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Add New Customer

Menu Location: Customers > Add New Customer

Last Updated: 2026-07-24

Overview

The Add New Customer page lets you manually create a new customer account. It is used when adding customers over the phone, converting a lead, or entering a customer one at a time from an outside list. The form captures the basics (name, contact info, delivery address) and creates a starter subscription record for the customer, which you then finish configuring on the Customer Detail page.

Primary Functions:

  • Create a new customer account (name, phone, email)
  • Capture a delivery address
  • Create login credentials so the customer can access their account online
  • Optionally assign the customer to a coop pickup location (if your store uses coops)
  • Add delivery notes for the driver

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Page Title: "Customers \ Add New" with breadcrumb link back to Customers
  • Action Buttons: Create Customer (submit), Cancel (return to Customers list)

Account Information Section

  • First Name, Last Name
  • Phone
  • Email Address
  • Password

Delivery Address Section

  • Street, Street 2
  • City
  • State (dropdown)
  • Zip Code

Optional Sections

  • Coop: a dropdown to assign the customer to a pickup coop, shown only if your store has coop pickup locations enabled
  • Special Delivery Instructions: a free-text note field

Form Fields Reference

Field Name Type Required Description
First Name text No (recommended) Customer's first name, up to 255 characters
Last Name text No (recommended) Customer's last name, up to 255 characters
Phone text No Customer phone number, free text
Email Address text No Used as the customer's login username; must not already be in use. If left blank, the system generates one automatically
Password text No Customer's login password (entered in plain text on this form, not masked). No minimum length is enforced
Street text No Delivery street address, up to 50 characters
Street 2 text No Apartment/unit/suite, up to 50 characters
City text No Delivery city, up to 50 characters
State select No Delivery state, from the standard state list
Zip Code text No Delivery zip, up to 12 characters
Special Delivery Instructions textarea No Notes for the driver (gate codes, where to leave the box, etc.)
Coop select No Only shown if coop pickup locations are enabled for your store

Creating a New Customer

Basic Workflow

  1. Navigate: Customers menu > Add New Customer
  2. Enter Account Info: Name, phone, email, password
  3. Enter Delivery Address: Street, city, state, zip
  4. Assign a Coop (if your store uses coops)
  5. Add Delivery Notes if needed
  6. Create: Click "Create Customer"
  7. Complete Setup: You're redirected to the Customer Detail page to finish billing, route, and subscription settings

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Account Information

  1. Enter First Name and Last Name
  2. Enter Phone Number (recommended for contact)
  3. Enter Email Address, or leave it blank to have the system auto-generate one
  4. Enter a Password if the customer will log in online (can be set or changed later from the customer detail page)

Email Guidelines:

  • Email must be unique across the system (it is also the customer's login username); the system checks for duplicates
  • If left blank, the system generates a placeholder address in the form noemail-yourhost123456 (a random 6-digit number appended to your store's hostname), with no login access until you set a real email later
  • Email can be updated later on the Customer Detail page

Step 2: Delivery Address

  1. Enter Street
  2. Enter Street 2 (apartment/unit) if applicable
  3. Enter City
  4. Select State from the dropdown
  5. Enter Zip Code

There is no address autocomplete on this page; all fields are typed in manually.

Step 3: Coop and Delivery Notes

  • Coop: if your store uses coop pickup locations, choose one from the dropdown (otherwise this section doesn't appear)
  • Special Delivery Instructions: gate codes, building access, where to leave the box, or other notes for the driver

Box type, box size, delivery schedule, and start date are not chosen on this page. The new subscription is created with your store's default box settings and is set active immediately; you'll set the correct box, size, schedule, and first delivery date on the Customer Detail page afterward.

Actions & Operations

Create Customer

Purpose: Save the new customer account

Steps:

  1. Fill in the fields you have
  2. Click "Create Customer"
  3. You're redirected to the Customer Detail page

What Happens:

  • A customer account is created
  • If an email/password was entered (or was auto-generated), a login is created
  • A basic subscription record is created using your store's default box settings, marked active, with the delivery route looked up automatically from the zip code you entered
  • The new customer may be enrolled in your standard new-customer marketing email series
  • A message reminds you: "Don't forget to add the billing info and check on the route and status!"

Requirements:

  • No fields are strictly required to save the account (the system only blocks the save if the email address is already in use by another account); in practice you should always enter at least the name

Cancel

Purpose: Abandon customer creation and return to the customer list

Steps:

  1. Click "Cancel"
  2. Returns to the Customers page with no data saved

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Phone Order Signup

Goal: Customer called to sign up for a subscription

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Add New Customer
  2. Ask for and enter name
  3. Ask for phone number
  4. Ask for email address, if they don't have one or don't want to provide it, leave it blank
  5. Ask for delivery address and enter Street, City, State, Zip
  6. Ask for apartment/unit if applicable
  7. Ask for delivery notes (gate code, etc.)
  8. Assign a coop if your store uses them and the customer wants pickup
  9. Click "Create Customer"
  10. On the Customer Detail page: set the correct box type/size, schedule, start date, billing, and confirm the route
  11. Thank the customer and provide login info if they set one up

Use Case 2: Converting a Lead to a Customer

Goal: Convert an interested lead from a contact form into a full customer

Steps:

  1. Review the lead's information
  2. Navigate to Add New Customer
  3. Enter name, email, and phone from the lead
  4. Enter address from the lead, or ask if not provided
  5. Set a temporary password if they'll access their account online
  6. Click "Create Customer"
  7. On the Customer Detail page: set box, size, schedule, start date, and complete payment setup

Use Case 3: Creating a Test Account

Goal: Set up a test account for training or development

Steps:

  1. Navigate to Add New Customer
  2. Enter a clearly labeled test name, e.g. "Test Customer [Purpose]"
  3. Use a test email and phone number
  4. Use a test address in your delivery area
  5. Add a delivery note: "TEST ACCOUNT, DO NOT DELIVER"
  6. Click "Create Customer"
  7. On the Customer Detail page, review/adjust the auto-created subscription so it doesn't generate real orders

Important: Mark test accounts clearly to avoid actual charges or deliveries

Use Case 4: Bulk Entry from a Spreadsheet

Goal: Manually enter customers from an imported spreadsheet, one at a time

Steps:

  1. Open the spreadsheet with customer data
  2. For each row: navigate to Add New Customer, copy/paste name, email, phone, and address fields, add any delivery notes, then click "Create Customer"
  3. Mark the row as processed in the spreadsheet
  4. Repeat until all customers are entered
  5. Review the new customers in the customer list afterward

Tips:

  • Process in small batches and double-check address formatting and email uniqueness

Troubleshooting

Email Address Already Exists

Symptoms: Error message that the email is already associated with another account (with a link to that customer), or that it's in use by an admin user account

Solutions:

  1. Follow the link to the existing customer if it's a duplicate signup attempt
  2. If it's a legitimate new customer sharing a household email, use a "+" tag variant of the address (e.g. email+name@domain.com) or leave the email blank
  3. Ask the customer if they have an alternate email

Common Causes:

  • Customer signing up again without realizing they already have an account
  • Shared family email address
  • Typo in email address

Customer Created but Missing Information

Symptoms: Customer was created but still needs billing, route, or subscription details

This is normal. The Add New Customer page only creates the basic account and a placeholder subscription. After creating the customer, use the Customer Detail page to:

  1. Set the correct box type, size, and delivery schedule
  2. Confirm the delivery route
  3. Set up a payment method
  4. Fill in any other missing details
  • Customers (customers.php) - View and search all customers; where "Cancel" returns you to
  • Customer Detail (customer_info.php) - Where you land after creating a customer; used to complete billing, route, and subscription setup

Best Practices

Data Entry Accuracy

  1. Verify spelling of names with the customer
  2. Read back the phone number for confirmation
  3. Confirm the email address character by character
  4. Verify the address with the customer before creating the account

Customer Communication

  1. Explain what information you're collecting and why
  2. Provide login credentials if the customer wants online access
  3. Explain that first delivery date and box details are confirmed on the next step

Account Setup

  1. Create the account with the info you have, then complete the rest on the Customer Detail page
  2. Set the correct box, size, schedule, and start date before the customer's first delivery
  3. Set up payment before the first delivery

Organization

  1. Use a consistent naming format
  2. Add delivery notes about gate codes or special requests
  3. Mark test accounts clearly

Things to Avoid

  • Creating duplicate accounts for the same customer
  • Using fake email addresses that could bounce
  • Skipping address verification
  • Forgetting to set up a payment method and correct subscription details on the Customer Detail page
  • Creating an account without the customer's consent

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
Create new customer Fill form > Click "Create Customer"
Enter delivery address Fill Street, City, State, Zip
Assign a coop Select from "Coop" dropdown (if enabled)
Add delivery notes Type in "Special Delivery Instructions"
Leave email blank System auto-generates a placeholder address
Cancel creation Click "Cancel"
Set box/size/schedule/start date Done afterward on Customer Detail page
Complete setup Create > redirected to Customer Detail page

FAQs

Do I need to collect an email address?

No, it's optional. If the customer will access their account online, enter an email and password. Otherwise, leave it blank and the system will auto-generate a placeholder address.

What if the customer doesn't have an email?

Leave the email field blank. The system automatically generates a unique placeholder address so the account can still be created.

Can I create a customer without a password?

Yes, but the customer won't be able to log in online until a password is set. You can set or reset it later from the Customer Detail page.

What happens after I click Create Customer?

The account (and a basic, active subscription using your store's default box settings) is created, and you're redirected to the Customer Detail page to finish billing, route, box, and schedule setup.

Can I edit information after creating the customer?

Yes. Everything, including box type, size, schedule, and start date, is set or adjusted from the Customer Detail page after the account is created.

How do I set the customer's box type, size, schedule, or start date?

These aren't set on the Add New Customer page. A new subscription is created with your store's default settings, and you adjust box, size, schedule, and start date on the Customer Detail page right after creating the account.

Change Log

2026-07-24

  • Rewritten and grounded against kiv/add-new-customer.php and related helper functions
  • Removed fields and sections that don't exist on this page: Box Type/Box Size/Schedule/Start Date selectors, address autocomplete, latitude/longitude capture, Discount Code, How Did You Hear, and the Gift Subscription use case
  • Corrected the auto-generated email format and clarified that box/size/schedule/route are set automatically (not chosen on this page) and finished on the Customer Detail page
  • Removed the "Access Level" line and "Permissions & Access" section (no access-tier gating found in the page source)

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.