Customer Service New Customer Inquiry and Onboarding Process

Purpose: to detail the steps that are taken in Customer Service when new customer inquiries are received and the criteria that are used to vet these requests.

New Customer Inquiries

New customer account requests are received through one of the various inboxes that Customer Service monitors.

• The Customer Service Rep assigned the email will reply to the customer with standard, pre-written verbiage and attach the New Customer Inquiry Form.
  • If there is a division-specific new customer form, then that form is sent in lieu of the standard Advantus form.
  • Customer Service New Customer Account Email Template
  • New Customer Inquiry Form
  • New Customer Inquiry Form Floating Luxuries
• Once the New Customer Inquiry Form is received from the potential customer, the Customer Service Rep who initiated the process will review the form for completion.
  • If the form is not completed in its entirety, the Customer Service Rep will send it back to the potential customer requesting the form be completed.
• A completed New Customer Inquiry form is reviewed using the following criteria and sent to the Customer Service Supervisor and/or the Customer Service Manager, if necessary.
• Customer Set Up Criteria
  • Amazon
    • Does the customer currently have an Amazon FBM/FBA account? Advantus already does business with Amazon, and we do not want to set up a customer that is going to also sell our products on Amazon.
  • Physical Address
    • Google the provided address; is the address a physical place of business? Or is it a residential address? We are looking for commercial buildings; residential addresses are usually E-Commerce/Amazon businesses.
  • Website/Web Presence
    • Does the customer have a professional, functioning website? Does the customer mention being an Amazon supplier on their website?
  • Products
    • What Advantus product line(s) does the customer wish to purchase? What product(s) does the customer already sell?
  • Order Minimums
    • Can the customer order in the division-specified minimums?
    • Minimum Order Guidelines
• Additional criteria that must be considered before continuing with Customer setup approval and Onboarding through Customer Service. Depending on the criteria and approval to move forward, onboarding may move from Customer Service to Continuous Improvement.
  • Order Submission Process
    • Customer accounts approved through Customer Service must submit orders via email.
    • If the customer has requested to submit orders via EDI, the customer application must be sent to the division for approval.
  • Compliance Requirements
    • If the customer has compliance requirements or has provided a Vendor/Routing Guide, Customer Service will submit this to the Advantus Compliance email address, compliance@advantus.com, for review.
    • Customers with compliance requirements are not eligible for order processing through the one-time division specific accounts.
  • Inventory Feed
    • If the customer is requesting inventory feed set up, the following departments need to be contacted depending on the method of order submission.
      • EDI: EDI will facilitate the setting up of the customer’s inventory feed.
      • Non-EDI (Manual Entry):

Approved Customer Onboarding

• Should the potential customer meet all required criteria, the Customer Service Rep that initiated the communication with the customer will let them know they have been approved and request their first PO.
  • The NetSuite Customer Record for the new customer will not be set up until the account is approved and an initial PO is received.
  • The Customer Service Supervisor and/or the Customer Service Manager may approve this customer to order from our division-specific one-time accounts. Payment terms for these accounts are Credit Card only.
• Payment Information
  • If the customer has been approved and is requesting Credit Card payments, the Customer Service Rep will provide the new customer with the fillable Advantus (or Division Specific) Credit Card Authorization form.
    • Credit Card Auth Form 2022- Fillable
    • Credit Card Auth Form- Floating Lux 2022
  • If the customer is requesting Terms, the Customer Service Rep will provide the new customer with the fillable Advantus Credit Application. The completed form will be sent to AR and the division for review.
    • If the customer wishes to place orders for fulfillment during the credit approval process, the payment for those orders will be by Credit Card.
    • Credit Application- Fillable – Blank