to input a word that is contained in their Company Name.

Use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the window to move the form over to the left. There is more information to the right side of the screen. Alternatively, you can maximise the window using the icon in the top right corner of the window.

The Customer’s Email Address, Fax number, Average Days to Pay, their Last Payment Date and the Last Payment amount are displayed however these fields do not print out on a report. The details are displayed as information only.

Once you have selected your search method and pressed the Search button, any customers who have overdue items that fit the selections you have made are displayed. This will include:

1. Contact details and

2. the total value outstanding for each customer.

Highlighting a customer and clicking on the "Print" button will prepare an Accounts Receivable Statement of Account for that customer, which can be viewed on the screen or printed.

Highlighting a customer and clicking on the "E-Mail" button will prepare an Accounts Receivable Statement of Account for that customer and prepare it to be sent by your E-Mail software.

If there is a Stickpin Icon ( ) in the "Notes" column next to a client (1) , it denotes that there is a Customer Note. Click on the pull down in the "Notes" column and the following screen will appear.

The Notes function is used for recording collection details and the next follow-up date specific to that customer.

To examine an Account, double click the line or select the line and click on Forward.

The Customer Contact and Phone #, the Total Amount Overdue plus the Aging details for this Customer, are displayed in the top part of the form. Also, each of the outstanding documents is displayed along with the Notes, Document #, Date, Original Amount, Current Outstanding Balance, Due Date and Days Overdue.

If there is a Stickpin Icon ( ) in the "Notes" column next to a document, it denotes that there is a note, specific to that invoice. Click on the pull down in the "Notes" column and the following screen will appear.

This "Notes" function is used for recording collection details and the next follow-up date, as pertains to the specific "document".

To further examine a given document, select the document double clicking the line or by highlighting a row and clicking the "Forward" button on the tool bar. This will present the outstanding document or document family (Invoice and any Credits or Payments already assigned to the Invoice) that represent the outstanding amount.

The Reference Document is the "Original" document. Collection notes and the next follow up date may be recorded at both the customer and document family level.

To view the original document details, double click the line or highlight the line and click the Forward button on the tool bar. This will present the selected document from history which can be emailed directly to the client (using the print button) while you are discussing the overdue amount with the customer.