> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.mathership.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Add Customer
> Create new customer companies or add existing customers to your vendor account
# Add Customer
Vendors can add restaurant customers to their Mathership account.
Adding a customer creates a relationship between your vendor company and the customer company. This relationship allows the customer to order from you through Mathership and allows you to manage customer-specific information such as customer numbers.
## What does adding a customer mean?
When you add a customer, Mathership connects your vendor company with a restaurant or customer company.
This connection is called a customer relationship.
A customer relationship can store:
* Customer company details
* Customer number
* Vendor company
* Customer company
* Relationship status
* Delivery locations
* Order history
After a customer has been added, they can appear in your customer list and can be used for order management.
## When to add a customer
Add a customer when:
* You already work with the customer outside Mathership
* You want the customer to order from you through Mathership
* You want to assign a customer number
* You want to manage the customer in your vendor dashboard
* You want to create a new customer account for a restaurant
* You want to link an existing Mathership customer to your vendor account
## Ways to add customers
There are two common ways to add customers.
| Method | Use when |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Create a new customer | The customer does not yet exist in Mathership |
| Link an existing customer | The customer already has a Mathership customer account |
Both methods create a customer relationship between your vendor company and the customer company.
## Creating a new customer
Use this option when the restaurant customer does not yet exist in Mathership.
When you create a new customer, Mathership can create:
* A customer user
* A customer company
* A relationship between your vendor company and the customer company
* A password setup email for the customer, if needed
## Required information for a new customer
To create a new customer, you usually need:
| Field | Required | Example |
| --------------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Email | Yes | [customer@example.com](mailto:customer@example.com) |
| First name | Yes | Anna |
| Last name | Yes | Müller |
| Business name | Recommended | Restaurant Example |
| Phone number | Optional | +49 30 123456 |
| Street | Optional | Main Street |
| Street number | Optional | 12 |
| Postal code | Optional | 10115 |
| City | Optional | Berlin |
| Customer number | Optional | 4711 |
Email, first name, and last name are required when creating a new customer user.
## Customer number
The customer number is your internal number for this customer.
Use it when you already identify customers by a customer ID in your own ERP, accounting, or order system.
Examples:
| Customer | Customer number |
| ------------------ | --------------- |
| Restaurant Example | 4711 |
| Hotel Central | 10025 |
| Café Market | C-204 |
Customer numbers are managed by the vendor. They help you match Mathership customers with your own internal customer records.
## Duplicate customer numbers
Mathership checks whether the customer number is already used for your vendor company.
If the customer number already exists, the customer cannot be added with the same number again.
This helps prevent duplicate customer records.
## Linking an existing customer
Use this option when the customer already has a Mathership account.
Instead of creating a new customer user, Mathership links the existing customer company to your vendor company.
This creates a customer relationship without duplicating the customer account.
## When to link an existing customer
Link an existing customer when:
* The customer already uses Mathership
* The customer registered before you added them
* The customer was invited earlier
* You found the customer by email
* You want to avoid creating a duplicate account
## Searching for existing customers
Before creating a new customer, you may search for existing customer companies.
You can usually search by:
* Customer email
* Customer company name
If an exact email match is found, Mathership can show matching customer companies.
If no exact email match is found, Mathership may suggest possible matches based on similar email or company name.
## Adding an existing customer
To add an existing customer:
1. Go to **Customers**
2. Click **Add Customer**
3. Search for the customer by email or company name
4. Select the matching customer company
5. Enter a customer number if needed
6. Save the customer
After saving, the customer is connected to your vendor company.
## Creating a new customer step by step
To create a new customer:
1. Go to **Customers**
2. Click **Add Customer**
3. Enter the customer email
4. Enter first name and last name
5. Enter the company name
6. Add address and phone details if available
7. Enter a customer number if needed
8. Save the customer
After saving, Mathership creates the customer company and connects it to your vendor company.
## What happens after creating a new customer?
After a new customer is created:
* The customer user is created
* The customer company is created
* The customer relationship is created
* The customer appears in your customer list
* A setup or notification email may be sent to the customer
If the customer has not used Mathership before, they may receive an email to set up their password.
## What happens after linking an existing customer?
After an existing customer is linked:
* No duplicate customer user is created
* The existing customer company is connected to your vendor company
* The customer can appear in your customer list
* The customer may receive an email that your vendor company was added to their account
## Customer relationship
The customer relationship is the connection between your vendor company and the customer company.
It is used for:
* Customer list views
* Customer details
* Customer numbers
* Order access
* Product access
* Delivery locations
* Reporting
* Order history
## Viewing added customers
To view added customers:
1. Go to **Customers**
2. Open your customer list
3. Search or browse your active customers
The customer list can show:
* Business name
* Email
* Phone number
* City
* Customer number
* Created date
Only active customer relationships are normally shown.
## Customer details
After adding a customer, you can open the customer detail page.
The customer detail page can show:
* Customer company information
* Customer email
* Phone number
* Address
* Customer number
* Delivery locations
This helps you check whether the customer record is complete.
## Updating customer numbers
You can update the customer number later.
Use this when:
* The customer number was missing during setup
* The customer number changed in your ERP
* A wrong number was entered
* You linked an existing customer and need to add your internal number
Updating the customer number changes the vendor/customer relationship. It does not change the customer's own company profile.
## Delivery locations
Customer delivery locations are linked to the customer company.
Delivery locations can be used when customers place orders.
Examples:
| Customer | Delivery location |
| ------------------ | ----------------- |
| Hotel Central | Main kitchen |
| Restaurant Example | Back entrance |
| Café Market | Bar storage |
Delivery locations are managed as part of the customer account and can be shown in customer details.
## Existing customer already added
If the selected customer is already connected to your vendor company, Mathership does not create the same relationship again.
You may see an error or message that the customer is already added to your account.
This prevents duplicate customer relationships.
## Email belongs to a vendor
A customer cannot be created with an email address that already belongs to a vendor account.
This avoids mixing vendor and customer roles.
If this happens, use a different customer email address or ask the customer to register with a customer account.
## Typical workflow
A common customer setup workflow looks like this:
1. Open the customer management area
2. Click **Add Customer**
3. Search by email to check whether the customer already exists
4. Link the existing customer or create a new customer
5. Add a customer number
6. Review the customer details
7. Check or add delivery locations
8. Start receiving orders from the customer
## Example: Create a new restaurant customer
You want to add a restaurant that does not yet use Mathership.
| Field | Example |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Email | [restaurant@example.com](mailto:restaurant@example.com) |
| First name | Anna |
| Last name | Müller |
| Business name | Restaurant Example |
| City | Berlin |
| Customer number | 4711 |
After saving, Mathership creates the customer and connects it to your vendor company.
## Example: Link an existing customer
A restaurant already has a Mathership account.
| Field | Example |
| ----------------- | ------------------------- |
| Existing customer | Restaurant Example |
| Customer ID | Existing customer company |
| Customer number | 4711 |
| Action | Link customer |
After linking, the existing customer company appears in your customer list.
## Example: Add customer number later
You added a customer but did not enter a customer number.
| Field | Example |
| ------------------- | ------------------ |
| Customer | Restaurant Example |
| Old customer number | Empty |
| New customer number | 4711 |
After saving, the customer number is stored on the vendor/customer relationship.
## Best practices
### Search before creating
Always search for the customer before creating a new account.
This helps avoid duplicate customer records.
### Use real customer emails
Use the email address the customer should use for Mathership access.
Avoid placeholder emails unless you are only testing.
### Keep customer numbers consistent
Use the same customer number that you use in your ERP, accounting, or delivery system.
This makes order exports and internal matching easier.
### Add complete company details
Add the company name, address, phone number, and city when available.
Complete customer data helps your team identify customers more easily.
### Check delivery locations
After adding a customer, review the delivery locations.
Correct delivery locations help avoid delivery mistakes.
## Common problems
### Customer cannot be created
Check that:
* Email is entered
* First name is entered
* Last name is entered
* The email does not already belong to a vendor account
* The customer number is not already used for another customer
### Customer already exists
This usually means a matching customer user or company already exists.
Use the link existing customer option instead of creating a duplicate.
### Customer number already exists
The customer number is already used for another customer relationship.
Use a different number or check whether the customer was already added before.
### Customer does not appear in the list
Check that:
* The customer was saved successfully
* The relationship is active
* You are viewing the correct vendor company
* The customer list was refreshed
* The customer was not filtered out by search
### Customer did not receive setup email
Check that:
* The email address is correct
* The customer was newly created
* The email was not filtered as spam
* The customer has not already logged in before
### Wrong customer was linked
Check that:
* The selected company is correct
* The email address matches the intended customer
* The company name and city match the customer
If the wrong customer was linked, review the customer relationship before using it for orders.
## Related pages
Link an existing Mathership customer company to your vendor account.
View customer company details, contact data, and delivery locations.
Manage your internal customer numbers for connected customers.
Understand customer delivery locations used for orders.
Invite customers to connect with your vendor company.
Block customers from ordering or following your vendor account.