New Customer Account Setup Checklist for Manufacturers
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.
0 of 37 items complete
12 critical items still open - these are the highest-risk gaps.
1. Legal, credit and compliance
2. Tax and finance
3. Sales, pricing and shipping
4. Quality and special requirements
5. ERP master data and go-live
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.
Customer master data review
Optional: a review of duplicates and missing fields in your customer master.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the checklist
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
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
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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information do I need to set up a new customer?
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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