Log in to Duka Maps, open your duka, and from the Admin Menu, open Duka Customers.
This guide explains how to register customers, find their records, update their details and delete unused records where allowed.
Your customer list belongs to the selected duka. If you manage several dukas, confirm that you have opened the correct one before adding or changing a customer.
You need Manage Customers permission and an active duka subscription to use this page. If access is unavailable, ask the duka owner or administrator to check your permissions and subscription.
Check Before Adding a Customer
Search for the customer first, using their name or phone number.
Use the existing record when it belongs to the same person, rather than creating another record.
Add a Customer
Click Add Customer. A form opens over the page.
You can save with the required basic details or continue into Additional Details. Optional information can also be added later through Edit.
Date of Registration
The date defaults to today. Leave it unchanged for a customer being registered today, or choose an earlier date when recording a customer who registered previously.
The registration date cannot be in the future. Duka Maps also records when the record was actually created, separately from the registration date you enter.
First Name, Other Names and Nick Name
First Name is required. Enter the name you want used when greeting the customer in messages. For example, a customer named Jane receives a greeting beginning Hi Jane!
Use Other Names for the remaining names. Use Nick Name for a familiar name that helps staff recognise the customer, such as Mama Brian. Both are optional.
A saved nickname appears in brackets beside the customer’s name on their card. Check names carefully where several customers have similar names.
Gender and Date of Birth
These fields are optional. Choose a gender from the list if provided, or leave it blank. Prefer not to say is also available.
If entering a date of birth, use a valid date. It cannot be in the future or later than the registration date.
Primary Phone Number and Network Provider
Enter the customer’s main Kenyan mobile number, for example 0712345678 or 0112345678.
Select its Network Provider: Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, Other or Unknown. Choose Unknown if you are unsure. Duka Maps does not choose the network automatically.
The network provider is important when sending SMS using a Sender ID that is not registered on all networks.
Numbers are saved and displayed in the local 07/01 format, including supported international-format numbers entered into the form.
The primary number is used for customer SMS, including debt reminders and entry notifications. Alternative numbers are not included when these messages are sent. Confirm that the primary number belongs to the intended recipient before saving.
Save the Basic Details
The required fields are:
- First Name.
- Primary Phone Number.
- Its Network Provider.
- Date of Registration.
Click Save Customer below the basic fields to save, or continue filling in the optional details below.
There are two Save Customer buttons. Both save the whole form, including any additional details and checkbox choices already entered. The upper button does not save only the basic section.
Before using either button, review the registration consent and marketing choices further down the form.
Additional Details
Record only information needed to serve the customer.
| Field | What to enter |
| Alternative Phone Number 1 and 2 | Up to two additional contact numbers. Select a network for each number supplied. |
| Email Address | A valid email address, if provided. |
| ID Number | The customer’s identification reference, where needed. |
| Account Number | Your duka’s reference for identifying this customer’s account. It must not already belong to another customer in the same duka. |
| Current Residence | Where the customer currently lives. |
| Permanent Residence | Their permanent home location, if relevant. |
| Customer Category | An existing category for this duka, or None. |
| Occupation | The customer’s occupation, if useful. |
| Delivery Address | Directions or an address used for deliveries. |
| Comments | Useful notes that help staff serve the customer. |
A customer can have one selected category. If the category you need is missing, have it created on Customer Categories, then reopen the customer form to select it. Choosing None leaves the customer uncategorised.
If you enter an alternative phone number, select its network too. If removing an alternative number, clear its network selection as well.
The same number cannot be entered twice within one customer’s record, even in different formats.
Writing a debt amount, payment or promise in Comments does not update the customer’s financial account or schedule a reminder. Use Customer Debts & Credits and Customer Balances for those functions.
Registration Consent and Marketing Subscriptions
These are separate choices.
Registration Consent
The checkbox reads:
Customer has agreed to registration and storage of these details for service at this duka.
Check it when the customer has agreed. For a new customer, this box starts unchecked. It records the customer’s agreement and does not subscribe them to marketing.
Marketing Subscriptions
The form has separate checkboxes for:
- Subscribe to marketing SMS on the primary phone number.
- Subscribe to marketing emails.
Both are selected by default for a new customer. Review them with the customer and uncheck either option they do not want. When editing, the form shows the customer’s saved choices.
Unchecking the marketing SMS option excludes the customer from marketing SMS. It does not turn off service notifications such as debt reminders.
Marketing SMS also requires the duka’s own approved sender ID and configured HostPinnacle account. Subscribing a customer does not enable that service by itself.
The email checkbox records a preference. Selecting it does not send an email. Saving the customer form does not itself send an SMS or email.
Save and Review the Customer
Click Save Customer and wait for confirmation. When saving succeeds, the form closes and the customer list updates without a full page reload.
If fields are highlighted, read the messages, correct the details and save again.
If a connection problem leaves you unsure whether the customer was saved, search the list before trying to add them again.
Use Cancel or the close button to leave the form without saving your changes.
Find a Customer
Use the search box above the customer cards. Results update as you type. You can also press Enter or click the search button.
Search using a name, nickname, primary or alternative phone number, email, ID number or account number. Relevant saved details such as residence, occupation, delivery address, comments and category name are also searchable.
For a partial number search, enter at least four digits. Shorter complete ID or account-number matches can still work. A complete phone number is useful when several names are similar.
Choose a category to narrow the results. The category filter and search text work together: a matching customer outside the selected category will not appear.
The X button clears the search text but keeps the selected category. To browse all customers again, clear the text and choose All categories.
The customer count reflects the current search and category filter. Use the page links below the cards to see more results.
When no search text is entered, customers are listed alphabetically by name.
Understand the Customer Cards
Each card shows the customer’s name, nickname where provided, and primary phone number with its network.
Click View Details to expand the saved information. Click Hide Details to collapse it.
Blank details are omitted, so a missing field usually means it was not provided.
The details include the saved registration consent and subscription choices, plus dates such as Record Created, Last Update and, where recorded, Registration Consent Recorded. Times are shown in Kenyan time.
These cards show customer details. Use Customer Balances to review debt and credit balances, and Customer Debts & Credits to view or record account entries.
Edit a Customer
Click Edit on the correct customer’s card. Update the details, review the primary number and subscription choices, then click Save Customer.
Staff with access to manage customers can edit a record even if another member of staff created it. Customer profile edits do not have the 30-minute limit used for some financial entries.
If Duka Maps says the details changed since you opened the form, reopen Edit, review the latest information and enter your changes again. This prevents one person’s older form from overwriting another person’s changes.
Changing the primary number affects future customer SMS. Changing profile details does not alter debt or credit entries already recorded.
Delete a Customer
Click Delete, check the name in Confirm Deletion, then confirm only if it is the record you intend to remove. Choose Cancel to keep it.
Deletion is allowed only when:
- You are the person who originally entered the customer.
- The customer has no linked records.
Linked records, such as customer account entries or SMS history, can prevent deletion. A settled balance does not mean the customer has no history.
Even an unused record cannot be deleted by a different member of staff.
If deletion is refused because the customer has linked records, keep the customer record and use Edit to correct their details.
Common Questions
Can two customers share a phone number?
Yes, when their first names differ.
Duka Maps rejects a number already saved for another customer with the same first name in the same duka, including numbers in alternative-phone fields. Changing capital letters or adding spaces does not avoid this check.
Search for the existing customer before adding another record. Do not change someone’s name merely to bypass a duplicate warning.
Can I register a customer without an email, ID number or category?
Yes. These are optional. The required details are first name, primary phone number, its network and registration date.
Does an account number record a payment or balance?
No. It identifies the customer within your duka. Use Customer Debts & Credits to record financial entries.
Will messages go to all three phone numbers?
No. Customer SMS currently goes to the primary phone number only. Alternative numbers are stored for reference and can be used to find the customer.
Why can I not find a customer?
Confirm the duka, clear the search and choose All categories.
Try their complete phone number or another saved detail. Use at least four digits for partial number searches and check the page links for additional results.
What should I do if the form will not save?
Check the highlighted fields. Common causes are:
- A missing required field.
- An invalid phone number or email.
- A phone number without its network.
- A duplicate number within the customer’s record.
- A number already saved for another customer with the same first name.
- An account number already in use.
- An invalid date.
If the form has expired, reload the page and reopen it.
Does opting out of marketing stop debt reminders?
No. Marketing preferences and service notifications are handled separately.
Reminder settings are managed through Customer Balances, while entry notifications have their own Send SMS choice on the account forms.