This wizard replaces the single complex contact form with a more user-friendly, multi-stage process. Each step asks a question about the contact to be created and displays drop-down lists and text fields in which to specify the associated parameters. Descriptions of each field are displayed in tool tips if the mouse pointer is held over them, and in the status bar at the very bottom of the form while editing.
Note: The same basic wizard is used to create complaints. The difference is that some fields, such as the Contact category, are pre-set by the system.
To create a contact or complaint for a customer:
Load the customer's record.
Tip: If you are unsure how to load a record, see the Searching for Records and My Customers Tab sections.
Ensure that the wizard mode is enabled by checking that there is a tick next to the Wizard mode option on the Tools menu or that the Wizard Mode 
icon is toggled on (it will have a shaded or recessed appearance).
Depending on settings in User access control, the wizard mode may be enabled by default.
Select New from the Contact details menu and select either Contact or Complaint from the sub-menu. Alternatively, click the Create new contact 
or Create new complaint 
button on the toolbar.
The New Contact form is displayed.
There are five steps in this wizard, navigated using the Back and Next buttons near the bottom-right of the form. Any required fields that are left blank will be listed when the Next button is clicked and must be completed before proceeding. The Cancel button can be used to exit but any information entered using the wizard will be lost.
The contact chain can be checked on steps 1 to 4 using the Actual / Predicted button in the top-right corner, and on step 5 using the Predicted/Actual Events tab. The history of related contacts for the customer is displayed in a grid. The contact currently being created is shown, coloured turquoise. Further entries are displayed by the system in response to options selected while proceeding through the wizard. Any existing contacts which are related to the one being created are displayed at the top, while future contacts predicted as a result are displayed at the bottom, coloured grey.
The first two drop-down fields set the type of contact to be created, as defined in the Contact type codes form. After selecting an option for the Specific contact type, press the Tab key to display a list of open contacts, if they exist for this customer. Click entries in this list to add them to the contact chain so that they will be completed when the current contact is saved at the end of this wizard. Click OK.
The choices made in the first two fields influence subsequent fields and steps in this wizard, setting, for example, the Action for this contact type field (which cannot be edited). Some contact types must be associated with a customer's vehicle as well as the customer, in which case a list of associated vehicles will be displayed. Click on a vehicle to select it.
Brief notes must be entered. Extra notes can optionally be added by clicking the No notes button, which changes to Notes exist after use.
The Origin field is a drop-down list containing options representing the source of the contact. These options are defined in the Customer source codes form. If the source code selected is C for Customer the Source of Business code is required (if installed).
Selecting an option for the contact's Strength sets the provisional date on which a follow-up will be due, based on the settings for the selected contact type in the Contact type codes form. Press the Tab key to display the resulting number of days and hours. If the corresponding date falls on a weekend, a message will be displayed offering the chance to select the preceding or following weekday. The date and time can also be edited manually on step 4.
The Source of Business field is a drop-down list containing options representing the Source of business code for the contact. It will only display if the Origin selected is C for customer (if installed).
The Location field is a drop-down list from which the branch for this contact should be selected. Likewise, the cost centre that is to action this contact should be selected from the Department field, and the person responsible selected by clicking the ellipsis ... button of the Executive field.
For many types of contact, but not for complaints, these fields will have been automatically set to match the location, department and executive of the currently logged in user.
The fields on this step are used to set the parameters of the follow-up to the contact being created. They are usually set by the system to match selections made in previous steps.
The Follow-up category and Specific follow-up type fields contain the same options as the first two fields in the first step. They may be locked, depending on the settings for each contact type in the Contact type codes form. Similarly, the Follow-up executive field contains the same options as the Executive field in the previous step.
The Follow-up date and Follow-up Time fields are set automatically according to selections made in step 2 but can be edited. A view of the diary, similar to that available on the My Tasks tab, is displayed for the date selected in the Follow-up date field. It is provided as a reference so that the Follow-up Time field can be set without conflicting with a previous appointment. It cannot be used to set the time or date of the contact.
Notes can optionally be added to the follow-up by clicking the No notes button, which changes to Notes exist after use.
Tip: Once step 4 is complete, all the information required to create a contact and its follow-up has been entered. To skip step 5, select the check box option labelled Do not show me a summary of this contact, just create it.
The form displayed in the final step is almost identical to a normal contact form as used when the Wizard mode is disabled. There is an extra option on the File menu to Return to contact wizard and an equivalent toolbar button: 
All the required information has already been entered and is displayed again as a summary for final checking. The customer's Case file and Extra details, which may provide useful information such as the Best time to call, are available from the Tools menu or by clicking the Case file 
and Extra details 
buttons.
The Additional Information tab contains the only editable fields which were not accessible in previous steps. The Contact date and Contact time can be changed from their default values which were set by the system at the start of the wizard.
To finish, and create the contact, select Save contact from the file menu or click the Save contact 
button.
