Branches & Customers

This guide covers how to manage business branches (locations) and customer information in C-Tax.

Part 1: Managing Branches

What is a Branch?

A branch represents a physical business location. Each branch:

• Has its own VSCU device for KRA compliance
• Processes its own transactions
• Has its own inventory and records
• Can have assigned users

Note: Only users with Owner or Admin roles can manage branches.

Viewing Your Branches

1. Click Branches in the sidebar
2. See a list of all your branches showing:
   • Branch ID (e.g., “00” for head office)
   • Branch Name
   • Location
   • Contact Person
   • Status (Active/Inactive)
   • Device Status (Has Device/No Device)

Understanding Branch IDs

The branch ID is a 2-digit code (00-99) that identifies each location.

Creating a New Branch

1. Go to Branches in the sidebar
2. Click “Create” or ”+ Add Branch”
3. Fill in the branch details:

4. Click “Save” or “Create Branch”

Editing a Branch

1. Go to Branches
2. Find the branch you want to edit
3. Click Edit or the branch name
4. Make your changes
5. Click “Save” or “Update”

Branch Status

To change branch status:

1. Go to Branches
2. Find the branch
3. Click Edit
4. Change the status toggle
5. Save changes

Branch and Devices

Each branch needs a VSCU device to submit transactions to KRA. To check if a branch has a device:

1. Go to Branches
2. Look at the “Has Device” column
3. Yes = Device configured
4. No = Device needed (contact administrator)

Switching Between Branches

When working in C-Tax:

1. Look for the Branch Selector (usually in the sidebar or header)
2. Click to see available branches
3. Select the branch you want to work with
4. All your actions will now be for that branch

Important: Always verify you’re in the correct branch before creating transactions!

Part 2: Managing Customers

What is a Customer?

Customers are the people or businesses you sell to. While customer information is optional for most sales, recording it helps with:

• Generating reports by customer
• Quick customer lookup for repeat sales
• Providing professional receipts with customer details
• Tax purposes when customer has a TIN

Viewing Customers

1. Click Customers in the sidebar
2. See a list of all customers showing:

Adding a New Customer

1. Go to Customers in the sidebar
2. Click the “Register New Customer” button
3. A dialog will appear with the customer registration form
4. Fill in the customer details:

5. Click “Register Customer” to save

Customer TIN

The TIN (Tax Identification Number) is important for:

• Business-to-business sales
• Large transactions
• When the customer requests a tax invoice

Format: Kenyan TINs are typically like “P000123456X”

If customer doesn’t have a TIN:

• Leave the field empty
• Or enter “N/A” if required

Editing a Customer

1. Go to Customers
2. Find the customer (use search if needed)
3. Click the three dots menu (⋮) at the end of their row
4. Select “Edit” from the dropdown
5. Update the customer details in the dialog that appears
6. Click “Update Customer” to save changes

Searching for Customers

When you have many customers:

1. Go to Customers
2. Use the search box
3. Search by:
   • Customer name
   • TIN
   • Phone number

Using Customers in Sales

When creating a sale:

1. In the customer section, start typing the customer name
2. Matching customers will appear
3. Select the customer
4. Their details (TIN, etc.) auto-fill

For walk-in customers:

• Type a name like “Walk-in Customer” or “Cash Sale”
• Or select a default walk-in customer if set up

Customer Status

Deleting a Customer

If a customer is no longer needed:

1. Go to Customers
2. Find the customer
3. Click the three dots menu (⋮) at the end of their row
4. Select “Delete” from the dropdown
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Note: Historical transaction records with this customer are preserved for audit purposes.

Customer Best Practices

For Businesses

• Always record the TIN
• Include full business name
• Add contact person name

For Individuals

• Use consistent naming
• Phone number is helpful for lookups
• TIN only if requested

For Walk-in Sales

• Create a generic “Walk-in Customer” entry
• Or leave customer blank if allowed

Customer Reports

Customer information appears in:

• Sales transaction records
• Transaction history reports
• Receipts and invoices

Common Tasks

Setting Up a New Business Location

1. Create the Branch

   • Go to Branches → Create
   • Enter branch details
   • Save

2. Configure Device (requires Owner access)

   • Go to Devices
   • Create device for the new branch
   • Initialize with KRA

3. Add Users (if needed)

   • Go to Users
   • Create users for the branch
   • Assign appropriate roles

4. Start Operations

   • Select the new branch
   • Begin creating transactions

Moving a Customer to Different Branch

Customers are typically shared across all branches. If you need branch-specific customers, discuss with your administrator.

Importing Customer Data

If you have many customers to add:

1. Contact your administrator
2. Customer data can sometimes be imported in bulk
3. Requires proper formatting

Next: Learn about Managing Items to set up your product catalog