In the corporate and private customer windows, under the Business Information group, there is a Service Restriction field. By selecting this, you can place a customer under a delivery ban. This can be used to prevent the opening of new matters or the recording of transactions in existing matters, for example, due to the customer’s unpaid invoices. You can also use the Status Reason function to specify the reason for setting the service restriction.

The effect of the service restriction is determined by the general settings configured by the power user. However, service restriction alert parameters can be found at the system, business unit, customer, and matter levels. At the business unit level, you can define a general way to respond to a service restriction, but exceptions can be made in the customer or matter parameters.

Effects of the Delivery Ban

When a customer has a service restriction, opening a matter affects both new and existing matters if the customer with a service restriction is being added as a principal or a payer:

• Denied prevents a customer with a service restriction from being added to a matter as a principal, payer, or client.
• Allowed permits saving a customer with a service restriction to a matter and does not display any notification about the service restriction.
• Warning displays a warning about the customer’s service restriction but still allows the matter to be saved.

When recording a transaction, the service restriction affects the ability to record transactions in matters for customers with a service restriction and offers the same options:

• Denied prevents adding new transactions to a matter if the customer has a service restriction.
• Allowed permits saving a new transaction to a matter for a customer with a service restriction and does not display any notification.
• Warning notifies about the service restriction but still allows the new transaction to be saved.

By default, both parameters are unselected, but the software uses the Warning option.

Scope of the Service Restriction Check

When recording a transaction, the software by default checks the service restriction only from the matter and the principal. This may not be sufficient, as the payer may also have a service restriction. The Transaction alert check parameter level parameter can be used to specify the effect of the service restriction:

• Matter Payers: The service restriction is checked from the matter, its payers, and any of their overdue invoices in any matter.
• Principal: Checks the service restriction from the matter, the principal, and any of their overdue invoices.
• Matter: Checks the service restriction only from the specific matter and its overdue invoices; payers’ service restrictions are not considered.

The parameter "Alert for invoices overdue for x days" can be used to define how long invoices can be overdue before they affect the creation of matters and the entry of transactions for the customer.