You can enter a code or "short name" of up to ten characters for each customer. Short names are a means by which you can list customers in alphabetical order or another order on reports, and still include the full customer name in the customer record.
Assume you have the following four customers. When listed alphabetically, the names appear in this order:
- A. Carson & Co.
- Bashaw Bulldozing
- Mr. Stephen Kershaw
- The Garden Restaurant
If you assign a short name that uses up to the first ten letters of the name by which you want to list the accounts, they appear in this order:
| Customer Name | Short Name |
|---|---|
| Bashaw Bulldozing | BASHAW |
| A. Carson & Co. | CARSON |
| The Garden Restaurant | GARDEN |
| Mr. Stephen Kershaw | KERSHAW |
You can also leave spaces, assigning "Craig & Co" as a short name, for example.
When you add a customer record, Accounts Receivable automatically inserts the first ten characters of the customer name as the default short name for the record, but you can enter any short name you want to use, or not use a short name at all.
You can print short names on customer statements. You can also use them for a purpose that is unrelated to customer names.
If you designed your customer numbers so that they list customers in alphabetical order (or in another order that meets your requirements), you might prefer not to use short names.