Microsoft Dynamics GP Customer Item Window with Substitutes

Originally Posted 9/28/12

(The attached video includes most of the information in the text below for those of you who prefer to “watch it” rather than “read it.”)

How can Microsoft Dynamics GP improve your customers’ experience when ordering your product?

• Customer Items
• Substitute Items

Customer Items

In the Sales Series, under Cards is an option called “Customer Items, which opens the Customer Item Maintenance window.  In this window you can pull up a customer from the Customer and Prospects Lookup List.  You then will select one of your item numbers using the Items Lookup List.

At this point you can then set your customer’s:

• Item Number or ID
• Item Description
• Five User Defined Text fields and substitute item information

More often than not, your customer will use a different item numbers than you.  By setting up the item number your customer uses in your Microsoft Dynamics GP, you will be able to take your customers’ Purchase Orders or talk to them on the phone using numbers they are familiar with, thus making the ordering process easier for them and the customer / vendor experience better.

Substitute Items

If you choose to use the Substitute Item Number area of the Customer Item Maintenance window; you can setup another one of your items that you can recommend to your customer should you not have enough inventory of the item being ordered.  Let’s assume you are having a sale of one of your items and a customer calls to order that item.  If you do not have enough in stock, rather than backorder the item you can recommend another item from your inventory.

Should you choose to populate the Substitute Item’s Effective Date Range in the Customer Item Maintenance window; the Substitute Item selected will be suggested if the transaction date falls within that date range.  You can also use this Effective Date Range to remove temporary Substitute items.

To set up customer item numbers and substitute item numbers:

1. Open the Customer Item Maintenance window.
   (Cards >> Sales >> Customer Items)

2. Enter or select a customer and an item number.

3. Enter the item name that the customer uses. When you create a sales order and enter the customer item, the inventory item number will be displayed.

4. You can enter a customer item description, short name, and generic name.

5. You can enter additional information in the text fields.

6. To assign a substitute item, you can enter or select an item to substitute for the item displayed in the Item Number field.

7. You can enter a date range for when the substitute item is effective. This date also can be used to remove customer/item substitute records in the Remove Customer/Item Substitutes window.

8. Choose Save.

Removing Substitute Items

To remove Substitute Items, you can open the “Remove Customer / Item Substitutes” window which is located under Utilities in the Sales Series.  This window will remove item substitute records with expiration dates equal to or earlier than the date you enter.

To remove customer/item substitute items:

1. Open the Remove Customer/Item Substitutes window.
   (Microsoft Dynamics GP menu >> Tools >> Utilities >> Sales >> Remove Substitute Items)

2. Enter the date to remove customer/item substitute records that expired on or earlier than the date.

3. Choose Process. The Customer/Item Substitutes Removed report will be printed.

Different than Inventory Setup Substitute Items

This feature is different than Inventory Item Maintenance Options Substitute Items.  They work the same in that they suggest a pre-selected item number at the time of the sale if the item requested is out of stock.  But the Inventory option is general and not specific to a customer AND it does not expiration dates.

Hope this Helps!