This topic will look at the commands found at the bottom of the reservation form. Some of them have already been covered in previous topics. Some of the navigation type keys were covered in the section which detailed the diary section of the reservations form. This section will examine the remaining ones.
The Sales Ledger account request is one of the first prompts shown to you when either creating a Quotation, or when making a booking and needs to be filled in after the hire group, tariff, dates and times are completed.
Discounts applicable to certain customers are held against their sales ledger account code. When creating a quotation, it may be important to select the right account to take any discounts into consideration. The quotation which results should therefore be accurate for the customer selected because all discounts and Tariffs normally used by that customer will be adopted by the quote. When making a proper booking for a customer, selection of the correct sales ledger account carries other advantages such as automatic selection of drivers and tariff types.
Hire Group: Type in the hire group required. Use the ellipse[&ldots;] button search facility, if required, to help find the correct group code. Once selected, the description of the hire group will appear on the form next to the group code.
Tariff type: Enter the tariff type required. Use the ellipse[...] push button search facility to help find the correct tariff.
Once this final prompt is completed, the form will display details of the quote. Any discounts which are applicable for the SL account selected will be taken into consideration. The main header can be re-edited at any time. At the bottom of the form the prices may be entered.
Charge: Enter the date of the start of the booking period, a fictitious date may be input if required, although the date format must be valid, i.e. 31/13/0094 would not be allowed. Accurate dates are better because full advantage can then be taken of any weekend rates which may apply to the quote. As well as this if the quotation is accepted then it may be converted into a booking where accurate dates will be required.
Time: Enter the time for the start of the hire. Use the 24 hour time format.
To: Enter the date until which the vehicle is required.
Time: Enter the time the vehicle is expected to be returned.
SL Account: This is an identical field to that on the Bookings section. For full explanation of entry and search please refer to the Bookings section.
Reference: Enter any booking reference if applicable.
It is possible to edit the prices on the quotation by highlighting either the tariff or charge line and selecting the edit button, or by double clicking the line entry
Quantity: Whole of the quantity column will have been pre-filled to reflect the period of hire, in accordance with the settings in the system parameters form. The row will show details of the charge code and description, the VAT rate, the charge rate and the unit of charge. It will allow input of the number of each unit to be charged and then the subsequent price. This will result in a total line price and VAT charge.
The first of these is the quantity of units to be charged. Enter the number of units to charge followed by <TAB>. The type of unit being charged is displayed in the column labelled 'Units'.
Unit price: Price per unit is next, this has been pre-filled from existing tables but may be overwritten if required. Once accepted, this will result in a total line charge and the cursor will advance to the next line on the table.
Charges: Hire charges section is to be completed after the hire tariff charges have been accepted. Users will agree a charge code, several of which may be defaulted from a table held against the hire group code being used.
To remove a charge code:
Select it with the mouse and press the Delete button.
Any remaining charge codes will then move up the table to replace the deleted code.
To add a charge code:
Press the New Charge button.
To edit an existing charge:
Either double click the line required or select it and press the Edit button.
Once one of these is chosen a know code can be typed or the ellipse [...] button search facility can be used to find the required code if it is not known.
Rate: This is the rate to be applied for the charge code selected. Where the charge code was pre-filled from the hire group table, the rate may already be correct, but it may be over typed if required. The rates applicable to the charge codes are explained in the Miscellaneous Menu topic later in this manual.
Users are then allowed to amend the quantity and unit price as shown above for the hire tariff.
Print-quotation: Once the quote has been finalized it may be printed to the currently selected printer using the Print button. When this prompt is taken the system will offer a two-option ring menu.
Print quotation: This will print the quote on the selected printer.
Create: This will take you to the reservations form. Details of the quote will appear on the form and you will now be able to complete the basic details to create a booking.
Cancel: This will return you to the Reservations form.
The quote is for display purposes only, there is no facility to store quotes on the system. If a quote is required which should be stored as a possible booking then an actual booking should be made.
There will be times when you allocate a vehicle to an agreement a day or two in advance of the rental being started. This enables you to plan which vehicles are going out on which agreements, thus making things such as service planning a little easier. Problems arise when an agreement is extended and the vehicle on hire is required for another booking. Obviously we need to swap vehicles around to cope with this situation. As long as the agreements are held at A status, (this means that a vehicle is allocated to the agreement but the hire has not yet started), the swap is easy to make. The first move is to un-allocate the vehicle which is not now coming back, the second move is to allocate a different vehicle to the agreement. Remember the un-allocate option can only be used if the booking is at A status. A rental which has already been started can only have a new vehicle appointed by using the New vehicle option covered later in this topic.
Double click the Unallocate option to initiate the function, the form will clear and ask for the agreement number to be which needs to be amended. The display will already show the number of the last agreement number used by this user on this terminal while in the reservations menu option.
Type in the agreement number required or use the search facility to locate the agreement. Once selected, the display will change to show the General Details page of the booking. The following options may be used.
Un-allocate: This will remove the vehicle from the agreement, update both the agreement and vehicle records, and return you to the Reservations form. The agreement will be returned to status B.
If an agreement is cancelled then the allocated vehicle will automatically become free for the hire period previously allocated.
Once an agreement has had a vehicle allocated to it, the status of the agreement will be changed from B for booked to A for allocated.
Cancel: This will allow you to leave the function without un-allocating the vehicle, perhaps because the wrong agreement was selected by mistake.
Once a booking has been made, a driver attached and a vehicle has been allocated to the agreement, then it can be printed. The print routine is simple, all you has to do is to identify it and then print it.
With the Reservations form displayed press the letter A. The form will refresh and show a box asking for the agreement number required. The previous agreement number used by you on this form will be displayed by default.
Either accept the agreement number or type in the agreement number required. Use the search facility to identify the agreement if the number is not known.
Once the agreement has been selected, the form will load the agreement and display it using the General details form. Press the Print button to initiate the printing process.
Quit: This will return you to the Reservations form without printing the agreement.
Print-agreement: This will print the agreement on the printer currently selected. Once printed, the form will go on to offer you another ring menu.
Continue Reprint-agreement
Agreement printed - Continue:This will return you to the Reservations form to allow further selections to be made.
Agreement printed - Reprint agreement: This will allow you to print further copies of the agreement, perhaps because the first print is illegible for some reason.
There may be times when a vehicle which has been hired to a customer has to be replaced. This may be because of breakdown, servicing requirements or because of prior booking commitments.
While on the Reservations form double click the New Vehicle option to allocate a new vehicle to an agreement which has a hire in progress.
The form will refresh and ask for input of the agreement number which requires a change of vehicle. Type in the number or use the search facility to locate the correct one. If a vehicle swap has previously taken place on this agreement a ring menu will point this out and offer the chance for you to continue or cancel the operation.
Note: If you have previously amended the prices form to reflect a particular charge rate then amending the group and accepting the new group rates will overwrite the special rates applied.
You will be asked to enter the registration number of the new vehicle. If this is not known, or you want to make a choice from several vehicles, use the ellipse [...] button search facility and make your choice as required and press enter. If there are no vehicles available from the same group then press the ESCAPE key and delete the registration number of the current vehicle. You will now be asked if you want to upgrade to another group. This procedure is the same as that followed while allocating a vehicle, the form will allow you to select a new group, and ask whether the prices form should be amended to reflect the new grouping.
Complete the date, time return odometer fuel and damage details just as if you were finishing the rental. The date and time of the swap will default to the current date and time. Complete these fields as required. The return odometer and fuel readings will be stored for use when the rental is finished.
Once these details are complete the form will ask you for the start details of the new vehicle assigned. This comprises of the out odometer and fuel and damage details. The date and time of the swap will be as per the returned vehicle.
Transfer: Once all relevant information has been entered this option will be available. When you confirm it the system will give you the option to print a new agreement which will reflect the details of the current vehicle. After the print procedure you will be returned to the reservations form, the swap is complete and the returned vehicle is now available for hire, (or repair in the case of breakdown - if this is the case follow the workshop booking routine to book the vehicle into the workshop and make it unavailable for hire until it is fixed.)
Subsequent vehicle transfers: You may allocate as many vehicles as required during the duration of the rental agreement although, once a first vehicle transfer has taken place, further new vehicle requests will be met with a reminder by the form that a vehicle transfer has already taken place, and the form will ask the user to confirm that a subsequent one should go ahead.
Once an invoice has been finished and fully invoiced, it can be closed. This will set the agreement to status C for closed and prevent any further amendment of the agreement details.
Note: Agreements cannot be edited once they are closed, so do not close an agreement if further editing may be needed.
The distinction between closing and cancelling has been drawn and should be understood. We can only cancel an agreement which is at B status. An agreement at A status must have the vehicle unallocated before you can cancel it. You cannot cancel or close an agreement which is at O status. You must finish it, invoice it and then close it. You can only close agreements which have been finished and fully invoiced.
Double click the Close Agreement option while on the Reservations form in order to call the procedure. The form will now ask you for the number of the agreement which is to be closed. Type in the number or use the search facility to locate the required number.
Once selected, the form will display the Other details form and ask if any further entries are to be made in the payments section. If there are they can be made at this point, if not, then the Close-agree or Exit buttons may be used.
Exit: This will allow you to return to the Reservations form without closing the agreement or saving any changes made to the payments.
Close-agree: This will close the agreement, setting the status to C for closed, thereby preventing any further editing of the agreement at a later stage.
The option to review an agreement is provided in order to let a user examine an agreement without having the opportunity to amend it. It is often under used, even though it provides direct viewing access to all agreement details.
Double click the Review Agreement option while on the Reservations form and the form will ask which agreement is to be viewed.
Type in the number or use the search facility to locate it.
Once typed in, the General details form will be displayed. There are various options available here including those from the utilities menu.
General Tab: This will display the General details form.
Prices Tab: This will display the Prices form. If an agreement has not yet been invoiced, it will display the expected invoice costs, complete with a total at the bottom of the form. If the agreement has been invoiced or partially invoices then it will still display, but the 'quantity' column may be zero and the totals at the bottom of the form may also be zero.
Prices Tab: This is the same form layout as the Prices form, although the reverse will apply as far as the details of prices are concerned. If the agreement has not yet been invoiced, this form will show zero in the 'quantity' column, and in the totals at the foot of the form. If however the agreement has been invoiced or partially invoiced then the details that went to make up the invoice(s) will be shown here, together with the totals at the bottom of the form. If the prices are required then there is a toggle button in the bottom right of the tab which will show either the Prices or the Invoiced.
Invoices: This option will only display if at least one invoice has been produced. It will allow you to call up the invoice, or invoices, from the document archive and display them on the form. If there is more than one invoice then the form will show a window giving the choice of invoices available for viewing.
Credit: This option will only be available if there have been any credits produced. It will allow you to call up the credit, or credits, from the document archive and display them on the form. If there is more than one credit then the form will show a window giving the choice of credits available for viewing.
Other Tab: This will show details normally associated with the Other details form. Users should be aware that only the latest four payments will be shown. They will all be visible if only up to four payments have been made. However, if more than four have been made then only the latest four payments will be visible.
Comments: This will display the comments box, up to ten lines of text which can be stored against each agreement. Editing is not allowed.
Clone: This will only display if the agreement is at Booking status. It will allow you to use this agreement as a basis for making many more agreements for the same vehicle group on the same range of dates for the same customer. Once a booking has been established take this clone option from the utilities menu. The system will ask you how many cloned agreements you want to create. Type in the number you need, the system will ask you to confirm the number and then create the bookings for you. The form will display the agreement number range of the records it creates.
Drivers Tab: This will allow you to see all the drivers allocated to an agreement. If there are more than one drivers then the Next button can be used to view each in turn.
Returns: This option will only be shown if the agreement has been subjected to a vehicle change. If this is the case then selection of this ring menu item will result in you being shown the Returns form. On this form, users will be given details of the return of the previous vehicle allocated to this agreement.
Using the Next button will allow the user to see each return in turn.
Cancel: This will return you to the Reservations form.
The opportunity to amend the agreement is given by using the Edit function. This option is obviously quite powerful as it gives the user access to most of the agreement fields and will allow them to be changed. Please bear in mind that if amendments are made, depending on the stage the agreement has reached, some users may require a reprint of the agreement document.
The fields on each of the forms will not be detailed here as all of them have been explained at least once in previous sections of this topic. However, users should note that the ability to edit some of the fields will depend on the present status of the vehicle.
The agreement status codes are as follows.
B Booked
A Vehicle allocated
O On hire
R Returned
C Agreement closed
Once selected, you will be shown the General details form, with various menus and buttons available.
General Tab: This will allow editing of the General details form. All of the fields on the this form can normally be edited with one exception, the registration number of the allocated vehicle.
Drivers Tab: This will allow you to see all the drivers allocated to an agreement. If there are more than one drivers then the Next button can be used to view each in turn.
Additional drivers may be added to existing agreements.
Prices Tab: All details on the Prices form can be amended as described earlier in this topic.
Other Tab: Amendments to the Other details are limited to entering payments or deposits on the lower section of the form. Payment details already entered cannot be amended. If they are wrong then a contra entry must be made to reverse the incorrect amount.
When a vehicle is on hire, (this will be shown by the agreement status of O on the top line of the form), you may edit only the odometer, fuel reading or damage detail on the 'Out' line of the form.
As soon as the vehicle is moved to status R, (that of a returned vehicle), then the editing will be limited to the 'Back' line on the form.
If the agreement status is either A or B, in other words the hire has not yet started, then both of the above mentioned rows are unavailable to you.
Save: This will save any changes just made and return you to the Reservations form.
Marketing: This will allow you to go into the Marketing system to view or amend Company, Target or Driver details.
Administrator: This will allow you to call up the Administrator and use the mail, diary or other options as required.
Cancel: This will return you to the Reservations form without saving any changes.
There are various reasons why external hire is required.
You have three vehicles and four bookings, you must cross hire from an outside supplier.
You have three vehicles and four bookings, you must cross hire from another branch.
One of your vehicles has broken down a long distance away, you must supply an alternative vehicle from another hire agent close to your customer.
You want to block hire several vehicles from an outside supplier to cover seasonal requirements.
All of the above scenarios can be catered for with the external hire option. Although if internal vehicles are to be used then cross-hiring is probably the better option and this routine can be ignored. We will look at cross-hiring in the next section. The decision as to whether you will hire externally, or cross hire internally will normally depend if the vehicle in question is owned by your organization and already on the marketing vehicle database.
Whatever the reason you should be clear on what is required from the system before a hire can take place. There needs to be an established marketing vehicle record in place, with rental details completed, before you can hire a vehicle.
In previous releases (Rev 7) you had to manually set up the vehicle and monitor its tenure on the fleet. The External hire option offers an easier way of doing this, and at the same time enables you to issue and follow through, purchase orders for the hire.
When you double click the External Hire the system will display the external purchase orders form. This form is used to raise an order to a supplier, review an old order, print an order, create a vehicle record as well as receive or un-receive purchases. Orders can be cloned, and access to the administrator is also provided.
The normal order of events may be as follows:
Contact supplier and issue an order for a vehicle.
Print and dispatch the order
Complete the basic vehicle details and allow the system to create the vehicle record in the marketing system.
Receive the vehicle and allocate a goods received note.
Hire the vehicle to your customer.
Invoice your customer at the end of the hire
Return the vehicle to your supplier
Receive and pay the suppliers invoice using the Purchase control module.
The purchase order form will offer the following menu at the top right of the form.
New order Old order Print Create vehicle Receive Un-receive Clone Administrator
Account: When you double click the option to raise a new order, the system will ask for the supplier account to be used. Complete this field as required using the ellipse[...] button search facilities in much the same way as the Sales Ledger account search routine already covered earlier in this manual. Remember however we are looking for a purchase ledger (supplier) account this time. Once the account is loaded the system will also load an associated phone number and contact name, and these may be over typed is necessary.
Start: Hire start date is entered. This will obviously reflect the first date you want the vehicle. We do not have a time, you must assume the vehicle is going to be in place at the start of business on the date recorded. The reservations form will certainly assume this for availability reasons.
End: Date you will finish with the vehicle. Again we assume a whole day, therefore the vehicle will show as available until the end of the working day.
Estimated value: Estimated value of the order. The field is not mandatory.
Maximum value: This is the maximum value you are authorizing. Once you establish the value of the hire from your supplier the value can be entered here for checking later on when you verify the incoming invoice. Each user can have a maximum order value recorded, in this way only certain users can issue orders above a certain amount. The maximum amount for each user is set in the operator details form in the Vehicle rentals Miscellaneous menu.
Hourly, Weekend, Daily, Weekly, Monthly: These rates are what you are going to be charged by your supplier. They can be used for later invoice verification. Completion of these fields is optional, although very useful later.
Registration number: If you know the vehicle registration number it can be input now. You can return to the order later in order to complete the vehicle information once it is known.
Vehicle description: A description of the vehicle being hired.
Group: Hire group you want the vehicle to appear in. Use the ellipse [...] button search facility if required.
Group extension: Enter this if required. Some people enter a Z in here to make it more obvious that it is a hired in vehicle. This field is optional.
Location: Location code to signify where the vehicle is going to be based.
Registration date, Truck, Service interval and insurance value: Registration date of the vehicle can be completed, followed by a flag to signify whether it is a commercial vehicle, the service interval and the estimated insurance value.
Text: Enter order text as appropriate. This text could be included on the order print if required. In other cases you may prefer to use it to store reminder type notes.
Click the OK button to create the order. If the OK button remains grayed out, then a mandatory input field has been left blank.
The order number will be displayed.
Once the order has been created you may elect to print the order and forward it to your supplier. If you have to wait for the vehicle details you can amend the order at a later stage by taking the ring menu option Old order.
If you need to amend an existing order, perhaps to complete details that were not to hand when it was originally created, then double click this option. The form will ask you to input the number of the order you want to view/edit. You can search if you do not know it using the normal search utility. Once the order is selected and displayed complete or amend the details. Once complete you can save the amended order.
If you need to print the order then double click this option. The form will offer you a chance to either print or cancel. Once printed, a re-print will be offered. You will not be allowed to proceed with the order until it has been printed as only a printed order is deemed to be firm.
As soon as the vehicle details are correct the form will allow you to create the vehicle record. When you take this option the system will search the existing marketing database and look for the vehicle. If there is not a vehicle with this registration number it will be created for you. If it already exists the form will warn you that the vehicle does not need to be created, all you have to do in this case is go to the record and amend the availability dates on the rental details form.
If the vehicle is created successfully by the rentals system you will notice that the marketing record has had its status set to Z. This will allow you to identify hired in vehicles easily and mark them for deletion at a later stage. When you check the rentals details page of the vehicle record you will find the on fleet date matches the start date from your order. The off fleet date is set 24 hours later than the end date to allow for return of the vehicle. The cross hire section of the page shows the order number and supplier account related to the vehicle. Once the record is created the reservations form will reflect the vehicles availability.
On receipt of the vehicle you can set the status of the order to received. This is done by selecting the Receive option, locating the order and completing the GRN (Goods Received Note) and Received value fields and clicking the Receive button. The fields Received by and the received date will be updated. Receipt of the order will make goods in suspense postings for you which will be reversed once you verify the invoice in the Purchase Control module. The nominal postings made at this stage will depend on the expense codes entered in the fourth page of the group codes file found in the Miscellaneous menu. The postings will only be made if the Verify purchases Y/N flag on the second page of the system parameters is set to a 
for yes.
This will allow you to reverse the receive process and return the order to its previous status.
This will allow you to duplicate the order, therefore allowing you to create extra orders as required.
This will provide full access to the Administrator.
This will return you to the reservation form.
The purchase control manual will provide details of how to process and verify an incoming invoice. It is outside the scope of this manual. The Purchase Control module will also work alongside the Purchase Ledger invoice register.
