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Customer Support Management - Data Pro Accounting Software, Inc.

1. Require Login This data item defines to the system to require a salesman login prior to entering any information into the Customer Support Management sys tem Contract Renewal Days This data field is used to define the number of days that the system should take into account when calculating for a contract renewal during the option Calculate Contract Renewals The system will compare the current system date with the expiration date of the contract and if the contract is within this number f days from expiring the renewal flag of the contract will be set to Y es Contract Renewal Min This data field is used to define the number of minutes that the system should take into account when calculating for a contract renewal during the option Calculate Contract Renewals The system will set the re newal flag of the contract if the number of minutes remaining on the con tract is less than or equal to this number Warranty Sales Code This data item defines the Accounts Receivable Sales Code that will be used when support tickets are billed through the system and they are still under Warranty based on the Begin End Warranty dates of the Serial Number When the support ticket is billed and then credited it will util ize this sales code Warranty Salesman This data item defines the salesman responsible for the warranty When the support ticket is billed and then credited it will utilize this salesman Ticket Form This da
2. c cccccccccesssecesssececeseececsecceceesececssaececseaseceesueeecsesaececseaeeesesaeeessesaeeeeseaaeenens 2 6 Copy an Existing Serial Number SD0414 cee ceeecsseeeceseceeesecneeeecssesessecsaeceessecseesecnesseesaeceesaeseeeeeeaesaeeeeens 2 7 IMPORT SERIAL NUMBERS SD0601 scssssssssssscsscesssscsssseneesesssscnccsecescssesssessccsssesersesesseners 2 7 Fil Import Modules ni an ae ne a E cedish die a oa a eae eaten 2 8 Fixed Length ASCILBUGS rnei apd ia 2 8 Variable Length ASCH Files iio iaa dics pete 2 9 Comma Delimited PRN Files prrs iein es En i aE EE O NE edie Mine eevee 2 9 File Import Modules Overview cscesseeceescesscesecesceesceseessecsecsaecsaecsaecsaecseseaeseeeeseseeeeseeeseensseeesseenaes 2 10 SET UP SUPPORT CONTRACTS scsssscsscssssescsscnsecscesccssesseescsssseneesesssseneessssscssscsscsssssnessesees 2 11 Add a New Support Contract SD0416 oo eee cesecsecseecseeeeeeeeeeseeeseessecesecesecsaecsaecsaecaecsaecsaecaeeeaeseneseeeeanees 2 11 Change a Support Contract SD0417 ooo eee cseeeseeeeeeseeeeeeesecesecsecsaecsecesecsaecnaecaaecaaecaeseaeseeeeseeeaeeeeeenees 2 13 Delete a Support Contract SD0418 oo eee ee cesecssecseecseecseeeseeeseeeeeeseessecnsecsecaecnaecsaecaaecaeseaeseeeeaeseaeeeeeeanees 2 13 Copy an Existing Support Contract SD0419 ooococnconoccconononononcnnncononononanonnncnnoco nono nono nooo nono nonnnrnn cnn cnn nan crnnnnnnns 2 13 IMPORT SUPPORT CONTRACTS SD0602
3. sssccsssscssscsccsscssccscsscsssssscsssesseneesessseessessesseeee 2 14 SETUP TICKEER BILE ccccsssccccncseceessenssaccssseseosacsascosecsessceaseasecnosccsensessosdesaseeseoasostsonesusecceansenccenneesece 2 15 Maldito Ai votes teen se 2 15 Report T ATE TR TE 2 17 SET UP MASTER INFORMATION scsscsscssscssssscssccscssccssssscssccsecssseneesesesseneesessssssecssessessssenerses 2 18 Change Master Configuration SDO40 1 ariran e a a E r e a a Na 2 18 Master Conf a uration tina 2 18 Billing Confis rati N it iii 2 21 Follow Up Configurations it 2 21 Hardware Configurations iii eii 2 21 Status Confisuration UN 2 21 Contract Coni uration suisses orire il anesthe ve ie eee 2 21 MAINTAIN DATA FILES SD0403 ssccsssssscsscescssccsscessessssssenessscsscsssssneesesssseneesesssseseesessseees 2 22 SET UP CUSTOMERS sscsscssssssssscssccsesssssscensesesessensssscsscssscsscesesssseneesesesseneesessssssesscssesssseseeees 2 23 START NEW YEAR S FILES SD0503 sscsscsscsscssesscsssescsscssssencesessssesecsesssesssesscsscsssseneesesees 2 23 MAKE COMPLETE DATA BACKUPS scsscsssssssssssssssessesesessenessecsscsssesscsssseneesesesseseeseesscsseees 2 25 CHAPTER 3 ENTER TRANSACTIONS vs icon tia a 0 ad 3 1 ENTER SUPPORT TICKETS nenesie isesi eooo esse o A ssn sasso e aeaea ssa sooo Sooo Esa tS 3 1 Maintain Support Tickets SDOTOI J mizni orate eor iiaee Se a eant aa aE aiaa oe E E E Ea E aSa 3 1 Cha ge a Support
4. Billable Calls This is the total amount of billable call units that have been applied to this serial number through the billing of support tickets Billable Amount This is the total billing amount that has been billed through the billing of sup port tickets for this serial number Once you have entered the last field of data lt click gt the Save button to validate this entry and this new serial num ber will be added Results coSD1 dbf Serial Number File New Serial Number is added to file Change a Serial Number SD0412 This option allows you to change all information for any serial number After initial set up all historical information should be input through Enter Transactions in order to maintain an audit trail If you have made any mistakes during this set up process you may return to the Maintain Serial Numbers option to change any information you have already entered First select the serial number you wish to change Then lt click gt the Change button and select the data item you want to change Results coSD1 dbf Serial Number File Serial Number Information is updated Delete a Serial Number SD0413 This option allows you to delete serial numbers NOTE You should not delete a serial number that has current billings If you delete a serial number that has unbilled support tickets it may distort some of your reports Page 2 6 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 C
5. You may also use these keys separately In other words you may want a report to include serial numbers ranging from the first serial number to serial number 755512 You would press HOME for the beginning of the range and 755512 for the ending of the range Sort By Field All reports will give you the option to Sort By a specific field This allows you to alter the order in which records will print on reports You will be given three choices in the sort by field for support tickets 1 Ticket 2 Customer 3 Serial Number Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 1 Customer Support Management User Manual You will be given four choices in the sort by field for serial numbers 1 Serial 2 Customer 3 Product Version 4 Customer Name You will be given three choices in the sort by field for contract renewals 1 Contract 2 Customer 3 Customer Name All reports will continue to Sort By the option selected until you either change it or exit that particular option Stop the Printer Pressing any key during the printing of a report will temporarily stop the printing of the report To restart the printer press the ENTER key To cancel the report entirely press the ESC key Period to Report On If a report is a summary type report the information contained in the report will be inclusive of all data input during the date range specified at the time of selection of the report This gives you the
6. Systems from the Menu Bar and select System Administra tor The following screen illustrates where to locate this option Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 23 Customer Support Management User Manual Infinity POWER for Windows Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc ins File Systems Help Pea General Ledger Accounts Payable NA Fi Purchase Order Entry jj AAS ri Y Accounts Receivable Inventory Management Sales Order Entry I AEE Point of Sale rip Dita J Payroll Job Cost Main Module Time Sheet Entry i T Check Reconciliation Dye f f tf P fot Report Writer Report Writer Run Time Customer Support Management Security Administrator f f Vite POWERServer Module women Run Crystal Reports Productivity Tools ere Der Form Generator L AAAA bid Y POWER Upgrade Utility Start Up From Scratch Start New Year s Files Wata Pen Byrirtei Before selecting this option you should make several backups of the old year for archival purposes before starting the new year You must also be in the last fiscal period month of the year before you can execute this option MM Start New Year s Files Tools Registered Systems 151x This option creates new year s data files for each registered system in the company Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc ins Be sure you have backups of your current year s data files before you begin TP Accounts Payable I Accounts Receivable J Customer Support Ma
7. If a field is not specified in an import file that field may be deleted from the record layout file NOTE Key Value fields must be present in the import file and cannot be deleted from the record layout file Key Value fields are those fields that are desig nated with an asterisk in the documented import record layouts You may also have customized MAP files created for you by calling the Data Pro Support Services group at 727 803 1550 SET UP SUPPORT CONTRACTS This section discusses the ways to set up change delete and copy support contracts This includes the option to import support contract information from other systems The source is irrelevant as long as the information is in an ASCII file Add a New Support Contract SD0416 This option allows you to set up new support contracts This process will repeat itself for each new support contract Select the Set Up Support Contracts option from the Set Up and Maintenance main menu option lt Click gt the New Record button and then either enter the contract number or let the automatic numbering assign the next num ber There are nineteen 19 data times to complete The following is an explanation of each of these data items Customer This is the customer number who has been assigned to this support contract You may lt click gt the down arrow to access the customer Type This data item defines the type of support contract
8. This option allows you to print a report containing a summary of the support tickets that have been entered into the system but have not yet been billed This report will show a summary of all support tickets for each customer that have not yet been billed After each customer s support tickets are printed there is a summary recap of the charges This report is a tool to comprise a list of the current support ticket billings before actually updating and printing the billing statements Upon selecting this option you will be asked to specify the range of customers to include in this report Enter the customer number or press the F5 key for special searches or the F6 key for near matches After you have selected your range of customers you may specify any sorting preference or region masks when printing this report You will next be asked to specify which salesman should be used when printing this report and a cutoff date Once you press ENTER to begin the system will begin printing the report Field Names Customer Customer Name Ticket Serial Date Sup Rep Contact Config Bill Type Minutes Amount Customer Totals Grand Totals Update Support Billing SD0104 This option allows you to calculate and update what billings should be generated based on current resolved support tickets All tickets that were printed on the Support Billing Report will be included in this update Upon selecting thi
9. By lt clicking gt the down arrow at this field a pop up list will appear with up to fifteen 15 avail able contract types These contract types are set up in the Master Configura tion of the Customer Support Management system Maintenance This check box defines whether or not this support contract is a maintenance contract Support tickets can not be billed to a maintenance type contract Initial Date This data item defines the original start date of this support contract This contract may be renewed therefore this field is used to track the origination date of this particular support contract Start Date This data item defines the starting date for the current support contract in issue The Start Date defines the first day the active contract takes into effect Ending Date This data item defines the ending date for the current support contract in is Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 11 Customer Support Management User Manual sue The End Date defines the last day the active contract is valid Minutes Remaining This data field contains an updated amount of time remaining on the support contract This field is updated each time Support Ticket Billing is performed Total Minutes This data item tracks the accumulation of total minutes purchased on this support contract Since this contract may be renewed each time a Contract Renewal is performed it updates this field and adds th
10. Credit AR Code STRING 74 10 Salesman STRING 84 5 Con Price DOUBLE 89 12 Con Min INT 101 4 Num Sched Pmt INT 105 2 Comments STRING 107 50 Please refer to the Import Serial Numbers SD0601 File Import Modules section of this chapter for details on file import options Page 2 14 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual SET UP TICKLER FILE This option allows a user to enter a new tickler into the customer support management system Ticklers are a handy way to keep track of customer support requests When a customer calls in with a question or problem an operator can create a tickler describing the issue at hand This creates a record of that customer request which can be ac cessed at any time for reference While entering the tickler information an operator has access to previously taken notes on the customer You can maintain a tickler file and also generate a report Maintain The maintain option allows you to view add modify complete and delete a tickler into the system and assign it to a specified salesman E Set Up Tickler File Tools Launch Current Salesman ALF BM Maintain Tickler File Entries ALF Tools Launch Edit Navigation Detail ltem Comp Description Date Customer Ticket To From Change Reassign Added 10 31 2005 DML Change 10 31 2005 1 00P New Complete Finish Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance
11. Memory on the given machine that the software is loaded on Disk Space This field is used to define the available disk space on the given ma chine that the software or problem exists on You will also find on this screen any comments that may have been entered into the Accounts Receivable module for this customer and or any comments that may have been entered into the Customer Support Management module for the serial number selected on this support ticket Once you have entered all the necessary information for this screen you may press the END key to get to the validation prompt To vali date this information press the ENTER key and the screen will re turn back to the main data entry screen Enter Follow up and Bill This is a Y es or N o question that will allow you to enter addi ings Y N tional information for this support ticket If you answer Y es to this question a new screen will overlay the main data entry screen and will prompt you for the following information Follow up This data item defines the follow up status for this support ticket Follow up descriptions are set up in the Master Configuration of the Customer Support Management module By default a follow up de scription can be assigned however by blanking out the field and pressing the ENTER key a pop up list will appear with up to twenty 20 available choices Desc Date This data item is used to enter a brief description or date in regar
12. Print Support Tickets Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc Service Tickets 4 04 28 2006 Ticket 1014 Customer HARC1 Start 2 44P Date 04 28 2006 Fred Hart Stop 2 47P Sup Rep Serial 4 10 12BLT RZ 000001 Length 3 Min Status Resolved Contact Ted Jackson Problem Window is not opening correctly Customer says it also is difficult to close properly Answer Sending repair technician with spare parts in case replacement is necessary DP Ver 10X12 BLT Bill Type Warranty Follow Up Call Back Config 10X12BT Total Qty 3 Calls Terminal Bill Qty 0 Calls Non Bill Qty 3 Calls RAM Size Price Call 0 00 Disk Spc Total Bill 0 00 Ticket X Ref Update Method 0 Not Updated Excess Billed 0 Page 4 6 Print Reports Chapter 4 Customer Support Management User Manual PRINT SERIAL NUMBER REPORT SD0202 This report provides a detailed listing of all serial numbers This report may be printed either in non detail or detailed format When you execute this option simply specify the serial number range then select the type of report that you want Field Names Serial Number Customer Number Customer Name Registration Date Activation Date Upd Date Begin Warranty End Warranty Version Number Media Type Configuration Comments AR Code Bill Rate Total Calls Billable Calls Bill Amount Totals Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 7 Customer Support Management U
13. Receivable special field on the screen between the customer number name and the serial number selected Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 1 Customer Support Management User Manual Serial Number This field is the serial number of the product in which the service call is in reference to You may enter the serial number or press ENTER and use the F5 or F6 special search options If you have set your system to use the automatically search for serial number feature set up in the Master Configuration the system will auto matically look for and allow the user to choose from the available choices Contact This field is used to enter the contact name of the person who initi ated the service call If you press the ENTER key through this field the contact name set up in the Accounts Receivable customer file will be used Sup Rep This data item defines the support representative taking the call Normally a code or the representative s initials are entered This is to track who received this service call This information is posted on the customers billing statement Date This data item is used to enter the current date for the support ticket that you are entering By pressing the ENTER key at this field it will obtain the current system date being used by the Infinity POWER system Time This data item is comprised of two fields a start time and an end time for this service call By pres
14. Ticket SDOTO2 iinnat ia 3 4 Delete a Support Tickst SDOTO J rean iii rita 3 5 IMPORT SUPPORT TICKETS SD0603 sccssssssssscessscscsscessesesesscncessssscssssssessecssseneesseneesoes 3 5 PERFORM SUPPORT BILLING 00 csssscsscscesscsscsecssccsscsnessecsssenecsessssenecsessssssnessessssenessesssseneesees 3 5 Print Support Billing SD0204 eiia oa aneno aa ea aree eae a a e E Eea e ata ii NEEE SEET 3 6 Update Support Billing SDO104 sessssesssseessseessssresrssesressrseersssrerrssestesrestetssteensestentestentsstetnesteseeressereesesreet 3 6 Print Support Billing Statements SDO108 cc eecseeccseseeceseeeeesecseesecnecsecsseeeesaecseesecsassecsaeeeesaecaseeeeaesaeeeeens 3 6 PERFORM CONTRACT BILLING oooocconconoonnccnnnnnonnonincononononconccnconcconconccononanconco nono nconcc nono coocconcconones 3 7 Calculate Contract Renewals SDO105 cooooonoccconoconococononononacononononcnnncconnncnnonconnnnnnn nro nn cnn nr on nn conc nro nn cnn nccnnnnnnccons 3 7 Page iii TABLE OF CONTENTS continued Description Page Print Contract Renewal Report SDO106 eee eeeceeeeeesseceseeceeceeaeecaeeesaeecacessacecaeeesneecaeeseaeecaeeeseecnteesenaeess 3 7 Print Renewal Statements SDO107 cc cc ccccecssccssccesssecessceeseecesecesseecsecesseecaeeeeaeecaeseeseecsueeseseecseeesaeceeeeeeaeens 3 8 Record Contract Renewal Payments SD0109 eee eesecseseecsseceeeeecesceeeneeceaceseneecaeeecacecsueeeaeeceeeeeaeeceereeen
15. ability to do historical period reporting as well as current period reporting Change Report Output Device Infinity POWER gives you the ability to output reports in a number of different formats These variations include any of the following default configurations plus any additional printers you have the ability to define within the system e Dot Matrix Printers e LaserJet Printers e Screen e Text File e Comma Delimited File You may for instance not need a hard copy of the Customer Listing Instead you simply want to know the con tact name of a particular customer By choosing Screen as your output device before you select the report you may have it print to the screen in stead All reports may be handled in this fashion Remember though that all reports will continue to be sent to the output device you select until you either change the output device again or exit the program Page 4 2 Print Reports Chapter 4 Customer Support Management User Manual Font Attributes Within the Output Options window you can modify font attributes such as color size and styles for each report This allows you to be creative in your report styles whether formal informal or classic professional depending on the purpose of the report You may choose a more informal style for internal reports but select a more elegant style for a customer Selecting a font in the Printer Settings section affects printed reports only If you
16. are enclosed in double quotes and all data fields are separated by commas The text files must contain the information for one record on a single line of the file Each line or record must be terminated by a Carriage Return Line Feed sequence CR LF For example an Inventory Physical Count im port should look like this 100A 1111 A1 100 00 CR LF 100B 1122 A2 250 00 CRHLF 100C 2211 A3 75 00 CRHLF Select the type of file you will be using and you will then be prompted to enter the name of the file to be imported You may use any name consistent with all DOS or UNIX naming structures lt Click gt the check box on to print an audit trail It is highly recommended that you check this prompt This will allow you to see if there are any discrepancies within your import file The system will first print an audit trail of what will be imported into the Infinity POWER accounting module Upon completion of this report you will be prompted whether to go ahead and process the import of data If there are any discrepancies that make your import file incompatible the Infinity POWER import options will not allow the information to update the system This audit trail would then serve to assist you in correcting any prob lems Once you have answered these three questions lt click gt Start and the system will begin to either print the audit trail first or go ahead and perform the import proces
17. called your firm and then providing the options to your telephone support group with a wide set of options as to how it should be dealt with from there As mentioned earlier for many firms this program will help them just keep track of how many warranty calls they take regarding their variety of products or services That tracking capability alone could significantly influence future manufacturing and design issues based on the reaction of customers as they use the product or service Further if a limited warranty applies to a product or service being able to track those calls or e mails for a finite amount of time under a warranty or no charge environment and then converting them into a billable system in the future holds great financial incentive for many firms The Infinity POWER Customer Support Management system will allow management to define types of call ac tivities their billing status and keep track of employee productivity as they use the system Managers will be able to see how many calls or problems are being handled by each staff member and what their productivity is in either vol ume of activities or actual dollar based billings One of the most important features of this product is its direct integration with the Infinity POWER Accounts Re ceivable module This integration allows the immediate and real time access of the latest customer information As calls are received an immediate lookup can be made to see if the customer is a
18. each ticket entered Auto Search for Serial This data item is a check box which defines to the system to automati cally search for available serial numbers assigned to the customer you are entering a support ticket on AR Special Field This data item is check box which defines whether or not the Accounts Receivable special field will be displayed on the screen during the en try of support tickets This field may be useful in designating the status of a customer s account and can be plainly seen on the data entry screen Default Hardware This data item is a check box which defines whether the data entry screen for entering support tickets should have the Hardware Configuration question answered to Y es therefore upon entering into that field will bring you to a new screen that will allow you to enter the hardware con figuration information Page 2 18 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual Default Hardware This data item allows you to set a default Hardware Configuration Type to be used when entering a support ticket into the system It may be over ridden however it will show as a default upon entering a support ticket You may have up to ten 10 Hardware Configuration options to choose from Default Follow Up This data item is a Y es or N o questions which defines whether the data entry screen for entering support tickets should have the Follow U
19. how the Customer Support Management module integrates with the Ac counts Receivable module The Accounts Receivable module is a required module in order for the Customer Sup port Management module to operate The relation between the Customer Support Management module and the Accounts Receivable module is that both applications track transactions for a database of customers These customers are set up in the Accounts Receivable module and billings and payments are entered through options within that module However the Customer Support Management module brings to light the capability of tracking more in depth types of transactions for your custom ers These may be service orders warranty tracking of repairs for serialized items and or contractual billings DATA FILE DESCRIPTIONS The Accounts Receivable module utilizes the following data files e Master Configuration e Serial Number File e Service Ticket File e Service Contract File e Tickler File File Name Description Master Configuration File This file contains certain configuration information and default values for filetype SD00 your billing follow up hardware status and contract set up filenames coSD0 dbf and coSD0 mdx where co is the company number Serial Number File This file contains all information pertinent to each serial number set up in filetype SD01 the system such as the customer s name the dealer ISR and Recruiter filenames SoS DI AD
20. number unless you have set up in the Master Con figuration to have the system automatically generate a support ticket number There are several screens that will be used to enter the support ticket The first screen allows you to define the overhead information for the call and the other screens are accessed by answering Y es to the question and a screen will appear with the necessary informa tion to be filled in All data items for the entry of the support ticket are described below Customer This is the number of the customer you would like to assign to this support ticket You may enter the customer number or use the binoculars for special search options Once the customer number has been selected the customer name will be displayed below this data item If you have selected to utilize the feature to automatically search for serial number set up in the Master Configuration the system will search the serial number database for any serial numbers that have been assigned to this customer To view the available serial numbers for this customer press the ENTER key and a scrolling list will appear on the screen Once you have selected the appropriate se rial number for this customer the customer name and the serial number you have chosen will be displayed on the screen If you have selected to utilize the feature to use the AR Special Field set up in the Master Configuration the system will display the information from the Accounts
21. select Print as the output destination this is the font that will be applied to the printed report You can also select a font style for the display destination independent of the Print Settings font selection In the Display Settings section of the screen lt click gt on the Fonts button to open the Font window From this window select different fonts add special effects such as underlining change the color font style bold italics bold italic etc and the font size When a report is selected in display output this is the font that will be applied when the re port is displayed on the screen NOTE If you send a report to print directly from the displayed output screen Send menu option or the Send to another output destination toolbar options the font selected in the Printer Settings will be the font that is applied to the printed report regardless of what font settings are selected for the Display Settings Font attributes are unique for Printer Settings and Display settings due to the fact that your printer and the Infinity POWER system may not support all of the same fonts After selecting font attributes for either the Printer Settings or Display Settings lt clicking gt the corresponding Save button will make those current selections the default settings If you select different attributes between display ing printing reports you must lt click gt the Apply button for the new font attributes to be applied Otherw
22. system is extremely important so that busy service personnel don t leave customers hanging by accidentally forgetting to return a call or fax There are many uses for this advanced program but Data Pro Accounting Software does not claim to address all industries with this application Keep in mind that this product was specifically designed for use in the computer software industry and that many of the fields and terms used herein are directed towards that industry accordingly Page 1 2 Introduction Chapter 1 Customer Support Management User Manual If you find that there are additional fields of data that you may need for your business do not forget that all Infinity POWER products provide you with the ability to add User Defined Fields and Indexes to your system at any time to create your own customized version of the product Best of all these user defined fields and indexes can then be accessed with either the Data Pro Report Writer module or third party applications such as Crystal Reports and Microsoft Excel All of these products would then allow you to create your own set of customized reports designed more specifically towards your individual needs Overall the Customer Support Management module is extremely powerful and flexible in its design We believe it s a powerful tool that will help almost any business better serve its customers in a wide variety of ways SYSTEM INTEGRATION This section includes a brief overview of
23. the Master Configuration If you have open item type customers there may be instances in which you want to apply any existing credits on a cus tomer s account towards the debits without actually entering another credit This may be done through this option by leaving the check amount as zero and post a Zero Payment This will allow you to match existing Credit Memos against existing In voices and Debit Memos It also allows you to match Unapplied Cash payments against specific invoices Zero Payments When the system asks for the check amount enter zero 0 Next enter the invoice number as the check number You may then enter a miscella neous description regarding the whole transaction under the Open Item Description field e g Correction for wrong posting You may then proceed to match the Credit Memo s with the Invoice s you want to apply against each other Make sure though that the totals of each balance each other out and you should have a total amount remaining balance of 0 00 Press ENTER to validate and you have completed the cycle All sales journals and inventory items will be adjusted as necessary and you would be able to follow the whole transaction through your audit trails at a later date Salesman This data item contains the salesman number that this transaction will be recorded under The default value will be the manager set up in the cus tomer s master file Normally you may pres
24. through the sequential process of properly and thoroughly identifying your serial numbers This process will repeat itself for each new serial number Select the option Set Up Serial s from the Set Up and Maintenance tab lt Click gt the Add button and enter the new Serial Number This number is a twenty 20 character field al pha numeric that may be assigned entirely at your discretion The screen displays the twenty two 22 data items to complete The following is an explanation of each of these data items Customer Number This is the customer number who has been assigned this serial number You may lt click gt the Down arrow to access the customer file and use the F5 or F6 keys to modify your search Dealer Number This is the dealer number who is responsible for the sale of this serial number to the Customer You may lt click gt the Down arrow to access the customer ISR Number This is the ISR Independent Sales Representative number who is responsible for the sale of this serial number to the Customer You may lt click gt the Down arrow Recruiter Number This is the recruiter number who is responsible for the sale of this serial number to the Customer You may lt click gt the Down arrow Purchase Date This is the date of purchase for this serial number This is used to track this se rial number for warranty purposes Activation Date This is the activation date for thi
25. 4 DATA PRO pd ACCOUNTING jae d SOFTWARE INC J PR i E 2 gt OA S E e y E y n 5 A ANA Customer Support Management with Warranty Tracking and Call Center Billing Part 275 User Manual DATA PRO ACCOUNTING mat SOFTWARE INC Advanced Accounting Software ES Secure Internet Solutions Version 7 3 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Data Pro Accounting Software Inc The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those agreements The purchaser may make one copy of this software for backup purposes No part of this manual or other materials included with the package may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser s personal use without the written permission of Data Pro Accounting Software Inc O 1985 2008 Data Pro Accounting Software Inc Data Pro Accounting Software is a trademark of Data Pro Accounting Software Inc No investigation was made into the common law trademark rights of any word Every effort was made to capitalize or highlight in some manner any word with current registrations All companies products addresses and per
26. E EAEE 3 8 Rebuild id adi 2 17 Report Print Ops ii A A 4 3 Review Te OS E A E E eae hte neh tive ead lurid ids ian iit ee tesa 2 15 S SALESMAN LOGIN 323 cette n Sais eit AA Rade een hives aera SALESMAN TOGO UT an Gea be beac ncaa E A adv oi eteaa ta AR clon eeareu nants EA R SET UP AND MAINTANENCE SETUP MASTER INFORMA TION coo teens 2 18 SET UP SHRIAE NUMBER Sv orende eee a eee dit t 2 4 SET UP SUPPORT CONTRACTS 2 11 SET UP TICKLER FILE 2 15 Sort By Fieldsin A EE AAA ano 4 1 STANDARD FEATURES FOR REPORTS csi tintes 4 1 START NEW YEAR S DATA FILES 2 23 Status Configuration cece 2 21 Stop the Printers ii A A a rotas 4 2 SYSTEM INTEGRATION ciar A A td 1 3 SO TEM OVER VIE Wax racional lso ts toute tuedbesie tie duce alicia ries EEEE EE E T TO ePOS 1 1 U Update Support Bulan os cx tn RA ates al on date A AAA 3 6 Page 1 2 Index
27. I and purchase date activation information status warranty information bill E coSD1 mdx where co is ing rate comments etc the company num Service Ticket File This file contains all the information concerning each customer s service filetype SD02 ticket It contains dates and times of service calls placed by the customer filenames coSD2dy dbf and text describing the nature of the call and the resolution given and coSD2dy mdx where co is the company num and dy is the data year of the file Chapter 1 Introduction Page 1 3 Customer Support Management User Manual File Name Description Service Contract File This file contains the contractual billings for each customer These bill filetype SD03 ings are entered into this file and are tracked based on the contract filenames coSD3 dbf and amounts that may be renewed automatically through a billing cycle coSD3 mdx when the contract expires Tickler File This file contains tickler entries which are reminders that a call has been filetype SD04 placed by a customer and may be tracked through the system until the filenames coSD4 dbf and cali has been placed coSD4 mdx Page 1 4 Introduction Chapter 1 Customer Support Management User Manual CHAPTER 2 SET UP AND MAINTANENCE This chapter will provide you with a step by step procedure for the initial set up and maintenance of your Customer Support Manageme
28. Page 2 15 Customer Support Management User Manual The following is an explanation of each of these data items Item Data item number in consecutive order Comp Click this box to select a specific tickler Description Displays the description of tickler Should define Change Click this button to modify an existing tickler Reassign Click this button to reassign the tickler to another salesman Date Date the tickler is entered Time Time tickler is entered To Identifies the Salesman ID the tickler is assigned From Identifies the Salesman that created the tickler and assigned it New Opens the New Tickler File Entry window The new tickler is added to the list of ticklers Complete Removes the selected tickler from the list of current tickers Finish Closes the Maintain Tickler File Entries window New Tickler File Entry ALF xx Time ii Description Ce Customer Customer Name CY Contact i Phone a Ticket Comments a Page 2 16 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual The following is an explanation of each of these data items Alarm Marks the priority of the tickler Date Date the tickler is entered Time Time tickler is entered Description Enter a description of the problem or issue that needs to be addressed Customer Customer number associated with the customer whom th
29. REPORT SD0203 sccsscssscssscssccssccssccssccssssssssssesessssessscssccesssessnesssecssecens 4 9 INDEX AAA A SA ci ati ba 1 Page iv Customer Support Management User Manual CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter covers several of the general concepts of how to use the Infinity POWER Customer Support Man agement module Specific utilization of this program for each company s use will vary widely However the documentation here will cover the implementation of the program as it was written for Data Pro Accounting Soft ware s internal support department Targeted to address Data Pro s internal management needs to be able to track and bill customers for support calls made each day this program allows a wide range of firms to perform the same kind of call center tracking in their own particular industry Whether it is for just warranty tracking calls or actual management of calls and problems tracked for billing purposes the system is flexible enough to handle both types of issues Customer Support Management is an issue that faces almost every company doing business today How firms address their customer support issues varies widely but the most common denominator is that regardless of the in dustry dealing with customers should go beyond just having your staff take a call and forgetting the customer ever called in the first place The key to managing customers is being able to track what actually occurred or was said when they
30. ally required e They allow the batch entry of transactions processed in other specialized or custom software pro grams This may even include updates from Infinity POWER modules running at different loca tions or on different network or UNIX fileservers e They allow the update of the accounting system files from remote transaction processing sites Please note that the Infinity POWER programs do allow for the exportation of all accounting reports to text files The formats of these standard Infinity POWER reports however are not compatible with the use of any of the In finity POWER File Import options The order in which information is sent to text files and their format do not correspond to the formats that the File Import Modules require The Infinity POWER Report Writer program however does provide the user with this ability to organize infor mation from the various Infinity POWER programs into the formats required by the File Import options The text files that contain the information to be imported must be in one of three forms 1 Fixed Length ASCII Records 2 Variable length ASCII Records 3 Comma Delimited Text These three types of files are discussed earlier in this section For all three types of text files the format of the data must be accurate for the import options to read the correct information Each field or data item must be in the cor rect order across the line or record and in the correct format depending
31. and ENTER and the system will save the transaction print the transaction register and return for the next transaction 2 If there is a debit amount remaining the system will display the amount and ask if you wish to ap ply the amount as a payment discount If you answer Y es the system will apply the amount as a debit to the Payment Discount sales code set up in the Master Configuration An example of this would be if you allow your customers a two percent discount on invoices if paid within a certain number of days If the invoice was 100 00 and the check was 98 00 100 00 less 2 discount you would enter the check as 98 00 and apply 100 00 toward the invoice This would leave an over applied amount of 2 00 which would be applied toward the payment discount sales code Additionally to allow the balancing of the AR Aging Report to the General Ledger Balance Sheet from a prior fis cal year you can not post partial payments to the system The open item file can only keep track of the latest check number and check amount that was posted against each open item not all of the partial payments for each open item Therefore if you receive multiple payments for a single open item you must post these partial amounts as unapplied cash until the total amount of the open item has been received At that point you may post a zero check to match all of the partial payments against the open item By following this line of procedu
32. andard Standard Totals Maint Yes No No Init Date AR Bill 02 16 2006 40500 02 16 2006 10000 03 06 2004 10000 Start Date AR Cred 02 16 2006 35000 02 16 2006 40500 03 06 2006 35000 End Date Sim 02 15 2007 HOUSE 02 15 2007 HOUSE 07 30 2008 BM Min Rem Tot Min 200 240 201 279 120 360 379 Page 1 4 04 28 2006 Total Sales 100 00 240 00 360 00 700 00 Chapter 4 Customer Support Management User Manual This page intentionally left blank Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 11 Customer Support Management User Manual A Add New Serial Number SD LD tico 2 5 Add a New Support Contract SDOT iii cence chased ee scece OE AE AEA RA anaes sunset eeet even ates 2 11 Add a New Support Ticket BAG SAA NO B Billing Contre uration died banat nhs 2 21 C Calculate Contract REE WalSics ame REE E A AEAEE A A A TE E TA E EE EEE 3 7 Chaiige a Serial Number SDO4 Di ea e oad fons ee EEEE E aaa o Rara A eaa a a aee ae iaie tii 2 6 Change a Support Contract 2 13 Chatige a Support Ticket A AA 3 4 Change Master Configuration 2 18 Change Report Output Di Ao ci itn A dwn ast IAE hls Satta dovnl oto 4 2 Contract Configuration cece 2 21 Copy an Existing Serial Number SDMA ii a rl 2 7 Copy an Existing Support Contractar e ee a e EEE E E A N E aS 2 13 CUSLOMEL SUPPOLE i NN 2 15 D DATA FLE DESCRIPTIONS ienee enu iie ea
33. ast week may be lost but that is better than many months or years worth of input Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 25 Customer Support Management User Manual To go a step further we recommend that you next make four additional sets of disks or tapes These would be your weekly master backups Mark them accordingly with the week number Week 1 and at the end of every week make a full backup of your data files Though you may have a complete daily backup for each day of the week sometimes problems are not found within the week s time frame and all of those backups could be invalid This way you could go back several weeks at a time to find your last set of valid files Next you will want to go further and create a monthly master set of disks or tapes You would mark them accord ingly with the name of the month of the year At the end of every month you would then make a complete backup of your data files again This allows you to then go back several months at a time if necessary to review informa tion or to print historically dated information Of course the last set of files created should be the yearly set of files done at the end of each fiscal year for archiving purposes It is also highly recommended that all key master file re ports journals agings etc be run at this time for hard copy backup As an additional protection for those users with tape backup systems it is still highly recommended that if you have a floppy
34. disk drive on your computer that a floppy disk backup be made occasionally at least monthly in case a problem were to develop on the tape drive that you are using Normally you would not find out there is a problem until you needed to restore information and that may be too late This all may sound like a considerable amount of work and inconvenience but consider the investment involved Depending on your business you may have anywhere from one to several hundred people working on your account ing processing The largest true cost of a hardware failure or loss of information is not the loss of programs disks or even computers The largest cost is that of labor and management s time inputting your accounting information This can literally represent thousands of man hours over time This is a large investment that should be safeguarded at all times These programs are designed for creating and generating accounting information Unfortunately they have limited ability to protect the information created That is entirely up to you the user and salesman to protect your invest ment For further information on Backup Procedures and commands refer to either your System Administrator manual under Combination Keys or the documentation for your operating system Page 2 26 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual CHAPTER 3 ENTER TRANSACTIONS This section discusses the several different ways transactions may b
35. ds to the last follow up for this support ticket Bill Type This field defines the billing type to be used for this support ticket Billing Types are set up in the Master Configuration of the Customer Support Management module By default you may choose a specific billing type that will default on all support tickets however by blanking out the field and pressing the ENTER key a pop up list will appear with up to twenty 20 available choices Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 3 Customer Support Management User Manual End Time This data item is used to enter the ending time of the support ticket call It will update the ending time on the main screen of the support ticket as well as update the total amount of minutes for this support ticket By pressing the F9 key in this field the system will automati cally input the current time on your computer system Total Qty This data item is used to define the total call units for this support ticket This number is derived from the total minutes calculated for this support call The total amount is then compared to the set up in the Master Configuration for the of Minutes Call feature By pressing the F10 key in this data field the system will automatically calculate the number of call units for this support ticket Bill Qty Non Bill Qty This data item is two part It is divided into a billing and a non billing quantity Once a Total Qty has been entered i
36. e you will need at least 2 2MB in additional free space before proceeding with this option NOTE This option will only reorganize undamaged data within your files Therefore you should carefully audit all information after you execute this option and make any necessary adjustments to your data The following files are avail able for maintenance e ALL FILES e Serial Number File e Service Ticket File e Service Contract File e Tickler File Page 2 22 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual W Maintain Files Customer Service Management oj xj Tools Launch Operation C Re Index Purge prior to Files I Serial Number File Select All J Service Ticket File TT Service Contract File J Tickler File Invert Selection Unselect All Details Status Processing Start Cancel Next Close When you select one of these options a screen will appear with pertinent information about that particular data file This information includes the directory path and file name the type of file the pattern of the filename structure and the total records including those records marked for deletion in that data file You are given options to Pack or Re Index that data file Pack is a utility that physically removes deleted re cords from that file This procedure displays a Percentage of Completion graph while the files are b
37. e EDC procedure will take you to another screen and begin dialing out for an authorization on the credit card If the payment method chosen has an EFT in the description the sys tem will begin the procedures for an Electronic Funds Transfer EFT on this transaction The EFT procedure will update the appropri ate files with the fund transfer information and the screens will act as though a cash payment was entered For more information on set up and usage of EFT processing please refer to Chapter 1 of the Check Recon ciliation manual Check Number This is a ten 10 character field for the check number of the deposit or payment received This will be stored as the transaction number of the open item and transaction If you have the Master Configuration option Require Unique Customer Check s set to Y es the system will not allow the posting of the same customer check number into the system This reduces the possibility of duplicate check postings Page 3 8 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual Payment Date This is the date of the check received This will be stored as the transac tion date of the open item The transaction record will use the current system date Press ENTER to assume the current system date Payment Amount This is the amount of the check received This amount will be posted as a credit to the customer s account and to the cash sales code set up in
38. e contract minutes pur chased to the previous amount Total Sales This data item tracks the accumulation of total sales amount in dollars for this support contract Since this contract may be renewed each time a Con tract Renewal is performed it updates this field and adds the contract sales amount to the previous amount Renew This check box will define whether this support contract is to be printed when the Print Renewal Statements option is performed You may check this box manually to force a renewal statement to be printed Normally the system will automatically lt click gt on this box to Calculate Contract Re newals is selected and the renewal criteria has been met based on the Mas ter Configuration settings Renewal Printed This check box is updated by the system when a renewal statement has been printed by the system Comments This is a fifty 50 character field to input any comments for this support contract Bill AR Code This data item defines the Accounts Receivable Sales Code that will be used when the contract is renewed lt Click gt the down arrow to access choices Credit AR Code This data item defines the Accounts Receivable Sales Code that will be used for credit billing purposes against contract minutes When there is time available on a contract and support tickets are billed against it there are two transactions that occur An invoice is applied to the customers account and th
39. e entered into the Customer Support Manage ment module These transactions include support tickets billing of support tickets and billing on contracts There are three main sections in this chapter Those options that are dedicated to processing billings for support tickets and contracts ENTER SUPPORT TICKETS This section discusses the ways to set up change and delete support tickets This includes the option to import support ticket information from other systems The source is irrelevant as long as the information is in an ASCII file Maintain Support Tickets SD0101 This option allows you to add new support tickets This process will repeat itself for each new support ticket When executing this option you will be entering information to a support ticket for a specific customer The support ticket will contain specific information concerning the nature of the call the resolution the status any follow up information and billing information Each support ticket entered will need a serial number assigned representing the product the call is in reference to If the customer has a valid support contract set up in the system when the support tickets are billed through the option Perform Support Billing the support tickets will bill against that contract If a customer does not have a support contract the system will invoice the customer for the appropriate charges After selecting this option you will be asked for a support ticket
40. e tickler has been created Customer Name Full name of the customer the tickler is being created for Contact Name of the main contact person for the customer account Phone Phone number of the customer Ticket Number assigned to support ticket if one is created for the tickler Comments Alpha numeric text box Enter important details regarding the nature of the problem or request Report Click the Report button to access the Tickler File Report window Select from Open Entries or Complete Entries and selected the desired date range MM Tickler File Report me al x Tools Launch Report Type Date Range POP Beginning Date Open Entries o4701 Ending Date r R Completed Entries Jos 130 2005 oee After lt clicking gt the Start button the Output Options window displays Make the desired output selections and lt click gt the Continue button to print or display the specified report Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 17 Customer Support Management User Manual SET UP MASTER INFORMATION This section discusses in detail the options necessary to input your master file information The options utilized in this menu allow you to custom configure your Customer Support Management master information and an option to maintain your data files Change Master Configuration SD0401 This option allows you to change the standard Customer Support Management configuration Th
41. ect your data files against any possible prob lems Experience has shown that careless disregard of making adequate backups can literally cost you months of hard work and expense Any of the following problems could destroy all or part of your accounting information e Hardware Failure of any kind such as a hard disk failure e Power Failure or Fluctuations e Improper Execution of certain operating system commands e Careless Handling of Data Disks or Tapes such as copying files the wrong direction It is recommended that you make a backup of your data files on a daily basis This does not mean for you to con tinue copying over the same backup that you may have made the previous day Instead you should consider the fol lowing structure Create five to seven daily backup sets of disks or tape cartridges depending on your system The number will vary based on the number of days you normally work on your files Mark each set with the name of the day of the week that it is to be used for backup purposes For instance disk set or tape 1 may read Monday disk set or tape 2 may read TueSDay etc Only use these specific sets of disks or tapes on the days that are designated This would mean that they would not be used more than once a week Therefore if problems were to occur and you did not realize it immediately you could at least go back as far as a week to find your last set of valid data files Of course the entries made during the l
42. eeens 3 8 SALESMAN LOGIN wv esssssceccsececesicsssooecsendsonsvves sossseseds sistocessecesceossovesosectesousvascbestsosnsvoossvsassenadvondenssdoes 3 11 SALESMAN LOGOUT sccccccscsocesosscoteseccsnsssescsccoessesossvssssvessscsseesesonsdesesusscenssecsvessscosoonad sossopescbosennssoes 3 11 CHAPTER APRINT REPORT Son siciteioccttie aatisncie ad ee 4 1 STANDARD FEATURES FOR REPORTS oocccccoconiocnnnconnccncnconaconaconocononoconocconaconaccnncconeconccnoncoccnonocos 4 1 Home End voii tte naa Meira Lenin aaesaceuus nes E E atada E 4 1 Sort By Bield s sins nies tel sia ela gested Geta as es Seed ke ina el ein eis as eal Bats 4 1 Stop the Printer oi eset eats tenia lated Sie tid dese eel AS ale Galak Aa i em aes 4 2 Period to Report Odia 4 2 Change Report Output Devidenamaciaio alii la ten loeb A nid piel Mastodon lieu Ama Beles tote 4 2 F nt Atribute Set ci dais Tica Lati Gee hace anda da beds bad ches ie iii 4 3 Report Print Options sists ene i o E bedest piel SakS Rea wisdale dew hals Moai Qn 4 3 Displayed Report Options tao dad ia detec teasers hive apta edea ade i 4 3 PRINT SUPPORT TICKETS SD0201 ovcnccociccconicinnconnncnonaconocononononoconoconnnconaconncconcconoconoconecnoncocnnocons 4 5 PRINT SERIAL NUMBER REPORT SD0202 scssscssssssscssscssssssscssscssscscsssscsseesssesssesssecssecens 4 7 PRINT SERIAL NUMBER REPORT 0 ccssccssccsscscssscccsccsssccescsesscesssssescsesssecssessceesscessnessseesseeens 4 8 PRINT CONTRACT
43. eing proc essed Re Index is a utility that rebuilds the index It is also run automatically at the end of the Pack procedure When you select option 3 an additional option to Purge will be available The Purge feature allows you to re move those records that have a transaction date prior to the date you specify on the screen This procedure will re move all records prior to the date that you enter from the Transaction File SET UP CUSTOMERS See Chapter 2 Set Up and Maintenance gt Set Up Customers section of the Accounts Receivable User Manual for details on this menu option START NEW YEAR S FILES SD0503 This option starts up the Customer Support Management files for the new fiscal year Before executing this option you should make multiple copies of the old year s files for archival purposes After you create the files for the new year you should not process in the prior years data files When this option is run the system will only carry forward into the new year those support tickets that are still open All other support tickets that have been completed will re main in the prior year s data files and are still accessible by simply changing the system date F3 This is how you can maintain support ticket detail history but it is maintained on an annual basis Before selecting this option you should make several backups of the old year for archival purposes before starting the new year To select this option you will go to
44. eld definition section with a asterisk For each type of import that you wish to perform the import text file must contain all of the fields specified for that particular import option Any text fields that are blank will overwrite existing fields in the data files Also numeric fields that are blank will be considered as zero Page 2 10 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual To allow the import of only a subset of the import structure you must have a custom MAP file created This will allow you for example to only update the retail price in Inventory without affecting or requiring any other fields You may obtain or create custom import MAP files one of two ways You may first press the F9 key at the point in the program when you have selected the import option The result is to produce a XXX XXX map file in the program directory The Xs in this file name represent the actual name of the Infinity POWER option within the program e g AR0601 MAP The XXXXXX map file is used by the import option to override the default layout of the import transaction file By using file editing tools such as EDIT under DOS or vi under UNIX you may create a customized import record layout Whenever a XXXXXX map file is created it overrides the default predefined import record layout Items can be deleted entirely from the record layout file or moved from one position to another
45. en 15 contract types Enter a description of up to twenty 20 characters alpha numeric This description will be seen when you are entering contract and you activate the drop down list when entering the contract type field Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 21 Customer Support Management User Manual MAINTAIN DATA FILES SD0403 This option allows you to determine the directory path and data file name the number of actual records in the data file and includes a Pack utility to re index your Customer Support Management files after a hardware or media failure This procedure will also physically remove records that have been marked for deletion You should NOT rely on this option to replace backups Your backup procedures should include daily backups and weekly offsite backups There are only several situations in which this option need be accessed e Power hardware failure e Media Errors bad disk e Remove records marked for deletion Before you execute the Pack option check the file size of your Customer Support Management files The system will sort each of the current out of index files into new indexed files before deleting the old ones If you do not have enough disk space available to perform this function an error will be generated at the time the system runs out of disk space This however could be some time later depending on the size of your data files If your data files are 2MB in combined siz
46. en a credit is applied The invoice uses the Serial Number s AR Sales Code and the credit uses this Credit AR Code AR Salesman This data field represents the Accounts Receivable salesman used when posting the billing credit for contract minutes When there is time available on a support contract and support tickets are billed against it there are two transactions that occur An invoice is applied to a customer s account and then a credit is applied The invoice uses the Support Rep salesman from the support ticket and the credit uses this salesman Contract Price This data item defines the price for this contract and any renewals of this support contract Contract Minutes This data item defines the total minutes for this contract and any renewals of this support contract This field may be set to 1 to indicate an unlimited number of minutes In this case the expiration and renewal calculation will be based solely on the expiration date of Scheduled Payments This indicates how many payments the support contract invoice will be di vided into The net amount of the invoice will be divided by this number to determine the amount of each payment Any rounding error will be added to or subtracted from the first payment of Times Renewed This data field is a running counter of how many times this support contract has been renewed Page 2 12 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Supp
47. ength ASCII 3 Comma Delimited PRN These three choices are described below Fixed Length ASCII Files Fixed Length ASCII text files are those files in which each data field starts on a specific number of characters from the start of each record There should be no separators between data fields and each record should be the exact same length The program recognizes each record by the number of characters that is expected per record There is no Carriage Return Line Feed sequence necessary to separate records Page 2 8 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual For example an Inventory Physical Count import text file Part Number and Quantity should look like this 100A 1111 Al 100 00 100 B 1122 A2 250 00 100C 2211 A3 75 00 Variable Length ASCII Files Variable Length ASCII text files are those files in which each data field starts on a specific number of charac ters from the start of each record and each record is separated by a Carriage Return Line Feed sequence CR LF There should be no separators between data fields The program recognizes each record by the Carriage Return Line Feed sequence which allows for other data to be in the file For example an Inventory Physical Count import could look like this 100 B 1122 A2 250 00 CR LF 100 C 2211 A3 75 00 CRHLF Comma Delimited PRN Files Comma Delimited PRN text files are those files in which text type data fields
48. for which you intend to process data To begin lt click gt on the Start button The following screen illustrates how the screen will change when the process is completed W Start Up From Scratch A ES Tools This option creates data files and configures initial settings for each registered system in the company Infinity POWER Sample Company in1 Be sure your fiscal year is set properly before you begin Your current fiscal year end is period 12 Registered Systems Accounts Payable System already started M Accounts Receivable System already started M Check Reconciliation System already started M Customer Service Management System already started M General Ledger System already started Inventory System already started M Job Cost System already started m Payroll System already started M Point of Sale System already started Productivity Tools System already started M Purchase Order Entry System already started FF Sales Order Entry System already started FF Time Sheet Entry System already started Select All lt Click gt on the Close button when done and then return to Systems and select the Customer Support Man agement module to continue with the configuration functions to be described from here Once you select this option lt click gt on the Start button Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 3 Customer Support Management User Manual PERFORM ROUTINE MAINTENANCE Th
49. formation for any support ticket Any changes that are made to a support ticket should be done before any billing is performed First select the support ticket you wish to change Then select the data item you want to change by either entering the data item number and pressing ENTER or use your up or down arrows to move around the screen to the data item you want to change Results coSD2dy dbf Service Ticket File Support Ticket Information is updated Page 3 4 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual Delete a Support Ticket SD0103 This option allows you to delete support tickets NOTE You should not delete a support ticket that has current billings If you delete a support ticket that has not yet been billed it may distort some of your reports This option allows you to delete support tickets you may have entered by mistake or no longer want Enter the sup port ticket number you want to remove and lt click gt the Delete button Make sure this is what you want to do because once a support ticket is deleted it can not be retrieved again A backup of data files is always recommended prior to deletion of records Results coSD2dy dbf Service Ticket File Support Ticket Information is marked for deletion IMPORT SUPPORT TICKETS SD0603 The File Import options allow you to bring information into the appropriate modules from text or ASCII files Word processors spreadsheets databa
50. gt the Delete button Make sure this is what you want to do because once a serial number is deleted it can not be retrieved again A backup of data files is always recommended prior to deletion of records Results coSD2dy dbf Contract File Support Contract Information is marked for deletion Copy an Existing Support Contract SD0419 This option allows you to set up new support contracts by copying existing ones Using this option the system pro vides a quick method of setting up support contracts that are very similar By using the Copy an Existing Support Contract menu option you are able to quickly create and enter new support contracts into the file First enter the Source support contract number you want to copy from This is the support contract that currently exists in your system Next enter the new Destination support contract number or if automatic numbering is turned on in the Master Configuration the system will assign a new support contract number to copy to This is the new support con tract that you wish to create The next screen will bring you the new support contract and you will be in the Change Mode to make any changes that would differ from the original source support contract All contract information will be duplicated The new support contract is not actually added to the file until you have pressed ENTER to validate from this screen Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 13 Cu
51. ining has been allocated the system will save the transaction print the transaction register and return for the next transaction If you do not wish to allocate the amount remaining to various sales codes and you prefer to have it post as unapplied cash a credit open item to the customer s account press END and ENTER and the system will save the transaction print the transaction register and return for the next transaction If the customer is an Open Item customer and there are other open items on the customer s account the system will display a scrolling window showing all open items This scrolling window will allow you to apply the payment or deposit toward an existing open item You may use your up and down arrow keys to review each open item on the account and choose those items you wish to apply the payment toward By pressing the F10 key on this screen it will call up a Pop Up window that prompts for an invoice number When a valid invoice number is entered and you press ENTER to validate it the system will search through the open invoices for the invoice number that you specified It will mark that line as Y to be paid and will allow you to either press ENTER to pay the entire invoice or enter an amount that is being applied to that invoice The top of this screen displays the amount of the check the amount that has been distributed and the amount re maining As you apply the payment toward the open items these figure
52. is includes chang ing field labels configuration information and default values for your billing follow up hardware status and con tract set up A default configuration is already built into your Customer Support Management module However you may prefer to change this configuration to meet your company s specific requirements If you do decide to assume the default values please review them carefully before you begin processing After selecting this option a screen will appear displaying the following five choices e Master Configuration e Billing Configuration e Follow Up Configuration e Hardware Configuration e Status Configuration e Contract Configuration As you proceed to select each option enter all required changes or lt click gt the Save button to validate and assume the default configuration The Master Configuration screen will display the data items necessary for configuring your Customer Support Man agement data files The following is a list of each of these data items and the default values and descriptions of each Master Configuration Ticket Numbering Seq This data item defines the starting or next available support ticket num ber By entering a number other than zero 0 in this field will allow the system to automatically number each support ticket as it is entered into the system If you enter a zero 0 in this field the system will prompt you to enter a new support ticket number for
53. is section discusses routine maintenance performed on the various Customer Support Management files These options include setting up the attributes of your serial numbers contracts the master configuration and an option to Maintain the Customer Support Management data files NAVIGATION TOOLS Within this module there are numerous references to navigation The following navigation buttons are defined for reference when used through this chapter ML blaj OB ch e a Navigation Button Function 4 Selects the first record 4 Selects the previous record gt Selects the next record di Selects the last record Al Scroll view Selects a specific record from a list B Creates a record Modifies the current record Deletes the current record Creates a record based on the current record Maintains notes for this record Displays record timestamp information le is a ll be SET UP SERIAL NUMBERS This section discusses the ways to set up change delete and copy serial numbers This includes the option to im port serial number information from other systems The source is irrelevant as long as the information is in an ASCII file Page 2 4 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual Add a New Serial Number SD0411 This option allows you to set up new serial numbers Several screens will be used taking you step by step
54. ise the selections made for the previous report within the same session will be applied to the current report Once you log out of the system the last saved printer and display settings will be applied to the reports when you log back into the system If E Mail is selected as the report output destination the actual report will be embedded within the e mail message as an HTML display in a fixed Courier font so that columns will automatically adjust to align properly Report Print Options In the Printer Settings section lt click gt on the Options button to open the Print window You can select the entire report the current page or a range of pages or a specific page to be printed You can also custom adjust form sizes by increasing or decreasing the horizontal and vertical offsets The horizontal offset adjusts the alignment in fractions of an inch The default offset value is set to 0 00 A positive increase will adjust alignment to the right a negative value will adjust alignment to the left The vertical offset adjusts the alignment in fractions of an inch The default offset value is set to 0 00 A positive increase will adjust alignment down a negative value will adjust alignment up Displayed Report Options If the report output is Display you can also use the navigation toolbar buttons to jump to another page within the displayed report or lt click gt the toolbar button to specify a particular page This comes in handy to
55. lready on file and if so use that ac count for tracking and or billing purposes If a call or project is deemed as billable this integration will allow billing to occur in this module which will directly update the customer s account in the Accounts Receivable module The result is a single customer file that can be managed and updated from both sides of the fence As part of this integration you may want to see the customer s current payment status with your firm before you de cide to provide any further kinds of service to them This can easily be accomplished by simply performing a Cus tomer Inquiry that will provide up to the minute billing and payment status on the customer s account Should they be past due on their account a hold status can be set by aging category that would prevent or warn the support representative before they continue providing their services This program is designed to keep a detailed log of each call or event performed by your internal staff by the entering of what we call support tickets A support ticket may be entered for each time a call is received from a customer a trainer provides services on site with a customer an e mail or fax is responded to or many other options Chapter 1 Introduction Page 1 1 Customer Support Management User Manual The key is tracking The support ticket allows your staff to enter the customer or group it is supporting into the sys tem and make specific entrie
56. mber retired and will not allow a user to enter support tickets against that serial number Update Date This field represents the date of the last Update or Upgrade sent out for this se rial number Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 5 Customer Support Management User Manual Begin Warranty This data item defines when a warranty period begins for this serial number It is used in conjunction with the next data field End Warranty to define a complete time frame for the warranty for this product End Warranty This data item defines when a warranty period ends for this serial number It is used in conjunction with the previous data field Begin Warranty to define a complete time frame for the warranty for this product AR Sales Code This data item defines the Accounts Receivable Sales Code that will be used when support tickets that have been entered into the system are billed This tells the system which General Ledger chart of accounts will be effected with a sup port ticket billing transaction You may lt click gt the down arrow to access a list of sales codes Bill Rate This is the billing rate that will be used when billing by the call unit on support tickets for this serial number Total Calls This is the total amount of call units that have been applied to this serial num ber This amount gets increased each time a billing of support tickets has been processed against this serial number
57. mpt you for a beginning and ending date range of tickets to include The system will print statements based on the criteria s you have defined in your selection process PERFORM CONTRACT BILLING This section describes the options available under the Perform Contract Billing menu option This includes the calculation of contract renewals the printing of the contract renewal report the printing of the contract renewal statements and the recording of contract renewal payments Calculate Contract Renewals SD0105 This option allows you to calculate contract renewals for any customers which fit into the criteria that have been defined in the Set Up Master Configuration menu option In the Master Configuration you have defined a number of days for contract renewal and a number of minutes for contract renewal The system will compare the current system date with the expiration date of the contract If the contract is within the Days for Contract Renewal in the Master Configuration from expiring the renewal will be calculated for this contract The system will calculate a renewal of the contract if the number of minutes remain ing on the contract is less than or equal to the number of Minutes for Contract Renewal in the Master Configu ration The system will first ask you for the beginning and ending range of contracts Select the range of contracts you want to calculate for renewals or enter HOME and END for all contracts Pres
58. n Data Item 5 it will be updated into the Bill Qty field You may then if necessary break out this total amount into a billing and a non billing category Only the amount entered into the Bill Qty field will be billed for this support ticket Bill Rate This data item defines the billing rate that was set up on the serial number that was chosen for this support ticket This amount may be overridden Free Bill This is a Y es or N o question which will tell the system to Force Bill this support ticket even if there are circumstances that are present that would keep it from normally being billed Serial Number This data item is used to define the serial number Ticket X Ref This data item is used to cross reference this support ticket with an other ticket that may have additional information regarding the na ture of this service call Once you have entered all data items required you may press the END key to take you to the validation prompt Press the ENTER key to validate these items and the system will return you to the main data entry screen Your cursor will be positioned at the validation prompt on the main screen If there are no other changes required for this support ticket press the Save button to validate and save this support ticket Results coSD2dy dbf Service Ticket File New Support Ticket is added to file Change a Support Ticket SD0102 This option allows you to change all in
59. nagement General Ledger TF Inventory Management Job Cost I Payroll I Point of Sale J Purchase Order Entry Sales Order Entry Select All System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started started by A R System not started System not started Clear All Invert Start Page 2 24 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual If you are in any other period or month other than the last fiscal period of the year the system will not allow the user to select any modules to Start New Year s Files Therefore if you are looking to create 2007 data files as the new year the old year is 2006 and your date should be set to a day in the last fiscal period of 2006 If you are pre pared to begin data files for the new fiscal year you may choose the Select All button which will highlight all Registered Systems Or you may choose the Clear All button to undo your choices The Invert button re verses the choices currently selected on the screen You may also take your mouse and lt click gt on each accounting module one by one to specify which module s to select for this function It is not uncommon for many users to be prepared to begin certain data files for the new fis cal year such as General Ledger and Accounts Payable while holding back
60. ngth Act STRING 80 15 Ver STRING 95 10 Media Type STRING 105 10 OS Config INT 115 1 OS Version STRING 116 20 AR SC STRING 136 5 Bill Rate STRING 141 12 Comment 1 STRING 153 50 Comment 2 STRING 203 50 File Import Modules If it is not in this format then you will encounter errors during the import process or not be allowed to continue at all The File Import features allow for the importing of text file information into any of the Infinity POWER programs This includes the ability to import Master File information such as Charts of Accounts Customer Names and Ad dresses Employees Vendors etc as well as transaction information for those master files such as invoices and credit memos journal entry updates etc These text files may be created by a wide range of sources which may include word processors spreadsheets da tabases or other types of accounting programs These sources may also include other computer systems that utilize different operating systems and functions such as mainframes minicomputers or various types of PCs Enter the desired format such as Fixed Length Variable Length etc for the following data items 1 Import File Type 2 Import File Name 3 Print Audit Trail Y N Data item 1 Import File Name is prompting you to enter the type of file you will be using during the import proc ess There are three choices 1 Fixed Length ASCII 2 Variable L
61. nt files The Customer Support Management system allows you the ability to custom configure your status field billing field and follow up field labels default settings for each of these fields support ticket and contract numbering sequences warranty information and contract renewal information When you select this menu option a complete list of choices will be displayed as shown on the following screen Infinity POWER for Windows Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc ins File Systems Transactions Reports Set Up and Maintenance Help Set Up Serial Numbers Import Serial Numbers n F f 4 75 Data Pro Set Up Support Contracts Import Support Contracts Set Up Tickler File Ctrlt F2 PFU Dai Support Management Configuration Maintain Data Files Set Up Customers Ctri F1 Vata Frog PERFORM INITIAL SET UP Once you have installed your module s and reviewed the System Overview Chapter 1 you are ready to set up your master Customer Support Management files from scratch Select the Systems option from the Menu Bar Then select the System Administrator option Then select the Start up from Scratch menu option as shown on the following screen Start Up From Scratch is utilized to set up your initial Customer Support Management and any other integrated accounting module data files for a particular company This procedure is performed only once Thereafter your da
62. ntract number By entering a number other than zero 0 in this field will allow the system to automatically number each contract as it is entered into the system If you enter a zero 0 in this field the system will prompt you to enter a new contract number for each contract entered Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 19 Customer Support Management User Manual Warranty Days This field indicates the number of days the system will use to automati cally calculate a begin end warranty period for the serial number based on the first support ticket billed to the customer All support tickets pilled during this warranty period will not actually generate a bill to the customer Minimum Minutes This is the minimum number of minutes the support ticket system will accept When entering a new support ticket if a ticket is entered as 3 minutes and this field is set to 5 the ticket will be automatically changed to 5 Minutes Call Unit This data item determines the increment of minutes in the per call unit for support ticket billing For example if you wish to only bill in ten minute increments enter the number 10 here and set the billing rate in the serial numbers to the rate per 10 minute call units When a support ticket is entered into the system and the total call time is less than 10 minutes the invoice will bill at 1 call unit If it goes over 10 minutes but still under 20 then it will bill for 2 call units
63. oll Point of Sale Productivity Tools Purchase Order Entry Sales Order Entry Time Sheet Entry IGG 719009000004 System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not started System not startup will be started by A R System not started System not started System not started System not started Clear All Invert Start Close Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual This is an automated utility designed to simplify the process of creating all of the data files for each accounting module throughout the system Users may choose to Select All accounting modules by lt clicking gt on this button which will check all modules and make them ready for processing Otherwise you may lt click gt on the Clear AIP button to undo your selections The Invert button will reverse the order of all current selections Additionally you may use your mouse to manually lt click gt on each module to lt click gt it on or off to be included in the startup process Remember modules such as Purchase Order require Accounts Payable to function Sales Order Entry requires Accounts Receivable and Time Sheet Entry requires the Payroll data files Point of Sale and Accounts Receivable share common files which is why it is so noted on the screen This step must be done for each company
64. on certain modules such as the Sales Or der Entry module This would allow users to continue processing orders in the prior fiscal year to allow additional sales to get on the books or to complete orders prior to starting the new order file for the new year Once this file is started only outstanding orders will be transferred to the new fiscal year General Ledger however is one module whereby users may create new data files for the new fiscal year and con tinue to process in both the prior and new fiscal years and the same time Once postings are made to the prior fiscal year the option to Bring Balances Forward into the new year is run to bring all adjusted balances current Select the module s to Start New Year s Files for and lt click gt on the Start button The program will create the new year s data files The system will show a message next to each module stating System already started The bottom of the screen will show Processing Completed lt Click gt on the Close button to return to the Menu Bar Results Files copied to or created for the New Year Service Ticket File coSD2dy dbf MAKE COMPLETE DATA BACKUPS Make sure that you make complete data backups as you add more and more information to your system The file naming structure is designed to allow you to copy data files only very quickly and easily We strongly recommend that the following backup procedures be followed to adequately prot
65. on the type of text file Each of the import options allow you to print a transaction journal as the import is being performed This provides an audit trail of the information being updated into your data files This report will also indicate if the import of a record was not performed due to errors encountered in the importation process Some of the import file structures allow you to specify action numbers These action numbers tell the system whether you want the information being imported to be added changed or deleted The action numbers are listed below 1 Add Record to file 2 Change record in file 3 Delete record in file 4 Add record if it doesn t exist otherwise change it Some of the transaction import file structures require a field called Cont 0 NO 1 YES This field indicates to the import programs whether or not the transaction is continued in the next record For example in the Accounts Receivable Transaction import there may be several lines of detail on an invoice that is being imported Each line should be placed in a separate record of the text file with a 1 for YES to indicate that the transaction is continued The last line should contain a 0 for NO indicating the end of the transaction For each transaction related import there are certain fields that are required and used by the system to verify the va lidity of the information being imported These fields are marked in the fi
66. ontracts that are as signed to them Keep in mind that customers can have multiple contracts and serial numbers assigned to them and tracked There fore some items may be covered under a warranty contract where others are not The two issues can be tracked and manage completely separately by the system Many of the most convenient features of the system are its ability to perform quick adds and changes throughout the program For instance new customers calling for assistance may not already be set up in your Accounts Receiv able module Instead of leaving the program and going to the Accounts Receivable module the Customer Quick Add feature allows for immediate creation and modification right from within the Customer Support Management module The same is true for Serial Numbers as well A full set of inquiry options also allow customer service representatives the ease of instant lookups This includes inquiries on Customer Accounts Serial Numbers and specific Service Tickets Plus don t miss the tickler feature that can be one of the most important tools a support group needs when call volume is high This unique option allows a manager with the correct rights to assign a tickler to a specific support representative to handle Once the assigned representative clears their current support ticket the system will automatically flag them that they have return calls or projects that they must attend to This reminder
67. ort Management User Manual Once you have entered the last field of data lt click gt the Save button to validate this entry and this new support con tract will be added Results coSD2dy dbf Contract File New Support Contract is added to File Change a Support Contract SD0417 This option allows you to change all information for any support contract After initial set up all historical informa tion should be input through Enter Transactions in order to maintain an audit trail If you have made any mis takes during this set up process you may return to the Change a Support Contract option to change any informa tion you have already entered First select the support contract you wish to modify then lt click gt the Change button Select the data item you want to change lt Click gt the Save button to validate your entry Results coSD2dy dbf Contract File Support Contract Information is updated Delete a Support Contract SD0418 This option allows you to delete support contracts NOTE You should not delete an active support contract If you delete a support con tract that has unbilled support tickets it may distort some of your reports The Delete a Support Contract option found under the Setup and Maintenance main menu option allows you to delete support contracts you may have entered by mistake or no longer want Enter the support contract number you wish to remove and lt click
68. p Configuration question answered to Y es therefore upon entering into that field will bring you to a new screen that will allow you to enter follow up information Default Billing Type This data item allows you to set a default Billing Type to be used when entering a support ticket into the system It may be overridden however it will show as a default upon entering a support ticket You may have up to twenty 20 Billing Types to choose from Default Follow up Type This data item allows you to set a default Follow up Type to be used when entering a support ticket into the system It may be overridden however it will show as a default upon entering a support ticket You may have up to twenty 20 Follow up Types to choose from Status Field Title This data item allows you to custom configure the title of the status field This is a ten 10 character alpha numeric field This title will show up on the support ticket entry screen Bill Field Title This data item allows you to custom configure the title of the bill field This is a ten 10 character alpha numeric field This title will show up on the support ticket entry screen Follow up Field Title This data item allows you to custom configure the title of the follow up field This is a ten 10 character alpha numeric field This title will show up on the support ticket entry screen Contract Number This data item defines the starting or next available co
69. ple of each report generated by the Customer Support Management module The equations used to calculate the amounts on the reports and how these reports are generated through the use of various questions asked by the system are discussed here The reports included here reflect sample information input into the sample company and only reflect an example of the way a company may utilize certain features within this module All modules are designed to be extremely flexi ble in the way you may organize data and print the corresponding reports accordingly Do not assume that these reports reflect the only way they may either be structured or the fashion in which they may be printed These reports may be used as a cross reference to determine which reports you should be using in your daily activities or when trying to locate specific types of information STANDARD FEATURES FOR REPORTS Here is a listing of some standard features that may be utilized with all reports Home End Sort By Field Masking Wildcards FS F6 Stop the Printer Period to Report On Change Report Output Device Font Attributes Report Print Options Displayed Report Options Home End When asked to define the range of serial numbers to report on you may select the first serial number in the file by pressing the HOME key for the Beginning Serial Number number and the last serial number in the file by press ing the END key for the Ending Serial Number number
70. problem that the customer is calling about Enter Config amp Versions Y N This is a Y es or N o question that will allow you to enter addi tional information for this support ticket If you answer Y es to this question a new screen will overlay the main data entry screen and will prompt you for the following information Page 3 2 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual DP Version This data item is defaulted information from the serial number se lected for this support contract This information is read directly from the serial number master file You may accept this default or you may override it with other information This field defines the version of the product that this call is about HW Config This data item is defaulted information from the serial number se lected for this support contract This information is read directly from the serial number master file You may accept this default or you may override it with other information This field defines the hardware used with the product that this call is about OS Version This data item is used to define the operating system version the cus tomer is using with the product they are calling in for service on Term Info This data item is used to define the terminal information the cus tomer is using with the product that are calling in for service on RAM Size This field is used to define the RAM Random Access
71. res you will be able to have the AR Aging Report match the Accounts Re ceivable balance on a prior period s General Ledger Balance Sheet If you are not concerned with balancing the Bal ance Sheet and AR Aging Report from a prior period you may continue to post partial payments as normal Page 3 10 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual SALESMAN LOGIN This option allows a salesman to login to the Custom Support Management module A login is only required if the Require Login check box is selected in the Set Up and Maintenance gt Master Configuration If this box is checked a salesman must select their Salesman Id and enter their password in order to have access to any of the Customer Sup port Management options Salesman Login x Current Salesman None Salesman ALF Password coca SALESMAN LOGOUT This option allows a salesman to logout of the Custom Support Management module A login is only required if the Require Login check box is selected in the Set Up and Maintenance gt Master Configuration If this box is checked a salesman must login in order to have access to any of the Customer Support Management options Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 11 Customer Support Management User Manual This page intentionally left blank Page 3 12 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual CHAPTER 4 PRINT REPORTS This section includes a description and sam
72. rial number so that a detailed log of all activity is kept against each individual serial number In Data Pro s case we would track against the specific serial number of each individual accounting module However another firm may want to track the history of a specific air conditioner or other serialized item Further the system allows for the management of support contracts This can include billable and non billable con tracts that may have a fixed amount of time for each contract As such a separate starting and ending date is tracked for each contract Additionally each contract can be assigned a total number of available minutes and unique price for billing purposes As support tickets are entered through the system they can be applied towards the customer s support contract and the minutes available for each support contract can be counted down automatically Renewals of contracts can then automatically be generated once a pre defined criterion has been set for renewal billing cycles Sales tracking can occur based on the type of contract the support representative handling the call or contract and much more Detailed reporting is one of the most valuable tools this module provides Whether you want to print on demand the detail of each support ticket or a listing of all of the serial numbers assigned or tracked to a specific cus tomer it is immediately available Further reports can be run by customer to track all of the c
73. s based upon your answer The screen will reflect the number of serial numbers that have been posted to the system as it goes through the import process Once it completes the import process the system will prompt you to lt click gt close to return to the menu You may run this option as many times as you desire The following section contains a more comprehensive description of how Import Modules work within the Infinity POWER programs You may however print the file layout for this option directly to your printer or screen by lt clicking gt the Print button under the Map File section Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 9 Customer Support Management User Manual File Import Modules Overview Because the concept of transferring information from one system or program to another via text interface files is more technical than the normal operation of most word processors or the Infinity POWER modules this documen tation must assume that the reader has some understanding of the terms and concepts explained here Otherwise you may want to work with your reseller or consultant regarding the actual implementation and use of these modules with your Infinity POWER programs The ability of importing information into the Infinity POWER modules provides the user with several benefits e They allow the rapid conversion and setup from other computer based accounting systems with out the manual re keying of information that is norm
74. s you may lt click gt the Save button to take you to the validation prompt Follow Up Configuration The Follow up Configuration option allows you to set up a description for up to twenty 20 follow up types Enter a description of up to twenty 20 characters alpha numeric This description will be seen when you are entering support tickets and you activate the drop down list when entering the follow up field Hardware Configuration The Hardware Configuration option allows you to set up a description for up to ten 10 hardware types Enter a de scription of up to seven 7 characters alpha numeric This description will be seen when you are entering support tickets and you activate the drop down list when entering the follow up field Status Configuration The Status Configuration option allows you to set up a description for up to three 3 status types Enter a descrip tion of up to twenty 20 characters alpha numeric This description will be seen when you are entering support tickets and you activate the drop down list when entering the status field Generally the first status should be set up as an open or unresolved status The second should be considered resolved and that a ticket is ready for bill ing The third status should represent a completed or updated status indicating the support ticket has been billed Contract Configuration The Contract Configuration option allows you to set up a description for up to fifte
75. s ENTER to assume the de fault However if you pay commissions to your manager based on cash received you should change this to the salesman that was originally as signed the sale that this payment is for or the salesman that is to collect commissions on this transaction Receipts Sales Code This field will default to the Sales Code that is set up in the Master Con figuration for Cash Receipts You may override this sales code at this point to allocate cash payments and deposits to different cash accounts Each sales code controls the General Ledger account number to be af fected by this posting You may press the Spacebar and then ENTER to view the other sales codes set up in the file Select the Sales Code to be used for this posting and press ENTER to continue You may now press ENTER to validate the overhead portion of this transaction If the customer is a Balance Forward type of customer or if there are currently no open items on this customer s account the system will allow the posting of unapplied cash This amount can be allocated to up to twenty 20 different sales codes This procedure will allow you to allocate the cash to various general ledger accounts through the use of sales codes without having to enter an invoice posting it to the customers account and then entering a payment against the invoice Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 9 Customer Support Management User Manual Once the amount rema
76. s ENTER to validate and begin calculating renewals based on the current system date Results coSD3dy dbf Contract File Print Contract Renewal Report SD0106 This option allows you to print a report containing a summary of the contract renewals that have been calculated by the system This report is a tool to comprise a list of the current contract renewals before printing the renewal statements Upon selecting this option you will be asked to specify the range of contracts to include in this report Enter the contract number or press the F5 key for special searches or the F6 key for near matches After you have selected your range of contracts you may specify any sorting when printing this report Once you press ENTER to begin the system will begin printing the report Field Names Contract Maintenance Contract Price Customer Min Remaining Customer Name AR Bill Contract Type New Minutes Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 7 Customer Support Management User Manual Print Renewal Statements SD0107 This option allows you to print your contract renewal statements Using this option you may print contract renewal statements that have been calculated by the Calculate Contract Renewals menu option Upon selecting this option you will be asked to specify the range of contracts to include Enter the contract number or press the F5 key for special searches or the F6 key for near matches The s
77. s as to the nature of the problem or question as well as the solution or informa tion that was provided as a response Contact information of who they spoke with whether it was a warranty or billable transaction and the remaining status of the issue are updated for each ticket Support tickets may be held open indefinitely until a final resolution is entered into the system and then the ticket is closed Plus the time tracking feature of the system will automatically flag the beginning and ending time of the call As such immediate calculations of call length are automatically determined by the system Configuration and version data can be entered regarding the customer s operating environment as well as what the follow up and billing status of the call should be Each support ticket is then assigned a unique ticket number that may be reviewed and updated as frequently as is required If the ticket is a billable item this process serves as an invoice writing option that will ultimately update the Ac counts Receivable module which then in turn updates all the way to the company s General Ledger module if inte grated It is this tight level of integration which makes this module so valuable to any company trying to manage their customer service business For those firms who are trying to manage the tracking of serial numbers on a variety of products this module is ideal Each support ticket can be applied against a specific se
78. s option you will be asked to specify the range of customers to include in this update Enter the customer number or press the F5 key for special searches or the F6 key for near matches After you have selected your range of customers you may specify any sorting preference or region masks when printing this report You will next be asked to specify a cutoff date Once you press ENTER to begin the system will begin updating the support tickets and in this process will also mark them as Updated Results coSD2dy dbf Service Ticket File Support Ticket Information is updated Print Support Billing Statements SD0108 This option allows you to print your support billing statements Using this option you may print support billing statements that have been updated by the Update Support Billing menu option Upon selecting this option you will be asked to specify the range of customers to include Enter the customer num ber or press the F5 key for special searches or the F6 key for near matches After you have selected your range of customers you may specify any sorting preference or region masks You will then be given options to the type of report you wish to run which are listed below Page 3 6 Enter Transactions Chapter 3 Customer Support Management User Manual e Customers with current balances e Customers with unpaid balances e Complete Service Billing Audit e Automatic Contract Non Contract The system will then pro
79. s serial number This activation date is used to track when a serial number was activated Activation Number This is a fifteen 15 character field for the serial number s activation key This activation key is typically used to make a product a live useable product OS Configuration This data item allows you to define the operating system configuration for this serial number You may lt click gt the Down arrow to access a list of the configu rations pre set in the Master Configuration OS Version This is a twenty 20 character field for the operating system version this prod uct is executing from Product Version This is a ten 10 character field for the serial number s product version This field may be used and updated as needed when customers update their products to a newer version Media Type This is a ten 10 character field for the serial number s media type This field may be used and updated as needed when customers update their products to a different media Comments There are two lines of fifty 50 characters to input any comments for this serial number User License This is a two 2 character field for the serial number s user license This field defines how many user licenses have been distributed for this serial number Retired This check box will define whether this serial number is retired If you lt check gt this box on then the system will consider this serial nu
80. s will be adjusted accordingly When you find an open item that you would like to apply the payments toward you may enter Y es in the column titled Paid The system will then ask you for the amount to apply toward this open item The default amount will be either the amount of the open item or if the payment is less than the open item the amount of the payment remaining After you have completed applying the payment you may press END to jump to the validation line Press ENTER to validate the transaction and print the transaction register After you have pressed ENTER to validate there are two cases in which the system displays a warning message and asks you for a response 1 If there is a credit amount remaining the system will display the amount and ask if you want to al locate this amount remaining This amount can be allocated to up to five 5 different sales codes This procedure will allow you to allocate the cash to various general ledger accounts through the use of sales codes without having to enter an invoice posting it to the customers account and then entering a payment against the invoice Once the amount remaining has been allocated the system will save the transaction print the transaction register and return for the next transaction If you do not wish to allocate the amount remaining to various sales codes and you prefer to have it post as unap plied cash a credit open item to the customer s account press END
81. savers die Delete a Serial Number SD0413 Delete a Support Contract y Delete a Support Ticketea a soa psi a E a hace tad shea ats ETE REEE E EAE NEER A EE AA RRR AER be Displayed Report Options sa ee o a seta eda aa A tues E ENTER SUPPORT HCKETS A E NE O E R 3 1 ENTERTRANSACTION Sii ala 3 1 F File Import Modules OVErvie Weiss il aa 2 10 FollowUp Configuration 2 21 Font Attributes s cau na a n E GT ae een 4 3 H Hardware Configuration y ao ON I IMPORT SERIAL NUMBERS SD0601 IMPORT SUPPORT CONTRACTS s IMPORT SUPPORT TICKETS ai Index Page I 1 Customer Support ManagementUser Manual EENIA Eei EERE RRE MAINTAIN Data FILES neien na ee sey seg ca Aara a E A a EEEE MAKE COMPLETE DATA BACKUPS ES LR NN Master Configura A A E N Navigation Dl A T E AA E AA E E EAA AEA 2 4 P PERFORM GONTRACTBILLEINGS miie an e eaa E Eeee A A aE e SaN ELERS 3 7 PERFORM INFHAL SETUP E e r Eai A eE PE Aee a EES ciate RE EALA etae ATE su A EAEE 2 1 PERFORM SUPPORT BILLIN Gita A a 3 5 Period to Report On Print Contract Renewal Report ui o id dictado 3 7 PRINT CONTRACT REPOR Drinaan Read 4 9 4 10 Print Renewal Statements PRINT REPORTS ias at A AAA PRINT SERTAL NUMBER REPORT cuicos dr ida 4 7 4 8 Print Support Billing Print Support Billing Statements is RAE 3 6 PRINT SUPPORT TCR E TS sedis E E RA EEE R E E A A RE psay ora naans A A aE 4 5 R Record Contract Renewal Payments iii A E AEEA E EE A TA
82. ser Manual PRINT SERIAL NUMBER REPORT Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc Page 1 Serial Number Report 4 04 28 2006 Serial Customer Reg Date Act Date Upd Date Beg War End War Version Media Type Config Name 10 12BLT RZ 000001 HARC1 02 13 2006 02 16 2006 03 17 2006 02 16 2006 02 15 2009 10X12 BLT 10X12BT Fred Hart 10x12BLT 0497 00002 NATI 04 30 2003 04 30 2003 01 20 2003 04 30 2003 07 30 2003 10x12BLT 10x12BL 10X12BT National Auto Parts Page 4 8 Print Reports Chapter 4 Customer Support Management User Manual PRINT CONTRACT REPORT SD0203 This report provides a detailed listing of all contract renewals This report may be printed either in non detail or detailed format When you execute this option simply specify the serial number range then select the type of report that you want Field Names Contract Number Customer Number Customer Name Contract Type Maint Initial Date Start Date End Date Min Remaining Comments AR Bill AR Credit Salesman Total Minutes Total Sales Totals Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 9 Customer Support Management User Manual Contract 1001 1003 1005 Customer Name Comments HARC1 Fred Hart HARC1 Fred Hart NATI National Auto Parts Number of records printed 3 Page 4 10 Print Reports Print Contract Report Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc Service Contract Report Detailed Contract Type Standard St
83. ses or many other types of programs may create these text files This option is designed to allow you to import Support Tickets directly into the Customer Support Management module When you select the option to Import Support Tickets a new screen will appear At this point you may press ENTER to continue or lt click gt the Print button to print the import file format This will print out the format in which this option is looking for information to be organized in If the import file is a comma delimited file the data can be variable length If the import file is a fixed length ASCH file it must have a logical record length of 42 bytes Both types of files must have the following field lengths Description Type Position Length Action CHAR 1 1 Ticket STRING 2 10 Customer STRING 12 10 Serial STRING 22 10 Date STRING 32 6 Sup Rep STRING 38 5 Please refer to the Import Serial Numbers SD0601 File Import Modules section of Chapter 2 for details on file import options PERFORM SUPPORT BILLING This section describes the options available under the Perform Support Billing menu option This includes the printing of the support billing report the updating of support billing the printing of the support billing statements and the actual update to all related files Chapter 3 Enter Transactions Page 3 5 Customer Support Management User Manual Print Support Billing SD0204
84. sing the ENTER key at either of these fields the system will obtain the current clock time on your computer system The starting and ending time is then calculated to get a total number of minutes for this support ticket Bill Cust This data item represents the customer who will be billed for this support ticket By default the customer s number who was entered in Data Item 1 will be displayed However if there is another cus tomer who should be billed for this support call then you may over ride the default customer number with a new customer number Status This data field is used to flag this support ticket with a status There are up to three status definitions available and they are set up in the Master Configuration If the status is set at 1 regardless of its la bel it is assumed that the support ticket is considered open and unresolved If the status is set at 2 regardless of its label it desig nates that the support ticket has been resolved If the status is set at 3 regardless of its label it designates that the support ticket has been resolved and billed Problem This data item is comprised of ten 10 lines with sixty four 64 characters per line This area is used to type freely the nature of the problem that the customer is calling about Solution This data item is comprised of ten 10 lines with sixty four 64 characters per line This area is used to type freely the solution to the
85. sons contained herein are intended to be completely fictitious and are designed solely to document and exemplify the use of Data Pro Accounting Software Inc s products Page i This page intentionally left blank Page ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Description Page CHAPTER TINT RODOCTION 0 A iei eraai 1 1 SYSTEM INTEGRATION sccsscssssscsssssssssssssesesssssceseesssssscsessscsscsseesscsscsssseseeseescsssseseescsssssesesees 1 3 DATA FILE DESCRIPTIONS sscsssssssscssscsccsccsscsscesccsscsnessesssseneesssssenecssssscssesssesscsssseneesesssseners 1 3 CHAPTER 2 SET UP AND MAINTANENCE scisscssissesrscssdesshsssvicvcsnsassiatseiasvensadescaasisiansesasasses 2 1 PERFORM INITIAL SET UP oococncocconocnononicncnnnccnncononncnnnconacnoronronconononconcconon coca rco nac caro SES eio siers anno 2 1 PERFORM ROUTINE MAINTENANCE cscsscssssssssscsscescsscsssscsecsessssesssssssscsssessessesssseneesesssseneee 2 4 NAVIGATION TOOL aieas reee erroe oeeo Eee S esoe e ES eeso e T SEKE S E e OES eeso 2 4 SET UP SERIAL NUMBERS cscsssscsssscsscescsseseccssensesssessensesscsscesesssesscsssseneesesssseneesessssesessocsseees 2 4 Add a New Serial Number SD0411 0 ccccccccssscecsensececsseeecesseecnesaececseeeecseaeeecsesaeeeceeeaeeeeaeeeseaeeesseeeeenees 2 5 Change a Serial Number SD0412 cee eesceecceesseceeececsaeceeeeecsaecssneecsaeeeneecsaeesaeecsaeeseneecsaeeseeeecsaeeeaaeceseeeeneeees 2 6 Delete a Serial Number SD0413
86. stomer Support Management User Manual Results coSD2dy dbf Contract File New Support Contract is added to file IMPORT SUPPORT CONTRACTS SD0602 The File Import options allow you to bring information into the appropriate modules from text or ASCII files Word processors spreadsheets databases or many other types of programs may create these text files This option is designed to allow you to import Support Contracts directly into the Customer Support Management module When you select the Import Support Contract option from the Set Up and Maintenance main menu option the Import Service Contracts window displays At this point you may lt click gt the Print button under the Map File to print the import file format This will print out the format in which this option is looking for information to be organized in If the import file is a comma delimited file the data can be variable length If the import file is a fixed length ASCII file it must have a logical record length of 156 bytes Both types of files must have the following field lengths Description Type Position Length Action CHAR 1 1 Contract STRING 2 10 Customer STRING 12 10 Type INT 22 2 Maint Y N CHAR 24 1 Init Date STRING 25 6 Start Date STRING 31 6 End Date STRING 37 6 Min Remain INT 43 4 Tot Minutes INT 47 4 Tot Sales DOUBLE 51 12 Renew Con Y N CHAR 63 1 Bill AR Code STRING 64 10
87. ta files may be packed or re indexed through the Customer Support Management option Maintain Data Files Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 1 Customer Support Management User Manual Infinity POWER for Windows Infinity POWER Sample Company Inc ins File Systems Transactions General Ledger Accounts Payable Purchase Order Entry Accounts Receivable Reports Set Up and Maintenance Help Dita PFO Inventory Management Sales Order Entry Point of Sale Payroll Job Cost Main Module Time Sheet Entry Check Reconciliation Report Writer Dita Report Writer Run Time Customer Support Management tem Administrator Security Administrator POWERServer Module Run Crystal Reports Productivity Tools Form Generator POWER Upgrade Utility rt Up F Start New Year s Files Once this option is selected the following screen will appear showing a listing of all accounting modules that have been installed on your computer system Page 2 2 Ml Start Up From Scratch Tools al ES POWER Sample Company in1 Your current fiscal year end is period 12 This option creates data files and configures initial settings for each registered system in the company Infinity Be sure your fiscal year is set properly before you begin Registered Systems Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Check Reconciliation Customer Service Management General Ledger Inventory Job Cost Payr
88. ta item defines the form that will be used when the option Perform Support Billing is selected Contract Billing Form This data item defines the form that will be used when the option Perform Contract Billing is selected Page 2 20 Set Up amp Maintenance Chapter 2 Customer Support Management User Manual Billing Configuration The Billing Configuration option allows you to set up a description and define whether this billing type is billable or not for up to twenty 20 billing types These billing types can be accessed by lt clicking gt a selection when entering support tickets Upon entering this option you will have two questions for each billing type that you assign to the system Bill Description Enter a description of up to twenty 20 characters alpha numeric This description will be seen when you are entering support tickets and you activate the drop down selection when entering the billing type field Bill Y N This is a check box which determines whether or not this billing type will bill against a support contract If you check the box all support tickets entered with this billing type will either bill against a contract or bill as a support billing If you uncheck the box to this question the system will retain the support ticket in the system for historical purposes but will not bill it against a contract or a normal support billing invoice Once you have entered all your billing type
89. to the file until you have pressed ENTER to validate from this screen Results coSD1 dbf Serial Number File New Serial Number is added to file IMPORT SERIAL NUMBERS SD0601 The File Import options allow you to bring information into the appropriate modules from text or ASCII files Word processors spreadsheets databases or many other types of programs may create these text files This option is designed to allow you to import Serial Numbers directly into the Customer Support Management module When you select the option to Import Serial Numbers a new window displays At this point you may lt click gt the Print button under the Map File to print the import file format This will print out the format in which this option is looking for information to be organized in If the import file is a comma delimited file the data can be variable length If the import file is a fixed length ASCH file it must have a logical record length of 252 bytes Both types of files must have the following field lengths Description Type Position Length Action CHAR 1 1 Serial STRING 2 20 Customer STRING 22 10 Dealer STRING 32 10 ISR STRING 42 10 Recruiter STRING 52 10 Reg Date STRING 62 6 Act Date STRING 68 6 Upd Upg Date STRING 74 6 Chapter 2 Set Up amp Maintenance Page 2 7 Customer Support Management User Manual Description Type Position Le
90. ustomer Support Management User Manual The Set Up Serial Numbers option found under the Setup and Maintenance main menu option allows you to delete serial numbers you may have entered by mistake or no longer want Enter the serial number you want to re move and lt click gt the Delete button Make sure this is what you want to do because once a serial number is deleted it can not be retrieved again A backup of data files is always recommended prior to deletion of records Results coSD1 dbf Serial Number File Serial Number Information is marked for deletion Copy an Existing Serial Number SD0414 This option allows you to set up new serial numbers by copying existing ones Using this option the system pro vides a quick method of setting up serial numbers that are very similar This option will also save a considerable amount of time when assigning new numbers to old serial numbers First enter the Source serial number you want to copy from This is the serial number that currently exists in your system Next lt click gt the copy button and enter the new Destination serial number to copy to This is the new serial number that you wish to create The next screen will bring you the new serial number and you will be in the Change Mode to make any changes that would differ from the original source serial number All serial number information will be duplicated The new serial number is not actually added
91. view specific information in a long report without having to navigate page by page From within a displayed report you can also send the report current page or all pages to print or change the output destination for the current page or the entire report without leaving the screen Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 3 Customer Support Management User Manual By lt clicking gt the search toolbar button you can also search for specified text within the displayed report This allows you to search for any text amounts dates etc contained within the report Page 4 4 Print Reports Chapter 4 Customer Support Management User Manual PRINT SUPPORT TICKETS SD0201 This report provides a detailed listing of all support tickets This report may be printed either in non detail billing summary or detailed format When you execute this option simply specify the support ticket range then select the type of report that you want You may mask on a Support Representative and choose to print the report based on a specific status hardware configuration billing type or fol low up Field Names Support Ticket Number Customer Number Customer Name Transaction Date Support Representative Configuration Number of Call Units Amount in Dollars Totals The detailed version of this report offers all information as entered on the support ticket Chapter 4 Print Reports Page 4 5 Customer Support Management User Manual
92. ystem will print statements based on the criteria you have defined in your selection process Record Contract Renewal Payments SD0109 This option allows you to enter payments for a customer s contract renewal This option should be used to record all payments for contract renewals You must first select the contract number for this transaction Enter the contract number or press ENTER to scroll through the contract file to make your se lection After the contract has been selected a screen will be displayed which allows you to enter the payment in formation The following describes each of the data items Payment Type These Payment Types are defined in the Master Configuration of Ac counts Receivable If Payment Method 2 Check is used as one of the payment methods the system will ask for the check number If Payment Methods 3 10 are selected the Credit Cards you have set up in your Master Configuration are used The system will ask for the credit card number and the authorization number NOTE Other payment methods such as Traveler s Checks Coupons etc may be used in Payment Methods 3 10 The system will however prompt for the credit card number and authorization number Simply press ENTER through these prompts and continue processing If the payment method chosen has an in the description the system will begin the procedures for an Electronic Draft Capture EDC on this transaction Th

Customer Support Management - Data Pro Accounting Software, Inc.

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