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Customers FAQ

Updated

This article answers frequently asked questions about customer accounts, passwords, guest checkout, phone numbers, checkout surveys, and database limits.

Q: How can customers retrieve a forgotten password?

Customer Self-Service Password Reset

1From the storefront, click Login.

2Go to Returning Customer Login and click Forgot Password.

3Enter and confirm the email address, complete the CAPTCHA, and click Continue.

4The system sends a password reset link to the customer's registered email address.

Admin Password Reset for Customers

If the customer has forgotten their email address or their email has changed:

1Go to Customers > Search Customers.

2Find the customer and click Edit.

3Note the customer's email address and enter a new password in the Password field.

4Click Save Changes.

5Contact the customer via phone or email with their email address and temporary password.

Important: Passwords must be at least 8 characters with both letters and numbers. Instruct customers to change temporary passwords immediately by going to My Account > Change Your Email Address or Password.
Q: Do customers need to log in before placing an order?

Customers must create an account before checking out (placing an order). This ensures you can contact customers about order issues and allows customers to check order status online.

Guest Checkout

Pulse Commerce supports Guest Checkout, allowing customers to check out without creating a password or login ID. Guest Checkout is recommended for most businesses, as requiring account registration may cause cart abandonment.

Four Display Options

Pulse Commerce supports four different display options:

Option 1 (Default): Customers may browse products, view all product data, and add products to cart without logging in.

Option 2: Customers may browse products and view most data, but cannot see pricing or add to cart without logging in.

  • Configure at: Settings > General Settings > Display Settings > Display Product Price When Customer Logged in Only

Option 3: Customers must log in before browsing or viewing products.

  • Requires additional configuration - contact your Pulse Commerce Account Manager

Option 4: Customers must log in before viewing the homepage or site.

  • Requires additional configuration - contact your Pulse Commerce Account Manager
Tip: Use Option 2 to encourage account creation while still allowing product browsing. Customers can see products but must log in to see pricing and purchase.
Q: Are customers required to provide their phone number?

By default, the Phone field is not mandatory to maximize conversion and prevent phone number entry from deterring customers.

Method 1: Encourage Phone Number Entry with Messages

Add a message during checkout encouraging customers to provide their phone number:

1Go to Content > Message Editor.

2Add your message to Shopping Cart Message - Below the Shopping Cart.

3Click Update.

Example message: "Please provide your phone number during checkout so we can contact you about your order if needed."

Method 2: Make Phone Number Required

Enable phone number validation to make it a mandatory field:

1Go to Settings > General Settings > Display Settings.

2Select Yes for Enable Phone Number Validation in Storefront.

3Click Update.

Important: Making phone number mandatory may increase cart abandonment. Test this setting to see if it impacts your conversion rate.
Q: How do I view checkout survey responses?

View Survey for a Single Order

1Go to Sales Orders > Search and find the order.

2Click the order number to open View Sales Order.

3Click the Checkout Survey tab to view all survey results for this order.


 

Export All Checkout Survey Results

1Go to Data Import and Export > Export.

2Select the Checkout Survey Export radio button.

3Click Generate Export File.

The CSV file contains all orders with checkout survey questions and customer answers.

Tip: Use checkout survey data to gather feedback about the customer experience, identify pain points, and improve your checkout process.
Q: How many customer records can be stored in the database?

There is no limit to the number of customer records that can be stored in Pulse Commerce.

Your database can accommodate unlimited customer registrations without impacting system performance. Whether you have hundreds or millions of customers, the system is designed to scale with your business.

Q: Can I search for orders using a customer's zip code?

Yes, you can search for orders by zip code:

1Go to Sales Orders > Search.

2Enter the zip code in the Zip / Postal Code field.

3Click Search.

The system displays all orders with shipping or billing addresses matching that zip code.

Tip: This is useful for identifying orders in a specific geographic area, managing local deliveries, or analyzing regional sales patterns.
Q: We imported customers from another system. How can they place orders without knowing their password?

When customers attempt to log in, the system provides an option to reset their password via email:

1Customer goes to the storefront and clicks Login.

2Customer clicks Forgot Password.

3Customer enters their email address to receive a password reset link.

Proactive Password Reset Communication

After importing customers, consider sending a bulk email informing them:

  • Their account has been migrated to your new system
  • They need to use the "Forgot Password" feature to set a new password
  • Their email address remains the same as their username

This reduces customer confusion and support inquiries about login issues.

Q: What's the difference between wishlists and product favorites?

Both features allow customers to save products for later, but they function differently:

Wishlists

  • Login Required: No (uses browser cookies)
  • After Adding to Cart: Items are removed from the wishlist
  • Multiple Lists: No (single wishlist per customer)
  • Persistence: Cookie-based (may be lost if cookies are cleared)

Product Favorites

  • Login Required: Yes (account-based)
  • After Adding to Cart: Items remain in favorites
  • Multiple Lists: Yes (customers can create multiple favorite lists)
  • Persistence: Permanent (saved to customer account)

Viewing Customer Wishlists

1Go to Marketing > Customer Wish Lists.

2View the report showing customer name, email, creation date, number of items, and total cart value.

3Click the Items link to view a customer's wishlist details.

Note: Contact your Account Manager to enable or disable Wishlists and Product Favorites on your storefront.
Q: What are event reminders and how do they work?

Event Reminders allow customers to set up automatic email notifications for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

How Customers Use Event Reminders

1After logging in, customers go to My Account > Event Reminders.

2Click Edit Your Special Events Reminder.

3Fill in event details:

  • Occasion - Type of event (birthday, anniversary, etc.)
  • Date - Event date
  • Name - Person's name
  • Relationship - How they're related

4Click Save and Add More Reminders or Save Reminders and Finish.

The system automatically sends notification emails based on the event dates provided.

Note: This feature must be enabled by your Account Manager. Contact them if you're interested in offering Event Reminders to your customers.
Q: How do I set up special pricing and discounts for special groups of customers?

With the Customer Group Module, available as a Pulse Commerce add-on module, you can create various groups, each of which can be set up for specific product pricing based on customer login. 

Note: If you are interested in learning more about or purchasing the Advanced Customer Group add-on module, reach out to your Account Manager.

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