The Franchise Details form is displayed when the Franchise Details option is selected from the FRANCHISE DATA menu.
The prime key to the table is an up to 3-digit alpha numeric code although there is a second, single digit key, which is used in the marketing and vehicle administration vehicle records. All of these codes must be unique.
Warning: Extreme caution should be exercised with regard to the deletion of franchise records that have been on file for any measurable length of time due to the possible ramifications of deleting one from the master table which has already been attributed to other records elsewhere, such as in marketing or vehicle records.
Franchise code: This is the (up to) three-character franchise code, which is the prime key to the table, and cannot be amended in itself as such.
Tip: If this has been set up incorrectly then in order to change it, the incorrect code must be deleted, and the subsequent correct one created.
As with most data conventions, the system differentiates between upper and lower case alphabetical characters, so you will not be able to amend or display a code of ANY (for Anymake Cars), if any was entered.
Full name: Up to 20-character alpha numeric description which once recorded here can be used to display or print on any standard forms or correspondence, being more descriptive and/or user-friendly than the three-digit code or the single letter identifier.
Single-letter identifier: Alternative single-digit franchise identity code, used in the marketing and vehicle administration vehicle record, which must also be unique. Lower-case characters are not permitted in this field.
Note: Unlike the prime key to the table (the three-digit code), this can be changed in record amend mode, but again extreme caution should be exercised with regard to the changing of single-digit franchise codes that have been on file for any length of time due to the possible ramifications of deleting one from the master table which has already been attributed to other records elsewhere, such as in marketing or vehicle records.
MS Company code: Two-letter code identifying the name of the company, for example FO for Ford.
Margin Percentage: Dealer margin, or discount off retail price which the dealer receives from the manufacturer or concessionaire (relates exclusively to vehicles).
It can be held at three different levels, of which this is the highest. If the dealer discount is uniform on all models, and variants thereof, then this is the correct place to record it. If, however, dealer discounts vary from model to model, then they can be held specifically against each model.
This discount is used in calculating the estimated consignment cost (based on the retail selling price) of a specific vehicle in both vehicle administration and quotations.
Show weekly equivalent: When unselected, estimated finance repayment amounts are displayed only as monthly amounts. When selected, they are displayed with the addition of weekly equivalents (used in the vehicle quotations program).
PL account code: This relates to the purchase ledger account code of the normal supplier of vehicles for this franchise. It is supplied by default in every vehicle record that is created in vehicle administration, but can be changed where a vehicle is supplied from an alternative source.
Note: This field is not mandatory (although it is useful and labour-saving in most cases), and is therefore not validated against the purchase ledger accounts table.
The length of input is up to eight characters alpha-numeric, as that is the maximum size of a purchase ledger account code. It varies from user to user, and may be either numeric only or alpha-numeric.Warning: Caution should be exercised when completing this field. Ensure that the contents are correct.
System maintained: This check box is only for the use of the ADP Fleet Management software and is not relevant to the AUTOLINE system.
Tip: The check box should be left unselected.
VS posting code: Used to facilitate a new Posting table mechanism within Rev. 8 VSB.
Vehicle types: New, Used or Both (selectable from the drop-down menu).
Purchase order type: Differentiation which the vehicle supplier may impose when a vehicle is placed on order. It is used and validated in the vehicle administration program, and is a single-digit alpha-numeric code. Examples of typical codes and their usage are as follows:
- S - Ordered for stock
- F - Sold order - Fleet customer
- R - Sold order - Retail customer
- D - Ordered for demonstration purposes
Adoption Period: One of the reasons for different purchase order types is that manufacturers and concessionaires, or their appointed finance agents, provide differing consignment periods according to whether the vehicle is being ordered for stock as opposed to against a specific customer order. If as a dealer you are using finance stocking in this way then the number of days between vehicle consignment and mandatory adoption should be entered against each specified order type. If the dealer is not financing new vehicles in this way then the parameter should be left as zero. The value of this parameter is then used in the vehicle administration system to calculate, based on the consignment date, the suggested adoption date.
Interest-free period: Similar to Adoption Period, this parameter can also be used, relative to the order type, to calculate the suggested interest free consignment end date in the vehicle administration system. If no interest-free period is available for this order type then the parameter should be left as zero.
VHC format stationary: Click the Ellipsis button
to access the Franchise Data format file. You can then select a format which is used in Point-of-Sale to print the Vehicle Health Check form.
Tip: The Franchise Data formats could be Franchise specific and will need to be specified and created by our Print Manager department.
Full name and Identifier: The full name and single letter identifier are re-displayed on the Contact detail tab and can be amended here, as well as on the Main Detail tab.
Sales ledger account: Leave blank (not used).
Contact name: The names of up to five relevant members of staff within the franchise operation can be recorded here It is not used anywhere else within the system, so is not therefore critical in terms of content.
Position: The job title of the people concerned.
Telephone: The contact telephone number of those on the list.
For multi-franchise dealer groups it may be necessary to lay out vehicle invoices and credit notes differently for vehicles of one franchise as opposed to another.
Vehicle invoice and credit note layouts are determined by way of the Rev. 8 format stationery routine where a particular document layout is stored against an up to three-digit identification code. In this matrix table the format stationery identification codes associated with the various types of document are entered. The titles are reasonably self-explanatory but are itemised in more detail by the following list of format codes and corresponding usage definitions:
Warning: If you decide to set up your own formats for either one or more franchise codes, it is important that the three-digit identity codes do not commence with the letter K as all standard ADP document formats are assigned ID codes starting with K, and these may be overwritten with a new release of software from time to time.
Buttons:
Create:Enables you to create a new franchise record.
Amend/Delete: Enables you to amend or delete an existing record.
Setup: Enables you to modify the contents of existing franchise records, without the necessity to amend them one at a time.
