Overview
A client is a person or business you sell to. Saving your clients in ninoPOS lets you attach a name to a sale, send invoices, track what each customer owes you, give loyalty points, and see a full history of every order.
This guide shows you how to add a new client step by step, explains every field on the form, and shows how to use the saved client at the point of sale (POS) and on invoices.
At the POS till you can complete a quick sale to a walk-in customer without saving anyone. Save a client when you want to keep their details, bill them later, or track their history. You can also add a client on the spot while making an invoice — see the last section.
Clients, Contacts, Suppliers & CRM Leads — what's the difference?
ninoPOS keeps different kinds of people in different lists. Here is what each one means so you save the right record in the right place.
| List | Where in the menu | Who goes here |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Clients & Contacts → Customers | People and businesses you sell to. This is where a new client normally lands. |
| All Contacts | Clients & Contacts → All Contacts | A combined view of everyone — customers and suppliers together. |
| Suppliers | Clients & Contacts → Suppliers | Businesses you buy from (for purchases and stock). |
| CRM Leads | CRM → Leads | Possible future customers you are still following up — not confirmed buyers yet. |
On the Add Client form you choose Individual or Company. This controls where the record is filed:
- Individual → saved as a Customer (someone you sell to).
- Company → saved as a Supplier (a business you buy from).
So if you want to add a business as a customer you sell to, choose Individual and type the business name in the name fields. Only choose Company when you are adding a supplier.
How to Get There
There are two easy ways to open the Add Client form.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ MAIN SIDEBAR MENU │ │ │ │ 🧾 POS │ │ 📊 Dashboard │ │ 📄 Invoices │ │ ... │ │ 👥 Clients & Contacts ←── Click here │ │ ├── All Contacts │ │ ├── Customers │ │ ├── Suppliers │ │ ├── Loyalty │ │ └── Add Client ←── Then click here │ │ 🎯 CRM │ │ ... │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
- Option 1: In the left sidebar, open Clients & Contacts, then click Add Client. This opens the form at /clients/create.
- Option 2: In the sidebar open Clients & Contacts → Customers to see your customer list, then use the add-client button on that page.
Step-by-Step: Adding a New Client
Go to Clients & Contacts → Add Client. The page title at the top reads "Add New Client".
At the top of the form, pick one of two cards:
- Individual — a personal client. Saved as a Customer. Choose this for almost every client you sell to (including a shop or business you sell to — just type its name).
- Company — a business client. Saved as a Supplier. Choose this only for a supplier you buy from.
The Individual option is selected by default.
If you are adding someone you sell to, choose Individual. Please re-read the yellow box above before choosing Company.
The form is split into clear sections. Only fields marked with a red star * are required — you can leave the rest blank and add them later.
Which fields are required?
| Field | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Client Type | ✅ Yes | Individual (Customer) or Company (Supplier). Defaults to Individual. |
| Company Name | ⚠️ Only for Company type | Required when you pick Company; hidden otherwise. |
| First Name | ✅ Yes | Always required. Can hold a business name for a business customer. |
| Last Name | ❌ No | Optional. |
| ❌ No | If entered, must be a valid email address. | |
| Phone, Address | ❌ No | Optional but recommended. |
| Credit Limit | ❌ No | If entered, must be a number. |
| Currency, Payment Terms | ❌ No | Have sensible defaults (TZS, Net 30). |
At the bottom of the form you have three buttons:
- Save Client — saves the client and takes you to your client list.
- Save & Create Another — saves this client and immediately clears the form so you can add the next one. Great when entering many clients at once.
- Cancel — leaves without saving.
When it saves, you will see a green message: "Client created successfully". If something is missing, the field turns red with a short message telling you what to fix (for example, "First name is required").
A red message such as "Failed to create client" or "Network error" means it did not save. Check your internet connection, fix any red fields, and press Save Client again.
Using the Client in POS
Once a client is saved, you can attach them to a sale at the till so the sale is recorded against their name.
- Add items to the cart as usual.
- Click the "Select Customer..." button (or press the F8 key) to open the customer search.
- Type the client's name or phone to find them, then choose them from the list.
- Their name now shows on the sale. Complete the payment as normal.
For a quick sale with no saved client, just leave it as "Walk-in customer", or type a name and phone in the optional boxes without saving a full record.
Using the Client on an Invoice
- Go to Invoices → Create Invoice.
- In the "Select Client" box (placeholder text: "Choose a client"), pick your saved client from the list.
- The client's name and address flow onto the invoice. (The invoice currency comes from your Store Settings — not the client — and the due date defaults to 30 days from the issue date, which you can change.)
In the same "Select Client" list you'll find an "Add New Client" option. Click it to create the client in a pop-up window and keep working on your invoice — you won't lose your draft.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why it's a problem | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing "Company" for a customer | The record is saved as a Supplier, not a Customer | Choose "Individual" and type the business name |
| Leaving the phone blank | Harder to find the client and send reminders | Add a phone number whenever you can |
| Typing an incomplete email | The form blocks saving until it's valid | Enter a full address like name@example.com, or leave it blank |
| Expecting the client's currency to apply | Invoices and POS still bill in the store's money, not the client's | Billing currency comes from Settings → Currency (Store Settings), not the client record |