Summary

Cirrus modules share a common Customer table. By using the same customer number and giving the customer various accounts, Cash Receipts can operate most efficiently. If you are using other modules that access the customer table (Utility Billing, Licenses and Permits, etc.), many of your Accounts Receivable customers will already be set up. However, you may have some customers that will not be in the Customer table because they do not have any accounts with your entity. Those customers can be set up in the Account Maintenance window.

Step by Step

1     View the existing accounts.

• Open the Account Search window (AR> Maintenance> Account). Enter specific account information in the available fields and click the Search button   to filter the displayed accounts.
  • The accounts data grid can be customized to display specific columns or to group the displayed accounts. 
• Highlight an account and click DELETE to delete the selected account.
  • AR accounts attached to an active work order or with an established transaction history cannot be deleted.
• Highlight an account and click EDIT to edit the selected account.
• Click the Create button to create a new AR account. This will open the Account Maintenance window.

2     Edit or create an account.

• The Account Maintenance screen displays the AR account information associated with existing accounts. You can view specific account information by clicking on one of the displayed tabs.
• The General tab contains the general information associated with the account.
• The Account Number field will automatically populate with the next available AR account number when the new account is saved.
• Enter a Customer Number or click the field search button to open the Customer Search window.
  • Customers are created and maintained on the Customer Maintenance window (SS> Maintenance> Customer).
  • One customer can be attached to more than one account.
  • The Customer Name field will automatically populate with the name associated with the customer number selected above.
• Enter a Lot Number or click the field search button to associate a lot with the account.
  • Lots are created and maintained on the Lot Maintenance window (SS> Maintenance> Lot).
  • The Tax Lot and Service Address fields will automatically populate with the details associated with the lot selected above.
• Enter a Billing Cycle or click the field search button to select one from a list. This is a required field.
  • The selected billing cycle will determine when the new AR account is billed. Billing cycles are created and maintained on the Billing Cycle Maintenance window (AR> Maintenance> Billing Cycle).
• Enter an optional Description for the account. This field can accommodate up to 64 characters.
• The Collections System, Account Balance, Outstanding Bills, Unapplied Credits, and Outstanding Deposits fields will update with the account details as transactions are incurred.
• Check the Tax Exempt toggle if the organization attached to the account qualifies for tax exempt status.

3     Open the History tab.

• The History tab displays the committed and uncommitted transaction line items on the customer account.
• The Account Balance, Outstanding Bills, Unapplied Credits, and Outstanding Deposits values will be displayed at the top of screen.
• The History From field is used to limit the displayed transactions to those after the specified date.
  • By default, this field will be set to one year prior to the current date in order to prevent performance issues that can result when attempting to display a very large number of records.
  • Update the date and click the Refresh button at the top of the screen to see the transactions.
• Uncommitted transactions will display in red and committed transactions will display in black. Committed transactions will also have a date in the Post Date column.
  • The Post Date column displays the date that the transaction has been committed. This is the date the batch was committed, it is not necessarily the same as the date the transactions are posted to the general ledger or the transaction date.
• Click the Expand button next to a transaction to view the transaction line item detail.
• Click the Information button in the Detail column to see the invoice information associated with the transaction and to open the related receipt.
• You can export the transactions that display in the window to a MS Excel spreadsheet by clicking the Ellipsis button and selecting Excel Export. All transaction line items will display on the export, even line items that have not been expanded. This feature allows you to create a quick report of the history of a customer account.
• You can also click the Print button at the top of the screen to generate a Transaction History report for the account.
• The History tab will not display any account history until the first transaction is attached to that account.

4     Create an adjustment on the account.

• Click ADJUSTMENT, REVERSAL, TRANSFER, APPLY, or CREDIT BILL/PENALTY to create an adjustment on the account.
• This will open the Batch Selection screen where you can either add the new adjustment to an uncommitted AR Adjustments batch or create a new AR Adjustments batch.
• After selecting or creating a batch, the Initialization step of the Adjustment Wizard will open.
  • When launching the Adjustment Wizard from an account, a number of the fields will be pre-populated.
• Enter the adjustment details in the enabled fields.
  • Each adjustment transaction type will require you to complete different fields on the Initialization step. For example, when creating an ADJUSTMENT or REVERSAL, you will enter a Transaction Date, Reference Number, and Description. A TRANSFER adjustment transaction will also require a Target Account Number while a PENALTY adjustment transaction will require a Due Date.
• Click the Next button to advance to the next step in the Adjustment Wizard.
• Enter the adjustment details.
  • This step of the Adjustment Wizard will be unique to the adjustment transaction type selected. For example, when creating an ADJUSTMENT, you will enter a new adjusted value for the fee in the Updated Amount column. When creating a REVERSAL, you will see the fee being reversed and have the opportunity to add additional fees to the transaction.
• The Return to Account toggle will be checked by default, returning you to the Account Maintenance screen after completing the Adjustment Wizard.
  • If this toggle is unchecked, the Process Batch toggle will be checked and the Adjustments process will open when the Adjustment Wizard is completed.
• Click the Finish button to complete the adjustment.
• The completed adjustment will now be included in the selected Adjustments batch.

5     Complete the Comments tab.

• The Comments tab of the Account Maintenance window allows you to insert and store comments about the selected account.
• Click CREATE COMMENT to add a comment code to the account. This will open the Comment Code Selection window.
  • Highlight a comment code and click the Select button   to attach the code to the account.
  • Enter a detailed comment in the Comment field. This is an optional field and can be up to 512 alphanumeric characters long.
  • The Date Created field will default to today's date.
  • You can use the Date Closed field to record when the issue was resolved.
• Comment codes are created and maintained in the Comment Code Maintenance window (AR> Maintenance> Comment Codes).

6     Complete the Recurring Invoices tab.

• The Recurring Invoices tab will display any recurring invoices attached to the account. Recurring invoices can be set up for fees that are billed on a recurring basis. Recurring invoices can be attached to an account at any time.

7     Complete the Alert tab. 

• The Alert tab will display all of the existing alerts attached to the account.
• Highlight an alert code and click DELETE to remove the selected alert code from the account.
• Click CREATE ALERT to attach a new alert code to the account. This will open the Alert Code Selection window.
  • Select an alert code and click the Select button to add the selected alert code to the account.
  • Alert codes are created and maintained on the Alert Code Maintenance window (AR> Maintenance> Alert Code).
• The Description field will automatically populate with the description attached to the selected alert code.
• Enter an Alert Date for the new alert code. This represents the date that the alert code becomes active.
  • This field will automatically populate with today's date.
• The Expiration Date is calculated by adding the alert duration specified on the selected alert code to the date specified in the Alert Date field. If the Alert Date is updated, the Expiration Date will automatically update according to this calculation.
  • The Expiration Date cannot be prior to the Alert Date.
• The Comment field will populate with the comment attached to the selected alert code.
• Check the Selection Alert toggle to activate the alert message when the account is individually selected for batch process, such as AR Adjustments.
  • The selection alert will not activate if the account is included in a batch as a member of a group select during a batch generate step.
• Check the Maintenance Alert toggle to activate the alert message when the account is opened from any window where the account details can be maintained or edited.
• Check the CR Receipt Alert toggle to activate the alert message when the account is selected from the CR Cash Entry search window.

8     Complete the Miscellaneous tab.

• The Miscellaneous tab allows you to build your own tables of data if there is information you want to track. This information is optional and user-defined.
• Miscellaneous field labels are maintained on the Miscellaneous Field Label Maintenance window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).

9     Complete the ACH Info tab.

• The ACH Info tab is used to record the Bank Account information of the customer associated with the selected account. This information will be used by the direct debit process in the Clearing House module.
  • This tab will only be active if the CH Interface toggle is checked on the AR Setup window.
• Enter the Account Number for the customer.
• Enter the Bank Code or click the field search button to select a bank code from a list.
  • Bank codes are created and maintained on the Bank Code Maintenance window (SS> Maintenance> Bank).
• Select the Account Type for the bank account.
  • You must select either Checking or Savings. If you select None, the new account cannot be saved.
• Select the ACH Type for the bank account.
• Check the Clearing House Pre-Note toggle if you want to skip the Pre-Note batch process in the Clearing House module. If this toggle is checked, the customer account will not display in the Create Pre-Note batch window when you generate a pre-note batch (CH> Direct Debit> Create Pre-Note batch).
• Click the Save button when complete.

10     Track any changes made to the AR Account.

• Click the Audit Trail button at the top of the screen to open the Audit Trail window.
• Use the search criteria to sort the displayed audit trail.
• The Audit Trail data grid will provide details about any changes made to the account maintenance window including the date of the change, type of change made, user that made the change, and data table that was edited.