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Copyright 2005, Offshore IT Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Portions of RCMS and its documentation contain copyrighted material belonging to ACCPAC Corporation. Copyright 2005, ACCPAC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. RCMS is a registered trademark and OffShore IT Solutions is a trademark of Offshore IT Solutions ACCPAC is a registered trademark and ACCPAC Professional Series is a trademark of ACCPAC Corporation. All other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Trademarks
Notices
You should have the original RCMS CD, your License Agreement, and your original invoice in possession at all times when RCMS is in use. OffShore IT Solutions vigorously protects its copyrights and trademarks. Infringement of OffShore IT Solutions's rights may create liability to participating parties for OffShore IT Solutions's damages, disgorgement of profits made from any unauthorized use, and costs and attorneys' fees related to the prosecution of any action necessary to preserve or protect OffShore IT Solutions's rights. Title 17 of the United States Code (Section 504c) provides that in the case of willful infringements, a court may award up to $50,000 in statutory damages for each infringement. OffShore IT Solutions makes no representations or warranties with respect to the merchantability or fitness of RCMS and its documentation for any particular purpose. OffShore IT Solutions reserves the right to revise this publication and program at any time without obligation to notify any person or organization of such revision.
Table of Contents
1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 7
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 3.1 3.2 3.3 Program Features ................................................................................... 10 Using This Manual ................................................................................. 15 Hardware ................................................................................................ 16 Planning a Successful Implementation of RCMS .................................. 19 Moving Within the Program .................................................................. 25 Setting Up RCMS .................................................................................. 49 Working with RCMS ............................................................................. 57 Using the Sample Data ........................................................................... 62 Planning the RCMS Setup ..................................................................... 66 Starting RCMS ....................................................................................... 69 Adding Company Set-up Information .................................................... 71 Rental Rate Grid .................................................................................. 113 Adding Tax Districts ............................................................................ 116 Adding Customers ................................................................................ 120 Adding Ship-To Address Information ................................................. 144 Adding Requester Information ............................................................. 147 Adding Tax Certificate Information ..................................................... 149 Adding Groups ..................................................................................... 151 Adding Manufacturers ......................................................................... 166 Adding Vendors ................................................................................... 168 Adding Locations ................................................................................. 177 Adding Master Items ............................................................................ 178 Adding Asset Items .............................................................................. 214 Adding Packages .................................................................................. 229 Adding Kits .......................................................................................... 252 Adding Leasing Companies ................................................................. 257 Setting Up System Comments ............................................................. 263 Entering Open Contracts and Beginning Balances .............................. 265 Linking to General Ledger ................................................................... 269 Working with Quotes, Reservations, and Contracts ............................ 272 Entering Rental Quotes ........................................................................ 280 Entering Sales/Lease Quotes ................................................................ 333
3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26
Entering Rental Reservations ............................................................... 368 Entering Sales/Lease Reservations ...................................................... 386 Entering Rental Contracts .................................................................... 390 Entering Sale/Lease Contracts ............................................................. 430 Processing Credit Applications ............................................................ 456 Converting Quotes, Reservations, and Contracts ................................. 463 Processing Work Orders ...................................................................... 471 Generating Billings .............................................................................. 491 Entering Manual Invoices .................................................................... 493 Entering Credit Memos ........................................................................ 508 Entering Cash Receipts ........................................................................ 518 Point of Sale - Cash Drawer ................................................................. 524 Applying Credits .................................................................................. 527 Posting Finance Charges ...................................................................... 530 Calculating Depreciation ...................................................................... 532 In Service Status .................................................................................. 538 Printing Contracts and Quotes ............................................................. 542 Printing Invoices and Statements ......................................................... 544 Closing the Period or Year ................................................................... 552 Using the Utilities Submenu ................................................................ 553 Using the System Menu ....................................................................... 556 Using the Message Center .................................................................... 559 Leaving the Program ............................................................................ 559
4.15 Labels ................................................................................................... 672 4.16 Bar Code Labels .................................................................................. 678 4.17 Mail Merge ........................................................................................... 682
Index ............................................................................................ i
Numerics .................................................................................................... i A................................................................................................................. i B ................................................................................................................. i C ................................................................................................................ ii D.............................................................................................................. iii E .............................................................................................................. iii F............................................................................................................... iii G............................................................................................................... iv H............................................................................................................... iv I ................................................................................................................ iv K............................................................................................................... iv L ................................................................................................................ v M ............................................................................................................... v N................................................................................................................ v O............................................................................................................... vi P................................................................................................................ vi Q............................................................................................................... vi R ............................................................................................................... vi S............................................................................................................. viii T ............................................................................................................... ix U............................................................................................................... ix V............................................................................................................... ix W ............................................................................................................... x Y................................................................................................................ x
Overview
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Program Features Using This Manual Hardware Planning a Successful Implementation of RCMS Moving Within the Program Setting Up RCMS Working with RCMS Using the Sample Data
What is RCMS?
Rental Control Management System (RCMS) is a complete quoting, billing, accounts receivable, and inventory system that automatically keeps track of your customers, contracts, inventory balances, and details. RCMS creates and prints rental/lease/sales quotes, contracts, invoices, credit memos, and statements. RCMS also provides a wide variety of reports that put you in complete control of every aspect of your company.
General Ledger
Linking ACCPAC General Ledger with RCMS provides an accurate accounting at each step in the rental, leasing, or sales. Your Rental Control Management System transactions generate postings that affect your general ledger receivables, cash, sales revenue, and cost of goods accounts.
When used with Rental Control Management System, ACCPAC Purchase Orders and ACCPAC Accounts Payable share the same inventory file. RCMS inventory totals update with information from current purchases and receipts an purchase orders use RCMS inventory item default values.
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Text that you enter is shown in boldface type. Italics are used for emphasis. <Enter> means press the Enter key. This is the key on your keyboard that corresponds to the carriage return key on a typewriter. This manual uses the following icons for notes, cautions, and references: Notes provide tips or additional information about a command or procedure.
Cautions tell you how to avoid losing valuable data. Be sure to read them carefully! References tell you where to find more information.
1.3 Hardware
System Hardware
Like virtually all Windows applications, RCMS operates best on a Pentium 3 or 4 class machine with at least 256MB of RAM. We strongly recommend running RCMS under Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
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RCMS allows you to track your inventory by using bar code labels and laser bar code reader guns. RCMS also allows you to quickly and accurately take and reconcile physical inventories by using a Portable Data Terminal (PDT) with an integral bar code reader. The primary advantage to using bar code labels is that all reads are accurate and unique to the item at hand. The fact that bar coding is also fast and convenient is coincidental. We recommend that you use bar coding to track your inventory. We often find that RCMS clients who intend to use bar coding forget to consider their bar code hardware requirements until they are well into their RCMS implementation. The hardware required comes to mind when they actually want to start printing or reading bar code labels. This is too late and stalls the implementation, creates aggravation and hurts morale. If you plan to use bar codes, buy and install at least one gun and one printer before you install RCMS. Other guns can be added subsequently as they are needed.
1.3 Hardware
RCMS prints very compact bar code labels that are about the size of your thumb nail. Because of their size, these labels can be used to on almost anything and are quite inconspicuous; however, they must be printed on a special bar code label printer. For more information on these printers, label stock, reader guns, and PDTs, please refer to our current Bar Code Price List.
There will be many times that you will want to be shown something rather than just being told about it over the phone. You may also need more training following your on-site training or you might have a problem that you want us to actually see. It is certainly possible that you will want to upload a file to us or download a driver or patch from us. Remote control software such as Symantecs pcAnywhere or Microsofts Net Meetings makes all of this possible.
All RCMS end users are entitled to telephone and online support (check your Service Maintenance Agreement for details). This support begins at the inception date of the users RCMS Software License. End users covered by a Software Maintenance Agreement are provided with a prespecified amount of additional telephone and online support in the year following licensure. They also receive regular software updates, free of additional charge. To speak with a support technician, simply call Tech Support, identify yourself and ask for software support. It is a good idea to route all support requests through one or two key people in the organization. This will not only preclude redundant support requests but will also help insure that your organization has someone that you can use as an internal RCMS resource in the future. For common questions or answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about RCMS, check our Web site at http\\www.rcms.net. This is the fastest way to get an answer to a simple problem without having to use tech support.
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As the person reading this, you are most likely going to be the "Leader" for your RCMS implementation. The Leader needs the knowledge, the dedication and the authority to make things happen within the organization. The leader acts as planner, coach, and teacher. The leader is also the first point of contact between their own organization and Offshore IT Solutions for software support. We often find that one person will attempt to handle an entire RCMS implantation in some organizations. This not only becomes overwhelming; but, also results in errors, confusion, and back tracking because no one person can fully understand every aspect of their operation, and even if they could, they can not possibly see to every detail personally. The "Captains" are the people within your organization that can advise the Leader and then help make things happen. They will also be able to help supervise and train the troops when the time comes. The Captains
Installation Timeline
Installation of RCMS typically follows a time line that looks like this: See System Manager Manual and the RCMS installation addendum shipped with the program for installation instructions.
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2.
3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8.
When planning an RCMS software implementation, a basic understanding of RCMS inventory hierarchy and RCMS nomenclature is helpful. Therefore, an introduction to inventory terms and hierarchy follows: ASSETS An Asset ID number is a unique, serialized number that identifies a particular asset item as discretely different from every other item of the same model (just like a manufacturers serial number). Therefore, every Asset "belongs" to a Master ID and you will usually, but not necessarily, always find multiple assets belonging to a single Master ID number in your inventory. All Asset numbers in RCMS start and end with the letter "B". RCMS can use up to two unique serial numbers in addition to the one it
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Rental Control Management System is organized around a series of menus. When you start RCMS, you see the File menu, which lists the applications installed for the selected company. Choose Rental Control. You see the Main Menu bar at the top of the screen. The Main Menu bar contains the primary menus for RCMS. Each menu represents a type of activity and contains a list of choices within that activity. Some menu options have an arrow next to them, which indicates that additional, more detailed choices exist under the primary menu option. When you choose an option with an arrow, you see a submenu with the additional choices. The following figures show the options found on each menu.
Figure 1-1
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Figure 1-2
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Figure 1-3
Figure 1-4
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Figure 1-5
In addition to the menus shown, the Main Menu bar contains two other options: Custom and Help. The Custom menu allows you to execute user defined programs from within RCMS. The Help option lets you access the on-line Help system Shortcut: Press <Esc> one or more times to back out of the current screen to the Main Menu bar.
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Figure 1-6
An X to the right of a setting indicates that the setting is selected (for example, Auto Number). A letter to the right of a setting indicates which of two choices is selected (for example, D for Detail). To select or cancel a setting, or to make a different selection for settings that have more than one choice, highlight the setting you want to use and press <Enter> or the spacebar or press the underlined letter if the setting contains one. Filter Settings Filter Settings display for some Search commands and let you specify the criteria by which you want to search for an item; for example, New Items Only.
Figure 1-7
A check to the left of a setting indicates that the setting is selected. To select or cancel a setting, or to make a different selection for settings that have more than one choice, highlight the setting you want to use and press <Enter> or the spacebar, or press the underlined letter if the setting has one.
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Figure 1-8
Search dialog boxes let you add, select, or search for the record with which you want to work. You can also browse a list of some or all existing records. Several elements appear in a search box, including check boxes, search criteria, and command options. Using Check Boxes Check boxes appear at the bottom of search dialog boxes and let you turn a particular option on or off.
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If the Search text input field is blank, this command brings up a list of all records, sorted by the selected criteria. If you enter part of a record code in the text input field, this command brings up a list of all records with the highlight bar positioned on the record that most closely matches the code you entered. If you have search criteria selected, and enter a code, name, or number that fits that criteria in the Search input field, this command brings up a list of records that match that criteria.
Choosing a Record
To choose an existing record, use one of the following methods: Enter the name, number, or code of the record with which you want to work and press <Enter>. Press <F2> or choose Browse to see a list of all records. Use the arrow keys to position the highlight bar on the record you want and press <Enter>. Enter part of a name, number, or code and press <F2> or choose Browse. You see a list of records with codes similar to the code you entered. The highlight bar is on the record that most closely matches the portion of code you entered. Press <Enter> to choose a record. Select a search criteria, enter a name, number, or code in the search text input field, then press <F2> or choose Browse. You see a list of all records that match the selected criteria. Use the arrow keys to highlight and select the record you want and press <Enter> or use a mouse to choose it. For example, if you are choosing a customer, select Zip Code, enter a zip code, then press <F2>, you will see a list of all customers with that zip code. If the Include partial matches option is activated, you could enter a portion of a zip code and would see all records with zip codes that begin with the portion you entered.
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Figure 1-9
Use one of the following methods to choose a command from a dialog box: When a dialog box first displays, the selected item is the default. Press <Enter> to choose the default in a dialog box. If there is more than one choice in a dialog box, press <Tab> or use the right or left arrow key to select the option you want and press <Enter>. If you use a mouse, place the pointer on the item you want to choose and click.
Using Lists
Rental Control Management System uses three types of lists: browse/ select lists, tag lists, and the lists that display at the bottom of some input screens. This type of list appears when you press <F2> or choose Browse or List to view or select from a list of existing records, such as customers, tax districts, invoices, etc.
Browse/Select Lists
Figure 1-10
Use either of the following methods to choose a record from the list:
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This feature is actually a utility to change RCMS program code on the fly. Changes can only be implemented by someone with a thorough understanding of FoxPro. Accordingly, if you wish to edit Browses, you will most likely have to retain a local programmer to customize your browses or, alternatively, have us customize your browses at our normal hourly programming rate. If you wish to do so, please fax your requested changes to us for a not-to-exceed estimate. Tag Lists A tag list appears when you press <F2> or choose Browse to select the items or package you want to add to a quote, reservation, or contract.
Figure 1-11
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Figure 1-12
The highlighted record is the one that is currently selected. Press <Tab> to move the cursor from field to field. Use the up or down arrow to select a different record. You can also use the mouse to click the arrows on the bottom of the screen to scroll up, down, left, and right through the list.
RCMS uses option grids to list options for the following activities: printing reports, printing labels, printing invoices, credit memos, or statements, posting finance charges, generating billings, calculating depreciation, and closing the period or year.
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How you respond to the options in a grid determines the way the activity is performed. For example, you use option grids to tell the program what or how much information to include on a report. After you fill in your choices, you can choose Edit to go back and change your entries. You respond to the choices on an option grid in several ways. Responding by Letter You respond to some options by pressing the first letter of one of the choices in the center column. For example, to respond to the Level of Detail option that appears for report printing, you can press S to print a summary report, or D to print a detail report. The same is true for yes/no options; press Y to answer yes, or N to answer no. You can also press the spacebar to scroll through the available options. For example, if the choices are Yes and No and No displays, press the spacebar to have Yes display in the field. The spacebar allows you to toggle between options.
When specifying ranges, keep in mind that the program sorts characters by number order first, and then by letter order. The following record numbers are in the order that the program would list them: 7CBD 9ABC AEG4 AEG6 Entering a Matching Portion You can enter a portion of the record number to specify a group of records whose record numbers begin with those characters. For example, if you entered as a matching portion of a customer number the characters ABC, you would get the customers ABC, ABCAD, ABC3DM, etc.
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In RCMS and the ACCPAC Professional Series, useful or commonly used activities are assigned to function keys. Each function key is explained below. If the activity is fully documented elsewhere, the text refers to that section and/or manual. When you finish with the activity, you return to the point in the program where you originally pressed the function key.
<F1>
Program Help: Press <F1> to see help for the topic on which you are working. Corporate Help: Press <Shift>-<F1> to see a list of general help topics from which to choose the one you want. These general topics are the ones your company adds to the system to answer questions about company policy and other internal matters. Help Text Search: Press <Ctrl>-<F1> to search for a word or phrase in the help system. You can search through ACCPACs Professional Series help, RCMS help, or scan your own custom help topics. Browse Lists: Press <F2> to see a list from which you can select the record that you want. For example, if you are verifying a customers address, and cannot remember the customers number, press <F2> on the Search input field in the search dialog box to see a list of all existing customers.
<Shift>-<F1>
<Ctrl>-<F1>
<F2>
<Ctrl>-<F4>
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You can use on-line Help either by choosing options from the Help menu that appears on all menu bars, or by pressing function key combinations. The Help system provides several methods for finding information about RCMS or Professional Series applications: When you have chosen the area to search, you see a dialog box where you enter the word or phrase you want to find. You also see a two-character field for you to enter the help area, in case you want to further narrow the scope of your search.
Passwords
You can limit access to certain functions by assigning restrictions to a users login ID. For more information on restricting access to certain portions of a program, see the System Manager Appendices. The default user ID and password to enter for the sample data company is ADMN. Be sure to change this ID and password after creating your live company and entering the companys users.
The first thing you do is install System Manager and the Rental Control Management System files on your computer. For installation instructions, refer to the RCMS installation addendum shipped with the program and the System Manager Appendices.
Once you install System Manager and RCMS, the next step is to set up your company. You can also modify the systems fiscal calendar (if necessary), and modify or enter system rules. Refer to the System Manager Appendices for detailed instructions.
One of the things that you decide when you add your company is whether or not to use the programs predefined rules to improve the accuracy of your data entry. It can be useful to add rules for Inventory Class, which becomes the top of your tree structure for inventory items. See the System Manager Appendices for complete instructions on setting up valid entries for predefined rules.
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Adding Users
After adding a company and its applications, you will enter the employees who use the program and the access privileges you want them to have. Refer to the System Manager Appendices for instructions on adding users.
You define user privileges by assigning certain processes to a users ID. Each process has its own unique ID code which corresponds to a specific activity in RCMS or a Professional Series application. Users and user privileges are set up using the Users option on the Maintain menu in System Manager. See the System Manager Appendices for detailed information on user maintenance. To see a list of process IDs that represent user privileges, choose Dictionary from the Maintain menu in System Manager, then choose Processes from the submenu. When the Process File Maintenance screen displays, press <F2> to see all Processes listed. When the list displays on the screen, use the up and down arrows and/or the <PgDn> and <PgUp> keys to move through the list.
Adding Customers
The next step is to enter information about the customers to whom you rent, lease, or sell goods and services. Each customer record contains basic information such as their billing address, current balance, credit limit, etc. You can also enter a credit application when you add a customer. See Adding Customers on page 122.
RCMS pricing structure allows you to define and name up to nine different rates or Rental Terms of your choice. There is one Rental Rate Settings record per company, with as many Rate Factor Code detail records as you may need. See Rental Rate Grid on page 115.
Adding Groups
Before you add a master record for each of your inventory items, you must create the groups in which master items belong. Groups let you classify related items together. Later, when you create a record for each master item in your inventory, you specify the group in which it belongs. This enables you to use the Exchange and Availability features. See Adding Groups on page 153.
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Adding Vendors
Once youve added manufacturers, you will enter a record for each vendor from whom you purchase inventory. You also add a record for each vendor from whom you purchase in-house supplies, such as coffee or computer paper. See Adding Vendors on page 170. RCMS uses the term supplier to identify vendors who provide specific inventory items. When you add a master item, you can associate a supplier with that item by entering the ID of an existing vendor. See Adding Master Items on page 181.
In order to enter inventory items, each item that you rent or sell must first exist as a master item. The master item file contains all of the master information that never changes about inventory items. When you set up a master item, the system assigns it the next sequential item code based on the beginning number you entered when you added your company. When you add a master item, you have the opportunity to add the suppliers from whom you purchase the item. You must have previously created a vendor record for the supplier you want to add. See Adding Vendors on page 170. See the discussion Adding Master Item Suppliers on page 211 for details on adding suppliers.
Adding Suppliers
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Miscellaneous Items
Once you enter your master items, you need to add the actual items in your inventory that you rent or sell. The asset item file contains all of the information that is unique to each item. When you add a asset item, the system assigns it the next sequential item code based on the beginning number you entered when you added the company. See Adding Asset Items on page 216.
Adding Kits
After you add your inventory items, you can group items together that rent or sell as a kit, such as a computer system. You can create master kits, which you use to create quotations. See Adding Kits on page 254.
If your company uses outside leasing companies to carry the financing on equipment you lease, you enter a record for each leasing company that you use. See Adding Leasing Companies on page 259.
Once you set up your customer and inventory files, you enter your customers open contracts and beginning balances. First you will enter any rental contracts that are currently open. IMPORTANT: Because this process normally generates invoices that may have been paid, you must turn off the Immediately bill? option on the Change Setup Information, Contracts screen.
Once youve entered your open contracts, you will want to enter your customers beginning balances. You can use either of two methods, depending on the amount of detail you want to have in RCMS about previous customer charges.
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If you want to link RCMS with General Ledger, you will do so next, using the Change Setup Information option on the System menu. You will need to know the number of the General Ledger company to which you want to link RCMS. You will also need the General Ledger accounts to use as company-wide defaults. When you enter a transaction that requires a general ledger account, the program uses the default unless you specify otherwise. The default accounts are as follows:
Entering Contracts
Once you set up records for your company, customers, inventory items, open rental contracts, and enter your customers beginning balances, you are ready to record your customers contract transactions using RCMS. When you enter a customers contract, you select from three levels: Quotes, Reservations, and Contracts. Once you select the contract level, you then select the type: Rental, Sale, or Lease.
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Making Changes
The program also allows you to change the information on a quote, reservation, or contract. You can easily change the quantity, exchange one item or another, and modify a variety of other information. See Entering Rental Quotes on page 280 and Entering Sale/ Lease Contracts on page 427 for instructions on working with customer accounts.
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Processing Returns
When a customer returns equipment, you need to record that transaction. All you have to do is choose the customer and the contract, then use the Return option. See Entering Total Contract Returns on page 423.
When you receive a payment from a customer, you record it by entering a cash receipt. If the payment is intended to cover a particular invoice, you can apply it at that time, so that the invoice is closed and marked as paid. You can also make a reversing entry, which reverses a previous cash receipt by causing a debit to the customers account. For example, you would do this if a customers check is returned due to insufficient funds. A cash receipt that you do not apply to a specific invoice, such as an overpayment or a prepayment, creates an open credit on the customers account. Another negative transaction is a credit memo, which produces a credit on the customers account. A credit memo reverses all or part of a particular invoice and is generally used when a customer returns merchandise.
Periodically, you will print or display Rental Control Management Systems reports to get important accounting information. See Chapter 4 for a full list of the reports that are available. At the end of your companys accounting period (typically on a monthly basis), you will close the period. This moves the period-to-date information about paid invoices, cash receipts, inventory totals, and inventory transfers into year-to-date history files. It also clears the period-to-date totals so that they can begin accumulating data for the new period. At the end of the year, you will close the year, which moves the year-todate totals into history files, where theyll still be available for reference. See the System Manager Appendices for instructions on closing the period or year.
When you link Rental Control Management System and General Ledger, you post RCMS transaction amounts to General Ledger accounts using the Release to General Ledger option on the RCMS Transaction menu. For example, when you release RCMS transactions to General Ledger, an invoice thats generated in RCMS is posted to the appropriate account in General Ledger. You specify which General Ledger accounts RCMS transactions post to when you set up your company. See Chapter 5 for instructions on linking RCMS to General Ledger.
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Setting Up RCMS
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Planning the RCMS Setup Starting RCMS Adding Company Set-up Information Rental Rate Grid Adding Tax Districts Adding Customers Adding Ship-To Address Information Adding Requester Information Adding Tax Certificate Information
2.10 Adding Groups 2.11 Adding Manufacturers 2.12 Adding Vendors 2.13 Adding Locations 2.14 Adding Master Items 2.15 Adding Asset Items 2.16 Adding Packages 2.17 Adding Kits 2.18 Adding Leasing Companies 2.19 Setting Up System Comments 2.20 Entering Open Contracts and Beginning Balances 2.21 Linking to General Ledger
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