# New Customer Account Setup Checklist for Manufacturers > Source: https://netray.co/tools/new-customer-account-setup-checklist-manufacturer > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Covers the information and approvals needed before the first order: legal and credit, tax, addresses, pricing, shipping, quality and ERP master data. ## Category erp-operations ## Audience - Customer service - Credit analyst - ERP master data ## Tool **Kind:** checklist **Groups:** #### 1. Legal, credit and compliance **Items:** **Text:** Legal entity name and registered address verified against official documents **Critical:** true **Text:** Credit application received, signed and reviewed **Critical:** true **Text:** Credit limit and payment terms approved by the credit manager **Critical:** true **Text:** Restricted party and denied party screening completed and recorded **Critical:** true **Text:** Export classification and destination checks done if shipping internationally **Critical:** true Signed terms and conditions or master agreement on file NDA in place if drawings or specifications will be shared Controlled-technical-data handling confirmed if applicable (defense or aerospace) #### 2. Tax and finance **Items:** **Text:** Tax registration number captured (VAT, GST, EIN or local equivalent) **Critical:** true **Text:** Tax exemption or resale certificate on file and not expired **Critical:** true Bill-to address and invoice contact set up Currency, payment method and bank remittance details confirmed E-invoicing or portal requirements identified (EDI, PEPPOL, fapiao, e-invoice) Customer purchase order requirement noted (PO mandatory or not) Dunning and statement contacts recorded #### 3. Sales, pricing and shipping **Items:** **Text:** Sales area, rep and territory assigned **Critical:** true **Text:** Price list, contract price or discount structure assigned **Critical:** true Ship-to addresses created with contacts, hours and dock instructions Incoterms and freight terms agreed Preferred carriers, account numbers or routing guide captured Packaging, labeling and documentation requirements recorded Order acknowledgment and shipping notice contacts set Lead time and service level expectations agreed #### 4. Quality and special requirements **Items:** **Text:** Quality requirements and flow-down clauses reviewed (certificates, first article, source inspection) **Critical:** true Certificate of conformance and test report requirements noted Customer-specific part numbers and revisions cross-referenced Approved supplier or vendor number received from the customer Scorecard, KPI or portal reporting requirements known Customer property, consignment or tooling arrangements documented #### 5. ERP master data and go-live **Items:** **Text:** Customer record created with unique customer number, no duplicates found **Critical:** true **Text:** Duplicate check performed on name, tax ID and address **Critical:** true Partner functions, sales area data and company code data complete Credit hold rules and credit limit loaded in the ERP EDI or portal connection tested if used Test order entered and cancelled to verify price, tax and shipping Customer service team briefed on special instructions Approval and creation date recorded for audit **Scoring Note:** Do not release the first order until every critical item is complete. Non-critical items can follow within the first 30 days but should be tracked. ## Content **Intro:** Bad customer master data causes wrong invoices, delayed shipments and tax problems for years. This checklist gets the essentials right before the first order is accepted. **Sections:** #### How to use the checklist **Body:** Run it once for each new customer. Tick items as information is received and keep the exported PDF with the credit file. Split ownership if useful: credit handles group 1 and 2, sales handles group 3, quality group 4 and master data group 5. #### What belongs in the first week **Body:** Credit approval, restricted party screening and tax details block the first order, so chase them first. Pricing and shipping details can be agreed in parallel. For defense and aerospace work, confirm any export or controlled data handling needs before you share a single drawing. #### Master data quality **Body:** A duplicate customer record splits credit exposure, history and pricing. Search on tax ID, legal name and address before creating a record. Keep the ERP customer record as the single source and avoid parallel spreadsheets for special instructions. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Common issues are an expired exemption certificate, ship-to addresses missing dock hours, a credit limit loaded without payment terms, and quality flow-downs buried in an email. Add a test order before releasing the account. **Cta:** If you are cleaning up or migrating customer master data, we can help with duplicate detection and validation rules in your ERP. The checklist is free by itself. **Faq:** #### What information do I need to set up a new customer? **Answer:** At minimum the legal name, bill-to and ship-to addresses, tax registration, credit terms, contacts, pricing, shipping terms and any quality or compliance requirements. Your ERP will demand a few additional fields. #### Who should approve a new customer account? **Answer:** Typically credit or finance approves terms and limits, sales confirms pricing, and compliance clears screening. Master data teams then create the record only after approvals are on file. #### How do I prevent duplicate customer records? **Answer:** Search by tax ID, normalized name and address before creating a record, and use ERP duplicate checks where available. Periodically run a duplicate report and merge or block extras. #### Do I need to screen customers against restricted party lists? **Answer:** Most exporters do, especially in aerospace, defense and electronics. The rules depend on your country and products, so confirm your obligations with your compliance team. ## Search terms new customer setup checklist, customer master data checklist, new account setup form manufacturing, customer onboarding checklist order desk, customer creation erp checklist, new customer account checklist excel --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json