Customers¶
Create and manage the customer companies (and their contact people) that you place orders, invoices and statements for in UTX Freight.
Overview¶
Every order in UTX Freight is placed on behalf of a person who belongs to a customer company. Before you can create orders, you need at least one customer with one person.
- Customers (companies) are the billing entities. Each one has an address, accountant emails for invoices and statements, a service type, a currency and statement format, and optional custom rates.
- People belong to a customer. They are the contacts orders are placed for, they receive notifications, and they can log in. Each customer box on the list shows its people in a table. See People & Invitations for the details.
- Your own company is listed too, as Your Company:
. Your staff (admins, managers, dispatchers, accountants, drivers) are the people under it. - Custom rates override zone rates and terminal fees for one customer.
- Default tag pre-selects a tag on new orders for the customer.
- Fuel surcharge exemption turns off fuel surcharges for the customer (Fuel Surcharge add-on).
- Automatic statements can be scheduled per customer (when automatic statements are enabled on your account).
Quick Start¶
- Go to Customers from the left menu.
- Click Add a new Customer (top right).
- Enter the Name (the only required field).
- Click Save Changes. You return to the Customers list, filtered to the new company.
- In the new company's box, click Add Person, fill in the person's details, and click Add this person.
The invitation is sent right away
When you click Add this person, UTX Freight immediately emails an invitation to the address you entered. Make sure the email address is correct before you save.
Access & Permissions¶
| Role | Access Level |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full access: create, edit, delete, add and edit people, and Export |
| Manager | Full access: create, edit, delete, add and edit people. No Export button. In single-office accounts, a Manager can't edit your own company or its staff (see Editing your own company) |
| Dispatch | Full access (create, edit, add and edit people) only when your account has Dispatch customer management turned on (ask UTX support). Dispatch cannot delete customers or people, and has no Export. Otherwise, Dispatch has no access and the Customers menu is hidden |
| Accountant | No access. The Customers menu is not shown |
| Customer, Driver, Garage | No access |
- Only Admin and Manager can delete a customer or a person.
- The Export button is shown to Admin users only.
- Garage users manage their own customer list in the Garage module. See Garage Customers & Equipment.
How to get there:
- From the left menu, click Customers
Multi-office accounts
In single-office accounts, users manage the customers of the offices they belong to. With Multi-Office, customers are shared: users can manage customers from any office, and the people of every office's customers appear in the order form. The Customers list itself shows the customers that belong to the office you are currently working in, and a new customer is created in your current office. The Offices column in the people table shows how many offices each person is assigned to.
The Customers List¶
Filters¶
The filters sit in the box at the top left of the page:
| Filter | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Your own company only. This is the filter selected each time you open Customers | |
| All Active | Customers that are active (not disabled) |
| Disabled | Customers whose Active box is unchecked |
| Brokers | Customers with the Broker box checked |
After you create a customer, the list opens filtered to that company and its name appears as an extra filter link at the start of the box.
Deleted customers never appear under any filter.
Search¶
Type in the Filter companies and users box to search. The search:
- starts once you have typed 2 or more characters (clearing the box shows the full list again),
- matches, case-insensitive and on partial text, the company name and the first name, last name and email of the company's people,
- searches within the selected filter. With your own company selected (the default), the search covers all customers of the office you're working in that aren't deleted, both active and disabled. Your own company itself is not part of these search results.
The search does not match the Reference ID, address or phone numbers.
What each customer box shows¶
The list shows 30 customers per page, active customers first, then sorted alphabetically by name. Each customer has its own box:
- Header: your own company shows as Your Company:
; other customers show as - . A disabled customer's name is shown in red. Brokers have a blue Broker label. - Click the company name to open an info window with the customer's Address (Address 1, then city, state and postal code), Phone Number and Fax Number (each only when filled in) and Comments. Click Close to dismiss it. The hint under the search box says Click on the company name to view the company address and info.
- Buttons (for users who can manage the customer): Edit Customer (always visible), Add Person, and Delete (only when deletion is allowed, see Deleting a Customer).
- People table with the columns Name, Title, Email, Phone, Notifs, Alerts (only with a container tracking add-on), Active, Offices, and the Edit Person and Delete buttons. The first column shows a badge for staff (Owner, or the role name such as Admin, Manager or Dispatch) and an Invited badge for people who haven't accepted their invitation yet.
Reference ID¶
The Reference ID is built automatically from the first three letters of the company name (spaces and hyphens removed, in capitals) followed by the company's internal number, padded to at least three digits. For example, a company named "Acme Logistics" with number 7 shows as ACM007. Because it comes from the name, the Reference ID changes if you rename the company. You can't edit it directly.
Creating a Customer¶
- Navigate to Customers.
- Click Add a new Customer (top right).
- Fill in the Customer Information form. Only Name is required.
- Click Save Changes (or Cancel to go back to the list).
On success you see Customer was successfully created. If Name is empty, the form reloads and shows can't be blank under the field.
The form is a single page with these sections, from top to bottom: Customer Information, Rate to apply for new orders, Automatic Statement schedule for this customer (only when enabled), Custom rates for this customer, Fuel Surcharge (Fuel Surcharge add-on only), Broker / Transport Company, Additional comments and Customer visibility. The tables below follow that order.
Customer Information: address and phone¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Company name (required). Leading and trailing spaces are removed when you save |
| Web address | Company website |
| Address 1 / Address 2 | Street address |
| City | City name |
| State | Province or state, picked from the dropdown |
| ZIP/Postal Code | Postal or ZIP code |
| Country | Canada (CA) or United States (US) |
| Office # | Office phone number |
| Fax # | Fax number |
Customer Information: accountant emails¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Accountant Email | The default email of the customer's accountant, used when emailing invoices. It's also the "To" address for statements |
| Accountant Email (CC) | A CC address used when emailing invoices. Separate several addresses with commas |
Customer Information: service, tag and default user¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Service | What this customer uses you for. Options: Intermodal; Garage (Garage add-on). Only people of customers whose service includes Intermodal appear in the order form's Place the order on behalf of list |
| Default tag | Shown only when your account has order tags configured. See Default Tag |
| Default user | Shown only when editing an existing customer whose Service is Intermodal. Pick one of the customer's people who is active for orders. Used by automated document-to-order imports to decide which person the imported order is placed for |
Rate to apply for new orders¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Default Order Rate | Read-only (greyed out). You can't change it on this form. It is copied into a new order's base rate when the order for this customer doesn't already have one |
| Default Currency | CAD or USD |
| Default Statement Format | PDF Format or Excel (.xlsx). The file format used when a statement is emailed to this customer. See Customer Statements |
Additional comments and Customer visibility¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Comments (section Additional comments) | Free-text notes. They appear in the info window when you click the company name on the list |
| Active (section Customer visibility) | Hint: Order can only be placed for active customers. Uncheck to disable the customer (see Disabling a Customer) |
Editing a Customer¶
- On the Customers list, find the company (use a filter or search).
- Click Edit Customer in the company's box.
- Update the fields as needed.
- Click Save Changes.
On success you return to the list with Customer was successfully updated.
The sections below are on the same form used for creating a customer.
Default Tag¶
The Default tag field appears when your account has at least one order tag configured (it's not a separate add-on). Pick the tag that should be used for this customer's orders.
When an Admin, Manager or Dispatch user creates a new order and chooses one of this customer's people in Place the order on behalf of, the tag is pre-selected. You can still change it on the order. See Order Tagging.
Automatic Statement Schedule¶
The Automatic Statement schedule for this customer section only appears when automatic statements are turned on for your account (ask UTX support). Choose a value in Send weekly statement on:
| Option | When the statement is sent |
|---|---|
| Weekly on Sunday … Weekly on Saturday | Every week on that day |
| Bi-Weekly on the 2nd and 16th | On the 2nd and the 16th of each month |
| Monthly on the 1st | On the 1st of each month |
| Monthly on the 15th | On the 15th of each month |
| Not Scheduled | Never sent automatically |
The statement is emailed to the Accountant Email (with the Accountant Email (CC) addresses in CC), in the Default Statement Format, only if the customer is Active and has unpaid invoices. If there's nothing owing, no email goes out. In single-office accounts the delivery is then recorded as Statement Not Sent (0.0$). Without an Accountant Email, no automatic statement can be sent.
Choose a schedule for each new customer
On a new customer, or on any customer that has no schedule yet, Send weekly statement on starts at Weekly on Sunday, the first choice in the list. Choose Not Scheduled if the customer shouldn't receive automatic statements.
You can also change the schedule from the customer statements screen. For full details, see Automatic Statements.
Custom Rates¶
The Custom rates for this customer section lets you set prices that apply only to this customer. Each row has:
- Charge: a dropdown grouped into Zone and Terminal. Only active items are listed.
- Rate: the amount to use for this customer.
Click (+) Add another to add a row and (-) Remove to delete one, then click Save Changes.
| Charge group | What the custom rate overrides |
|---|---|
| Zone | The zone's rate. When an order's location falls in that zone, this customer's rate is suggested instead of the zone's standard rate. See Zones & Cities |
| Terminal | The terminal's Default Rate for the automatic Terminal Fee charge (the pickup terminal on imports, the return terminal on exports). The fee is only added while the order is not completed or invoiced, and only when the resulting rate is above zero. See Managing Terminals |
Fuel Surcharge Exemption¶
When the Fuel Surcharge add-on is enabled, the form has a Fuel Surcharge section:
- Check Exempt from Fuel Surcharge. The hint reads: When checked, fuel surcharge will NOT be applied to this customer's orders. Use this for customers who have negotiated no fuel surcharge.
If you turn the exemption on and the customer has uninvoiced orders that are not Completed and already carry a fuel surcharge, a warning appears after saving:
has N open order(s) with fuel surcharges that need recalculation. Visit the Fuel Schedule to recalculate.
Go to Fuel Schedule and click Recalculate on the affected months to remove those charges. For full details, see Fuel Surcharge — Exempting a Customer.
Broker / Transport Company¶
Check Broker to flag the company as a broker. Hint: This company can be used as a broker and will show up in the brokers list. Broker companies get a Broker label on the Customers list and appear under the Brokers filter.
Editing your own company¶
Your own company (Your Company:
Because it isn't tied to an office, in single-office accounts only Admin users see Edit Customer and Add Person on your own company, and the Edit Person and Delete buttons on your staff. Managers (and Dispatch users with customer access) see the box and its people but no buttons. With Multi-Office, Managers and Dispatch users with customer access can manage it too.
Adding People¶
- On the Customers list, find the company.
- Click Add Person.
- Fill in First Name, Last Name, Email and the other contact details.
- Click Add this person.
The invitation email goes out immediately. It contains a link where the person picks their own password and finishes setting up their account. You can start using the person on orders before they accept.
To change a person, click Edit Person on their row. If they haven't accepted their invitation yet, the Edit Person page shows when the last invitation was sent, a resend the email button, and the invitation link you can copy and send yourself. There's no resend button on the Customers list.
For roles, notifications, alerts, Active for orders and offices, see People & Invitations.
Disabling a Customer¶
Disabled customers stay in the system with all their orders and invoices, but no new orders can be placed for them. To disable:
- Click Edit Customer.
- Uncheck Active in the Customer visibility section.
- Click Save Changes.
The company name turns red on the list and the customer moves to the Disabled filter. Disabled customers also stop receiving automatic statements. To re-enable, check Active again.
Deleting a Customer¶
The Delete button only appears in a customer's box when all of these are true:
- it's not your own company,
- the customer has no invoices,
- the customer has no people, including people who were deleted earlier.
Click Delete, then confirm Are you sure you want to delete this company? You see Customer was successfully deleted.
Only Admin and Manager can delete. A deleted customer is marked inactive and disappears from every filter and search, but its record is kept (it still appears in the export). There's no way to restore it from the Customers page.
Can't delete? Disable instead
A customer with invoices or people can't be deleted. Uncheck Active to hide it from new orders instead.
Exporting Customers¶
Admin users see a green Export button on the right of the Customers page, next to the search box. It downloads a CSV file named <your company>-companies-<date>.csv.
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Id | Internal company number |
| Name | Company name |
| Address one | Address 1 |
| City | City |
| State | State/province |
| Zip | ZIP/postal code |
| Country | Country |
| Active | true or false |
The export lists companies only: no people or contact details, and no emails or phone numbers. It includes every company: your own company, active, disabled and deleted customers. It ignores the filter and search on the page. See also Data Exports.
Change History¶
Changes to customer records are recorded in the system's change history. The Customers page has no Audit button to view it.
FAQ / Troubleshooting¶
Customer or person doesn't appear in the order form dropdown¶
Solution
The Place the order on behalf of list only shows people when all of these are true:
- the customer is Active (check the Disabled filter) and not deleted,
- the customer's Service includes Intermodal (a customer set to Garage won't appear),
- the person is not deleted and Active for orders is checked on their Edit Person page,
- the customer has at least one person,
- in single-office accounts, the person is assigned to the office you're currently working in (with Multi-Office, people from every office are listed).
A person didn't receive the invitation email¶
Solution
Click Edit Person on their row. The page shows when the last invitation was sent. Click resend the email, or copy the invitation link shown there and send it to them yourself. Check that the email address is correct.
There's no Delete button on a customer¶
Solution
The Delete button is hidden for your own company, for customers with invoices, and for customers that have (or had) people. Disable the customer instead. Also, only Admin and Manager can delete.
I can't see the Customers menu¶
Solution
Accountants have no access to Customers. Dispatch users only see it when Dispatch customer management is turned on for your account. Ask UTX support.
My search returns nothing¶
Solution
Type at least 2 characters. The search looks within the selected filter: if Brokers or Disabled is selected, only those customers are searched. Switch to All Active or to your own company filter to search more widely. Deleted customers are never found.
I can't edit my own company¶
Solution
In single-office accounts, only Admin users can edit your own company and its staff. Ask an Admin. See Editing your own company.
I can't change the Default Order Rate¶
Solution
Default Order Rate is read-only on the customer form. To give a customer different prices, use Custom rates for this customer (zones, terminals).
Best Practices¶
Tips for managing customers
- Fill in the Accountant Email right away. Invoices and statements use it.
- Set the Service correctly. It decides whether the customer shows up for orders.
- Use Custom rates for this customer for negotiated prices instead of editing each order by hand.
- Disable customers you no longer work with rather than leaving them active. They stay in your history but drop out of the order form.
- Double-check email addresses before clicking Add this person. The invitation goes out immediately.