Understanding and Managing Parties in Empress

Guides & Tutorials
1

Introduction

When using Empress for your business needs, you’ll find that the term Party is pivotal. In Empress, a Party refers to any entity involved in your transactions. This could be a customer who purchases from you or a supplier from whom you buy goods or services. Understanding Parties and their roles is crucial to successfully managing your business transactions with Empress.

The Different Roles of Parties

Parties in Empress can take on different roles, depending on their involvement in your transactions. Here’s how they break down:

  • Customer: A party who buys from you. You’ll find them under Sales > Customers and they’re associated with Sales Invoices.
  • Supplier: A party from whom you buy. They are found under Purchases > Suppliers and are linked with Purchase Invoices.
  • Both: A party who can be either a customer or a supplier. These parties can be found under Common > Party and are associated with both Sales and Purchase Invoices.

When creating a Party, make sure to categorize them under the right navigation. This is important because you can’t change it once the Party is created.

Filling in Party Details

When you create a Party, you’ll need to fill in several fields to give them a clear identity. Here’s what you’ll need to provide:

  1. Party Image: A visual representation of the Party.
  2. Party Name: A unique name for the Party.
  3. Email: The Party’s email address. This may appear on invoices.
  4. Phone: The Party’s contact number. This can also appear on invoices.
  5. Address: The physical address of the Party. This address can be printed on the invoice.
  6. Default Account: This is the default account that will be credited or debited when the Party is involved in a transaction.
  7. Currency: The currency you’ll be using for the Party’s invoice.
  8. Role: Whether the Party is a Customer, Supplier, or Both.

Keeping Track of Recent Invoices

One of the handy features of Empress is the ‘Recent Invoices’ widget found in the Party Quick Edit Form. This widget displays the three most recent invoices created for a Party, providing a quick overview of your recent transactions with them.

Within this widget, each row provides:

  • Invoice Name
  • Invoice Status
  • Date of the invoice
  • The amount that has been paid
  • The outstanding amount

By simply clicking on a row, you can go directly to the corresponding invoice to make transactions.

Summary

In summary, understanding the concept of ‘Party’ in Empress and the different roles a Party can assume is key to managing your business transactions effectively. By correctly categorizing Parties and filling in their information accurately, you can ensure smooth transactions and easily keep track of your recent invoices. This knowledge will help you leverage Empress to its full potential, making your business operations more efficient and organized.