Adding a supplier

Whilst everyone that you deal with will be listed under Contacts in Alto, every one of those contacts has a ‘Type’ selection. One of these types is Supplier, and is applicable for anyone providing a product or service, i.e. plumbers or electricians.

When you add a new supplier, it's important you complete as much detail as possible as it will affect:

• The information presented on a work order
• The delivery type of a work order
• The delivery type of the payment remittance advice
• The preferred method of payment to your contractor
• The ability to add payment terms
• Adding their VAT number
• Uploading a copy of the suppliers public liability insurance document
• Setting a reminder date for the public liability insurance expiry

This article includes: 

• Adding a supplier
• Adding bank and payment details
• Setting up a commission charge
• Adding public liability insurance dates
• Viewing all of your suppliers

Adding a supplier

1. Click Contacts on the main toolbar
2. Click Add Contact
3. A blank contact record is created. In the Type dropdown menu, click Supplier
4. Type in the suppliers Company name
5. Tick each of the suppliers Services which they provide. This is crucial as it enables them to be available for you to assign works orders to
6. Type in any Contact Notes such as their working hours, emergency call out hours and rates  
7. Enter all contact information within the First Person and Second Person sections
8. Tick the appropriate Account/Work Order Delivery Method(s). (This is how work orders and payment remittance will be sent). If you tick Email, a valid email address is required 
9. Enter all Address information
10. Click Save

Adding bank and payment details

With the basics of the supplier record defined, you can now add bank and payment details.

1. Click Contacts on the main toolbar
2. Select the relevant contact (Supplier) from Recent & Favourite Contacts
   1.  Alternatively, find the contact (Supplier) using the Search Contacts bar in the top right
3. Click Contact on the side menu
4. Click the Bank Details top tab
5. Click Add Bank Account to add their bank details
   For more information on Adding supplier bank details, click here
6. Once the bank details are added, click the Payment Details top tab
   1. Payment Method - In the dropdown menu, click the method which your agency uses to make payments through Alto, to the supplier
   2. Payment Terms - All invoices will be due for payment when the number of days has passed the invoice date. This is also how you can defer paying an expense payable to the supplier, for example, if you enter 7 days, Alto will not allow you to pay the supplier until the expense is 7 days old
      For more information on Supplier payment terms, click here
   3. Retention Target - Enter the amount which will be held when making a supplier payment
   4. Remittance Remark - In the dropdown menu, click your preferred remark, or leave as Unspecified
   5. Next Remittance Number - Each time a payment is made, the next consecutive number is added 
   6. Charge Item - In the dropdown menu, click the main services your supplier provides 
   7. VAT Number - Enter the VAT Number, if applicable
7. Click Save

For more information on Making payments via BACS, click here
For more information on Paying a Supplier, click here

Setting up a commission charge

1. Click Contacts on the main toolbar
2. Select the relevant contact (Supplier) from Recent & Favourite Contacts
   1.  Alternatively, find the contact (Supplier) using the Search Contacts bar in the top right
3. Click Actions
4. Within the dropdown menu, click Charge
5. Click Add Commission
6. As a minimum, enter the Commission %
7. If required, choose the Expense Type which you wish to apply the commission
8. Click OK

Adding public liability insurance dates

1. Click Contacts on the main toolbar
2. Select the relevant contact (Supplier) from Recent & Favourite Contacts
   1.  Alternatively, find the contact (Supplier) using the Search Contacts bar in the top right
3. Click Documents on the side menu
4. Click Upload Documents to upload any public liability document(s)
5. Click Add Files and select the document(s) saved on your computer or network
6. Click Start Upload
7. Click Save
8. Click Management on the side menu
9. Click the Dates top tab
10. Click Public Liability Insurance
11. The Manage Date window opens. In the Due Date field, add the date of when the insurance will expire
12. Click Update

For more information on Adding public liability insurance to a supplier, click here

Viewing all of your suppliers

If you ever lose track of what suppliers have been set up, there's a quick and easy way to see all of your suppliers in single list:

1. Click Contacts on the main toolbar
2. Click Groups
3. Within the Default Groups section, click All Contacts
4. In the Category dropdown menu, click Supplier

If you notice that you have duplicate records of the same supplier listed, to ensure best practice, you can either Archive the record (the record can be reactivated in future) or, Delete it (remove it completely).

1. Click the duplicate record to open it, if applicable
2. Click Actions
3. Within the dropdown menu, either click Archive or Delete
4. Click OK

Related articles: 

Setting up default settings in Group Settings