The Account/Job Status form displays information about customers and/or jobs for whom your company maintains self-managed receivable's for. This inquiry can be used to view either consolidated (all jobs) or specific job information (when applicable). Rent to Own (Hire Purchase) contract information can also be viewed here. After selecting an account or account/job, summary information displays in the upper area of the inquiry form.
The default selection is by account ID (code); however, users can use alternate menu selections from the account selection field to choose a customer by name, address, sales id, phone number, user defined key, or corporation. For more information about Account selection, click here.
Selecting an Account
In the Point of Sale Name list, you can either enter the Sort Name (from the Account Maintenance form) or the account ID. Most Point of Sale transactions involve selecting an account and job (when applicable) first. For Sales, you can scan or enter the items into the data grid first, but for other transaction types (Orders, Quotes, Tickets, etc.), you choose an initial account first. If you know the customer participating in the transaction, there is usually no need to choose an alternate menu, just type either the sort name or the account number/ID.
When a customer has their own charge account, we recommend that you enter their name in the Name list. You can change it to a different account, if needed, before processing.
There are some additional search options you can use, based on other information you know at the time of your search. You can review these option here
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Other Search Options
To see additional search options, enter the text you know (address, phone number, etc.) in the Name field and right-click the down arrow beside the field to see additional search options. Note: The application includes the Account ID and the Sort Name in the search by default, so you do not need to select these options from the list.
If you do not enter any text or you enter text that matches more than one account, the application sorts the list by the field (Address, City, etc.) you selected. You can click the column headings to sort the list in a different order. In some cases, only those account's with a value for the selected field(s) will be included.
If the Enhanced Look Up option is not enabled, you can also use a "wildcard" (using a % character/symbol) to represent unknown characters to perform a search. A wildcard can represent any character or set of characters before and/or after the text you enter to find records that may match (see the examples below).
You can use wildcards to look for account matches using the alternate menu selections as well. For example, in the Name list, you could enter %1234 and choose Phone to search for accounts that have 1234 as the last four digits of their phone number.
Searching for an Account Using the Customer's Rewards or Loyalty Card
If your company participates with the Do it Best® Loyalty Rewards program, Best Rewards™ or other loyalty rewards programs, you can scan the customer's rewards card ID or enter the customer's card ID in the Name list and choose the UserKey option to perform the search.
We should point out that as long as a Loyalty ID is assigned to the customer correctly and the customer's account is used for the transaction, there is no need to scan their card to associate a transaction with the program. All sales transactions will be associated with their rewards ID automatically regardless of whether or not a card was scanned or loyalty ID was used for selection.
For ACE Rewards™, choose CTRL-R to scan or enter the customer's rewards ID unless it has been associated with the customer's account. In the latter case, the customer's rewards ID is automatically associated and displayed in a Point of Sale, Sales transaction. Other transactions (Orders, Quotes, Open Tickets, etc.) do not support ACE Rewards promotions and these transactions are intentionally not associated with the customer's ACE Rewards ID. Scanning of the customer's ACE Rewards card is not supported except when the ACE Rewards dialog is shown. For more information, about using ACE Rewards at Point of Sale, click here.
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When the enhanced look up feature is enabled, you have more selection options, but the account's Sort Name field entry is still the primary match field. The application only shows you account number matches if no sort name matches are found. If matches for both the sort name and account number exist, only the entries with the name display.
Using the Enhanced Account Look Up Feature for Account Searches
When enabled, the Enhanced Look Up feature searches using the account number, sort name, address (line 1), and company name automatically. For each row, the cell matching the look up text contains a gray background color. Even when more than one column for the same row (account) has a match, the application only highlights the column with the first look up match. Typically, the more text you enter, the shorter and more useful the list of matching results will be. With enhanced look up, there is a maximum number of matches (up to 70). There is no <<More>> option, which means that if more than 70 matches exist, you may have to either enter additional text to narrow the search or enter new search information instead. Note: You cannot use the % character as a wild card when using the Enhanced Look Up feature.
The Enhanced Look Up feature can be enabled by Support upon request. The team sets up parameters and uses a Support Utility to populate tables with the data you have already entered into the application. If you decide you do not want to use this feature after it is enabled, Support needs to reset these tables and the application returns tothe original methods for search. You can request to re-enable this feature in the future if you choose. Key look up data is removed when account or items are modified if you disable the enhanced look-up feature.
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After you select an account from the list, the account type displays beside the list. There are three types of accounts:
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A Cash account is a customer-specific account that does not allow receivables charges.
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A Charge account is also a customer-specific account that allow receivables charges to accumulate.
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A System account is a general-use account that is not customer-specific. A System account does not have a credit limit or allow charges.
All companies must have a system account named CASH. Except in the case of Tickets* (Advice Notes) and Charge Returns, the default account, "CASH," is the default when no specific account is indicated.
To select the System account, press TAB . In addition, this type of account requires the entry of a delivery name when used with non-sale type transactions (orders, quotes, etc.). more...
Understanding System Accounts vs. Cash Accounts
System accounts are used for cash and carry transactions, where the customer doesn't have their own account. Your company can create more than one System account; however, most companies only have one.
By contrast, Cash accounts require additional information, such as the customer's name (or other information), for certain payment types and in cases of delivery. When you begin a transaction using a system account, you can create a new "cash-only" account directly using the Delivery tab on the Process form (when applicable). Cash-only and System accounts are not the same.
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Selecting a Job
Accounts may be linked to one or more jobs; every account has at least one job, known as the master job (0). You can add additional jobs to any account to track account activity separately from the account. You are only prompted to select a job if the account has multiple jobs (more than the required job "zero"); otherwise, all activity is assumed to be for the master job. In Point of Sale, disabled and closed jobs are not included in selection list. You may be able to add new jobs during the transaction processing (on the Delivery tab of the Process (F12) form).*
*Your security settings may prevent you from adding jobs during processing.
Note: In other Point of Sale areas (such as Order or Sale Entry) you can also add a job in the Delivery tab. This option is not available in Tickets/Advice Notes.
Folder Area
The lower area of the inquiry form offers a folder area containing five (5) tabs: status, charges, credits, history and log.
Status
The status tab has three (3) main areas: balance & payment history, outstanding balances, and current status.
The Balance & Payment History section provides the customers most recent payment information, , 12-Month Highest Balance, and previous month balance.
Outstanding Balances displays an aging breakdown of unpaid charges (a monthly scheduled billing cycle ages balances).
The Current Status tab lists the overall outstanding balance of unpaid charges and debit adjustments, finance charge total, unapplied credits, and a total due. This same area shows the customer's pending sales (balance on orders, tickets, etc.), credit limit, available credit, and statement discount total (eligible).
A "promised payment" function is available from this tab as well. It allows the user to select a date and enter a note regarding contact with a customer regarding paying their bill. This function can be used in conjunction with the Past Due report (available under the Receivables, Reports drop down) to create a list of customers who have not paid by the date promised. If the promised payment date or note is updated, use the Process (F12) function to update the database. A history of notes is now being maintained and can be viewed from the "Log" tab.
Charges
The Charges tab displays a listing of charges (any type of debit entry) for either the current billing period (the default display), last statement period, or last 120 days. Use the menu marker to modify the time period displayed. Double click on a document number (#) to open that document in the Document Viewer for more detail.
Credits
The Credits tab displays a listing of credits (payments, charge returns, discounts, and credit adjustments) for either the current billing period (the default display), last statement period, or last 120 days. Use the menu marker to modify the time period displayed. Double click on a document number (#), when applicable, to open that document in the Document Viewer for more detail.
History
The History tab lists a combination of charges (debits) and applied credits (payments, memos, discounts, etc.).
This information is gathered from various sources including posting documents and invoices; however, it may be rendered inaccurate if the customer account's posting type (open item vs. balance forward) or billing level (job or account) have been modified in the past. Details can be lost when moving from a type that normally maintains more detail (open item or job billing) to less (balance forward or account billing). Overall totals will match; however, the detailed records that once existed won't be retained. Even if you change an account back again after this, the original details are not returned. In addition, archiving, which removes selected data, can have an impact if you go back far enough and have arching enabled.
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Users can select a starting and ending date to produce a range. Applied payment references appear in red text below the items they were applied toward. The "refresh" button allows you to update the grid with any changes to dates or new activity. Double clicking on the document associated with a payment reference row opens the AR Posting document which lists any other invoices/debits that check was applied to. This same function can be used to quickly view documents for charge sales, debit adjustments, etc.
Log
The Log tab displays credit department notes added to the account and allows users to add, modify, and delete existing notes. Future notes will be available until deleted. Notes can be added to the log in 4 ways: (1) from the Account Maintenance form, (2) from this Inquiry tab, and (3) from the Status tab in this Inquiry, and (4) from the Credit Override area.
Existing notes can be deleted by selecting the desired row in the grid and pressing the Delete key or selecting "Delete" from the alternate menu (usually a right click). Edit a note by double-clicking on the row in the grid you want to make changes to. There are currently no restrictions regarding adding, editing, or deleting notes; however, the Status form is the only area that notes can be modified or deleted, so restricting access to this form can prevent changes. Notes are limited to 1024-characters of text.
The last 60-days of notes are the default date range; however, users can modify this by choosing another preset (120 or 180 days) or "all entries" using the menu marker .
Use the Save (F5) function to save note additions or modifications from the Log tab. Deletions are processed immediately, so be careful when deleting notes.
Print (F8)
The Print (F8) function contains two (2) choices: statement and history.
Statement (Current)
The "statement" option prints a current "statement" (status) for the customer to the selected printer. It's important to point out that this statement isn't retained as a permanent document, it's just a preliminary summary for the customer's current account status and balances. This document can be printed, emailed, or faxed. The format of the "status" statement is not going to reflect the customer's assigned statement parameters, it's a distinct format just for this purpose.
The current statement will now only refer to "discounts" if the customer is eligible for statement discounts (releases 8.1.0 and later). New finance charges, if assessed on a date prior to billing processing (this is optional), are not reflected on a current statement.
History
The "history" print option prints the history selected under the folders (a date range is required).
Cancel (F9)
The Cancel (F9) function clears the form of any selections but leaves it open.
Exit (F10)
The Exit (F10) function closes the form window.
Process (F12)
If the "promised payment" date and note fields are used, the Process (F12) function will become active for saving changes.