> ## 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.
# Invite Customers
> Invite restaurant customers to connect with your vendor account
# Invite Customers
Vendors can invite restaurant customers to Mathership so they can connect with your vendor company and place orders.
Use invitations when you want a customer to create or activate their Mathership account and become connected to your vendor account.
## What is a customer invitation?
A customer invitation is a connection request from a vendor to a restaurant or customer company.
When the customer accepts the invitation, Mathership can create or activate a vendor-customer relationship.
This relationship allows the customer to:
* See your vendor company
* Access your products, depending on availability
* Place orders with your company
* Use customer numbers assigned by you, if available
## When to invite a customer
Invite a customer when:
* The customer is not yet connected to your vendor account
* You want the customer to order through Mathership
* You want to assign a customer number
* The customer needs to set up their Mathership account
* You want the customer to activate the relationship themselves
## Invitation and customer relationship
An invitation is different from a completed customer relationship.
| Type | Meaning |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Invitation | A pending request sent to a customer |
| Customer relationship | An active connection between your vendor company and the customer company |
Once the invitation is accepted, Mathership can create or activate the customer relationship.
## Required customer information
To invite or add a customer, you usually need customer information such as:
| Field | Required | Example |
| --------------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Email | Yes | [customer@example.com](mailto:customer@example.com) |
| First name | Yes | Anna |
| Last name | Yes | Keller |
| Business name | Recommended | Main Restaurant |
| Customer number | Optional | 4711 |
Customer numbers are managed by the vendor. They help you identify customers in your own system.
## Inviting a new customer
To invite a customer:
1. Go to **Vendors**
2. Open your vendor company
3. Go to **Customers**
4. Select **Invite Customer** or **Add Customer**
5. Enter the customer information
6. Add a customer number, if needed
7. Send the invitation
After sending the invitation, the customer receives an email and can continue with the account setup or invitation acceptance flow.
## What happens after sending an invitation?
Depending on whether the customer already exists in Mathership, different things can happen.
| Situation | Result |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Customer already has an account | The customer can be connected to your vendor account |
| Customer does not have an account | The customer can receive an account setup email |
| Customer has a pending invitation | The invitation can be activated when the customer accepts |
| Customer verifies their email later | Pending invitations can be activated during verification |
## Accepting an invitation
The customer must accept the invitation while logged in as a customer account.
When the invitation is accepted:
* Mathership validates the invitation token
* Mathership checks that the user is a customer
* The vendor relationship is created or activated
* The customer can become connected to your vendor account
Invitations can only be accepted by customer accounts. Vendor accounts cannot accept customer invitations.
## Email verification and pending invitations
If a customer verifies their email after receiving an invitation, Mathership can activate pending invitations for that user.
This helps connect invited customers automatically after account activation.
## Customer numbers in invitations
If you assign a customer number during the invitation or customer setup process, Mathership can save it on the vendor-customer relationship.
Example:
| Field | Example |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Vendor | Fresh Food Supplier |
| Customer | Main Restaurant |
| Customer email | [restaurant@example.com](mailto:restaurant@example.com) |
| Customer number | 4711 |
The customer number helps your team recognize the restaurant in your own systems.
## Existing customers
If the customer already exists in Mathership, you can connect the existing customer company instead of creating a duplicate.
Mathership checks whether the customer already exists and whether a relationship already exists.
If the customer is already connected, Mathership should not create a duplicate relationship.
## New customers
If the customer does not exist yet, Mathership can create a customer user and customer company.
The customer may receive an email to set up their password and access Mathership.
Required information for creating a new customer can include:
* Email
* First name
* Last name
* Business name
* Optional company details
* Optional customer number
## Duplicate customer numbers
Customer numbers should be unique for your vendor account.
If a customer number is already used for another customer relationship, Mathership can reject the new entry.
Avoid assigning the same customer number to multiple customers unless your internal process explicitly allows it.
## Vendor emails to customers
When a customer is added or invited, Mathership can send an email to the customer.
The email may be used to:
* Inform the customer that your vendor was added
* Help the customer set up a password
* Continue the onboarding process
* Connect the customer to your vendor company
## Typical workflow
A typical invitation workflow looks like this:
1. Open your vendor account
2. Go to customer management
3. Enter the customer email and company details
4. Add a customer number, if needed
5. Send the invitation or create the customer
6. Customer receives an email
7. Customer accepts the invitation or verifies the account
8. Mathership creates or activates the vendor-customer relationship
## Example: Invite a new restaurant
You want to invite a restaurant that is not yet using Mathership.
| Field | Example |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Email | [restaurant@example.com](mailto:restaurant@example.com) |
| First name | Anna |
| Last name | Keller |
| Business name | Main Restaurant |
| Customer number | 4711 |
After the invitation, the customer can set up their account and become connected to your vendor company.
## Example: Invite an existing customer
The customer already has a Mathership account.
| Field | Example |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Customer email | [customer@example.com](mailto:customer@example.com) |
| Customer company | Main Restaurant |
| Action | Connect existing customer |
| Result | Customer relationship is created |
The customer can then use your vendor company for orders.
## Example: Customer accepts invitation
A customer receives an invitation email and logs in.
| Step | Action |
| ---- | -------------------------------- |
| 1 | Customer opens the invitation |
| 2 | Customer logs in as a customer |
| 3 | Customer accepts the invitation |
| 4 | Vendor relationship is activated |
## Best practices
### Use the correct email address
Use the email address the customer will use for their Mathership account.
This helps Mathership match pending invitations correctly.
### Add customer numbers early
If you use customer numbers in your own ERP or accounting system, add them during the invitation or customer setup process.
### Avoid duplicate customers
Before creating a new customer, check whether the customer already exists.
This keeps your customer list clean.
### Keep customer data clear
Use recognizable customer names and business names.
Examples:
| Less clear | Better |
| ------------ | ---------------------- |
| Restaurant 1 | Main Restaurant Berlin |
| Kunde Meier | Meier Steakhouse |
| Test | City Café Hamburg |
### Ask customers to verify their email
If a customer cannot access the invitation, ask them to complete email verification first.
Pending invitations can be activated after verification.
## Common problems
### Customer cannot accept invitation
Check that:
* The invitation token is valid
* The customer is logged in
* The user account has the customer role
* The invitation has not expired or already been used
### Customer was added but cannot order
Check that:
* The vendor-customer relationship exists
* The relationship is active
* The customer is using the correct company
* Your products are active and available
* The customer has delivery locations
### Customer number already exists
This means the customer number is already used in your vendor account.
Use a different customer number or check whether the customer already exists.
### Email belongs to a vendor
A vendor email cannot be used to create a customer account.
Use a customer email address instead.
### Customer did not receive the email
Ask the customer to check:
* Spam folder
* Correct email address
* Mail filters
* Whether another person in the company received the invitation
## Related pages
Add a customer company manually.
Connect a customer that already exists in Mathership.
Review and manage pending customer invitations.
View customer information and delivery locations.
Manage customer numbers for vendor-customer relationships.
Understand customer delivery locations.