Equipment Exchange Tunable Parameters

The parameter tunings include Date Range Control, Product Availability, Product Status Codes, Print Product Check List, Generate Work Orders, Divisional Restriction by Operator, Name Check List, Exchanges within Product Class, Revenue Distribution, Customer Credit Flags, Meter Reading, Power Kits, and Product Sequencing.

Some of the tunable parameters can be set to apply to your entire company, and some of the parameters can be controlled at the division or store level.
Customizable settings and features include:

Exchange History:

Click the HISTORY button in the bottom of the screen to access the Exchange Inquiry/Report.

Date Range Control:

The exchange date will be checked to make sure the date is valid against the date ranges set as acceptable in Date Range Control for Contract module RSCH.

Product Availability:

When a product on a contract is exchanged the original product can be considered returned and given a status of immediately available.
However some firms prefer that the equipment remain NOT available as the exchanged product may need to be picked up from the site or it may be damaged and require servicing.
The Prompt for Product Returned in Exchanges flag in the Company Security Parameters allows the operator to control the return/available status of each exchanged product.

If this control is not activated, the exchanged product is always considered returned and automatically becomes available to rent after the exchange is accepted.
If the control is activated the operator is prompted whether the returned product is now available, and if it is NOT then the exchanged product remains unavailable until the status is updated in Confirm Exchange Pickup.

Update Status Code:

The Product Status code can be used to identify non-bulk rental equipment that is in the rental fleet but is NOT ready to be rented (e.g. it is being exchanged because of malfunction), and a warning message of your choice can be generated when an operator does attempt to rent it. Refer to Product Status Codes Overview for a detailed explanation.
A flag in the Divisional Return Parameters activates this processing for Exchange by Contract, Exchanges By Customer, and Confirm Exchange Pickup for the division on the contract.
The Status Code can be updated automatically or a prompt can be triggered for the operator to verify the new code, according to the product control record setup in Auto Status Code Update By Product or in Auto Status Code Update By Group.

If no Work Order was automatically generated by the updated Status Code from the product exchange, a Time Delay can be setup by product Group in Status Code Actions By Group, so that after the elapsed time has passed the product Status Code automatically reverts back to make the product available for rent again.
This would be useful if equipment needs a set time for service or cleaning after each rental before becoming available again.

Print Check List per Updated Status Code:

A second flag in the Divisional Return Parameters can be set to cause a service Check List to automatically be printed for equipment, according to the updated Status Code for the product in Exchange by Contract, Exchanges By Customer, or Confirm Exchange Pickup.
The service Check List can be setup in Product Check Lists with the appropriate service instructions, and specific product Groups can be flagged to trigger the Check List by Status Code in Status Code Actions By Group.
Check List Printers can be used to specify which printer the Check List should be printed on. (i.e. Shop Printer, Wash Bay Printer)

Auto Generate Customer W.O. from Rental Return or Product Exchange:

There are two methods of generating a blank service Work Order when a non-bulk rental product is returned on a Rental Return or exchanged on Exchange by Contract, Exchanges By Customer, or Confirm Exchange Pickup:

1. When the product Status Code of a non-bulk rental product is updated at the time of rental return or exchange, a Work Order can be generated automatically if service is always required on return or the customer has damaged the unit.
   

   Settings in the Divisional Return Parameters activate the Update Status Code processing for returns and for exchanges per the division on the contract.
   The appropriate Status Codes that should generate W.O.s can then be defined in Status Code Actions By Group.

2. A Work Order can also be generated for non-bulk rental products that belong to a Group that is flagged to generate a W.O. at return or exchange, as outlined in Create Work Orders For Returned Equipment.

Divisional Control of Exchanges:

A flag can be set by operator in Operators to control whether an operator should be able to return or edit existing contracts from a division other than his own default division. When activated, this setting prevents operators from exchanging products on contracts from other

Name Check List:

A flag in the Required Document Information in the Company Contract Parameters, can be set to require the operator to select a Name defined with a Status code allowing the named person to rent, as setup in the Name Check List for the customer in Customer Information.

Product Exchange by Class:

The Allow Exchange Across Classes flag in the Company Contract Parameters can be used to control product exchanges by class.
It can be set so that the new product must be in the same Product Class as the exchanged product, or it can be set to allow product exchanges between Product Classes. The classes must still have the same Billing Type (e.g. Bill 28 Days or Monthly), and must have the same O/T Meter Charge Method.
This is to ensure that any cycle billing and rental return charges are maintained consistently.

Revenue Distribution:

The exchange history will be tracked, so that any subsequent billing will split the revenue fairly between the new product and the original product in the monthly product history, according to the actual time used. However G/L revenue posting is done all to the Revenue Account for the current part# on the invoice.

Note: If a contract is billed in advance because of Smart Billing, and then a rental product is exchanged later in that billed month, the revenue posting and revenue history will not be recognized on the replacement rental product, as the billing has already been processed for the period.

Customer Credit Rating:

When an exchange is entered, the credit rating for the customer on the contract is checked, and a warning is issued according to the credit rating status setup in Credit Ratings. However the exchange will NOT be prevented. It is the responsibility of the Operator to make the decision to proceed or not.

Meter Reading:

Any Meter units used are also tracked for Non-Bulk Items exchanged.

Cylinder Contracts:

Product exchanges are not permitted on contracts generated from Cylinder Entry specifically to track cylinders, bottles, or containers as they are delivered and returned.

Power Kits:

When a Primary Non-Bulk Rental product is exchanged, any Power Kit components accompanying that primary product are removed from the contract and are replaced by any components on the Power Kit for the new product.
Note that individual components of a Power Kit can only be exchanged using Power Kit Components.
For information on the Power Kit feature refer to Power Kits.