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Welcome to the Circulation User Manual. This user guide was created with the intention of providing documentation for anyone who uses Circulation on a regular basis. Because the majority of users would have access to the features that are covered in this document, it was created with the intent that any user of Circulation could read it.
Product Information contained within this document, including technical information and functional specifications, is subject to change without notice, and Naviga reserves the right to make any changes to the information in this document at any time without notice. Naviga makes no warranty, representation, or guarantee regarding the suitability of its products and services for any particular purpose.
From the outside, the publishing business might appear to be simple and straightforward. For the average newspaper subscriber, sending a check in the mail reliably produces a paper on the doorstep every morning. Beyond this apparent ease, however, lies an extensive process involving such diverse things as routers and General Ledger entries, complaints and account invoices, bundle tops, and subscriber renewal notices.
The power of Circulation is that it can manage all of these things within one system. At its most basic level, it links accounting functions (the subscriber’s payment) with distribution functions (delivering the paper every morning), but Circulation can also accommodate the subtle complexities that are unique to the publishing business.
This introduction is a snapshot of Circulation at a very high level.
Like all computer applications, Circulation takes in information, processes it, and winds up with new and useful information. This input/output model is illustrated below. In the case of Circulation, the input information comes from:
Setup (where routes, carriers, and many other things are set up)
Customer and Route Services (where subscription starts, stops, complaints, route draw changes, and other transactions are entered)
Account and subscriber payments, which are entered into the system
Postal directories, which are used mostly with mail distribution
Output is in the form of printed documents or files. In Circulation, some of the more important output items are:
Bundle tops, which allow the newspaper bundles to be loaded and distributed correctly, and tell the carrier about changes on the route
Truck manifests, which tell the truck drivers which bundles to drop off at which routes
Mail labels, which allow mail subscriptions to be distributed
Account (i.e., carrier) bills
Subscriber renewal notices
Reports that are useful to managers and other newspaper personnel
General ledger information, which can be interfaced with your general ledger system
Once Circulation has done its job, the output can be used by accounting and distribution personnel to accurately run the circulation of the newspaper.
To better understand Circulation, read the following sections. They are written from the perspective of a single subscriber—what does Circulation do to ensure that the paper arrives every morning on the doorstep?
Before the subscriber even orders the paper, a number of things must already be set up in Circulation:
Some address elements, such as cities and dwelling types, must be set up beforehand. Examples of dwelling types include “household,” “apartment,” and “business.” Before shipping, Circulation presets many address items, such as state, Zip code, and country.
Circulation differentiates between an address and an occupant (a person living at an address). Some occupant elements must be set up, such as the occupant type. For example, you could have three occupant types: “regular,” “student,” and “senior,” and assign rates based on them.
General ledger accounts must be identified so that Circulation can export information (such as payments and account draw charges) to the GL.
Business Rules must be set up. These settings help you tailor Circulation to fit your business.
Publishers belonging to the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) submit circulation figures every three months for verification by AAM. Advertisers review these circulation statistics. Circulation creates reports that assist in submitting information to the AAM. For this reason, AAM zones must be defined, as do the columns of the AAM reports. For example, if you wanted to report your youth carriers separately from your adult carriers, you would need to set up columns for both.
Information about your publication must be entered into the system, including publishing calendars and delivery schedules. For example, your publication might deliver seven days a week, but have a Mon-Fri delivery schedule for subscribers who receive the paper only on weekdays.
Routes and carriers must be defined, as must trucks, truck sequences, departure orders, drop orders, and drop locations. The Route Distribution section below describes how these items function.
Routers (route boundaries) might be set up so that new subscribers can automatically be assigned a route.
Mail label groups (discussed below in the Mail Distribution section) must be set up.
Subscription rates must be set up, based on subscription type, occupant type, location, and payment type. Rates are set up by linking these “rules” with “rate codes” (amounts and payment lengths). See the example below.
Account rates must also be set up, based on route, delivery schedule, and many other conditions. Like subscription rating, account rating involves linking rules and rate codes.
Additional account charges and credits, such as a charge for insurance or a credit for mileage, must also be set up.
Formats must be set up for the various reports, including the distribution documents (bundle tops, truck manifests, etc.).
Internal settings may be established, such as security codes.
These items are defined in Setup and are documented in the Circulation Setup Manual.
When ordering a subscription, the customer’s address and name will be found in (or added to) the Circulation database, a subscription will be started, and the customer will be assigned to a route or mail label group, if necessary. If you set up route boundaries for your newspaper, subscribers will automatically be assigned to routes or mail label groups based on their address.
If the subscriber later reports a missing paper, address change, or other issue, a Customer Service associate can handle that as well. Customer Service associates often handle carrier calls (draw changes, shortages, etc.) in addition to subscriber calls.
In the case of a shortage or complaint, the publisher may need to dispatch extra papers. Complaints and shortages tagged for dispatch will appear in the Dispatching module. The dispatchers will work from this module.
All of this information is entered into Circulation through the Customer Service and Route Service modules. Circulation then uses the data to create draws, reports, and accounting records. Activities performed in the Customer Service and Route Service modules are summarized in the following table.
Once the subscriber has been started (either immediately as a “start and bill” or after a payment has been made), the distribution side of Circulation takes over. Distribution activities are performed in the Publishing module.
Circulation looks on each day a newspaper is published as a “publishing day” with its own “publishing run.” First, the date and publication of the publishing run are defined. Then, all subscriber payments that have been entered since the last publishing day are processed using Subscriber Payment Processing (in the Accounting module). The expire dates of subscribers who made payments are adjusted accordingly. Next, Transaction Processing is performed: Circulation processes all of the starts, stops, draw changes, and other transactions entered in Customer and Route Services. Circulation can now determine which subscribers should receive this newspaper on this date.
Once Circulation knows who should receive the publication, documents are produced to co-ordinate the distribution. These documents can be of two kinds: mail and route. Let’s say that our subscriber lives in town, and so the newspaper will be delivered by route. The following actions will occur:
Bundle tops will be produced for each carrier, dealer, and rack.
Bundle tops tell the distribution personnel how many papers to stack in a bundle and how many bundles go to each route. Bundle tops also include the truck on which the bundles should be loaded. Circulation determines this information from the truck sequence, which tells which truck will drop off which routes on a given day.
Bundle tops are printed in truck departure order so that distribution personnel can load the early departing trucks first. Within each truck, bundle tops are printed in drop order, which allows bundles to be placed onto the truck in the order in which they will be dropped off.
Once the trucks are loaded, the drivers take over. Drivers use a document called a truck manifest that lists the routes they must drop (i.e., supply), in drop order. The manifest also lists the draw and drop location for each route. When the driver reaches a route’s drop location, he or she finds the bundles for that route (by looking at the bundle tops) and either drops them off for the carrier or dealer, or puts them in the rack.
For dealers and racks, this is the end of the line. Carrier-delivered papers, however, require one more step. The carrier picks up the bundles at the drop location and examines the bottom of the bundle top—this is where any starts, stops, messages, or other pertinent information will be printed.
On the first day that our subscriber receives the paper, the carrier will be informed of the new start via the bundle top, and the paper will begin appearing every morning on the doorstep.
Let’s say our subscriber moves out of town but still wants to get the paper—he would then become a mail subscriber. Mail distribution can be included in the same publishing run as route distribution, or it can be run on its own. Instead of bundle tops and truck manifests, Circulation prints mail labels that can be applied to the papers for mailing and a postal report (which may be required by the post office).
Mail labels are printed in label group order. A label group is a group of mail subscribers whose papers are distributed together. For example, all subscribers in one label group might be sent to a certain post office or use a certain truck. Label groups can also be used to differentiate between 1st and Periodical class subscribers.
Within each label group, you may choose to print labels in Zip code order, user-defined order, or PostWare presort order. To mail Periodical class, you should use PostWare (a software product that is integrated into Circulation).
After the newspaper has been distributed, the publishing run can be officially ended. Draw records for the run can then be used in AAM reporting, and a new publishing run can start.
A few days after our subscriber calls Customer Service, he may receive an initial renewal notice (known as an invoice) for the subscription. This notice is printed using the Renewal Notices option in Accounting, and the cost of the subscription is calculated using the subscription rates defined in Setup. When our subscriber makes the payment, it will likely be entered in Batch Payments with all of the other payments received that day or week. When these subscriber payments are processed (using Payment Processing) the expire dates of the paying subscribers are extended.
Shortly before the subscription runs out, another renewal notice will be sent. If our subscriber is late in paying for a new subscription, the publisher may elect to continue delivering papers for a certain period of time, known as a grace period. These papers are not yet paid for, but when the payment does arrive, part of it will be deducted to cover the grace amount. If the subscriber does not make another payment, the delivery will eventually be stopped, and the grace amount will be “written off.” On the other hand, if the subscriber discontinues the subscription with a positive balance, he may receive a refund.
Meanwhile, our subscriber’s carrier is being paid for the delivery of the paper every morning. Most newspapers view their carriers as independent contractors, who are charged a wholesale value for the papers and then, in turn, receive the retail amount from the subscriber.
In one arrangement called “office pay,” the newspaper receives subscriber payments. Account rating determines how much carriers should be charged for draw and how much they should be credited for delivery. The newspaper will then send the carrier a check for the difference. Account rates are typically independent from subscriber rates; a newspaper could have a promotional “1/2 off” rate for new office pay subscribers, but the carrier would receive the normal amount for delivery.
Another arrangement between carriers and the publisher is the “carrier collect” method, in which the carrier is actually collecting money from subscribers and paying the newspaper. Circulation determines (through account rating) how much these carriers should be charged for draw; it is up to the carrier to collect the retail amount from the subscribers on the route. In this scenario, subscribers do not have expire dates and do not require renewal notices—the carrier sets the amount and duration of the subscription. Carrier collect invoices can, however, be printed to help the carrier.
Dealers and racks are similar to carrier collect accounts, in that they are billed for their draw but collect money from the customers themselves.
Each carrier, dealer, and rack belongs to a bill source, and this controls when the bills are printed. For example, home delivery carriers might belong to bill source A, and be billed on the second Thursday of each month. Dealers might belong to bill source B, and be billed on the last day of each month.
Bills are printed during an account billing run, in which a publication and bill source are selected and processed. during an account billing run:
Draw charges are calculated for each account.
Any returned newspapers or draw adjustments are taken into account. Draw adjustments usually occur when dealers order extra papers after a publishing run has been completed.
Delivery credits are applied, in the case of office pay carriers.
Non-draw charges and credits (for example, an insurance charge, or a credit for mileage) are calculated.
After the account billing has processed, invoices can be printed. Accounts that have credits exceeding charges (routes with mostly office pay subscribers) can be interfaced with the newspaper’s Accounts Payable system, which will produce the carrier checks.
Some time after the account bills are sent out, payments will arrive from the accounts who owe money. The payments will be entered in a batch and accepted—typically, all of the account payments received during a day will be in the same payment batch.
Account billing, returns, draw adjustments, and payment options are all accessed in the Accounting module.
The expenses of the publisher are managed through the general ledger. Circulation does not act as the general ledger itself, but you can send Circulation records to your general ledger software via a text (ASCII) file generated by the Export GL option.
The Circulation processes that have the most effect on the GL are subscriber payments (office pay), account draw charges, and account payments. Because subscribers pay in advance for a subscription, the payment is initially treated as unearned revenue. Later, when the Unearned Revenue report is run, the portion of the subscription that has been delivered (the earned revenue) is transferred to a Subscriber Revenue account. From the point of view of the publisher, the subscription money is now in the hands of the office pay carriers.
During account billing, the money is debited from an account called Delivery Expense (which may or may not be the same account as Subscriber Revenue) and credited to Accounts Receivable. Part of this accounts receivable money is credited to Accounts Payable (office pay carriers are issued checks) and part of it is credited to Account Revenue (account draw charges—the newspaper’s cut).
There are, of course, no carrier collect subscriber payments. The carriers make the payments themselves, and the amount is credited to accounts receivable. It then goes into revenue along with the office pay draw charges.
If we look at what has happened to our subscriber’s check to the paper, it has been assigned to his (office pay) carrier. The publisher has then taken a portion of this for its own revenue and issued a check to the carrier for the remainder.
While our subscriber is at home happily reading the paper, his name and subscription information will be appearing, along with thousands of other subscribers, on a myriad of Circulation reports. Subscribers who owe grace show up on the Grace Due report, subscribers who have incorrect or unusual rates show up on the Subscription Rate report, and so on.
Some reports, such as the Daily Post Office Report and the AAM Paragraph 3 by Town report, play critical roles in the operation of the Circulation departments. Other reports, such as Churn and Market Penetration reporting, are used as tools with which newspaper personnel can plan how to better run and expand their circulation.
One day, our subscriber might open the door to find something else with the paper—a shopper or a free box of cereal. This is the result of Targeted Marketing, where a publisher mails or has its carriers (or an alternate delivery force) deliver non-publication products to targeted subscribers. Already having the information and personnel necessary, many publishers actively seek out targeted marketing opportunities from local businesses, thereby adding an extra source of income.
Let’s say a local pet store wants a flyer distributed to all dog owners, and they ask you to deliver it for them. In the interest of your carriers, you have always asked each new subscriber whether they have a dog (the demographic question would be defined in Setup). To deliver the flyer, you would go to Targeted Marketing, select all subscribers who answered “yes” to the dog demographic, and print bundle tops, route lists, or other documents necessary for distribution.
Typically, demographics are not kept by the publisher, but are instead imported into Circulation from an outside source. This can be done using List MatchPlus, which is a companion application developed by Newscycle Solutions. Another companion application, InsertPlus, can be used to manage the inserting process.
Circulation can also interface address, occupant, demographic and subscriber data using Newscycle Advertising, MediaPlus Advertising, and AudienceReach. A companion application called Household Management is required for this integration.
Before we leave our 1000 foot overview and parachute into the landscape of Circulation, let’s take a final look at the system. The following diagram shows all of the major areas, with arrows indicating where data from one area influences another.
The topics covered in this section are as listed below:
The majority of Circulation modules use graphical interfaces, which can be navigated by using menus and menu options or by clicking buttons at the top of the window. A few accounting and utility options, as well as some setup options, are available only in the older character interface—see the Introduction to the Circulation Setup manual for information on navigating the character interface.
Buttons that are displayed in full color may be selected, while those that are greyed-out are currently inactive. For example, the Stop button in Customer Service will be inactive unless the subscriber displayed in the window has a current subscription.
To select an option, click on the button with your mouse or use the keypress alternative. For example, to initiate a New Start transaction, you could click the New Start button or press Alt-N. You can discover the Alt key combination for each option by placing the mouse pointer over it until the description appears.
The Alt key combinations for Customer Service are shown below.
Field
Function
Alt-A
Add Address
Alt-B
Billing Change
Alt-C
Complaint or Cancel
Alt-D
Delivery Schedule Change
Alt-E
End Temporary Address
Alt-F
Find
Alt-G
Grace Write Off
Alt-H
Help or Contact
Alt-I
Add Subscription Note
Alt-J
Reroute
Alt-K
Add Message
Alt-L
Placement Change
Alt-M
Move Subscriber
Alt-N
New Start
Alt-O
Add Occupant or OK
Alt-P
Payment
Alt-Q
My Tasks
Alt-R
Restart
Alt-S
Stop
Alt-T
Temporary Address
Alt-U
Refund
Alt-W
Refund Write-off
Alt-X
Transfer
Alt-Y
Cancel Payment
Alt-+
Combo Change
The Alt key combinations for Route Service are shown below.
Field
Function
Alt-B
Batch Draw Change
Alt-C
Carrier Inquiry or Cancel
Alt-F
Find Route
Alt-G
Group Draw Change
Alt-H
Help
Alt-M
Add Message
Alt-O
OK
Alt-S
Draw Change
After selecting an option, you can begin entering information in the window that appears. You can advance from field to field by pointing and clicking with the mouse or by pressing the Tab key. You can navigate backward through the fields by pressing Shift-Tab. After entering information in the fields, click OK to save the information.
If you just want to view information, click the appropriate tab in the lower part of the window.
You will use five basic types of input fields when working with Graphical Circulation:
Checkboxes. These are simple “yes/no” controls. Check the box to answer “yes”; deselect it to answer “no”.
Text-entry fields. These fields can be open (you can enter anything), integer (you must enter a whole number), or decimal (you must enter a decimal). When these fields are described in the documentation, the length of the field is also included. For example, Last Name is “open (30)”, because you can enter anything in the field, up to 30 characters.
Combo boxes, such as Product. These are similar to lookup fields, except you only need to click on the field to open the list of valid entries. You can either click on the field and choose from the list of valid items that appears, or enter one or more unique characters to identify the item. The latter method is much more economical. For example, when entering a street type, rather than clicking on the combo box and scrolling to “St”, it is easier to just type “st”.
As you move from field to field in Circulation, most of your entries are validated. This means they are checked to ensure they meet certain criteria (for example, that phone numbers conform to the proper format or that new subscriptions start on a future date). If an entry fails validation, you will receive a message when you attempt to navigate out of the field. In some cases, you will be unable continue until you make a valid entry. For example, if you enter an invalid credit card number for an auto-pay subscriber, you will be unable to continue the transaction until you obtain a valid credit card number or select a different means of payment.
When you click OK to submit the information in a window, Circulation validates all of the entries again. If an invalid entry is found, you will again receive a message.
Some windows have Help buttons. When you click a Help button, online documentation is displayed in a browser (either the browser you have open, or your computer’s default browser). The online documentation is context-sensitive, which means that if you click the Help button when doing a start, for example, documentation for starts will be displayed in the browser.
You can access general online documentation from the Help menu at the top of the application window.
You can specify some default settings for your Customer Service or Route Service session by selecting Sign-On Defaults from the File menu. These defaults are good for the current session only. If you log out and then log back in, the defaults will no longer be active.
The following table explains the sign-on fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication that should be the default product in Customer or Route Service. For example, when adding a new start, this product will default in the Product field.
WINDOW PREFERENCE
predefined
Indicate whether the Transaction window or the Subscription window should be displayed in the upper-right corner of the Customer Service window. “Transaction” is typically entered here. Even if your window preference is “Subscription”, the Subscription window will be displayed only if a subscriber has multiple subscriptions.
SEARCH MODE
predefined
In Customer Service, the first step in almost any activity is to find an occupant or address. Indicate the field in which you want to begin entering search criteria when you use Find. For example, if you ask for a customer’s name first at your newspaper, select Name here.
SEARCH TYPE
predefined
When performing a Find in Customer Service, you need to indicate the type of person you are looking for. This field allows you to set a default search type. Select All Subscribers , Active Subscribers , Non Subscribers , or All Households .
Select Save and Find to save certain field entries for a report, and to saves time during data entry. This is also required if you run several options at once in a batch mode.
To illustrate these options, let’s say we want to save the field values for the Route Delivery List report. We enter the fields as normal, but instead of clicking Continue, we click Save. The Find/Save/Delete dialog box appears, and we enter a file name, such as “Delivery” for these settings.
The next time we run the report, we click Find (rather than Add) and enter the file name. Our previous entries default in the fields. We can override these entries, if we choose, or we just click OK and then Continue to print the report—a much faster process now that the fields are defaulted.
An added feature in Save is the ability to prompt for certain fields. To continue with the example above, let’s say that we want to prompt for the product whenever we run the Route Delivery List report (the rest of the fields should be defaulted). With the Product field active, we press Ctrl-P
to display the Input (Parameter Name) dialog box and enter a parameter name for this field, such as “Which product?”.
The next time we select Find and retrieve these parameters, all the fields will default as usual, but we will be prompted for Product. Click Modify, enter a value, and then click OK to populate the field.
In addition to TODAY +/- x
, the following date parameters can also be used:
FIRST DAY THIS WEEK +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
LAST DAY THIS WEEK +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
FIRST DAY LAST WEEK +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
LAST DAY LAST WEEK +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
FIRST DAY THIS MONTH +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
LAST DAY THIS MONTH +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
FIRST DAY LAST MONTH +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
LAST DAY LAST MONTH +/- X DAY/WEEK +/- Y DAY/WEEK
(where X
and Y
are numbers; both are optional), and
FIRST DAY THIS FISCAL PERIOD-<CompanyID>
LAST DAY THIS FISCAL PERIOD-<CompanyID>
FIRST DAY LAST FISCAL PERIOD-<CompanyID>
LAST DAY LAST FISCAL PERIOD-<CompanyID>
(The actual CompanyID is passed in after the dash. CompanyGLCompany setup is used to locate the GL Company.)
To exit a graphical interface, select Exit from the File menu or click on the “X” in the top-right corner of the window.
Several options in the graphical Circulation interfaces allow you to personalize your view of the application. You can design your own read-only versions of tabs, rearrange standard tabs, and “dock” often-used tabs for quick reference. You can also change the labels of fields and other components to accommodate a local language or variance in industry terminology. You can save your personalized view and use it, or return to the standard view, any time you want.
The following table lists the personalization topics covered in this introduction.
A personalized tab contains read-only copies of standard tables, fields, and other components. You can add any components you wish to your personalized tabs.
To create a personalized tab:
Right-click on the background of any standard tab to display the context menu.
Select Add Personalized Tab. The Enter Tab Name dialog box is displayed.
Give your personalized tab a unique name.
Click OK. A new, empty tab is created.
After creating a personalized tab, you need to add components (tables, fields, etc.) to it individually. Components on a personalized tab are read-only; for example, you cannot change a field entry. They are dynamic, however. If you change an entry in the original field, your personalized copy will be updated to reflect the change.
In the following example, we will add some components from the Subscription tab to our personalized tab.
You can add a copy of an entire table or selected columns of a table to a personalized tab.
To do so:
Locate the table you want to copy.
Right-click on any cell of the table cell to show the context menu.
Select Add To Personalized Tab if you want a copy of the entire table, or Add Columns to Custom if you want only one or more columns of the table.
In our example, we need only the Product and Account columns, so we select Add Columns to Custom and then the name of our personalized tab.
Next, we need to choose the columns from the dialog box that appears and click OK.
When we go back to view our personalized tab, we can see that the columns have been added.
A panel is a collection of related components grouped together under a heading. Individual components must be assigned to a panel on a personalized tab.
To add a panel:
Right-click on the background of the personalized tab to show the context menu.
Select Add Panel.
Enter a name for the panel and click OK. The following example shows a new panel called Publication Info.
You can add a read-only copy of any of the following components to a panel on a personalized tab:
Text field
Text area
Date field
Check box
Combo box
To add a component to a panel:
Right-click in the component you want to add (not on the label) to show the context menu. Note: To add a combo box, right-click on the arrow instead of the field. For check boxes, you can click on either the check box or the label.
Select Add To Personalized Tab, the name of the personalized tab, and the name of the panel where the component should be placed. You can also choose to add the component to a new panel.
The following example shows that the Publication field has been added to the personalized tab.
The following example shows the tab with even more fields added.
To remove a component from a personalized tab:
Right-click on the component (not the label) to display the context menu.
Select Remove to remove the component.
To re-order components:
Right-click on a component you want to move.
Select Move Up or Move Down. The following example shows that the Status and Rate fields have been re-ordered.
To rename or remove a panel, right click on the panel name and select the appropriate option:
To rename the panel, select Change Title and enter a new name.
To remove the panel, select Remove Panel and confirm your choice. All of the panel’s components will be removed.
To “dock” a tab means to move it from its standard location to the side of the application window for easy reference at any time. Unlike a personalized tab, a docked tab is not a copy; it is the actual tab, and can be modified. In this example, we will dock the Complaints sub-tab of the Occupant tab, so that we can reference an occupant’s complaint history quickly.
To dock a tab:
Right-click on the tab you want to dock. For main tabs, you can right-click either on the tab name or the background of the tab. For sub-tabs, you must right-click on the tab name.
Select Dock Tab from the context menu.
The Complaints tab is removed from the Occupant tab and docked on the right side of the window.
To view a docked tab, you can:
Click on the docked tab to open it and keep it open. The tab will stay open until you click somewhere on the window besides the open tab.
Hover over it with your mouse pointer. The tab contents will appear. When you move the mouse pointer away from the docked tab, its contents will be hidden. Note that in order to use the hover feature, you must select Preferences from the Help menu at the top of the module and check the Auto Show Dockable Frame field.
The buttons on the upper-right corner of the docked tab window give you several options for displaying or hiding a docked tab. The following table describes these buttons.
You have the ability to move tabs in order to rearrange them. To move a tab:
Right-click on the tab you want to move to show the context.
Select Move Tab.
Right-click on the tab in front of the position where you want to move the tab.
Select Paste Tab to paste the tab in its new location.
You have the ability to open a standard table (i.e., not a personalized table) in a new window. To do this, right-click in any cell of the table and select Open in New Window. A copy of the table will appear in a new window that you can resize and place anywhere on your window. To close the window, click the X in the upper-right corner.
Unless you save your personalized view, all of your personal changes (custom tabs, docked tabs, window size and position) will be lost when you exit the system. To save your personalized view, select Personalization | Save View from the Help menu. Then, in the dialog box that appears, enter a name for your view and click OK.
The next time you log in to the application, you can open your personal view by selecting Help | Personalization | Personalized Views and selecting your view.
You have the option to rename components (fields, check boxes, etc.) in Circulation. This can be useful, for example, if your primary language is not English, or if your newspaper uses a different term (e.g., “product”, “publication”, or “deliverable”).
To change a label:
Right-click on a component label and select Personalize. The Change Label dialog box appears.
Enter a different term or a translation in the New Value field.
Select the user or group of users this change will affect:
Current User—This change affects only the current user.
Current Group—This change affects only
All Users—This change affects all Circulation users.
Other User—This change affects only the user selected in the combo box.
Select the scope of the change:
This Instance Only—This change affects only the current instance of this module.
All Instances in Current Module—This change affects all open instances of this module.
All Instances, All Modules—This change affects all instances and all Circulation modules.
Click OK.
On all of the Report Viewer tabs, you have the option of viewing only the reports that you have generated, or all reports in the security group (such as the “ALL” group used for spool security):
To view only the reports you have generated, select the My Reports radio button.
To view all reports generated by everyone in the security group, select the Group Reports radio button.
All of the columns in any Report Viewer tab can be sorted in ascending/descending order. To sort or re-sort a column, simply click on the column heading. To reverse the order, click the column heading again. This feature can be useful if, for example, you want to sort by filename or user.
The reports listed in any Report Viewer tab can be filtered. To apply a filter to the reports listed:
Right-click on the column you want to filter to display the context menu.
Select one of the following:
Program—To filter only the required Program, choose the desired Program name from the Program list.
Date—Choose a date (or dates) to view the reports generated on that day (or days).
Time—Select a time (or multiple times) to view the reports that were created at that time.
User—Select a user (or users) to view the reports generated by that user (s).
Enter the text that the column must match or include in order to be shown. Then, click OK. The tab will then show only those reports that contain the filter text.
An optimized, true-type font file, MONOFONT.TTF , is available for use with the Report Viewer. This font minimizes the necessity to scroll horizontally through reports.
This font is loaded into the /dti/Java folder upon installation, from where it can be installed on user PCs by a system administrator or other person. This font must be installed on each PC individually. You can also use your browser’s text size settings to view reports in a smaller or larger type face.
Several features in the graphical applications allow you to view single-copy outlets, routes, and campaign results using internet-based mapping.
The Mapping section of Business Rules controls this feature. See the Setup Manual for descriptions of these Business Rules.
The following Transaction Security items control which users are able to view maps in Circulation:
MapCSAddress—View the Customer Service address map.
MapCSSingleCopy—View the Customer Service single copy locator.
MapRSRouteList—View the Route Service delivery list map.
MapRSSingleCopy—View the Route Service single copy map.
MapTMCampaign—View the Targeted Marketing campaign results map.
An option in Graphical Setup (Miscellaneous | Mapping Properties) allows you to register the API keys needed to use the various mapping services. See the Setup Manual for details.
In Customer Service, you can map a selected delivery address and locate single copy outlets for a subscriber. After finding a subscriber, a Maps button appears on the button bar. Click this button to access the Map Delivery Address or Find Single Copy Locations options.
When you select Map Delivery Address, a map of the subscriber’s delivery address appears in your default browser. Close the browser when you have finished.
When you select Find Single Copy Locations, a tab opens for the entry of the product for which you are searching, as well as address information. Also specify the distance from the address within which to locate single copy outlets.
Enter only as much address information as necessary to find single copy locations (e.g., you can enter only the Zip code). Click OK to view the map.
The zoom and navigation tools you can use with the map will vary depending on the system you have set up.
You can view detailed address information (and phone numbers) by hovering the mouse pointer over the single copy locations. In addition, the single copy locations are listed below the map. You can zoom in/out on a single location, as well as center the map on a specific location by clicking the corresponding Marker link.
In Route Service, you have the option to map selected home-delivery routes and single copy addresses. In addition, the Find Single Copy Locations option is also available (described in the previous section).
After finding a route, a Maps button appears on the button bar. Click this button to access the Map Delivery Addresses, Map Single Copy Address and Find Single Copy Locations options.
The Map Delivery Addresses option can be helpful in determining exactly where to find an occupant’s delivery address. In addition to a map of the route, the addresses on the route and the delivery schedules of the subscribers are also shown.
You can view detailed information (address, account number, status, etc.) by hovering the mouse pointer over a delivery address. In addition, each address on the route is listed below the map. You can zoom in/out on a single location, as well as center the map on a specific location by clicking the corresponding Marker link.
The Map Single Copy Address option will map the address associated with a single copy address.
In Dispatching, you have the option of generating a map to show the address for subscription-related or delivery address-related dispatching activity. This can be useful to show the exact location where an item needs to be dispatched.
To generate a map, highlight the dispatch item on the Dispatch tab and click Map. A map of the address will appear in a browser window.
In Targeted Marketing, you can view a map of campaign results from the Canvass Board. After retrieving addresses for a campaign and week, click the Map Campaign Results button to view the results in a map.
Lookup fields, such as Route. Only certain values that have been set up previously can be entered here. Click the button to open a lookup for the field (you can also press F2).
Date fields. You can type a date or click the calendar button () and choose a date from a calendar. If a date is already defaulted, you can change the day, month, or year by placing the cursor in the applicable part of the date and using up and down arrow keys.
When a filter has been applied to the list, the filter icon is displayed in the upper-right corner. To remove the filter, click this icon.
Button
What it Does
Hide active auto-hide window. Closes the docked tab.
Toggle auto-hide. Keeps the docked tab open while you use (e.g., click) other parts of the application window. Click this button again to close the docked tab.
Close. Undocks the tab.
Toggle Floating. Places the docked tab in a separate, floating window that you can place anywhere on your computer window. Note: You must select Toggle Auto Hide first, before this button becomes available.
The Customer Service module is where Customer Service representatives spend most of their time. This module is where you view customer information and enter transactions such as starts, stops, moves, etc.
Topics covered in this section are as listed below:
Contact types and reasons must be set up prior to creating contacts in Customer Service. See Contact Type and Contact Reason in the Setup Manual for more information.
Once a contact is entered, it can be displayed in the Transactions tab by highlighting the contact in the Contacts tab. In the case of an e-mail contact, if the template is flagged to archive e-mail, the Show Document button will be active. Click this button to view the e-mail that was sent in a browser window.
Alerts draw attention to follow-up activities in Customer Service, such as outstanding tasks, opportunities to collect subscriber e-mail addresses, and up-sell situations. For example, a Customer Service associate may be prompted to ask a subscriber for an e-mail address if one is not found in his/her record.
Alerts are generated automatically from level 1 tasks defined in the Task Management module. They can also be set up individually using the Distribution | Notification option in the Graphical Setup module (see Notification in the Setup Manual).
Documents such as renewal notices can be associated with a customer. These documents can be viewed via the Documents tab. PDF, CSV, HTML, DOC and other document types are supported.
To view a document, click on the file name in the File column.
Note that:
Documents must be added using the Documents option (refer to the Setup Manual).
Only documents with file names that incorporate the subscriber’s ID display. For example if the document is set up with a subscription ID token in the file name, such as “renewals.pdf”, and the subscriber’s ID is 5100, the document “renewals5100.pdf” would display for the subscriber, if it existed.
To initially display documents, click the Refresh Documents button.
When you click OK, Circulation will display address, occupant, and subscription information that matches the search.
Transactions, subscriptions, and other information is listed on the tabs in the upper-right corner of the window. Additional information is accessed on the tabs in the lower part of the window. Each tab is discussed individually in the next section.
If more than one address or occupant matches the search criteria (or if a subscriber has more than one subscription), the Search Results window lists them separately—select an item in the list by double-clicking on it. Also note that you can click Recall to default the search criteria entered for the previous Find.
Also, a docked tab called “Past Searches” contains a list of previous Finds. You can repeat a past search by double-clicking an item in the list. A checkbox can be used as needed to keep track of past searches.
The Email combo box contains all email addresses for a customer. A green checkmark icon beside an e-mail address indicates that it is current. A red exclamation point indicates that it is outdated. Whether an email address is considered current or outdated is determined by the Business Rule, How many days after last use do Email addresses become outdated?. If the number of days since the e-mail address was last used exceeds the number of days entered here, the e-mail address is considered outdated.
E-mail addresses are entered on the Occupant tab.
The Transactions tab in the upper-right corner of the window lists all of the transactions associated with a customer. Each transaction status (e.g., processed, unprocessed, backdated, overdue, future) is indicated with a colored icon.
The Subscriptions tab in the upper-right corner of the window displays all products that are available to the selected subscriber. Colored icons indicate the current status of subscriptions: active subscriptions are indicated with a green sphere, perm stopped subscriptions with a red sphere, and temp stopped subscriptions with yellow sphere.
The View/Print Options and the Report Viewer can both be used to view, print and save reports. They are described in the following sections.
Viewing, printing, and saving options are displayed in the View & Print Options window.
Access this window by clicking the View/Print button on the report window, before you click Continue to process the report. The fields in the View & Print Options window are described in the following table.
WHEN
Indicate whether the report should be created now or deferred until a later date. You can view and print the report only if this field is set to now . Deferred and saved reports can be printed using the View/Print Utility (see View/Print in the Utilities chapter of the User Manual).
VIEW*
Indicate whether the report should be displayed after processing.
PRINT*
Indicate whether the report should be printed after processing.
PRINTER
If the report is to be printed, enter the device name of the printer.
COPIES
If the report is to be printed, enter the number of copies.
SAVE*
Indicate whether the report should be saved. Always save reports containing information that will otherwise be lost, such as the Unearned Revenue Report and all publishing and billing reports.
The reports will be saved to one of three directories, depending on the output format:
Text (normal) reports are saved in /dti/spool/cm/normal.
PDF reports are saved in /dti/spool/cm/pdf.
Delimited files are saved in /dti/spool/cm/delimited.
Note: If you have additional database sets, the directory used will be /dti/spool/<dblist>. For example, if you have a separate set of Circulation databases called “cmtest”, PDF reports will be saved to /dti/spool/cmtest/pdf directory. Likewise, if you have specific spool directories defined for your companies in Company setup, the company directory will be between the “spool” and “cm” folder in the report path.
FILE
If the report is to be saved to a file on the disk, enter a file name, or press Enter to accept the default file name shown. The default file name is the report name plus the day of the month as a suffix. For example, the Nth Factor report run for April 9 defaults as “NFACTOR.09”.
You can change the default file name in Report Configuration (see Report Configuration in the Setup manual).
The file name field must contain at least one alphabetic character; otherwise, an error message, "In file name, at least one alpha character is required", will be displayed.
Note: The following characters cannot be used in file names: |`@#$^&*(){},?\/~;" .
ARCHIVE*
Indicate whether to append or replace the report to an archive file, or whether the report should not be archived ( none )
FILE
Enter the name of the archive file.
SECURITY
If the report is to be saved to a file on the disk, enter the security ID to place on the file.
OUTPUT
If you selected SAVE checkbox, you can select an output option in this field. Your options are Normal , Adobe PDF or, for selected reports, a pipe- Delimited format to import into a spreadsheet. The reports that can be saved as pipe-delimited are AAM History, Paragraph 3, Grace Due, Unearned Revenue, Net Draw, Return Draw Analysis, Summary Age Analysis, and Subscriber Receivables Aging.
* You must select at least one of these options: View, Print, Save, or Archive.
If you have the Print checkbox selected, the report will be sent to the printer identified in the Printer field. If you have the View checkbox selected, the report appears in your default browser window once processing is complete. Use your browser’s controls to modify the text size if desired, and scroll through the report to view it.
The following variables can be used in file names. Add variables in brackets (<>). For example, if report settings for bundle tops are set up to name the file “BUNDLE.<C>,” and bundle tops are run on April 1 2022, the resulting file name will be “BUNDLE.040122.”
Variable
Description
M
Current month name (for example, OCT if the report is run in October).
O
Current month of the year as two digits (for example, 10 if the report is run in October).
D
Current day name (for example, MON if the report is run on a Monday).
N
Current day (for example, 14 if report is run on the 14th of the month).
J
Current day number in the year, 1 through 366. For example, the day number would be 33 if the report is run on February 2. “J” stands for “Julian”, although it refers to the Julian day rather than the Julian calendar. The day numbers actually follow the modern (Gregorian) calendar.
W
Current week number in the year, 0 through 53 (the first week is week 0 unless it begins on a Sunday, in which case it is week 1).
C
Calendar date, format MMDDYY.
F
Calendar date, format YYMMDD.
Y
The last two digits of the current year (for example, 13 if the report is run in 2013).
S
Sequence number indicating the number of times the report has been run on the current day.
U
User ID of user running the report.
P
User’s default product ID (from User Profile CR).
The Contacts tab in the upper-right corner of the window shows a list of contacts made with the occupant or address. Contacts can be manually entered via a contact transaction or automatically generated when an e-mail confirmation is sent as part of a transaction such as a start (see ).
The first step in most Customer Service activities is to find a customer (subscriber or nonsubscriber) in Circulation. You do this by clicking the Find button () and entering search criteria in one or more of the fields that appear. Most fields support partial searches—for example, you can search for all customers whose last name starts with “Deer”. The field that the cursor initially defaults in, as well as the default value of the Search Type field, can be set via the Sign-On Defaults.
A number of variables can also be used in file names, as described . Variables allow you to define a default file name incorporating the day name, the day of the month, the month name, or other values.
Customers often call to get information about their account; for example, the number of days left in their subscription or their balance. Customer Service associates also find this information useful when trying to solve a service or billing problem with a subscriber. This information is displayed on the tabs in the lower part of the window. Only the tabs relevant to a particular customer will be active. These tabs are described and discussed individually below.
View subscription information for a customer.
View and maintain a customer’s address information.
View and maintain a customer’s occupant information.
View and maintain phone numbers and e-mails, as well as communication and solicitation preferences.
View occupant and address demographic questions and answers for this customer. Answers can also be entered here.
View adjustments to the subscription’s expire date and invoice activity for the subscriber.
View the subscriber’s rate history.
View the rate and rate terms for a subscription.
View tax authorities, tax impact, TM products, inserts delivered, recent transactions, communication history and authentication logins.
View the transactions associated with a subscriber.
Set up rewards programs, display rewards, and enter manual rewards adjustments.
Add and find customer messages.
View merchandise associated with a subscription.
View tasks generated for individual subscribers and add manual tasks.
Display the address ID, occupant ID, and selected transaction ID for a subscriber.
Circulation can be set up to use internet-based mapping features. In Customer Service, you can generate a map showing an occupant’s address and also locate all of the single copy locations within a specified distance from an entered address. The two options are Map Delivery Address and Find Single Copy Locations.
When you select Map Delivery Address, a map of the occupant’s address appears in your default browser. Close the browser when you have finished.
When you select Find Single Copy Locations, a tab opens for the entry of the product for which you are searching, as well as address information. Also specify the distance from the address within which to locate single copy outlets.
Enter only as much address information as necessary to find single copy locations (e.g., you can enter only the Zip code). Click OK to view the map.
You can view detailed address information (and phone numbers) by hovering the mouse pointer over the single copy locations. In addition, the single copy locations are listed below the map. You can zoom in/out on a single location, as well as center the map on a specific location by clicking the corresponding Marker link.
The Subscription tab contains a variety of information about a customer’s subscription, including:
The publication to which he/she is subscribed.
The subscription status (e.g., Active, Perm Stopped, Temp Stopped, Vac-Online).
The billing method (Office Pay, Carrier Collect, Paid Comp, Unpaid Comp). Auto-renew credit card and bank draft subscribers can have different labels (such as “auto renew card” and “auto renew bank”) as defined by Business Rules.
The current rate.
The start and expire date of the subscription.
The delivery schedule, which determines which days the subscriber receives the paper.
The route, route type and carrier delivering the newspaper (if route delivered) or the label group (if mail delivered).
The district and carrier, if route delivered.
The delivery method (route or mail) for each day.
The current balance and tax remaining in the subscription, the current discount amount remaining (discounts are amortized throughout the length of the subscription) and number of papers (copies) left in the subscription.
The Messages tab, containing messages that apply to this subscriber.
The Auto Pay tab, if the subscriber automatically renews using a credit card or bank account.
The Billing Info tab, containing the subscriber’s bill-to address, if it is different from the delivery address. Renewal delivery information is also displayed here.
The Mail-To tab, which will contain the subscriber’s mail-to address if one exists.
The Gift Subscribers tab, which lists any gift subscriptions paid for by this occupant (i.e., all of the subscribers for which this occupant is the bill-to occupant).
Additional addresses, delivery directions, delivery instructions, and delivery placement, if applicable, in their own tab.
The Multiple Routes tab if the subscription is delivered by multiple routes.
The Deadlines tab, which indicates the time by which the route should be delivered on each day of the week, as well as the cutoff time for dispatched shortages.
The Carriers tab, showing all carriers associated with a selected subscription.
The Combined Payments tab, showing a summary of all payments made on a combo subscription (active only for combo subscriptions).
Some of these fields will be blank and some of the tabs will be inaccessible, depending upon the customer. With a non-subscriber, for example, only the STATUS field on the Subscription tab will contain information.
In addition, if the subscriber has multiple subscriptions, they will appear in the Subscriptions window, to the right of the Transaction Summary window. Double-click on a subscription to display it in the Subscription tab.
The Report Viewer is opened automatically when you launch the Reporting module, or any other module that allows you to produce reports (Route Service, Publishing, etc.). By default, the Report Viewer is minimized to the bottom of the window until you click on the tab to view it.
The Running Reports tab shows all reports currently being generated, either by the individual user or by the user group, depending on the option selected.
The user, report title, spool name and status are displayed. The status can be:
Started—The report has been initiated.
Processing—The report is currently being processed.
Completed—The report is complete.
Viewing—The report is complete and is being viewed in a browser window.
Canceled—The report has been canceled (by highlighting the report and clicking the Cancel Report button).
The other buttons in this window are the Cancel, Clear, and Process Status buttons:
Cancel Report—If you click Cancel Report, the Transaction Processing of the selected Report will be cancelled.
Clear—If you click Clear, all reports will be removed from this list. You cannot remove selected reports from the list.
Process Status—If you click Process Status during Transaction Processing, some information about the process will be displayed, such as what subscription and transaction is currently being processed and when the processing of that transaction started.
The Completed Reports tab lists reports that have been generated during your current session (i.e., since you launched the application), either by you or by all users in your group.
Options on this tab include:
Print—Allows you to print a report. Highlight a report to select it and click Print. The Printer Selection dialog box appears. Select a printer and enter the number of copies. Then click OK.
Rename—Allows you to rename a report or save a copy of the report with a different name. Highlight a report to select it and click Rename. The Rename Selection dialog box appears. Enter a new name for the report and indicate whether the old report should be overwritten. Then click OK.
Clear—Clears all of the currently displayed reports from the list. Note that you cannot remove individual reports. If you click Clear, all reports will be removed.
The Deferred Reports tab shows all reports that have been deferred (by selecting deferred in the When field of the View/Print Options window). To generate a deferred report, double-click it.
The Saved Reports tab lists all reports that have been saved. Use this tab when you want to view, print, or rename a report that has been saved.
Options on this tab include:
Refresh—Allows you to regenerate the list of saved reports.
Print—Allows you to print the reports. Highlight a report to select it and click Print. The Printer Selection dialog box appears. Select a printer and enter the number of copies. Then click OK.
Rename—Allows you to rename a report or save a copy of the report with a different name. Highlight a report to select it and click Rename. The Rename Selection dialog box appears. Enter a new name for the report and indicate whether the old report should be overwritten. Then click OK.
PDF—Allows you to export the selected report in PDF format. The exported file will be shown in a browser, and the user will be able to save a copy to their computer.
If you need information about a customer’s address, click on the Address tab. You also modify and delete addresses here, as well as view complaints, AAM zones, routes, and other information associated with an address. This tab is described in the Address section.
Note: This feature is a licensed add-on. Contact to obtain a password.
The current premium amount (wallet balance), if the subscriber has purchased premium days in their subscription period. See .
It is sometimes useful to view a subscription’s rates historically. For example, a subscriber may call in to complain about a rate increase. By viewing the subscriber’s rate changes, you can see that they were moved, for example, from a “1/2 off” rate, to a “1/3 off” rate, to a standard rate. Rate changes are displayed on the Rate Chgs tab.
The Rates tab shows the subscriber’s current rate, available rates, and the different rate terms. For example, the following example shows a 1-week term, a 4-week term, and a 13-week term.
The Show On Renewal and Show On Invoice columns indicate whether the term will appear on the subscriber’s renewal notice or invoice: it may always appear, never appear, or appear only if the subscriber previously paid with this term.
If your rates vary by day of week, double-clicking on a rate term will display rate amounts or percentages by day of week. Yearly, quarterly, and monthly terms will have percentages for each day of the week, while day terms will have amounts. Weekly terms can have either amounts or percentages, depending on how the term is defined. Click Find to view rate terms for a different rate.
For combo subscriptions, the amounts by day for each component of the combo are shown when you expand the Amounts By Day. As well, when you expand the Tax By Day, any applicable taxes for any component product are shown.
Customers sometimes ask for price quotes; for example, how much they can buy for a given amount of money. To get a quote, click on the Price Quote tab. You can find a quote for a certain number of days, or for a certain amount. For example, the customer might be in town for 40 days, or only want to spend 30.00.
This feature shows potential rates and terms—it does not start or renew subscriptions. The rate and term quoted can be printed on the subscriber’s invoice or renewal (if you click the Create Quote button), but this is the only effect of the operation.
The following table describes the fields on this tab.
PRODUCT, DELIVERY SCHEDULE, COPIES
setup, setup, integer (3)
If this is a new subscriber, enter the product, delivery schedule, and copies on which the rate calculation should be based. If this is a current subscriber, this information will default.
ROUTE, LABEL GROUP
setup, setup
If this is a new subscriber, enter the route or label group that will deliver the subscription (press F5 to enter multiple routes). If this is a current subscriber, this information will default.
RATE
setup
If this is a new subscriber, enter a rate code for this subscriber (only rate codes that are valid for the fields above can be entered). If this is a current subscriber, this information will default.
START DATE, END DATE
date, date
If you are giving a quote for a certain number of days, enter the date range here (otherwise leave blank).
PAYMENT AMOUNT
decimal (8)
If you are giving a quote for a certain amount, enter the amount here. If you entered a date range above, the payment amount for a subscription of that length will be displayed.
GRACE OWED
display
If this is a current subscriber, any grace owed will be displayed here and be included in the rate calculation.
PURCHASE
display
The term that can be bought with the amount or date range entered will be displayed (usually in days).
The Rates tab can also display rates available to a subscriber (on the Available Rates sub-tab). It uses address, occupant, and subscription information (if available) to find valid rates, based on the subscriber rating rules. This is useful when customers ask what rates and terms are available. To display the rates available to a subscriber, click the Get Rates button, enter the product, delivery schedule and delivery placement (or keep the defaults), and click OK. The available rates are then displayed.
If any of the rate terms contain bonus day premium amounts (), a Premium Day column displays, with the total amount of all premium days included in each term.
Rewards programs are promotional offers that give consumers credits for purchasing a product. The credits may be air miles, points, or other incentives. Subscribers can be signed up for a rewards program on the Rewards tab. Payments will generate rewards for programs to which the subscriber belongs. See the Offer Code section of the Setup Manual for more information on rewards.
To add a subscriber to a program:
Find the subscriber.
On the Rewards tab, click Add.
Select the rewards program and enter the subscriber’s account number in the program.
Click OK to add the subscriber to the program.
The subscriber’s current rewards, if they exist, will be displayed on the Rewards tab, in the Reward History area. Each transaction that generated a reward (typically a payment or auto renew) will be shown.
Although they are typically generated by payments, rewards can also be added manually on the Rewards tab in Customer Service. This is useful for reward adjustments, or when transferring rewards from some other product or program.
Find the subscriber and click the Add Reward button on the Rewards tab. Note that menu security can be defined for this button.
Enter reward information in the fields described in the table below.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication for which you are adding a reward. Only publications that this subscriber receives may be selected.
REWARD DATE
date
Enter the date of the reward.
SOURCE, REASON
setup
Specify a source and reason code for the reward. Only reason codes set up in advance for reward transactions may be selected.
REWARD PROGRAM
setup
Select the reward program for which the subscriber is receiving a reward.
OFFER CODE
setup
Select the offer code for this reward. Only offer codes defined for the subscriber’s rate terms or marked as the “goodwill” offer code in Business Rules may be selected.
REWARD
integer (5)
Enter the reward amount. The amount must be between the minimum and maximum manual reward amounts specified in Business Rules.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks that are pertinent to this transaction.
Click OK to add the reward. A reward transaction will be created, and will be processed by transaction processing on the reward date.
The Merch tab shows the merchandise associated with a subscription and the current status. Users with the proper security (Transaction Security item “CSMMerchDate”) will be able to modify the fulfillment date of processed transactions.
Most Customer Service activities involve subscription transactions. Subscription transactions are initiated by clicking the applicable button on the top of the window. Before any transaction can be initiated, an occupant and/or address must first be retrieved from the database using Find. Only then will transaction options be available. Note that most transactions require a customer with a subscription.
Most transactions entered in Customer Service will not be processed until transaction processing is completed during the publishing run. The exceptions are the payment options (payments, NSF payments, and cancel payments), which are processed in Payment Processing, and refund write-offs and grace write-offs, which are processed immediately after entry.
When certain transactions are entered in Customer Service, such as starts, temp stops, restarts or payments, a confirmation e-mail can be sent to the subscriber. In addition, a contact record will be created for the e-mail, allowing past e-mail confirmations to be viewed in Customer Service (if the e-mail template is set up to archive).
A confirmation e-mail will be sent if the Send Email Confirmation field is flagged when entering the transaction. Send Email Confirmation will only open if:
The subscriber has an e-mail address specified.
The reason code selected has Send Email Confirmation set to “y”.
The field will default as checked if Default Send Email is checked for the template in Website setup. Otherwise it will default as unchecked.
If the Send Email Confirmation field is checked, the e-mail will be sent to the subscriber when the transaction is entered.
When an e-mail confirmation can be sent and the subscriber who qualifies for multiple websites, Customer Service displays the Select a Website window after the reason code is entered. The window lists the available websites, allowing the user to select the website whose properties and template should be used for the e-mail.
This may happen if a product is linked to multiple websites, or (in the case of the New Password e-mail) the occupant subscribes to multiple publications.
Once the e-mail is sent, a contact record will be created. If the e-mail template is set up to archive e-mail (Archive Email is checked), you can click the Show Document button when viewing the contact transaction to display the e-mail.
Transaction security can be defined to limit which users can add, modify, delete and back-date certain transactions (see in the Setup Manual). Security thresholds can also be defined to establish the maximum days or amounts that can be entered in transactions such as expire changes and grace write-offs (see in the Setup manual).
The website selected (or the “*” website, if there is only one) has Send Email checked for the template in question in Website setup (see in the Setup manual).
The Occupant tab contains the customer’s occupant information, including name, primary phone number and e-mail address, credit status, complaints, and other information. You can view, add, modify, and delete information here. This tab is described in the Occupant section (see ).
The Financial tab contains four sub-tabs.
Adjust Days
Fiscal Activity
Fees
Vacation Credits
The Adjust Days sub-tab shows the history of expiration dates for this subscription, along with the reasons why the dates were changed. Starts, stops, payments, refunds, expire changes, and complaints are all examples of transactions that can adjust the expiration date. These changes are known as adjustment days. Details about an adjustment, such as taxes, tips, and bonus day premium amounts, can be displayed by clicking the plus icon to the left of a transaction.
On the Fiscal Activity sub-tab, you can view all of the invoice activity (revenue and grace-owed records) for this subscriber in a specified date range. You can click on a record to see details in the Fiscal Activity Details section of the tab.
The following table describes the fields on this sub-tab.
Fee Type
Indicates the type of fee, whether Activation, Printed Statement, or Other.
Fee Code
Name of the fee
Description
Details of the Fee Code
Fee Date
The date when the fee was applied
Amount
The fee that was charged
Remaining Amount
The amount that is still yet to be paid
Status
Indicates the current status of the fee, whether Paid, Waived, Written Off, or Unpaid
Reason
Indicates the reason for the status of the fee. This only applies to Waived and Written Off statuses.
Date
The date the fee was waived or written off.
Below are the options available under Fees sub-tab:
Show All Fees—When you click the button, the fees with all statuses will be displayed. By default, only fees with an unpaid status will appear.
Show Only Unpaid Fees—When you click the Show All Fees button, it will change to Show Only Unpaid Fees. Click the button to view only the unpaid fees.
Write Off Selected Fee—Fees can only be written off for an unpaid fee if the subscription has a processed start transaction.
Select the fee to be written off from the table and click the "Write Off Selected Fee" button.
Select a Source (optional) and a Write Off Reason from the respective drop-down menus, then click OK.
After a fee is written off, the status of the fee is reflected as written off on the fee tab. In addition, a FeeWriteOff transaction will be displayed in the transaction window.
Note: This is applicable to both Activation and Printed Bill Fees.
Printed Bill Fee—To opt out of the Printed Bill fees, click this button.
Click the Modify button.
Select the "Opt out of Printed Bill Fee" checkbox and then choose the "Opt out Reason" from the drop-down menu.
Click OK.
Processing a payment towards Fees:
When processing a payment, the payment for Fees will be made only after the Grace Amount, if any, has been applied.
If the payment is entirely applied to the Fees, the status will be shown as Paid.
Or else, the status will remain Unpaid, and the remaining amount to be paid will be shown in the table's Remaining Amount column.
Subscribers who do not want to get the vacation credit can update the details in this sub-tab.
This sub-tab will be enabled only if the Business Rule—Can subscribers opt out of vacation credit rules? (General section) has been set to Yes.
Select Modify.
Select the "Opt Out Of Vacation Credit Rules" checkbox and enter the Remarks (optional). Click Submit.
A Note transaction is created as a record of this activity when a subscriber opts out of vacation credit rules or opts back in to vacation credit rules. The Note transaction will appear on the Transactions tab.
To delete or modify the transaction's details, click either the Delete or Modify buttons at the bottom of the Note transaction.
The Fees sub-tab displays the status of the fees associated with this subscription. Refer .
The Miscellaneous tab is a composite of six different categories of information, which are described below.
A tax authority is a geographical tax area, such as “MN” for Minnesota state taxes. If a tax authority is set up in a city, county, state, and/or country in which the subscriber resides, that tax will be applied to the cost of the subscription, unless an exemption is entered. Tax authorities and exemption reason codes must be defined in Setup. The Tax Authority panel shows tax authorities and the tax exemption reasons (if any) that apply to a subscriber. Tax exemptions are entered during new starts and billing changes.
This panel displays the last start, restart, and complaint for this subscription. The start and restarts are listed with their source and reason codes. The complaint is listed with its complaint code, and the total number of complaints called in for this subscription is shown.
This tab lists of all Targeted Marketing (TM) products delivered to this address. TM products can include grocery store flyers, shoppers, and other commercial items. A TM product is delivered only to certain addresses, targeted by the product’s selection criteria. The selection criteria might include Zip, demographic answers, publication received, or other variables.
If you have InsertPlus, a list of all inserts delivered to this customer, along with the delivery date, is displayed. If the insert has a version, the version also displays. The Runout column indicates whether the customer is in a runout zone for this insert (if the zone is a runout, the customer may or may not have received the insert in their paper). Burt Route Code 1 and Code 2 will display only if used in conjunction with the Burt Export and for sites that export alternate information. These fields will be suppressed for a subscriber who does not have inserts that utilize the Burt codes.
Only inserts for the current publishing date or earlier will be shown. A Business Rule in the InsertPlus section determines the number of days that are initially displayed. Click Selection to change the product or date range (inserts can be viewed for both publications and TM products).
The Tax Impact query displays the tax on all relevant subscriber transactions, including payments and auto renews, within a date range. This option will be available only if the subscriber has had a payment or other transaction taxed. Click Selection to specify the date range, then click OK. The transactions that were taxed will appear.
This tab displays a list of iServices authentication logins for the subscriber within the last 30 days. A Selection button is available to modify the date range for which the user’s logins are listed.
Communication history reflects the newsletters or alerts that have already been sent to customers. For example, a customer might call because they have not received their “Sports” newsletter. You can check the customer’s communication history to determine if the communication should have been sent. Initially history for the current date and past 30 days displays. You can change the date range by clicking the Selection button.
The Application Launcher provides quick access to the Newscycle applications. It is database-independent and stored externally in an XML configuration file. You can set up multiple groups of toolbars, each of which can contain multiple toolbars for different database sets. See Circulation FAQ #76 for information on setting up the Application Launcher.
Enter your user name and password to log in. When you log in, the Application Launcher will automatically log you into to every toolbar for which you have permission (see the examples below). Also, when you click a toolbar button to start an application, you will be logged in automatically to that application.
A login window will be displayed instead if you do not have permission to use a particular toolbar. You’ll need to enter a valid user name and password to use this toolbar.
If you need to switch to a different group of toolbars (e.g., to a “test” or “production” toolbar), click the menu in the upper-left corner of the window and make a selection.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is permitted access to an application or website only after providing two or more verification factors to the authentication system. As it is difficult for users to reliably authenticate themselves using just a username and password, especially if they have numerous accounts, and since many people reuse passwords across accounts and create passwords that lack complexity, MFA is a useful tool for preventing data theft by cybercriminals.
Naviga now supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) to provide increased login security for users connecting to Circulation application. For successful user authentication, users should follow the steps outlined in this section.
This section guides the user through the steps for MFA user authentication in the Graphical User Interface (GUI).
The following use case describes user authentication using the MFA service provider, Auth0.
Set the following Business Rules to the values provided by the MFA service provider, Auth0.
What is the URL of the redirect page that you use? (Login Section)
What is the client ID for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
What is the client secret key for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
What is the domain URL for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
Open the latest ‘NCS CIRC Launch JNLP’ file.
Enter the user's email address and password registered with Auth0.
Click Continue.
A push notification is sent to your Auth0 mobile application. When you receive the notification, click “Approve” and you will be logged into Circulation application.
Users can also choose to click ‘ Manually Enter Code’ to log in by manually entering a passcode provided by the MFA service provider mobile application.
You will be logged into the Circulation application after the authentication is successful.
In CHUI, multiple sessions can be logged in by users bypassing the MFA identity provider (MFA IdP: OKTA and Auth0) after the successful initial login for users through the MFA.
The time duration for which the user would not require MFA authentication for a new session can be specified in the Business Rule— How long is the MFA security bypassed after the initial login for a character-based application? (Login section). When the time limit is reached, the user can only start a new session by reauthenticating with MFA.
This section guides the user through the steps for MFA user authentication in the Character User Interface (CHUI).
The following use cases describes user authentication using the MFA service provider, Auth0.
Set the following Business Rules to the values provided by the MFA service provider, Auth0.
Which single sign on service provider do you use for character based application? (Login Section) should be set to “Auth0”
What is the client ID for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
What is the client secret key for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
What is the domain URL for Auth0 application? (Login Section)
Open the Character User Interface (CHUI).
Enter the option to login to the CM (1) or the CMO (3) application.
The user authentication page will be displayed on the screen. Enter the “Password” for the account and then press the Enter button.
Once authorized, user can choose “PUSH” to receive a push notification to your MFA provider mobile application.
When you receive the push notification in your MFA provider mobile application, click “Approve”.
Then, in CHUI, press the Space button to confirm and advance to the application.
Users can also choose ‘OTP’ to log in by manually entering a passcode provided by the MFA service provider mobile application.
You will be logged into the Circulation application after the authentication is successful.
To save space on your desktop, the Application Launcher can be minimized to a small toolbar that is always on top of other windows. This way, you can always access the Circulation applications easily.
To minimize the application launcher, click on the Naviga logo bar near the top of the window. The minimized Application Launcher looks like this:
To switch back to full size, click the Newscycle logo on the left, or click the arrow next to it and select Full Size Toolbar. The options on this menu also allow you to modify the size of the icons.
When minimized, the Application Launcher displays only a single toolbar. If you want to switch to a different toolbar, open the Choose Area menu on the right and make a selection.
You can save the position of the Application Launcher on the screen by clicking the Save Location button at the top right corner of the Application Launcher window. After clicking Save Location, when the Application Launcher is opened again it will display in the saved position.
In order to start a subscription for a customer, the customer’s address must first be entered in the database. Personal information about the customer (such as phone numbers and credit status) must also be entered—this is known as occupant information.
The address and occupant records contain information about subscribers and non-subscribers. In separating address and occupant records, Circulation clearly distinguishes between an occupant and an address—people move, addresses do not. It is possible to have two different subscriptions for two occupants at the same house; for example, Jane Smith may receive a weekly publication, while Bill Smith subscribes to a daily.
Or, an occupant’s newspaper delivery address could be different from the mailing address. For example, Bob Jones’ mailing address is “Post Office Box 25”, but his newspaper delivery address is “1000 State Street”. The following table illustrates address and occupant records:
A subscriber must have an occupant record, but an occupant need not be a subscriber. An occupant becomes a subscriber when he or she subscribes to a publication.
An address and an occupant must be linked before they can be used as a unit for performing most subscriber transactions such as starts, moves, stops, etc. You will know that an occupant and address have been “linked” when they are both displayed when you click Find. Transaction and subscription history will be recorded for the “linked” address and occupant.
When your system is set up, addresses from your previous system will likely be loaded into Circulation. Additional addresses can be added manually or through List MatchPlus, another Newscycle software product.
To avoid adding duplicate addresses, try to find an address using the Find option before adding it. Business Rules determine whether you allow duplicate addresses to be added and if a warning should be displayed if an address already exists. Business Rules also determine:
Whether or not addresses are parsed into house number, street name, etc., or are displayed as Address lines 1 through 6.
Whether or not addresses are cleansed and standardized using address-correction software.
Whether the street name should be validated.
Whether a PO route should be automatically assigned.
The default dwelling type and status.
Enter address information in the fields described below.
Street Address
HOUSE #
open (10)
Enter the house number for this address, such as “103” for the address “103 Main Street”.
MODIFIER
open (3)
Some house numbers have modifiers, like the “½” in the address “103 ½ Main St”. If the address has a modifier, enter it here.
PREFIX
predefined
This field appears before Street to accommodate entry of prefix street directions, such as “N” in “1234 N Main St”.
STREET
open (28)
Enter the street name for this address; for example, enter “Main” for the “103 Main Street” address. If the address has a PO box, enter the PO box here.
TYPE
setup
Enter the street type, such as St, Rd, or Ave.
SUFFIX
predefined
This field appears after TYPE to accommodate entry of suffix street directions, such as “N” in “1234 Main St N”.
UNIT, UNIT # *
setup, open (8)
Enter the type of unit and the unit number, respectively. Examples of unit types are Apt, Lot, Room, Suite, and Bsmt. Thus, when UNIT and UNIT # are combined, they might read “Apt 20” or “Suite 200”. You may enter a unit number without a unit type.
LEVEL TYPE, LEVEL #
setup, open (8)
Enter the type of level and level number, respectively. Examples of level types are Floor, Level, etc. Thus, when LEVEL TYPE and LEVEL # are combined, they might read, for example, “Floor 2”. See Level Designator in the Setup Manual for more information about setting up level types.
ZIP
open (10)
Entry of a Zip code may be mandatory, depending on how the system was set up. You may enter the Zip in a variety of formats, including 5, 9, or 10 characters. Enter hyphens if you wish. Enter a space between the two groups of alphanumeric characters in Canadian or UK postal codes, for example, “RC3 3H8”. When the Zip is entered, several default values may display in the remaining fields (including the city, state/province, county, country, town of 25, and dwelling status).
DELIVERY POINT
open (3)
This is the small, unnamed field to the right of Zip. It is a USPS addition to the Zip that is only used in printing bar codes. If you have Quadient address cleansing software, the delivery point will be automatically defaulted. If you do not have Quadient, you will most likely have no reason for entering a delivery point.
COUNTY
open (25)
Enter the county in which the address is located. This field is not required.
CITY
open (28)
Enter the city for this address, if not defaulted. A warning will appear if this city has not been set up in advance.
STATE, COUNTRY
setup, setup
Enter state and country codes if the default codes do not appear or you wish to override the defaults.
Secondary Address Info
DUAL ADDRESS
open (30)
If the address you are supplied with actually contains two valid addresses (such as “100 Main St PO Box 450”), designate one of them as a “dual” address and enter it here. If Quadient comes across two valid addresses, it will designate the first address element as the primary address and default the second one here.
BUILDING, COMPLEX
open (20), open (20)
Use these two fields to enter, respectively, the name of the complex and the name/number of the building within the complex. An example of a complex would be “Oak Park Apartments”. An example of a building would be “Building 212”.
Details
DIGITAL ADDRESS
yes/no
Indicate if this is a digital sales address that is only accessible by online delivery. If this box is checked, the other boxes in the Details area are disabled.
ROUTE ACCESSIBLE
yes/no
Indicate if this address is accessible by circulation carriers for delivery of publications and products.
MAIL ACCESSIBLE
yes/no
Indicate if this address is accessible by postal carriers for delivery of publications and products.
SPECIAL ADDRESS
yes/no
Indicate if this is a “special” address, such as a military or foreign address, that cannot be entered using the fields on this tab—a pop-up window appears for entry of the special address. This window also appears if you click the Special button in the Options panel. Note that if you do enter a special address, the regular street address fields should be left blank.
CLEANSE ADDRESS
yes/no
Indicate if this address should be cleansed by Quadient or QAS. You may not want to cleanse foreign or special addresses. See step 5 below for more information on Quadient.
CAN DROP CREDIT
yes/no
Indicate if drop credits can be applied to this address. Drop credits are a means of paying carriers on a per-address basis, no matter how many products are delivered.
PO Route
TYPE, NUMBER, WALK SEQ
predefined, open (2), open (7)
The post office route is broken down into three parts: the route type, the route number, and the walk sequence. Circulation will fill in the PO route type and number automatically if you have Quadient. Walk sequences can be entered with a utility or imported via List Matching. If there are no default values, enter the postal route information, if known.
Location
TOWN OF 25
setup
Towns of 25 are geographical areas used for AAM (Alliance for Audited Media) reporting. Circulation may fill in this field automatically from the router or the Zip code.
DWELLING
setup
A dwelling type (such as “Apt”, “House”, or “Business”) indicates what kind of building is at this address. A default dwelling type may display (this can be overridden).
STATUS
setup
The dwelling status indicates the current condition of the address, such as “occupied”, “vacant”, or “under construction”. A default dwelling status (which can be overridden) may be displayed.
DATE
date
Enter the date this dwelling status is effective. Today’s date will appear as the default, but you can override it.
CENSUS TRACT/BLOCK# **
decimal (10) decimal (3)
If you know them, enter the census tract and block numbers for this address. This optional information is used by Targeted Marketing and InsertPlus.
G-NAF PID
open (14)
Geocoded National Address File Address Persistent Identifier for the occupant's address. Applicable to Australian addresses.
HIN
open (11)
House Index number for the occupant's address. Applicable to Australian addresses.
* When an address includes a box number on a rural or contract route, you can enter the box number in the Unit fields; as an example, for Rural Route 2 Box 59A: enter “RR 2” in Street Name, “Box” in Unit Type and “59A” in Unit. Post office boxes, general delivery, county roads and/or state roads should be entered in Street; for example, for a Post Office Box 29 address, you would enter “PO Box 29” in Street and not in the Unit fields.
** The United States and Canada are divided into census tracts for census-taking purposes. Each tract is divided into blocks. Each block may contain one or more households. Each household is given both a tract and block ID.
You can enter delivery directions for this address by clicking on the Directions button under Options. Addresses may require these special directions (such as “third house on the left”) if the address is not easily found. Delivery directions appear on bundle tops whenever the subscriber has customer service transactions, and may appear on the Route List. In addition, delivery directions are displayed during the Dispatching process.
Click OK to accept the address.
Other options will now appear in the Options panel.
Select Occupants to link the address to an occupant. You can find an occupant already in the database or add a new occupant, and you can add or find additional (mail) occupants. If an occupant who is a non-subscriber leaves an address, you can select Detach Occupant to detach the occupant from the address. If the occupant is a subscriber, you must instead perform a Move transaction.
You can also add or modify the AAM Zone in which the address belongs (AAM Zones button), view complaints (Complaints button), and link routes to the address (Routes button). Usually, when an address is added a route is assigned to the address by the router. However, sometimes the router may not be able to assign a route, or you may not use routers. Or, you may click the Routes button to set the walk sequence (Delivery Sequence field) for the address on the route. Note that you can link multiple routes (typically from different publications) to an address—this is used mainly for Targeted Marketing. Routes linked to an address are entirely separate from routes linked to a subscription at the address.
If a customer calls and wants to begin a subscription, you will use Find and enter the customer’s name as the search criteria. If the customer is not in the database, and neither is the customer’s address, the address will need to be added to the database.
To add the new address, you click the Add Address button and enter the following information in the address fields:
The customer (Nancy Jones) now lives at 951 Bayless Ave, Apt. 5. You enter this information in the House #, Street Name, Type, Unit Type, and Unit Number fields, respectively.
In Zip, you enter the 5-digit Zip code (55114) for the address.
In county you enter “Ramsey”.
You enter the city name (St. Paul), the state (MN) and country (US) are defaulted from the Zip code.
There is no dual address, building or complex.
This address is out of town, so you uncheck Route Accessible and keep Mail Accessible checked. This is not a special address, so you keep Special Address unchecked. You use Quadient, so you leave Cleanse Address checked.
Po Route is left blank. Quadient will supply this.
Because this Zip code is outside of the newspaper market area, no Town of 25 defaults. You assign the “All Other” Town of 25, used for all subscriptions outside of the market area.
Nancy Smith occupies an apartment, so in Dwelling Type, you enter “APT” and in Dwelling Status, you keep the default (“occupied”). Leave the current date as the dwelling status date.
After you enter this information, you click OK to enter the address into the database. Quadient displays the address you entered an its cleansed version—you accept the cleansed (working) address. Now you can add the customer’s personal information by clicking the Occupant button and adding the occupant.
Quadient is the standard address cleansing software for US addresses in Circulation. Quadient does not require software to be installed or updated locally. Instead, the address is sent to the Quadient ZIP Cleanse web service, along with a valid registration key. The address is then returned as cleansed or not cleansed (there is no suggestion list). Quadient manages all updates of software and directories on the server providing the ZIP Cleanse web service. Business Rules determine how Quadient standardizes address data—for example, whether invalid US city names are retained. See Address Cleansing in the Setup Manual for more information.
QAS is used to verify the correct spelling and standard formatting of Canadian or Australian addresses while adding or modifying them in Circulation or iServices. As an address-correction or “cleansing” application, it serves the same purpose as Quadient. Both the regular and OnDemand (hosted) versions of QAS are integrated with Circulation.
If you use QAS, the Business Rule, What system do you use for Address Correction and Encoding software?, must be set to “QAS.” This rule is in the Address Cleansing section of Business Rules. You must also answer additional Business Rules in the same section that are specific to QAS.
When QAS is being used, the address entry window contains the QAS Address Search panel, shown below.
The first step in adding an address is to determine if it already exists in the system. The QAS Address Search panel allows three methods for doing this (the default will be “Typedown” or “SingleLine”, based on a Business Rule):
When the initial matches are displayed, the search field will switch over to typedown functionality to help you search within the matches for a particular address. Double-click on an address to select it.
As an illustration, let’s say the address you are looking for is in Bondi Beach, which you’ve already located using a single-line search. Clicking on the + sign next to BONDI BEACH NSW will show the streets within Bondi Beach, sorted alphabetically. Furthermore, clicking on the + sign next to a street name will show the addresses, or ranges of addresses, on that street.
Since the search is now automatically in typedown mode, you can begin typing letters of the street name to locate the specific street. Let’s say the street name is “Ormond,” so you type the letter “Or” and receive the matches shown below.
Next, you click the + next to Ormond Street and show the addresses.
A + symbol next to a match indicates a group of addresses. For example, expanding the “2” reveals that there is a “2 Ormond Street” as well as a range of addresses from “1/2 Ormond Street” through “10/2 Ormond Street.”
Since 3/2 Ormond Street is what you’re looking for, you double-click on that address to bring it into the address entry/modification window.
From time to time, you will receive calls from customers who are not in the database (you cannot locate them using Find). When this happens, you must add the occupant to Circulation.
When adding an occupant, Business Rules determine the default credit status and the default occupant type.
To add an occupant:
Enter information in the fields of the Occupant tab.
Name
LAST
open (30)
Enter the occupant’s last name.
Note: You can optionally configure Circulation to allow a first and last name that exceed the maximum number of characters (12 and 30, respectively). Contact Naviga Global Support for more information.
SUFFIX
setup
If applicable, enter the occupant’s name suffix, such as Jr, PhD, II, etc.
TITLE
setup
If applicable, enter the occupant’s title, such as Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr., or Rev.
FIRST
open (12)
Enter the occupant’s first name.
MI
open (1)
Optionally enter the occupant’s middle initial.
OTHER
open (30)
This is an optional field where you can enter the company name, an attention line, etc. The Other Name will be printed on mailing labels.
USAGE
setup
Enter a description of your entry in OTHER NAME, such as “business” or “attention line”. “Other Name” will print on mailing labels, but “Other Use” will not.”Other Use” may be used for RESULTS purposes.
open (100)
Enter the primary e-mail for the occupant, if provided. Additional e-mails can be entered on the Contact tab.
PHONE
integer (10)
Enter the area code and primary telephone number of the occupant. If there is a phone extension, enter it in the EXT field to the right. The phone number type (i.e. work, home, etc.) for the primary phone number is determined in phone number type setup. Other phone numbers can be entered on the Contact tab.
UNLISTED
yes/no
If the primary phone number is unlisted, check this box. UNLISTED is used for reference purposes. If unlisted, the subscriber’s phone number will not be printed on bundle tops or route labels.
ALLOW WEB ACCESS
yes/no
Check this field to grant the subscriber access to iServices Subscriber (if used). To reset the user’s password in iServices Subscriber, click the New Password button to the right of this field and answer “Yes” to the warning prompt that displays. This will send the subscriber an e-mail containing their new password, similar to the Forgot Password link in iServices. The content of the e-mail message is based on a template. The New Password button will be inactive if the Business Rule What type of email is supported? is set to “None,” or if the customer has a single sign on e-mail.
Status
OCCUPANT TYPE
setup
Enter an occupant type for this occupant, or accept the default. Occupant types are defined in Setup and are used to define occupants as “students”, “seniors”, “construction workers”, or other category. Occupant types can be used for rating and TM selection purposes.
CREDIT STATUS
setup
Enter the occupant’s credit status or accept the default. This code determines the number of grace days, as well as what happens to a subscription when the grace period ends. The credit status may also control whether a start can be entered for an occupant. An occupant’s credit status may be automatically changed as the result of a stop or payment, based on Credit Status setup (see the Setup Manual). You can set up a task to be generated when the credit status changes, using an Event Type of “Audit”.
REVIEW DATE
date
Enter the date of the occupant’s most recent credit review, if you do credit reviews. This field is for reference only. The default is today’s date.
To enter a delivery request, click the Requests button in the Options area to display the Delivery Requests pop-up window. Delivery requests are special requests about how the customer wants the paper delivered, such as “put in back door” or “beware of the dog”. Delivery requests should not be confused with the delivery directions that can be entered with an address. The requests are printed on bundle tops whenever the subscriber has a customer service transaction, and are optionally printed on Route lists. In addition, delivery requests are displayed during the Dispatching process.
Click OK to accept the occupant. You can now link the occupant to an address as well as enter more information in the Occupant sub-tabs.
To link the occupant to an address, click the Address button—a window will open so you can link this occupant with an address. Under Change Primary/Home Address, select Find and find the occupant’s address, or (if the address is not in the database) select Add and add it. This will be the address to which the paper will be delivered. You may also link the occupant to a secondary address, used for mailing renewal notices and TM products. If you do not want the occupant linked to any address at all (you want to keep the occupant “free floating”), click Detach Occupant.
An occupant’s credit status determines how many grace days are allowed if the subscription expires without payment, among other things (see the Setup Manual for more information). Occupants are assigned a credit status when they are added, but the status can be changed by the system due to a late payment or modified by the Customer Service associate. You can modify a credit status or add a new credit status if the occupant does not yet have one defined for a product. A product of “*” indicates all products for which a credit status is not specifically defined.
Note: This tab will be active only if the Business Rule, Do you want to maintain an occupant’s credit status by product?, is set to “yes”. If it is set to “no”, there will be only one credit status per occupant, which you can change when modifying the occupant record.
On this tab, you can enter notes for private notes about occupants. These notes are not printed anywhere and are available for reference only. An example of a note might be “Caretaker of Oak Park Apartments” or “complains a lot”.
This tab shows the complaints that have been entered for an occupant. To add a complaint, you must enter it as a transaction.
Suppose Nancy Jones calls to start a subscription. You look for her in the database but cannot find her (she just moved to town). You will have to add an occupant record, so you select Occupant and enter the occupant fields in the following manner.
You enter the last and first name of the occupant. Nancy does not provide a middle initial, and no suffix follows her name, so you leave these fields blank. Also, this is a home subscription and there is no “other name”.
You enter the home phone number (which is Nancy’s primary phone number). Her home phone number is unlisted, so you check Unlisted (it will not be printed on bundle tops, etc.).
Nancy provides you with her e-mail, and you check Allow Web Access so that she can view and manage her subscription details via iServices Subscriber.
Nancy does not fit any of your more specific occupant types (“Student”, “Veteran”, etc.) and so you keep the default occupant type, which at this newspaper is “Regular”.
All new occupants receive the credit status of “Approved”. You do not do credit reviews, so you leave the current date in Review Date.
After entering this basic information, you click OK in the Options panel to accept the occupant. Now you can enter more information related to the occupant:
You link Nancy’s occupant record to an address by clicking the Address button.
Nancy gives you her work phone number as well. So you add this on the Contact tab (see below).
Nancy doesn’t say anything about soliciting, but would like to receive your Books digital newsletter, so you add that in the Contact tab.
To add additional phone numbers for an occupant, select the Phone label and click the Add icon. The Phone Detail fields, listed below, display on the right side of the Contact tab. After entering the phone number and related information, click OK to add the number for the occupant.
PHONE TYPE
setup
Indicate the type of phone number being entered, such as “work” or “fax”. Phone number types must be set up in advance—see the Setup Manual.
AREA CODE
integer
Enter the area code for the phone number, if applicable.
PHONE NUMBER
integer
Enter the phone number.
EXTENSION
open
If the phone number has an extension, enter it here.
PRIMARY
yes/no
Check this field if this is the primary phone number for the occupant. The primary phone number displays in the Occupant tab and is the phone number used in most Circulation exports. An occupant may only have one number marked as primary. Note: • If the occupant does not currently have a phone number in the system, it becomes the primary phone by default. • When an occupant already has a primary phone number, and a different phone number is added or modified with Primary checked, you will be prompted that the primary number is being switched (click OK to continue). The Primary field will then be unchecked for the original primary number. • If a phone number with Primary flagged is deleted, the phone number with the default phone type will be the primary. If there is no phone number with the default phone type, the phone number most recently added will be updated to be the primary number.
UNLISTED
yes/no
Indicate whether the phone number should be flagged as unlisted.
DO NOT CALL
display
If the phone number is on a federal or other “do not call” list, the DNC lists on which the phone number is included display here.
To add an e-mail address for an occupant, select the Email label and click the Add icon. Then specify the e-mail (the address can be up to 100 characters) and the date range during which it is active. Check Primary if this is the primary e-mail for the occupant (the same rules apply as with primary phone numbers). Click OK to add the e-mail.
To modify an e-mail address or its start date or end date, click Modify.
To send an e-mail message to an occupant, click the icon in the lower-right corner of this tab.
Customers can opt in to newsletters, alerts, and other communications you send by e-mail, mail or phone. For example, you may e-mail a weekly Arts newsletter highlighting arts and entertainment events for the coming weekend, and send weather alerts via phone. Customers can opt into (and out of ) newsletters themselves via iServices. You can also opt them in and out of newsletters, and change communication preferences, via the Contact tab in Customer Service.
Select the communication item and enter the contact information. The fields are described in the table below.
ITEM
setup
Select the communication item the customer is opting in to. Items must be defined in advance in Communication setup (see the Setup Manual). All items defined with a usage type of “Customer Service” and a product of “*”on the Usage tab will be available. Items defined with a usage type of “Customer Service” and a specific product will only be available if the customer subscribes (or has a former subscription for) that publication.
METHOD
predefined
Indicate whether the customer should receive the newsletter or alert by mail (address), email, or phone. Only communication methods defined for the communication item will be available. If only one communication method is defined, it will default.
METHOD TYPE
predefined
If the communication method is e-mail, specify whether to send HTML or text e-mail to the customer. This field only opens if both e-mail types are allowed for the communication item.
METHOD DETAILS
setup
Select the e-mail, phone number or address that should be used for the newsletter or alert. For example, if the customer has two e-mail addresses defined in Circulation, you would select the one to use for the newsletter here. If the communication method is set up with Default Primary checked, the customer’s primary phone number or e-mail address will default.
OPT OUT
display
This field is only open when an existing communication preference is modified.
Click OK to opt the customer in to the selected newsletter or alert.
In the Contact Information area on the left side of the Contact Tab, click the plus sign to the left of Communication Preferences, and highlight the communication item.
Check the Opt Out field.
Click OK to accept the opt out. The customer will no longer receive the communication.
If the customer wishes to receive the newsletter at a different e-mail, phone number, or address, you can make the change by modifying the communication item as described above. Set the Method Details field to the e-mail, phone number or address that should be used.
Occupants may request not to be solicited by phone, mail, or other means. This is important to newspapers who do telemarketing and promotional mailings—they want to make sure these occupants are not included in the delivery list, phone list, or other documents they use for solicitations.
In Circulation, this information is tracked with solicitation codes. For example, an occupant might have a “NoCall” solicitation code. In Targeted Marketing, when selecting occupants for a telemarketing phone campaign, occupants with a “NoCall” solicitation code can be excluded from the selection.
To add a solicitation code for an occupant, select the Solicitation label and click the Add icon. Enter solicitation information in the fields described in the table below. Then click OK to add the solicitation information.
CODE
setup
Enter the ID of the solicitation code that should be assigned to this occupant. Solicitation codes must be set up in advance (see Solicitation in the Setup Manual).
REVIEWED
date
Enter the last date this solicitation status was updated or reviewed with the occupant (the current date defaults).
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this solicitation code should be assigned to the occupant. You can leave END DATE blank.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks pertinent to this assignment.
If address or occupant information changes for a customer, the address or occupant record should be modified. To modify an address or occupant, first Find the customer in question. Then click on the Address or Occupant tab and select Modify. The fields will be the same as displayed during an add. Click OK when the update is complete.
Background record information about the subscription can be displayed by selecting Subscriber Info from the File menu. This option displays the customer’s address ID and occupant ID (both for delivery and billing). If a transaction is selected, the transaction’s transaction ID also displays. This information can be handy for troubleshooting issues with a particular subscription.
The Transactions tab is where you view detail about customer transactions, such as new starts and stops. You can also modify and delete transactions here, if the transaction has not yet been processed by transaction processing or, in the case of payments, subscriber payment processing. Refunds cannot be modified, because they are processed immediately. To view a transaction, select it in the Transactions tab in the upper right corner of the Customer Service module.
To display the payment amount breakdown, click the Details button next to the Payment Amount field. The Payment Amount Details will also display the amount processed towards Fees (Printed Bill and Activation Fees) and the premium amount.
These transactions indicate the date an office pay subscription ends, and are pushed back by payments or other adjustments. Once an expire transaction is processed, the subscription is expired, and the subscriber will be stopped or go into grace until another payment is received. Expire transactions can be modified if they have not yet been processed.
When an office pay subscription expires, newspapers often have a “grace” period where the paper will still be delivered, in the hope that the subscriber will eventually send a payment. If grace days are used, an End Grace transaction will be created by the system when the Expire transaction is processed. The End Grace transaction date will be the date the grace period ends—if the End Grace transaction still exists on this date, it will be processed and the subscription will be permanently stopped or turned over to carrier collect. End grace transactions can be modified if they have not yet been processed.
If a payment does arrive for a subscription that has ended its grace period, the grace-owed amount will be deducted from the payment—this will create a Grace Paid transaction. Grace Paid transactions are display-only—they cannot be modified.
If you run renewal notices with Print Grace Owed set to “yes”, a Grace Export transaction will be created. The Export Grace button allows you to export a rebill transaction for this subscriber. When you click this button, the message “Grace information successfully exported” is displayed, and a rebill transaction is exported to a file located in the default exchange directory. A Business Rule, To which subdirectory under the ‘exchange’ directory should grace owed generated from customer service be exported? (Subscriber Billing section), is used to identify this directory. If the Grace Export run is subsequently undone, the rebill and grace export transactions will be removed. The format of the export file is the same as the grace export format
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Renewal or Invoice transactions, created when a renewal notice is issued to a subscriber. The information that was printed on the renewal notice or invoice is displayed. If you are viewing a 1st invoice, 1st renewal, or rebill transaction, and these transactions were exported, an Export Renewal button will be available to export a replacement. The location of the export is defined in Business Rules—To which subdirectory under the ‘exchange’ directory should renewals generated from customer service be exported?
When running Subscriber Renewal Notices, if a subscriber is selected for an Invoice/Renewal and qualifies for a Printed Bill fee, the Printed Bill fee is applied when the Invoice/Renewal transaction is created. When you select the Invoice/Renewal transaction, you can view the subscriber's Activation Fee and Printed Bill Fee.
If HTML (dynamic) renewal notices can be viewed in iServices, the same notice or invoice can be displayed from Customer Service by clicking the View Renewal button in the screen shown above. The notice will display in your default browser. If you have more than one website defined you will be prompted to select a website; the dynamic renewal notice template for that website will be used.
Auto Pay transactions, created when a subscription is automatically renewed.
MarketTerm transactions are created for subscriptions on a marketing term (see Subscription Rates in the Setup Manual). Each one represents the point at which a marketing term rate becomes effective. They contain information such as the rate code; number of days owed, paid, or remaining; the copy rate by day; and other information. The “CSSMarketTerm” transaction security item determines whether users can view MarketTerm transactions (by default, the transactions are set to not display).
Auto Renew Statement transactions, created when an auto-renew statement is generated for the subscription (this is similar to a Renewal transaction).
Expire Alert transactions created so that expire messages appear on distribution documents. There is no detail for these transactions other than their date, so they cannot be viewed.
CollectXprt transactions are created when a subscriber is exported by the Collectech interface. Like Expire Alert, there is no detail for these transactions.
PreviousDelivery transactions, created when a subscriber should receive a previous day’s paper.
BonusDay transactions, created when a subscriber should receive a paper even though it is not a normal delivery day for the subscription (this happens most often on holidays). BonusDay transactions can be created as part of new starts, billing changes, and delivery schedule changes, or by the Bonus Day Utility. The source and reason code for the BonusDay transaction are determined by Business Rules.
Suspend transactions, created when the subscriber’s route is suspended. This is really just a variation of a temp stop.
Unsuspend transactions, created when the subscriber’s suspended route is reactivated. This is really just a variation of a restart.
Suspended Start transactions, which are New Starts created in iServices Subscriber that need to be reviewed in Customer Service before they are processed.
A Restart allows you to restart a temporarily stopped subscription. You may need to enter a restart for a subscription that was temporarily stopped, if the restart date was not known at that time (if the date was entered with the stop transaction, it is not necessary to use this option).
Multiple restart dates can be entered for the same subscriber to correspond to multiple stop dates. Future restart dates can be modified, if required.
A warning message appears if you attempt to enter a restart for a date that has already been processed. You may not enter a restart for a subscription that has been permanently stopped; instead, you must enter a new start. You cannot enter a restart if the date entered causes the number of back-dating days to exceed the number allowed by Business Rules. Business Rules also determine whether a source code is required for a restart.
Find the subscriber that should be restarted.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Subscribers sometimes wish to stop a subscription. A stop can be either temporary or permanent; the reason code determines the type of stop it is. Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a stop.
Multiple stop and restart dates can be entered for the same subscriber, and you can modify future stop/restart dates. You can enter a permanent stop for a temporarily stopped subscription, but you may not enter a second temporary stop if a restart has not been entered for the first temporary stop.
When entering a temp stop (or a perm stop on a temp-stopped account) the subscriber may be forced to donate some or all of the stopped days, based on the vacation credit Business Rules in the General section (see General in the Setup manual) and the reason code used. When there is a forced donation, the message “The first XX calendar days for this temporary stop will not be credited to subscription XX” displays. The actual donation transaction record is created during Transaction Processing, so you will not see the number of days donated in the transaction until it has been processed.
If a stop is entered for a date that has already been processed, a warning message is displayed. A subscription may not be stopped on a date which exceeds the allowed number of back-dating days.
Processing a Permanent Stop,
When there are multiple unprocessed payments for the same subscriber with different dates in the system, the General Ledger (GL) batch date is set to the latest transaction date of the payments.
When there is a single unprocessed payment in the system, the GL batch date is set to the payment’s transaction date.
Find the subscriber whose subscription should be stopped.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
A day pass is a low-cost, low-commitment alternative to a subscription, allowing access to the digital edition of a publication for a single day. Day passes are popular with casual readers who may not visit the publication website frequently, or read the print publication. Examples of day pass readers might be visitors to the area, researchers who need access to your content for a short period, and customers who occasionally read the publication but do not want to commit to a longer subscription. By offering a day pass plan, you can broaden your engagement with the community while earning extra revenue.
Day pass subscriptions are supported in Circulation. Unlike regular (term) subscriptions, day pass subscriptions do not have a start or stop. Instead, a day pass transaction is created containing one or more day passes.
Day passes transactions are typically interfaced via the Circulation API by the Digital Paymeter or a third party paywall. However, a day pass can be entered in Customer Service, in the case where the customer directly contacts the CSR.
Note that:
Day passes only cover a single day (24-hour period). Multi-day or week passes are not supported. However, customers can purchase bundles of day passes (described below) which can be used on different individual days rather than a single time period.
To purchase a day pass, a customer must have an e-mail and full address information. “Shadow” users and users with limited address information (e.g. only a ZIP Code) cannot purchase day passes.
To purchase a day pass, a payment is required. Only credit card payments using the Hosted Payment Page can be made. Payments cannot be entered for day pass subscriptions outside of a day pass transaction, and transfers cannot be made to day pass subscribers.
Day passes must be purchased in advance. Grace periods are not supported.
Day passes cannot be auto renewed.
Day passes have special rates with a subscriber type of “Day Pass” (see Subscription Rates in the Setup Manual). Day pass rates can have discounts defined for them, but cannot be reduced or promo rates.
Day pass subscriptions are ignored by Publishing module options, most reports and utilities, and also by Targeted Marketing selection. However, campaigns can be set up to create day pass subscriptions, and day passes can be reported using the Day Pass Sales and Day Pass Usage reports.
The Paymeter also uses iServices Authentication to determine whether the customer has an active day pass. Authentication is also called in order to record day pass usage (the subscriber actually accessing the digital edition) and digital access for AAM purposes. Alternately, day pass usage and digital access records can be imported via the Auth Import utility.
The following Business Rules govern day pass subscriptions:
What is the delivery schedule used for day pass purchases? (Customer Services section).
Although day passes are valid on any day of the week, day pass subscriptions must have a delivery schedule for validation reasons. The delivery schedule specified for this Business Rule must be a delivery schedule set up with a subscriber type of “Day Pass”.
When entering a make good day pass transaction, which subscription adjust code should be used? (Customer Services section).
If you will allow make goods for day pass subscriptions, the subscription adjustment code to use for the make good adjustment must be specified for this parameter.
If a day pass is also valid for the next publishing day, should it count for both days in AAM history? (AAM section).
You can count a day pass as a single day (copy), but because it is a 24-hour period and readers can typically access the website on two different days, AAM allows a day pass to be counted as two copies.
What is the default AAM price level for day pass draw? (AAM section).
If you use AAM price levels, the day pass will use the price level associated with the subscriber’s day pass rate. If no price level is specified at the rate level, this parameter determines the price level to use.
What is the host name for Day Pass? and What is the URL path for Day Pass? (iServices & Mapping section).
The host name and URL to be used with the day pass e-mail template. The template is used to send e-mail to the subscriber after purchasing a day pass.
In addition to day pass rates, in order to offer day passes you must set Allow Day Pass to “y” in Publication setup and have at least one digital edition that allows day pass. The edition determines the AAM column for recording day pass draw, and the access window for a day pass subscription (24 hours or until the end of the next day).
You must also define at least one reason code with a transaction type of “DayPass”, and one “DayPassUsage” transaction type. (The day pass usage transaction is used to track the days used in a day pass bundle.)
A single day pass purchase uses a rate term of 1 day. The day pass begins as soon as the transaction is entered, and is active for 24 hours or until the end of the next day, based on Edition setup. Once the access period is over, the subscription is inactive. However, if the customer purchases another day pass for the same edition, the same subscription ID is used. This allows you to view all of a customer’s day pass history under one subscription.
Day pass bundles contain a predefined number of day passes paid for in advance; a bundle offers convenience to day pass customers who don't want to pay each time they wish to access your website.
In this case the day pass transaction has a term of greater than 1 day. The actual terms offered are defined in Rate Code setup—for example, your publication might offer day pass bundles of 3, 5, and 10 days.
When a customer purchases a day pass bundle, none of the day passes in the bundle are used initially. Days are used in a bundle based on digital access. If the customer logs in and there are no days currently active in the day pass bundle, iServices Authentication activates the next day pass usage transaction when it records digital access.
When a day pass is used, the value of the day will be subtracted from the subscriber’s balance, and they will have one less day pass remaining in the bundle. When the last day pass in a bundle is used, the subscription will become inactive.
When a day pass subscription is purchased, the value of each day (or usage) is determined when the day pass transaction is entered, and this value does not change. For a single day pass there is only one usage, and the value is the one day rate term cost (including tax, if any). For day pass bundles, each day in the day pass has a value, which is used to determine the subscriber’s remaining balance and the amount earned during a period. The days are valued using the following method:
The total cost of the term is divided by the number of days to get the average day cost.
The average cost is truncated to two decimal places. For example, an average of .857 is truncated to .85.
Each day is assigned the truncated average.
The value of all the days is combined.
The combined value of the days is subtracted from the total cost of the term.
Any remainder is added to the first day.
5.00 / 7 = 0.714
0.714 is truncated to 0.71
Days 1-7 are assigned a value of 0.71
0.71 x 7 = 4.97
5.00 - 4.97 = 0.03
Value of day 1 = 0.71 + 0.03 = 0.74
And so the days would have the following values:
Day 1 = 0.74 Day 2 = 0.71 Day 3 = 0.71 Day 4 = 0.71 Day 5 = 0.71 Day 6 = 0.71| Day 7 = 0.71 Total = 5.00
Follow the procedure below to enter a day pass transaction in Customer Service.
Find the occupant who is purchasing the day pass, or add the occupant to Circulation. Day passes can be entered for subscribers or non-subscribers, as long as the occupant has an address.
Select the product, edition, rate and other details for the day pass, in the fields described in the table below.
Once “Credit Card” is selected in the Payment Type field, the Hosted Order Page displays for credit card information. This is the same process as entering a regular credit card payment using the HOP.
Back on the Transaction tab, click OK to accept the day pass. This will create a processed day pass transaction (Transaction Processing does not need to be run to process the transaction). Payment, AAM and GL records will also be created. The payment will be placed in a batch named “DPYYMMDDxx”, where “YYMMDD” are the year, month and day respectively, and “xx” is a sequence number. This batch will already be flagged as accepted, and the payment will be marked as processed, so there are no further steps required to create the payment.
If this is a new e-mail address (or the New Password button was clicked), an e-mail message will be sent to the customer, including the password and links to the login screen for digital access (e.g. the Digital Paymeter login page) and iServices.
To view the activation window for an active day pass, or the number of days left in a day pass bundle, simply view the day pass transaction. If the Days is “1”, the subscription is for a single day pass, and the usage will display in the Usage Information area. If the transaction is for a day pass bundle, the number of days displays in the Days field, and one usage will display for each day used so far in the Usage Information area. The unused days and remaining balance in the bundle will also display, above the Usage area.
When viewing or entering a day pass transaction, you can click the New Password button if the customer needs a new password (for example, they forgot their password or did not receive one). This works the same way as the New Password button on the Occupant tab. It changes the password for all of the customer’s e-mails.
If a subscriber complains that they had an issue using their day pass (for example, the publication website was down, or they could not log in), you can issue them a new day pass without a payment. This is known as a “make good”. It is not recorded as a complaint in Circulation, but creates a payment adjustment for the value of the day pass.
In order to enter make goods, the Business Rule—When entering a make good day pass transaction, which subscription adjust code should be used? must be answered with a valid payment adjustment code, and you must have security permissions for the “DayPassMakeGood” item in Transaction Security.
In Customer Service, find the day pass subscriber.
Click the Day Pass icon and enter the fields in the same way as for a normal day pass, with the exception of the Payment Type field. Select “Make Good” in Payment Type.
Click OK to create the make good day pass. A new day pass transaction will be created for a single day, with an adjustment-only payment that equals the value of the day (there will be no tax). The GL transaction for the day pass will debit/credit the GL account specified with the payment adjustment code.
The subscriber will be e-mailed access info for the day pass, as with a normal day pass purchase. In the case of a make good, there will be no initial usage. The usage transaction will be created when the subscriber accesses the website, as with a day pass bundle.
Subscribers with unused days in a day pass bundle can request a refund, if for some reason they will not use all of their days. Refunds for day pass bundles can be entered using the normal Refund transaction. In the case of a day pass refund:
The refund amount will be the value of the remaining (unused) day passes in the subscription, and cannot be changed.
If the subscriber has multiple day pass bundles with unused days in the subscription, all days will be combined for the refund.
As with other refunds entered in Customer Service, the day pass refund will be placed in the active Customer Service refund batch, or in a new batch if none is active.
Once the refund is entered, the day pass subscription will be inactive.
A new start transaction starts a subscription for an occupant who is permanently stopped or has no subscription history. It is perhaps the most involved transaction in Customer Service, and one that is carried out with frequency. Therefore, it is important to understand what is involved in entering a new start.
Business Rules determine how the router assigns carrier routes to a new start: whether you use routers, whether the full postal code is used in routing Canadian addresses, whether you can change a route assigned by the router and, if the router cannot assign a route, whether the delivery method will default to “mail” or the new start will be suspended.
Business Rules also determine whether a source code is required for a start and, if so, the default source code, the default delivery schedule and billing method, and whether carrier collect subscriptions should be rated.
If the subscriber has an available refund at the time of a start, Business Rules determine whether the available refund amount should be applied automatically to the new subscription. If this happens, transfer-in and transfer-out transactions are created for the subscriber (money is transferred from available refunds to the subscription).
Business Rules determine whether an operator may change a subscriber name while entering a start if the name is a carrier’s name, and whether the previous billing address and occupant be retained when entering a start for a former subscriber.
Business Rules determine whether a subscription may have multiple delivery addresses for different days of the week. For example, a subscriber might have the newspaper delivered to her office Monday through Friday, and he home on the weekend. If multiple addresses are used, Business Rules determine if subscription rating should be based on only the primary address.
Finally, Business Rules determine if “Balance Forward” is a valid billing method. A balance-forward bill includes the balance due from previous months, charges and credits since the last bill date, and the charge for the next billing period.
Suspended starts are skipped during transaction processing and entered on the processing log. The log will include the subscription ID and date so the suspended start can be reviewed. You can suspend new starts until payment is received or until unrouteable addresses are assigned to a route.
You can suspend new starts until payment is received, depending on the subscriber’s credit status. For example, your newspaper may decide that subscribers with a credit status of “OK” (as opposed to “Good”) can initiate a new start transaction, but that the transaction will not be processed until they make a payment. To suspend until payment is received, setup is required via the Credit Status Publication Specific in both Publication Setup (Setup | Business | Products | Publication) and Credit Status Setup (Setup | Subscription | Occupant | Credit Status).
You can also suspend new starts when the subscriber’s address is unrouteable. For example, if a subscriber lives in a new development area that has not yet been assigned a route, a new start can be created but suspended until a suitable route is identified by the newspaper staff.
The Business Rules, Should new starts that cannot be routed be rejected or suspended? (Import Sub Activity) and Should new starts that cannot be routed be suspended? (Customer Services), must be set properly in order to suspend starts for unrouteable addresses: the first Business Rule must be set to “suspended”, and the second Business Rule must be set to “yes”.
When a new start is entered for an unrouteable address, a task is created (with a task type of “Suspended Starts”) to notify the staff that a route must be identified before the new start can be processed. When accessing a subscription with a suspended new start:
A pop-up alert is displayed in Customer Service with the following message: “This subscription’s start is suspended. Use modify to review and unsuspend it”.
“Suspended start-unrouteable” is displayed in the Remarks field of the new start transaction. After routing the address, the Customer Service Representative deletes this remark, and the new start transaction will be processed.
Begin entering the new start as normal. When the “Unable to determine route” message appears, do not press Enter or Tab to move past the Delivery method field. Instead, perform the following steps:
Click on the Start Date field and select the subscription start date.
Click on the Billing Method field and select office pay (or other appropriate billing method).
Click on the Zone field and select an appropriate AAM zone.
Click on the Deliv Sched field and select a delivery schedule for the subscription.
As needed:
Click the Bill-To button and add a billing name and address.
Click the Auto Pay button and add auto-renew information.
Enter any comments in the Remarks field.
Click OK to create subscription.
Subscribers can have different delivery addresses for different days of the week. For example, a subscriber might have the newspaper delivered to her office Monday through Friday, and her house on the weekend. Subscribers with multiple delivery addresses will have a single, “primary” address, and additional delivery addresses stored as “secondary” addresses.
This functionality is controlled by Business Rules in the Customer Services section:
Do you allow a subscriber's delivery address to vary by weekday?
Secondary addresses can be entered for a subscription only if this Business Rule is set to “yes”.
If multiple delivery addresses are allowed should the subscription rate be based on the primary address only?
This setting determines whether subscriber rating should take multiple delivery addresses into account when selecting a default rate.
During entry of the new start, click the Delivery button to define an additional address; the Delivery Address Maintenance window will open, listing all of the existing addresses for the subscription.
To define a secondary address, click Add or Find and either add or find the additional address. When you click OK, the address will appear in the Delivery Address Maintenance window. You can then select the days on which the subscription should be delivered to this address. If necessary, you can remove secondary addresses by highlighting the address and clicking Remove. You can also enter delivery directions by clicking Directions.
A combo is a subscription that contains multiple publications or multiple delivery methods and uses a single rate. For example, a newspaper may want to combine a 6-day publication (Mon-Sat) with a Sunday-only publication to create a multiple-product subscription. Another example would be a bundled package that includes a print publication and an online publication. In both cases, a single bill is created for the subscription, and payments are allocated among the different publications.
A third party subscription is one paid for by a business rather than a subscriber. For example, a business could buy a third party subscription for new residents as part of a “Welcome to the neighborhood” campaign. Third party starts can be generated in Targeted Marketing or by entering starts in Customer Service (but not both).
A Business Rule, Do you allow entry of new starts with a billing method of third party?, determines whether starts can be entered with a billing method of “Third Party”. If so, the subscription will have no rate, an expire date is required (the stop date for the subscription), and the subscription may not be flagged for previous delivery or bonus day papers.
Find an address or an occupant linked to an address using Find.
Enter new start information in the fields described below.
If you want to enter a mailing address, delivery requests, address directions, extra copies, tax exemptions, or a different AAM Zone for this subscription, click on the appropriate option at the bottom of the window.
Click OK to accept the new start.
If you select the Auto Pay check box during a new start, the Continuous Renewal Information Window will open. The table below describes the auto-renew fields.
Two types of auto renews are available: Credit Card and Bank Draft.
Credit card auto renews automatically renew the subscription to a credit card account.
Bank draft auto renews automatically renew the subscription by withdrawing money directly from a bank account.
Payment adjustments can be entered for either type of auto renew by clicking the Adjustments button. The adjustments will be part of the credit card or bank draft payment each time it auto renews.
In order to have auto-renew subscriptions for a publication, you must define auto-renew terms in publication setup.
Enter the Account Number and Routing Number and select the Account Type and Ownership Type. The remaining fields, including First Name, Last Name, Email, Address, Address 2, City, State, and Zip Code, will be auto-filled.
Click ‘Save Payment Info’.
The saved details will be displayed under the “Bank Draft Info” section in ‘Continuous Renewal Information’ window.
The fields under the "Continuous Renewal Information" window are listed in the table below.
To make an office pay subscriber’s renewal delivery method mail or eBill (rather than route), click the Deliv Meth button to open the Renewal Override Window. Set Renewal Delivery Override to “Mail” or “eBill”, and enter a renewal override code (override codes must be set up in advance—see Renewal Override in the Setup manual).
If the renewal delivery method is eBill, you must also enter the eBill e-mail address. After they have been added, eBill e-mail addresses will be listed on the Occupant | e-mail subtab.
After entering the new start information, you can enter some associated information, if applicable, before clicking OK:
Select this option if this subscription needs to be isolated from the normal AAM Column for this subscription type and zone. One example would be for your “NIE” category. The AAM Column window will open, listing the assigned AAM column. To change the AAM column, click Modify and select the new AAM column from the AAM Column field. Then click OK. Do not change the AAM column for a “paid complimentary” or “unpaid complimentary” start.
Select this option if more than one copy of the subscription should be delivered (or mailed) on any day of the week. The copies window will open, and you can enter the number of copies that should be delivered on each day of the week.
Select this option to:
Enter delivery requests or address directions for the subscription. Remember, delivery requests pertain to the occupant (“put paper in back door”) while delivery directions pertain to the address (“first house on left”).
Select this option to find or add a mailing address for this subscription if the mailing address is different from the delivery address. The mailing address will default as the bill-to address, where renewal notices will be sent if they are mailed. The mailing address is also used for mail subscriptions if the delivery address is not mail-accessible.
Select this feature to add, remove, or modify a subscriber’s Trial Subscription.
On clicking the Trial button, a pop-up appears with the below input fields:
“In Trial?” checkbox,
“Trial Length” (text box to fill in the length of the trial)
“Trial Term” (dropdown with values: Day, Week, etc.).
Click ADD to add a subscriber’s Trial Subscription.
Click OK to save the Trial details.
Click MODIFY to change or remove a subscriber’s Trial Subscription.
Note: If the In Trial, Trial Length, and Trial Term fields are populated in the CircAPI, CreateSubscription, the trial details in the Customer Service screen will be updated accordingly. Refer to the Circulation API User Manual.
To regulate the usage of this feature, Transaction Security has been added to the Trial button. The value is set to “Not Activated” by default.
If the Security field in Transaction Security is left blank, the feature will work, and the user will be able to create the Trial Subscription.
If the Security field is set to ‘Not Activated’, the feature will not function and will be greyed out on the Customer Service screen.
Transaction Security can be configured under: Character Setup > System > Security > Transaction Security > CSMTrial.
An alert will pop-up on the Customer Service screen if a CSR view a subscriber account information who is on Trial subscription.
If this publication is normally taxed and the subscriber is exempt from the tax, enter tax exemption information here. The Tax Exemptions window will open for you to enter exempt reason codes for the appropriate tax authorities. A tax authority is a taxing entity, such as “MN” for Minnesota state taxes. The tax authorities and exemption reason codes must be defined in Setup.
Select this option to see the Activation and Printed Bill fees associated with the New Start Rate Code.
Activation Fees are determined by Rate Code. A fee cannot be applied to a customer who does not have a Rate Code and an associated Fee Code. There could also be a Fee Code that applies to all Rate Codes for a specific product.
Printed Bill Fees will apply to all rate codes in a certain product, unless the customer has set up Auto Pay. Customers who have Auto Pay will not see Printed Bill Fees.
Note:
When a New Start is accepted, Printed Bill Fees are not created; instead, they are created when Subscriber Billing is processed.
To waive the associated fees, click the Modify button and select the reason for the waiver from the drop-down menu.
Let us say that an occupant, Nancy Jones, would like to start receiving our newspaper. She would like to receive the paper seven days a week, and she would like the renewal notices sent to her work address. To enter this new start, we would locate Nancy’s occupant and/or address record in the database using Find. We would then click the New Start button and enter the following:
In Product, we would enter our publication, the Daily Messenger (“DM”).
Since Nancy called on her own, in Source we would enter “Customer”, our source code for customer call starts. This source does not have subsources.
We have defined a reason code called “Newstart” that is to be entered for all regular starts.
Our router assigns Nancy to route C6009, based on her address.
Nancy will be getting the paper every day, and so we enter “DS”, our seven-day delivery schedule.
Nancy will start immediately, so we leave the defaulted date (the date of the next publishing run) in Start Date.
This newspaper does not offer merchandise to new subscribers. Also, since Nancy will get the paper seven days a week, there are no bonus days. But we can still leave Bonus Days selected.
Nancy will be an office pay customer (she will send her payments to the newspaper) and receive an invoice and renewal notices. Nancy wants her invoice and renewal notices sent to her work, so we click Bill-To and find or add her work address.
Because she is “start and bill” (hasn’t made a payment), Nancy’s expire date is the same as her start date.
Nancy is in the “All Other” AAM Zone. She did not request any special delivery placement, so we will leave Placement blank, and we keep the occupant type (“Regular”) that was defaulted from her occupant record.
The normal Daily-Sunday rate defaults as Nancy’s rate. We keep the default.
Nancy does not want the previous Sunday’s paper delivered on her first day, so we leave Prev Delivery unselected.
Now we can click OK to accept the new start.
The Contact tab is a centralized area where all customer contact information (e-mail, phone, solicitation) displays. Communication preferences for newsletters and alerts are also displayed here. Current contact information (phone numbers, e-mail addresses etc.) can be modified from this tab, and new contact info can be added. See for more information on adding contact info.
Use the Demographics tab to view address, occupant, and subscriber demographic questions and answers for this customer. You can also enter and modify answers on these tabs by selecting a question and clicking Modify. The question will appear in the Question field. Enter or modify the answer to the demographic in the Answer field. Click on the button for a list of possible answers.
Note: If you use QAS for address cleansing, you must search for the address first using the QAS interface. See for more information.
Click the Add Address button (). The fields on the Address tab open for entry.
If Cleanse Address is selected, the address cleansing program will compare the address to postal directories and attempt to find a match. If using Quadient, a window will open, showing the address you originally entered and the official address. This “working address” typically contains additional information such as the Zip + 4 and PO number. You Accept Working or Accept Original to accept the working or original address. If you are using QAS, the window and options will be slightly different. See for an overview of Circulation’s address correction options.
Note: QAS is a licensed add-on application. Contact Support Center for assistance.
With a typedown search ( icon), you just start typing the address you are looking for, and the system returns all matches as you type. It is a “begins with” search, meaning that an address must begin with the string you entered in order to be considered a match. The more characters you type, the more you narrow the search. In the examples shown below, typing “1” matches 78 addresses that begin with “1,” while typing “13” yields only 6 matches.
With a single line search ( icon), you enter as many characters as you wish, and then must press Enter or click Select to initiate the search. An address is considered a match if it contains the string anywhere within the address. The following example shows 8 matches on the search string “bondi,” including “North Bondi,” “Bondi Beach,” and others.
Click the Add Occupant button ().
Customer phone numbers, e-mails, and other contact information is managed form the Contact tab. The primary phone number and e-mail can be entered when adding the occupant (see ), but additional numbers and addresses are added from this tab. Solicitation and communication preferences are also managed here.
To add a contact record, click on the label (Phone, Email, Communication Preferences or Solicitation) on the left side of the tab and click the Add icon () on the right side of the tab. Click the OK button to accept the new phone number, e-mail, etc.
To modify an existing phone, e-mail address etc., click the plus sign to the left of the label to display existing records in the area below. Highlight the record to modify and click the Modify icon () on the right side of the tab.
Any number of e-mail addresses can be entered for an occupant, and all of them are shown in the Contact tab. If an e-mail address is registered for single sign on, a key symbol will be shown next to it. If the address is for eBill renewal notices, the eBill icon () will be shown next to it.
In the Communication Preferences panel on the right side of the Contact tab, click the Add icon ().
The item displays in the Communication Preferences panel on the right side of the tab. Click the Modify icon ().
If the customer wishes to change the communication method (e.g. switch from mail to e-mail), you must delete the old communication method using the Delete icon (), and then add the new one.
When viewing transactions added by an associate, such as new starts, stops, payments, or billing changes, the fields displayed will be the same as when entering the transaction (see for more information). Other transactions, however, are created by the system. These include:
If an End Grace transaction is allowed to expire, the system will create a Grace Owed transaction. This is the grace amount the subscriber still owes the newspaper. If no payment subsequently arrives, it will probably be written off eventually (see ). Grace owed transactions are display-only—they cannot be modified.
Click the Restart button ().
If a subscriber has a combo subscription, all publications in the combo can be stopped at the same time by selecting the combo ID in the Product field. In addition, a temp stop may be entered for an individual publication in the combo if Must Stop Together is unchecked in Combo Setup. For example, if a subscriber has an online and print combo and wishes to temp stop the print publication, the combo must be set up with Must Stop Together unchecked. See Combo in the Setup Manual for more information. Combo subscriptions can also be ended via an .
When entering a temp stop, the subscriber can elect to receive a vacation pack, if your publication has a vacation pack program. A vacation pack is an arrangement in which the newspaper (carrier or DM) holds papers for subscribers while they are gone and then delivers them when the subscribers return (restart). Vacation pack days can extend the subscriber’s expire date by full or half day increments, based on rate terms. You can also print for carriers.
You can also offer a digital vacation pack. In this case no papers are held, but the subscriber is given access to the online version of the publication. The stop reason code determines whether the subscriber qualifies for a digital vacation pack (Online Vacation field set to “y” in Reason Code setup). An Online Vacation reason code can only be selected if the subscription is entirely route-delivered (not mail or hybrid), the delivery schedule has Digital Vac Hold set to “y” in Delivery Schedule setup, and the subscriber has a valid e-mail address (the e-mail is used to log into the digital edition). When a digital vacation pack stop is entered, an e-mail is sent to the subscriber with links to the publication web site. This e-mail is based on an HTML template that can be customized (see ). While a subscriber is on the digital vacation pack, their status will be “Vac-Online.” Carriers will receive stop messages on bundle tops, as with a normal temp stop. Subscriber rating will value the digital “copies” at the same rate as ordinary (route-delivered) copies; the vacation pack fields in the subscriber rate terms are not considered.
Business Rules determine whether the subscriber’s expire date can be extended during a vacation pack and whether reminder messages print on bundle tops. Business Rules also determine whether digital vacation packs are offered, the AAM column digital vacation copies should be reported under, the label group for digital vac packs (used to determine the edition) and the electronic edition subscribers will be given access to. E-mail configuration and settings related to the digital vacation pack template are defined in Website Setup (see in the Setup Manual).
Click the Stop button (). The stop transaction fields display in the Transactions tab.
Click the Day Pass icon () to enter a day pass purchase for the occupant (this icon is only active if offsite credit card storage and Hosted Order Page settings have been configured). The day pass fields display on the Transaction tab.
An option on the Subscriptions Start Report allows you to print only suspended starts (select ). Select “Suspended starts only” from the Report Type combo box.
Combos are defined in advance in Combo setup (see Combo in the Setup manual). When entering a new start, a combo ID is selected in place of a publication, and a combo icon () will be displayed next to the Publication field when a combo subscription is being viewed. Another kind of transaction, a combo change, can be entered to switch a non-combo subscription over to a combo.
Click the New Start button ().
By selecting “Auto Pay Type” as “Bank Draft” or "Credit Card", an iframe titled “Hosted Order Page” will be opened to fill out payment information. see .
Enter a secondary delivery address for this subscription, if multiple addresses are allowed. Address directions can be accessed using the Directions button. See for more information.
When a Trial Subscription Start transaction is processed, an Adjustment Only Payment for the same Trial Length and Term is created using the Adjustment Code specified in the Trial Subscription Business Rule—Which Adjustment Code should be used for Print (or Digital) Trial Payments? ().
Note: The Fee Management feature is a licensed add-on. Contact to obtain a password.
Any associated Activation Fee will be charged when a New Start is accepted. If the Activation Charge is waived, the fee is still generated, but the status is displayed as Waived. Refer to .
CAMPAIGN
setup
If this day pass subscription is part of a campaign, select the campaign ID here. The campaign may default other fields, such as Source, Reason and Rate.
PRODUCT, EDITION
setup
Select the product and edition for the day pass. Only products and editions flagged to allow day passes or day pass bundles can be selected. Combos cannot be selected, as they are not currently supported for day pass subscriptions.
START DATE
date
The day pass transaction will be processed as soon as it is entered, so today’s date displays as the start date. This cannot be changed.
SOURCE
setup
Select a source code for this day pass, such as “Customer”.
REASON
setup
Select a reason code for the day pass transaction. Day pass reason codes must be defined in advance.
ZONE
setup
Select the AAM zone for this day pass subscriber.
RATE
setup
Select a rate for the day pass subscription, or accept the rate that defaults. Day pass rates must be defined in advance (see Subscription Rates in the Setup Manual).
REMARKS
open (unlimited)
Enter any remarks that pertain to the day pass.
open (60)
Specify the e-mail address that will be used for the day pass access, or click the Find icon to the right of the field to select an e-mail. If a primary e-mail has already been entered for the customer, it will default. If a new e-mail is entered here, it will be added for the customer and display with the customer’s valid e-mail addresses on the Contact tab. Note: E-mails are not directly linked to a day pass. Customers with multiple e-mails defined can log in with any of their e-mails for day pass access.
PAYMENT TYPE
predefined
Only credit card payments can currently be selected for day pass subscriptions, so select “Credit Card” here. This will pop up the Hosted Order Page, as described below, where credit card information is entered.
DAYS
setup
If subscribing to a day pass bundle, select the number of days being purchased. If purchasing just a single day pass, leave this field set to “1”. Only a number of days defined as a term for the selected rate can be chosen here. For example, if the selected rate is for a day pass bundle and has 2-, 5- and 10-day terms, only “2”, “5” and “10” would be available for selection here.
PAYMENT AMOUNT
display
The price of the day pass or day pass bundle displays here.
DATE
display
The payment date displays here. This will always be the current date.
BATCH
display
The payment batch in which the day pass payment is included displays here. Note: As soon as the day pass transaction is accepted, the payment is processed. The payment does not need to be processed by Payment Processing.
Start Information
CAMPAIGN
setup
If this new start is the result of a campaign, select the campaign ID to automatically populate certain details of the campaign. Note: If the source code, reason code and delivery schedule entered all match a campaign, the appropriate campaign ID will be selected automatically based on that information.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication or combo for this subscription. Combos will also be listed in this field, with a combo icon to indicate they contain multiple publications.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source of the party, such as “customer” or “carrier”, who initiated the transaction.
SUB-SOURCE
setup
If this field is active, enter the sub-party who initiated the new start. For example, if the source was “Telemarketing”, the sub-source might be “John”, a particular telemarketer.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason for the new start, such as “half price”. Reason codes may be valid only for certain source codes and subscriber Zip Codes, as defined in Reason Code setup. If a reminder message is set up for the reason code, it will appear in a popup window after the field is entered.
DELIV METHOD
predefined
Select the delivery method for the route: online, mail, route or possibly hybrid. Online or hybrid delivery methods may or may not be available—see Circulation FAQ #10-74: Setting Up an Online or Hybrid Subscription for more information. This field will be set to “*” when entering a combo (the delivery method is defined for each combo component in Combo setup).
ROUTE or LABEL GROUP
setup
If this is a mail-delivered subscription, enter the mail label group for this subscriber. Mail labels for subscribers in the same mail label group will be sorted together. This may be defaulted by the Zip code. If this is a carrier-delivered subscription, enter the route. This may be defaulted by the router. If so, you may override the default, if allowed by Business Rules, and enter a reason code for the override. The subscription may be delivered by more than one route—for example, a different route may deliver the paper on the weekends. If this is the case, click the Routes button and enter the route that should deliver the subscription on each day of the week. Note: To use the multiple route subscription functionality, the publication must use multiple delivery maps. You can specify delivery maps by day of the week in Deliverable Setup (Setup | Business | Products | Deliverable). This field will be set to “*” when entering a combo (each component publication may have a different route or label group).
DELIV SCHEDULE
setup
Enter the delivery schedule for this new start. The delivery schedule describes the days of the week that the paper is delivered, such as “daily” or “Saturday”, etc. You can only enter delivery schedules that are valid for the delivery route (if a multi-route subscription, it must be valid for at least one of the routes). This field will be set to “*” when entering a combo (the delivery schedule is defined for each combo component in Combo setup).
START DATE
date
Enter the first date the customer should begin receiving the subscription.
MERCHANDISE
setup
If the subscriber will be awarded some merchandise for starting a subscription (a coffee mug, for example), enter the merchandise code here. (To select multiple merchandise codes, select “*” and Ctrl-click codes from the selection list.) The merchandise codes available will depend upon the reason code entered above.
FULFILL DATE
date
When the merchandise order is fulfilled, the fulfill date will be displayed.
ACCEPT BONUS DAYS
yes/no
Indicate if this subscriber should receive papers on special days that are not normal delivery days for the subscription—for example, on New Years, even though it is on a Tuesday and the delivery schedule is weekend-only.
REMARKS
unlimited
You can enter remarks that pertain to this new start, if you wish.
Billing Information
BILL METHOD
predefined
Enter the billing method for this subscription, which indicates how the subscriber will pay. Choices are office pay (subscriber is sent a renewal notice and pays the newspaper, carrier collect (carriers collect money directly), balance forward (subscriber for past balances and a future period in the same bill), paid complimentary (the paper is free and the subscriber is a newspaper employee) or unpaid complimentary (the paper is free and the subscriber does not work for the paper). You may also select third party if third party subscriptions are allowed. If renewal notices and invoices should be sent to a different address than the delivery address, click the Bill-To button and find or add the address. This is similar adding a mailing address.
INVOICE SUBSCRIBER
yes/no
Indicate whether an invoice should be sent for this subscription.
AUTO PAY
yes/no
Indicate if this subscription should be automatically renewed to the customer’s credit card or bank account. Click the Auto Pay button to enter auto-renew information (described below).
RENEW AFTER THIS TERM
yes/no
Indicate whether a renewal notice should be sent for this subscription. This option is valid for office pay subscriptions only, and if it is not selected, the “Office Pay” billing method will be changed to “Office-No Renew” after processing. For route-delivered subscriptions, if renewal notices are distributed by the carrier but the subscriber would like them mailed or sent via e-mail, click the Deliv Meth button to override the renewal delivery method.
EXPIRE DATE
date
The default expiration date is the day the subscription starts (unless a payment has already been entered). It indicates the first date of the grace period for a start and bill subscription. For complimentary subscriptions, it indicates the first date the subscriber will not receive the publication. You can enter a question mark (?) so that a complimentary subscription retains no end date. Unless the subscriber’s billing method is paid or unpaid complementary, you will not be able to change the expire date here. Keep in mind that although the expire date will be the current date, the subscriber will still get the paper—they will be in grace. You may be able to modify the expiration date as a separate transaction.
Miscellaneous Information
ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM Zone for the delivery address, such as “city”, for this subscription.
PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a delivery placement for the newspaper, if applicable. For example, the subscriber might request that the paper be put under the mat. Delivery placements can default from the router.
OCCUP TYPE
setup
Enter the occupant type for this subscriber, such as “regular” or “student”.
RATE
display or setup
Circulation should default the rate for this subscriber. If there is no rate displayed or you wish to override the displayed rate, select a valid rate.
DELIVERY FEE
setup
A delivery fee is an additional daily fee added onto the subscription cost. Delivery fees may be used, for example, when delivery to a certain building or route is particularly difficult or time-consuming. Delivery fees must be set up in advance.
P. O. NUMBER
open (20)
Enter the purchase order number for the subscription, if needed on the customer’s renewal notices.
PREV DELIVERY
yes/no
If this field opens, indicate whether a previous day’s paper (such as the previous Sunday) should be delivered to the new subscriber. This field defaults based on Business Rules.
SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATION
yes/no
An e-mail confirmation message for the start can be sent to the subscriber, if you have e-mail confirmations implemented for starts and the subscriber qualifies.
Continuous Renewal Info
AUTO PAY TYPE DISCONTINUE AUTO PAY
predefined yes/no
Indicate whether this subscription will auto renew from a credit card or bank account. If you select Bank Draft, the Bank Draft Info area is displayed on the right. If you select Credit Card, you are redirected to a secure Hosted Order Page window. After the card is authorized, the Credit Card Info area is displayed on the right. If you are modifying the new start or performing a billing change, you can discontinue the auto-renew status by selecting Discontinue Auto Pay.
Credit Card Info
CARD NUMBER
open (20)
If this is a credit card auto renew, enter the subscriber’s credit card number. Circulation can tell whether the credit card is a Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express, and displays the card type to the right.
EXPIRE DATE
date
Enter the month and year that the credit card expires.
AUTHORIZATION
open (8)
Indicates the status of the transaction made. E.g., Settlement pending, Approved, Declined
HOLDER NAME
open (30)
Enter the name of the account holder.
HOLDER ZIP
open (5)
Enter the account holder's Zip code
TRANSACTION ID
open (16)
Indicates the credit card transaction ID.
VAULT ID
open (32)
Indicates the credit card vault ID.
CUSTOMER ID
open (32)
Indicates the credit card customer ID.
Bank Draft Info
CLIENT TYPE
predefined
If the auto-renew type is “bank draft”, this and the following three fields will open. In this field, indicate whether the bank account is a personal or business account. Business Rules determine whether this field is active.
ACCOUNT TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this is a checking or savings account. Business Rules determine which account type is valid (or both may be valid).
BANK NUMBER
open (9)
Enter the bank number of the subscriber’s bank.
ACCOUNT NUMBER
open (20)
Enter the subscriber’s bank account number.
HOLDER NAME
open (30)
Enter the name of the account holder.
AUTHORIZATION
open (8)
Indicates the status of the transaction made. E.g., Settlement pending, Approved, Declined
TRANSACTION ID
open (16)
Indicates the bank draft transaction ID.
VAULT ID
open (32)
Indicates the bank draft transaction vault ID.
CUSTOMER ID
open (32)
Indicates the bank draft customer ID.
Payment Info
TERM
predefined
Enter the term (year, quarter, month, week, or day) for this auto-renew subscription.
LENGTH
integer (3)
Enter the number of terms for this auto-renew subscription. For example, if the subscriber wants to automatically renew every 6 months, you will enter “month” in Term and “6” in Length (provided you have a 6-month term set up).
TIP AMOUNT
decimal (7)
If the subscriber desires to include a tip with each auto-renew payment, enter the tip amount here.
BILLING GROUP
predefined
Select the subscriber’s auto-renew billing group.
SEND STATEMENT
yes/no
If this subscriber should be sent a statement summarizing auto-renew activity (similar to a renewal notice), select this checkbox. The field will be available only if Business Rules allow auto-renew statements.
BILLING GROUP
setup
When subscribers sign up for auto renew, they are sometimes given a choice of auto renew dates. For example, they may be offered the 1st of the month, the 10th, or the 20th, and then choose the date that works best with their cash flow situation. You can use billing groups to define when auto renew payments are processed. If billing groups are defined, select the billing group for the subscriber. If only one billing group is defined, it defaults.
Restart Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication to be restarted or leave the default.
RESTART DATE
date
Enter the date on which the subscriber should begin receiving the paper.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “cust” or “carrier”.
SUB SOURCE
setup
If this field is active, enter a sub source for this transaction, such as a particular carrier.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for this transaction, such as “vacret” (subscriber returning from vacation). If a reminder message is set up for the reason code, it will appear in a popup window after the field is entered.
PREV DELIVERY
yes/no
If this field opens, indicate whether a previous day’s paper (such as the previous Sunday) should be delivered to the subscriber. This defaults from Business Rules.
SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATION
yes/no
Donation Information
DONATION, ALL DAYS, DAYS
setup, yes/no, integer (5)
If the subscriber wants to donate some or all the value of their papers for the stopped period, enter the donation code for the party receiving the donation. Then, indicate whether all days are being donated and, if not, the number of days to be donated. Note that the subscriber may be forced to donate some or all of the vacation days, based on the vacation credit Business Rules in the General section (see the Setup manual).
Remarks
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks that should appear on the carrier’s bundle top and/or the District Manager Report.
Stop Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication to be stopped or leave the default.
STOP DATE
date
Enter the first date that the subscriber will not receive the subscription.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer” or “carrier”.
SUBSOURCE
setup
If this field is active, enter a sub source for the stop (for example, the carrier who called in the stop).
STOP REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for this stop, such as “vacation”. If a reminder message is set up for the reason code, it will be displayed in a popup window after this field is entered. Colored spheres next to each valid reason code indicate if the reason is for a temporary stop (yellow sphere) or permanent stop (red sphere).
RESTART DATE
date
If the stop is temporary and the restart date is known, enter the first date that this subscription should be restarted.
RESTART REASON
setup
If you entered a Restart Date, enter a reason for the restart.
VACATION PACK?
yes/no
If this is a temporary stop, indicate if the customer requested a “vacation pack”. This check box defaults based on the reason code.
You can set up your rates to give subscribers some or all of their vacation pack papers for free, based on the rate term. If the subscriber has one of these promotional rates, the number of free full and half vac pack days they have available will be displayed in the Vacation Pack Detail panel. Subscribers receiving a vacation pack promotion will have their expire dates extended by the appropriate number of days.
When entering a temp stop with a reason code that allows digital vacation packs, this and Hold All Days will be flagged and inaccessible.
PREVIOUS DELIVERY?
yes/no
If you entered a date in Restart Date, indicate whether a previous day’s paper should be delivered with the restart. This field will be unchecked unless previous papers are offered to restarting subscribers.
SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATION
yes/no
REQUESTED REFUND?
yes/no
If this is a permanent stop, indicate if the customer requested a refund of the account balance. This field will not be active if the subscriber has no balance. Checking Requested Refund? will not automatically create a refund transaction. Refunds must be entered separately, either individually or in batches. However, the Available Refunds Report can be run for refund requests, and you can then use this report to enter refunds for only those subscribers who requested one.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks that should appear on the carrier’s bundle top and/or the District Manager Report.
Vacation Pack Detail
HOLD ALL DAYS?
yes/no
If Vacation Pack is checked, indicate if the subscriber wants all days held for the vacation pack period. Note that, if a restart date is entered which is beyond the subscription’s expiration date (and the subscriber will go into grace), all days of the vacation pack must be held, and this check box must be selected.
SELECTED WEEKDAYS?
yes/no
Select this check box if the subscriber wants only specific days of the week held (e.g., Wednesdays and Sundays) while on vacation. Use the Monday-Sunday check boxes to indicate which days should be held. The availability of this option depends on Business Rules.
SPECIFIC DATES?
yes/no
Select this check box if there are specific dates that the vac pack subscriber wants held (e.g., 3/14, 3/17). Then, select the dates from the calendar. The availability of this option depends on Business Rules.
DONATE REMAINDER?
yes/no
Select this check box if the vac pack subscriber wants to donate the papers that are not being held. Note that donations are not allowed for subscribers on marketing term rates that are in grace and are only allowed for in grace combo subscribers when donations are forced by vacation credit rules.
Donation Detail
CODE
setup integer (5)
If the subscriber wishes to donate some or all the value of their papers for the stopped period (whether a temporary or permanent stop), enter the donation code, which determines the party that will receive the donation (the current carrier, a specific carrier, prompt for carrier, or a GL account). Donation codes must be set up in advance. If the donation should go to the current carrier, and this is a multi-carrier subscription, the donation will be divided evenly among the carriers. If the subscriber is not office pay, or this is a temp stop without a restart date, the donation fields will not open.
ALL DAYS?, DAYS
yes/no integer (5)
If a donation code is entered, indicate whether all days should be donated. For permanent stops, this means all the days remaining in the subscription period. For temporary stops, this means all days during which the subscription is stopped. If you do not check All Days, you can specify a number of days to donate.
Refund Detail
AMOUNT
display
If you checked Requested Refund? the available refund amount is displayed. You can click the Address Override button and enter the address to which the refund should be sent (otherwise, the refund will be sent to the customer’s normal address). Note that if the subscriber is already set up in your AP system, their address will not be updated.
Use the Move option to move an occupant (and his or her subscription, if applicable) to a new address. An occupant may move to an existing address (already in the Circulation database) or to a new address (when no address record exists). Use this option to move both subscribers and non-subscribers.
A subscriber’s delivery method and delivery schedule may change at the new address. For example, the subscriber may move from a motor route to mail-delivered area, or an area that delivers only Mon-Sat, instead of Mon-Sun.
A Move transaction can also be used to change a subscriber's digital address to a permanent address.
Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a move. To enter a move for a subscriber:
Find the subscriber you are going to move.
Click the Address button, and then add or find the address to which the subscriber is moving, using the Address tab. Then click OK. With a non-subscriber, you need only add or find the new address, and the transaction is complete.
Once you have added or found the new address, enter information about the move in the fields described in table below. You can also click on the Copies, Mail-To, or Remarks button to enter additional copies, a mail-to address, or remarks about the move transaction.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication that will move with the subscriber.
MOVE OUT DATE
date
Enter the first date the subscriber should not receive his or her subscription at the old address. The default date is the next publishing date.
MOVE IN DATE
date
Enter the first date the subscription should be delivered to the new address.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Select the reason code, such as “move”, for this transaction.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route for the move-to address, if route delivered (click the Routes button to enter multiple routes). You must enter either a ROUTE or a LABEL GROUP.
LABEL GROUP
setup
Select the mail label group (such as “main”) for the move-to address, if mail delivered. Label groups are used to group mail subscribers.
DELIVERY SCHEDULE
setup
You can change the subscriber’s delivery schedule, if applicable.
AAM ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM Zone for the move-to address.
DELIVERY PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a delivery placement for the newspaper, if applicable. For example, the subscriber might request that the paper be put under the mat. Delivery placements can default from the router. If there is no delivery placement specified in the router, the subscriber’s delivery placement at the old address will default.
BILLING METHOD
predefined
Enter the billing method for this subscriber, such as “office pay”.
RATE
display or setup
Click OK to accept the move.
Find the subscriber whose delivery schedule you want to change.
Enter information in the fields described in the following table.
Delivery Schedule Change
CAMPAIGN
setup
If this delivery schedule change is the result of a campaign, select the campaign ID to automatically populate certain details of the campaign.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for this delivery schedule change, or accept the default.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date for this delivery schedule change to take place.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
SUB SOURCE
setup
If this field is active, enter a sub source for the delivery change, such as a particular carrier.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code, such as “SODS” (Sunday-Only to Daily-Sunday), for this transaction.
Delivery Schedule Information
NEW SCHEDULE
setup
Enter the new delivery schedule.
OLD SCHEDULE
display
The old delivery schedule is displayed.
ROUTE
setup
If the subscriber’s route is changing as well as the delivery schedule, enter the new route ID here (you will still need to enter a route reassignment). Otherwise, leave this field defaulted to the subscriber’s current route.
RATE
display or setup
MERCHANDISE
setup
If promotional merchandise will be given to the subscriber as part of the delivery schedule change, enter the merchandise code here (to select multiple merchandise codes, select “*” and Ctrl-click codes from the selection list). Which merchandise codes are valid depends upon the reason code.
FULFILL DATE
date
When the merchandise order is fulfilled, the fulfill date will be displayed.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks concerning this delivery schedule change.
If you want to change the number of copies delivered on a given day of the week, click the Copies button and enter the copy numbers in the Copies Per Weekday window that appears.
Click OK to accept the delivery schedule change.
Use this option to change a subscriber’s billing method. For example, a subscriber may ask to switch from paying the carrier to paying the office.
You can also use this option to modify or delete a bill-to address and/or occupant, switch a subscriber to auto-renew, update the credit card or bank account used for auto pay, or change a rate code for a subscription.
Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a billing method change, and whether a warning message is displayed when a subscriber is changed to a lower rate. Business Rules also determine whether any available refund amounts should be applied to the subscription, when switching a subscriber to office pay. When this happens, transfer in/out and refund transfer transactions are created to move the amount from an available refund to a payment on the subscriber’s account, pushing out the expire date.
Find the subscriber whose billing method you want to change.
Enter information in the fields described in the following table.
Billing Change Information
CAMPAIGN
setup
If this billing change is the result of a campaign, select the campaign ID to automatically populate certain details of the campaign.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for this billing change.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date this billing change should take place.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code, such as “ratecode”, for this transaction.
BILLING METHOD
predefined
Enter the new billing method for this subscription or keep the default.
RATE
display or setup
UPDATE RATE
yes/no
You can enter a billing change with a rate change that takes effect immediately. In other words, the billing change does not need to be processed before a payment can be entered for the subscription at the new rate (or the same rate re-used). If, for example, you want to keep a subscriber on a promotional rate past the promotional period in order to retain the subscriber, set Update Rate? to “yes”, enter the subscriber’s rate, and then immediately enter a payment that will apply to that rate.
MERCHANDISE
setup
If the subscriber will be awarded some merchandise for the transaction (a coffee mug, for example), enter the merchandise code here. (To select multiple merchandise codes, select “*” and Ctrl-click codes from the selection list.) The merchandise codes available will depend upon the reason code entered above.
FULFILL DATE
date
When the merchandise order is fulfilled, the fulfill date will be displayed.
Renewal Information
INVOICE SUBSCRIBER
yes/no
Indicate if an invoice should be sent for this subscription. This and the following field may be display-only, based on transaction security
RENEW AFTER THIS TERM
yes/no
Indicate if a renewal should be sent for the next subscription term.
P O NUMBER
open (20)
Enter the purchase order number, if any, for this billing change.
LAST RENEWAL #
integer (1)
You can change the renewal notice number for this subscriber or leave this field set to “0”. As an example of how Last Renewal # might be used, suppose a subscriber lost their 2nd renewal notice and wanted a new one. You could enter “1” in Last Renewal #, so that the 2nd renewal would be reproduced the next time renewal notices are printed.
LAST RENEWAL
date
You can optionally change the last renewal notice date for this subscriber.
BONUS DAYS
yes/no
Qualify (or disqualify) the subscriber for bonus day deliveries by changing the bonus day flag. Note that if Bonus Days is unchecked, the subscriber’s Bonus Day transaction(s) must be manually deleted.
Remarks
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks that should appear on the carrier’s bundle top and/or the District Manager Report.
Click OK to accept the billing change. Or, access additional address and occupant options.
AAM Column
Click this button to change the AAM column for the subscription.
Auto Pay
Bill-To
If the subscriber has a special bill-to address (i.e., renewal notices should be mailed to a different address from the delivery address) click this button to enter it.
Mail-To
Select this option to find or add a mailing address for this subscription if the mailing address is different from the delivery address. The mailing address will default as the bill-to address, where renewal notices will be sent if they are mailed. The mailing address is also used for mail subscriptions if the delivery address is not mail-accessible.
Tax Exempt
If this subscriber is exempt from any country, state, county or city taxes that are normally applied, click this button to enter the exemption reasons.
Deliv Method
Use this option to enter complaints for subscribers and non-subscribers. Subscriber complaints usually involve the subscription—such as missed papers, wet papers, and so on. Non-subscribers may report a problem with the carrier; for example, if he walks through the yard or makes a lot of noise.
Complaints are entered into the occupant and address records of the party making the complaint, and also show up on the carrier’s bundle top if a route is involved. If a complaint requires action, you can flag it for redelivery, and/or grant the subscriber access to a digital edition of the publication (typically access to the publication website or a replica version of the print paper).
Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a complaint, the maximum number of days a subscription can be extended because of a complaint, and the maximum number of complaints a route may have on a single day before a warning is displayed. Business Rules also determine whether complaints are printed to a dedicated printer and, if so, the printer’s name.
If you enter a complaint after the dispatch cutoff time defined for that day of the week (in Setup), a warning message will be displayed. A warning message will also appear if the complaint is for the current date and the delivery deadline for the route has not yet been met (i.e., the carrier could still be delivering the route). In addition, if you use Circulation’s complaint escalation features, additional fields will open, as described below.
Find the occupant who is registering the complaint.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Complaint Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product for the complaint. You may leave this field blank if the complaint does not involve a product.
INCIDENT DATE
date
Enter the date for this complaint. The default is the most recent date the publication/product was delivered to the subscriber or today’s date, if the complaint is not being entered for a product. You may override this date, but it must be a published date.
INCIDENT END DATE
date
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
FORMAL
yes/no
REASON
setup
Enter the complaint code for this complaint, such as “wet”. The Redeliver, Charge Carrier, and Dispatch fields will default based on this code. Note that complaint codes may be set up to be valid only before or after the route’s delivery deadline.
COMPLAINT
unlimited
Accept the default complaint text or modify it, as desired.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route that delivered the publication. For a subscriber complaint, the default route is taken from the subscription.
DAYS TO EXTEND
integer (5)
Enter the number of days the subscription should be extended because of the complaint. This must be below the maximum number determined by Business Rules.
OLD COMPLAINT
display
If a processed complaint has its complaint code changed (a Business Rule consideration), the former complaint code is displayed here.
Options
REDELIVER
yes/no
Complaints often result in either an extra day (Days To Extend) or in redelivery of the paper on the day of the complaint. Indicate whether this publication or product should be redelivered. Click the Instructions button to enter redelivery instructions, if needed, which the dispatcher can relay to the service driver who will redeliver the product.
DIGITAL ACCESS
yes/no
Check this field if the subscriber should be allowed access to a digital edition of the publication. This will send the subscriber an e-mail confirmation that contains a link to the website. Digital access for complaints is described further below.
CHARGE CARRIER
yes/no
Indicate whether the carrier should be charged for the complaint. Complaint charges are applied by the Charge for Complaints option on the Accounting menu.
DISPATCH
yes/no
Indicate whether this complaint should be dispatched. If this publication is not set up for dispatching, this field will be skipped. After the complaint is dispatched, the Dispatch Detail button will become available for viewing the date, time, remarks, compliance information, and other information.
URGENT
yes/no
Indicate if this complaint is urgent and should be addressed immediately by the dispatcher.
SERVICE AREA
display
If you use service areas, the service area for the route will be displayed. Service areas are used in dispatching.
MESSAGES
display
If messages exist for this product, date, or route, the first message displays at the bottom of the window.
Click OK to accept the complaint.
When a complaint is entered for a print subscription, you can offer the subscriber access to the digital edition of the publication as a resolution, in place of (or in addition to) redelivery. For example, if the carrier missed delivering a paper and the complaint is phoned in after the cutoff for redelivery, you can still offer the subscriber access to the replica version of the current issue via the publication website.
In order to select digital access to resolve a complaint:
The Business Rule—Do you allow access to the digital edition for complaints? (Customer Services section) must be set to “Yes”.
If Redelivery is also checked, when entering the complaint, the Business Rule—Do you allow subscribers to select both the Redeliver and Digital Access options for complaints? must also be set to “Yes”.
The selected complaint code must allow digital access for complaints (Allow Digital Access set to “y” in Complaint Code setup).
The subscription must be delivered via route or mail (not online).
The subscriber must have an e-mail address entered.
The complaint must be flagged for digital access when it is entered, by checking the Digital Access field. The field will only be active if the above criteria are met.
Circulation’s complaint escalation features can be used to promptly resolve situations in which multiple complaints are entered for a subscriber within a certain period of time. When a complaint is entered which Circulation determines should be escalated (based on complaint escalation setup—see Publication in the Setup Manual), a formal complaint message will appear after the complaint has been accepted. E-mail may also be sent to district, zone, regional, and/or area managers to alert them to the situation. An e-mail will also be sent when the escalated complaint is updated or resolved.
After the complaint escalation message is displayed, you must enter the escalation transaction, which has the same fields as a normal complaint. An escalated complaint transaction is not a complaint transaction; instead it will be named based on the escalated complaint label defined in Business Rules (examples are “critical”, “escalated”, and “formal”). This message can be modified, and contact information can be added by clicking the Contact button to open the Available Contacts window. Click Add to enter information in the contact fields.
The Resolved checkbox indicates whether the complaint(s) that caused the escalation have been resolved. Once Resolved is selected, no further adding or modifying of contact records will be allowed.
In Contact Text, the Customer Service associate or other employee can enter information about a contact they had with the customer, such as “The paper has been missed the last three days”.
The user’s ID will default in Contact, but this can be changed.
The contact date and time will also default, but can be changed.
Additional complaints entered for the customer will be attached to the same escalation transaction, until it is resolved.
Subscription complaints can be entered for a date range (i.e., a group of complaints). For example, a customer may complain that the paper has been delivered late for the last three days.
When a date range is used, an individual complaint transaction will be created for each of the subscriber’s delivery days that fall within that date range. For non-subscribers, each day in the date range will be considered a delivery day.
Also:
Each individual complaint transaction applies towards a formal complaint just the same as if they were entered separately.
When modifying or deleting complaints, the individual complaints must be modified or deleted one at a time.
The subscriber credit is based on the copy rate by weekday. For example, if the complaint was for Sunday and Monday, and the value of the Sunday paper is 1.50 and the Monday paper is 0.50, the subscriber would receive a 2.00 credit.
When carrier messages, a single message will be created that includes all of the days selected in the complaint.
Use Route/Mail Reassignment to reassign a subscriber’s route or label group. You might want to perform a reassignment because:
A customer’s route was incorrectly assigned when the new start was entered.
A subscriber is complaining about the current route or carrier.
A subscriber requests that a specific carrier deliver to his or her address; for example, a grandchild.
You want to change a subscriber’s delivery schedule from route to mail or from mail to route.
Use this option if only one or a small group of subscribers is being rerouted; if a larger readership is involved, you should use the Rerouting option on the Utilities | Subscription/Address menu.
Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a route reassignment, and how the Delivery Placement field defaults.
Find the subscriber whose route or label group you want to reassign.
Enter information in the fields described in the following table.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for which you are reassigning the route or label group, or accept the default.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date that the route and/or mail reassignment should be effective.
SOURCE
setup
Select the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Select the reason code for this transaction, such as “error”. If you want to keep the subscriber on this route in the event of a mass reroute, you should enter a reason code that has been set up with “no” in the Reroute field. For example, if this subscriber wants his or her grandson to deliver her newspaper, enter a reason code, such as “family”, that was set up not to be rerouted.
NEW ROUTE
setup
Enter the new route if this is a route reassignment. If the subscription should be delivered by multiple routes (for example, different routes on weekdays and weekends), click the Routes button to assign a route for each day of the week.
NEW LABEL GROUP
setup
Enter the new label group if this is a mailed subscription.
DELIVERY PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a delivery placement for the newspaper, if applicable. For example, the subscriber might request that the paper be put under the mat. Delivery placements can default from the router for the new route or retain the default from the old route, as governed by Business Rules.
BILLING METHOD
setup
The new route may not allow the subscriber’s current billing method, which means the billing method would need to change. For example, an office pay subscriber may be rerouted to a route that allows only carrier collect subscribers. If the billing method needs to change, enter the new billing method here.
RATE
display or setup
SEND INVOICE, SEND RENEWAL
yes/no
If the subscriber’s billing method was changed, indicate if an invoice or renewal notice should be sent for this subscription.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks about this reassignment.
Click OK to accept the reassignment.
Use this option to deactivate a temporary address that was entered without an end date (for example, if a subscriber went on vacation and didn’t know when he would return). This option is necessary only if the temporary address has no end date. If an end date is supplied, an end temporary address transaction is automatically be created by the system on the end date.
To end a temporary address:
Find the subscriber whose temporary address you want to end.
Enter the following information and click OK.
Use this option to enter temporary addresses for subscriptions. For example, a subscriber may ask that the newspaper be temporarily delivered to a hospital, nursing home, relative’s home, school, or vacation address. Only office pay subscribers can have temporary address changes (temporary addresses are typically mail; therefore, the subscriber needs to be office pay).
While the temporary address is in effect, circulation reporting will be based on the temporary delivery address, messages will be sent to each carrier, and the account draw will be adjusted accordingly for each route. Also, during the time a subscriber is at a temporary address, a message will be displayed to that effect. This will alert Customer Service personnel that the subscriber is at a temporary address. Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a temporary address.
Find the subscriber whose address will be temporarily changed.
Add or find the temporary address on the Address tab. Then click OK.
Once you have added or found the temporary address, enter information about the temporary address in the fields described in the table below. You can also enter remarks about the temporary address by clicking the Remarks button.
Click OK to enter the temporary address in the database.
Customers who stop a subscription with a positive account balance are eligible for refunds. Refunds must be entered on their own—they are not automatically produced by the stop transaction. They can be entered in batches in Accounting | Subscriber | Batch Refunds, or individually using this option. Once a refund is entered, it will be added to a suspended batch of refunds, which must then be reviewed and accepted using the Batch Refunds option.
Business Rules also determine:
The number of days a refund should be kept available
The maximum variance from the available amount an operator may enter for a refund (if the subscriber has a refund available).
Find the subscriber for whom you are entering a refund.
Complete the fields described below.
If the refund should be sent to an address other than the subscriber’s address, click the Refund Address button and enter a new address.
Click OK to add the refund to a batch.
Once a payment is processed (using Payment Processing), you cannot modify the payment transaction. Instead, the payment must be canceled (reversed) and a new payment must be entered. Payment processing will then adjust the expiration date for the cancellation (negatively) and the new payment (positively).
Find the subscriber whose payment you want to cancel.
Complete the fields described below.
Circulation will look for the payment, based on your search criteria. If more than one payment fits the criteria, the Payments window will open and list the possible payments.
Click OK to enter the payment cancellation into the database.
Occasionally, subscribers ask to transfer money from their account to another account. For example, a subscriber who is moving out of state may transfer his or her remaining subscription copies to a friend who is also a customer. A transfer out will create both a transfer-out transaction (for the subscriber giving the transfer) and a transfer-in transaction (for the subscriber receiving the transfer). Transfer-in transactions can only be viewed—to modify the transfer, you must modify the transfer-out transaction.
When a transfer is entered for a combo subscription, the total transfer amount will be split among all components products of the combo using percentages derived from Rate Setup. For example, a total transfer amount of 15.00 could be split into an 11.25 transfer from one product and a 3.75 transfer from a second product (assuming the combo contains two products). In this example, the first product makes up 75% of the combo’s rate, so 75% of the total transfer amount will come from that product.
Find the customer whose balance you will be transferring.
Complete the fields described below and click OK.
Payments entered here will be added to a suspended payment batch. The batch will be named “CSYYMMDDxx”, where “YYMMDD” are the year, month and day respectively, and “xx” is a sequence containing numbers and/or letters. For example, the sequence number for the first batch on a given date will be 01, followed by 02, 03 etc. up through 99, then A0, A1, etc. through ZZ.
Business Rules determine whether a check number, source code, and reason code are required for subscriber payments. Business Rules also determine the default source and reason codes, the number of days a payment can be backdated, the default bank for a payment, and whether payments auto-start former subscribers.
Credit card payments can be authorized in “real-time” (see Circulation FAQ #75) or using the Hosted Order Page (see Tech FAQ #16). Again. Business Rules determine the authorization vendor used, and many other settings for credit card payment authorization.
Find the subscriber for whom you are entering the payment.
Enter information in the fields described in below and click OK.
By selecting the "Payment Type" as "Bank Draft" or "Credit Card," an iframe titled "Hosted Order Page" will be opened to fill out the payment information.
Enter the Account Number and Routing Number and select the Account Type. The remaining fields, including First Name, Last Name, Email, Address, Address 2, City, State, and Zip Code, will be auto-filled.
Click ‘Save Payment Info’.
To view the Payment Information, click the Pay Type Info button next to the Payment Type field.
To view the Payment Amount Details, click the Details button next to the Payment Amount field. This will provide a breakdown of the payment made, including the Premium, Tax, Activation, and Printed Bill Fees, as well as the total amount paid.
Check the "Adjustment?" field to make a payment adjustment; the Subscription Payment Adjustment window will open.
Click on Add.
Enter the adjustment code (such as “Taxable”) and the amount and click OK.
Note: If the user has credit card override permissions in Transaction Security, the message will be similar but say “Press Yes to continue or No to remove the surcharge.” If the user presses No, the payment will still be entered, but without the surcharge.
For Bank Draft payments, following the payment processing, the payment status (Authorization field) in the Payment information window will be displayed as ‘Settlement Pending’.
An e-mail confirmation message for the restart can be sent to the subscriber, if you have e-mail confirmations implemented for restarts and the subscriber qualifies (see ).
An e-mail confirmation message for the stop can be sent to the subscriber, if you have e-mail confirmations implemented for stops and the subscriber qualifies (see ).
Click the Move button ().
Circulation should display a rate for this subscriber. If you wish to override the automatic rating, enter a rate. A new rate may adjust the expire date—see for more information.
Use this option to change the delivery schedule and/or number of copies for a subscriber. For example, a customer may decide to receive the newspaper seven days a week rather than Monday through Saturday. Business Rules determine whether a source code is required for a delivery schedule change. A delivery schedule change cannot be entered for combo subscriptions—enter a combo change instead (see ).
Click on the Delivery Schedule button ().
A rate should automatically default based on the new delivery schedule. If no rate is displayed, or you wish to override the displayed rate, enter a valid rate code. Different rates may be available depending on the delivery schedule. A new rate may adjust the expire date—see for more information.
Click the Billing Change button ().
Enter the rate for this subscription or accept the default. Different rates may be available depending on the product, delivery method, and delivery schedule. Note that the new rate will adjust the subscriber’s expiration date, if the reason code entered above is set up to update the expire date. See for more information.
If the subscription is changing to auto renew, click this button to enter auto-renew information (such as credit card or bank account number). See for more information.
Click this button (located to the right of Last Renewal #) to override the renewal delivery method or remove a previously entered override. See for more information.
Click the Complaint button ().
Complaints can be entered for a date range to create an individual complaint transaction for each delivery day that falls within the range. For example, a customer may complain that the paper was missing for the past two days. Enter the beginning complaint date in Incident Date, and the ending complaint date in this field. If the complaint is for a single day, enter the same date in both fields. If you use a date range, you can enter only a “0” or a “1” in the Days to Extend field. Entering “1” means that the subscription will be extended by one day for each individual complaint created. See for more information.
Formal complaints (also known as escalated complaints) are typically generated automatically when a certain number of complaints are entered within a certain number of days (see ). However, formal complaints can be entered manually. If you are entering a formal complaint, check this box; otherwise leave it blank.
If a subscriber is given digital access to resolve a complaint, they will receive an e-mail containing information for accessing the digital edition. The message will be sent to all active e-mails for the occupant, and formatted based on the . The subscriber will be granted digital access for the current publishing day, plus a certain number of days in the past and future, based on Business Rules (the days in the past typically pertain only to replica editions).
Click the Route/Mail Reassignment button ().
Changing routes may cause the subscription rate to change. Circulation should default a rate in this field, but you may override it. A new rate may adjust the expire date—see for more information.
Click the End Temporary Address button ().
Entering a temporary address change is similar to entering a subscriber move (see ).
Click the Temporary Address button ().
Cash, credit card, and bank draft refunds will be added to separate batches, and separate batches are also created for each refund date. The batch name will use the same “CSMMDDYYxx” format as payment batches (see ). If there is already a suspended batch for this date and bank, the payment will be appended to it; if not, a new suspended batch will be created. In addition, separate batches can be created for each publication, depending on Business Rules.
Click the Refund button ().
Click the Cancel Payment button ().
Click the Transfer button ().
Subscriber payments are often entered in batches, in Accounting | Subscriber Payments | Batch Payments. You may, however, enter an individual payment using this option. See for more information about payments in general.
If there is already a suspended batch for this date and bank, the payment will be appended to it; if not, a new suspended batch will be created. In order to process the batch, you can go to Batch Payments, enter the batch name, and accept the batch. You can also have Customer Service payment batches automatically accepted by running the .
Circulation matches the payment amount entered to the longest subscription term and length that the payment can buy with the subscriber’s rate. Any leftover money is used to purchase the longest term it can buy, and so on, until the entire payment has been spent (this is known as “best buy” rating). The summarized term and length are displayed in the Payment Term and Payment Length fields. These values may be overridden, but the fields may not be blank. If a subscription term contains bonus days with premiums (see ), the total premium amount is included in the term cost and will be placed in the subscriber’s premium day wallet.
Payments can also generate rewards (see ).
Click the Payment button ().
If the payment is a credit card payment and a surcharge will be applied, a warning message displays when accepting the payment, listing the surcharge amount. Click Yes to continue, or No to cancel the payment. If you accept the surcharge, the surcharge amount will be added to the total payment amount. See for more information.
To process the payment, see and .
To update the status, run the .
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication that the subscriber was receiving at the temporary address.
TRANSACTION DATE
date
Enter the date on which the subscriber will be moving back to the permanent address.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for this transaction, such as “tempend”.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks about this transaction. Based on the reason code entered, remarks may be required.
NSF PAYMENT
yes/no
Indicate whether this is an NSF (non-sufficient funds) payment.
CHECK NUMBER
open (8)
Enter the check number, if payment was made by check.
CARD NUMBER
open (20)
Enter the credit card number, if payment was made by credit card.
CARD EXPIRES
date
Enter the expiration date for the credit card, if payment was made by credit card.
AUTHORIZATION NUMBER
open (8)
Enter the authorization number, if the payment was a credit card payment.
PAYMENT AMOUNT
decimal (7)
Enter the payment amount (before adjustments).
TRANSACTION DATE
date
Enter the effective date of the payment reversal. Today’s date is displayed as the default.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any desired remarks about this reversal.
Transfer Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for which funds are being transferred.
TRAN DATE
date
Enter the date on which this transfer out should take place. The balance and number of copies available will be displayed.
SOURCE
setup
Select the source code for this transaction, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Select the reason code for this transaction, such as “move” or “transfer”.
DAYS
integer (5)
Enter the number of days of the subscription that should be transferred.
AMOUNT
decimal (7)
If you did not enter a number in Days, enter the amount of the subscriber’s balance that should be transferred.
TOTAL TRANSFER
display
Shows the total amount of the transfer, including all components of a combo subscription. Will be the same as Amount for non-combo transfers.
TRANSFER
setup
Enter the ID (or name or telephone number) of the occupant who should receive this transfer, if transferring to another subscriber.
Donation Information
DONATION
setup
If transferring to a carrier or other party (such as an NIE program), enter the donation code.
Remarks
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks regarding this transaction.
In addition to starts and payments, five other Customer Service transactions allow new rates to be assigned to subscribers: delivery schedule changes, moves, reroutes, billing changes, and temporary addresses. When the transaction is processed, the subscriber’s expire date will be adjusted to reflect the new rate.
To recalculate the expire date based on the new rate, Circulation calculates the value of the subscription by multiplying the number of copies remaining by the average copy rate, and then adding the amount of any renew-early payments. The value is rerated, and the expiration date is changed.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication the subscriber will receive at the temporary address, or accept the default.
START DATE
date
Enter the first date that the subscription should be delivered to the temporary address.
END DATE
date
Enter the date when delivery should resume at the permanent address, if known.
SOURCE
setup
Enter a source code for this transaction.
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code for this transaction, such as “tempadd” for temporary address change.
LABEL GROUP
setup
Enter the label group for this temporary address (if mail delivered). You must enter either a ROUTE or a LABEL GROUP.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route for this temporary address (if route delivered). If the temporary address will be delivered by multiple routes, click the Routes button and enter the route that will deliver the paper on each day of the week.
AAM ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM Zone for this temporary address.
PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a delivery placement for the newspaper, if applicable. For example, the subscriber might request that the paper be put under the mat. Delivery placements can default from the router. If there is no delivery placement specified in the router, the subscriber’s delivery placement at the old address will default.
RATE
display or setup
PRODUCT
setup
Select the appropriate publication for this refund, or leave the default. For combo subscriptions, select a component publication (you cannot select combos directly). The refund will reduce the balance of all the products in the combo proportionally so that the expire dates stay in sync. The primary product will be the last product whose balance is refunded.
REFUND TYPE
predefined
REFUND DATE
date
Enter the date for this refund. This is typically the current date.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this refund transaction. A source code is required.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for this refund transaction. A reason code is required.
REQUESTED
display
Circulation indicates whether the refund was requested by the subscriber at the time of the subscription stop.
REFUND AMOUNT
display
AMOUNT PAID
decimal (7)
Enter the refund amount to be sent to the subscriber.
BANK
display
The bank will be displayed for bank draft refunds.
MANUALLY ISSUED
yes/no
This checkbox will be selected only when viewing Customer Service-entered refunds after they have been added to a batch.
BATCH
display
The batch to which this refund belongs will be displayed only when viewing the refund after it has been added to a batch.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any desired remarks about this transaction.
Payment Information
PAYMENT TYPE
predefined
CHECK NUMBER
open (8)
Enter the check number for the payment, if the payment is by check.
PAYMENT AMOUNT
decimal (7)
Enter the payment amount. Circulation determines the rate for which this subscriber qualifies; this and the amount determine the length of the subscription. The expiration date of the subscription will be extended automatically during payment processing.
COUPON AMOUNT
decimal (7)
Some newspapers issue coupons that can be sent in with payments. Enter the coupon amount, if applicable, for this payment.
TIP AMOUNT
decimal (7)
Subscribers may declare a certain part of their payment as a tip. Enter the tip amount, if applicable, for this payment.
ADJUSTMENT
yes/no
Part of the payment may be for a non-subscription item, and you would enter that amount in Adjustment rather than Payment Amount. For example, if a payment of 21.00 included 1.00 for a coffee mug, you would enter 20.00 in Payment Amount and 1.00 in Adjustment. Check this field to make a payment adjustment; the Adjustment window will open. Enter the adjustment code (such as “mug”) and the amount.
PAYMENT DATE
date
Enter the transaction date for this payment.
EFFECTIVE
date
The effective date for the payment is displayed. The effective date is the date office pay status goes into effect for the customer, and for office pay subscribers it will be the subscriber’s expire date. The effective date may be overridden only on complimentary or carrier collect payments that automatically convert the subscription to office pay. If the effective date is prior to the last publishing date for a carrier collect subscriber, back credit will be issued to the appropriate carrier.
More Information
TERM
predefined
Circulation displays the period type (day, month, etc.) after matching the payment amount with the subscription rates currently in effect. This can be overridden.
LENGTH
open (4)
Circulation displays the number of subscription terms purchased with this payment. This can be overridden. If the subscription term or length are changed by the operator, a message is printed on the Subscriber Payment Journal indicating that the subscription term was overridden.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for this transaction.
BANK
setup
Enter the Bank ID for this payment, if any. This determines the Cash in Bank GL account to which the payment will be applied. This field is required for check, cash, and bank draft payments.
BATCH
display
The batch in which this payment is included will be displayed in this field once the payment is accepted.
RATE,
DISCOUNT
display
The new rate and discount amount are displayed.
PAID TO
display
The date the subscription is paid up to displays here.
SEND EMAIL CONFIRMATION
yes/no
Remarks
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks for this transaction. The remarks will appear on the Payment Journal and will remain with the payment transaction for future reference.
TOTAL CHARGE
display
The total charge for this payment is displayed.
Subscribers who are eligible for a refund, but have not had a refund issued, may have their refunds written off. This can be done by a batch process whereby all subscribers who have had refunds available since before a certain date are written off. Or, available refunds can be written off manually for individual subscribers using this option. Refund write-offs do not have to be processed—they are effective immediately.
Find the subscriber for whom you are writing off the available refund.
Complete the fields described below and click OK.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for which you are writing off an available refund, or leave the default.
WRITEOFF DATE
date
Enter the general ledger transaction date for this transaction. The current date defaults.
SOURCE
setup
Enter a code describing the source of this transaction, such as “CSR”.
REASON
setup
Enter a code describing the reason for this transaction.
AMOUNT
display
The available refund amount is displayed. The entire amount will be written off.
The purpose of this option is to enter subscription-related notes to record information about a subscription and/or transaction.
Subscription notes should be subscription/transaction related, such as “third subscription at introductory rate”. In order to enter a subscription note, the customer in question must be a subscriber or former subscriber. These notes are not printed on bundle tops, the DM report, or any other document.
Find the subscriber for whom you want to enter the note.
Complete the fields described below and click OK.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication of the subscription to which this note applies.
TRANSACTION DATE
date
Enter the date for this note.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter the content of the note.
SOURCE
setup
Select the source code for this transaction.
REASON
setup
Select the reason code for this transaction.
PERMANENT
yes/no
Indicate if this note should be flagged as permanent.
If a subscriber requests a special delivery placement, or wishes to change a previous request, it is not necessary to enter a reroute. Instead, you can enter a delivery placement transaction to change only the delivery placement code.
Find the subscriber who requested the delivery placement.
Enter information about the new delivery placement and click OK.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication for which the delivery placement is being changed.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date on which the carrier should begin placing the paper in the new location.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source for this delivery placement change, such as “customer”.
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code for this delivery placement change. Placement reason codes must be defined in advance.
NEW PLACEMENT
setup
Enter the new delivery placement for this subscriber, such as “porch” or “door”. Delivery placement IDs must be set up in advance in Setup | Distribution | Route | Delivery Placement.
OLD PLACEMENT, RATE
display
If the subscriber had a previous delivery placement, or if the delivery placement will force the subscriber into a different rate, these items will be displayed.
A newspaper may allow a subscriber who is late in payment (or has not yet paid for a new subscription) to continue to receive the paper. This is known as being “in grace”. When the payment arrives, the grace amount is deducted from the payment. However, if payment is not received after a certain period of time, the newspaper stops the subscription (or turns the subscriber over to a billing method of carrier collect). If this happens, the cost of grace period, or “grace owed” amount, will not be paid for by the subscriber (unless a late payment arrives). Eventually, the newspaper may want this grace owed amount “written off”, either in Accounting | Subscriber | Grace Writeoff or, individually, using this option.
You can write off grace for active and stopped subscribers using this option. For example, you can write off the grace owed amount for a subscriber who wants to start a new subscription but does not want to pay for the old “grace owed” amount. You cannot, however, write off grace for a subscriber who has a pending (unprocessed) payment. Grace write-offs are immediate; they do not have to be processed by transaction processing.
Find the subscriber for whom you are writing off grace.
Enter information in the fields described in table below. If the subscriber has more than one grace-owed amount, select the amount to write off in the pop-up window that appears (Ctrl-click to multi-select).
WRITEOFF TYPE
predefined
You can choose to write off grace only in the GL, in which case the grace-owed amount will still appear for the customer and be deducted from payments in Circulation. If so, select General Ledger here.
If, conversely, grace should be written off in Circulation but not in the GL, select Customer Services.
If grace should be written off in both places, select Both.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for which you are writing off grace, or leave the default.
WRITEOFF DATE
date
Enter the general ledger transaction date for this writeoff.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the code for the party who originated the writeoff (for instance, “Carrier”).
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code for the write-off (for instance, “move,” indicating the subscriber moved away).
CHANGE CREDIT STATUS
yes/no
Indicate whether to change the credit status of subscribers whose grace is written off. Circulation will change the credit status to the Stop Credit Status setting of the subscriber’s current credit status, as defined in Credit Status setup.
ORIGINAL GRACE DAYS ORIGINAL GRACE OWED GRACE PAID GRACE WRITTEN OFF DISCOUNT
display
Circulation displays the original number of grace days the subscriber had received and the value of those days (grace owed). The amount of this grace owed that was paid is also displayed, with the remaining grace that will be written off.
Click OK to accept the Grace Writeoff.
Transaction Security is added to the “WriteOff Type” field so that it may be regulated at the user level.
If the Security field in Transaction Security is left blank, all options under the “WriteOff Type” field are accessible to all users. The security field value is set to blank by default.
If any Security is applied to the Security item, users who are part of the Security ID will have access to the "Writeoff Type" field, and all options are available, while users who are not part of the Security ID would not, and the "Both" option is selected by default.
Find the customer for whom you will enter the contact.
Enter the following information.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product to which this contact applies.
CONTACT DATE
date
Enter the date of the contact.
CONTACT TYPE
setup
Enter the type of contact. Contact types are set up in advance (see Contact Type in the Setup Manual).
EMAIL TEMPLATE
setup
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source of this contact.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason for the contact. Contact reasons are set up in advance (see Contact Reason in the Setup Manual).
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks pertaining to this contact.
If the contact type is “Email” and an e-mail template is selected, a confirmation message will display for the e-mail. Click Yes to the “Do you want to continue?” prompt to send the e-mail.
Find the subscriber to switch over to a combo subscription.
If the subscriber has other active subscriptions that could qualify as components of the combo, you will be alerted with a message. Click Yes to continue. By default, the existing subscription will be included as a component in the combo (rather than starting a new subscription for that product). You can override this by clicking the Accounts button, as described below.
Enter the following information.
Combo Information
CAMPAIGN
setup
If this combo change is the result of a campaign, select the campaign ID to automatically populate certain details of the campaign. Note that if the source code, reason code, and delivery schedule entered all match a campaign, the appropriate campaign ID will be selected automatically based on that information.
COMBO
setup
Select the combo to which the subscriber is switching.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the person or process that initiated the transaction, such as “customer” or “promo.”
SUB-SOURCE
setup
If this field is active, enter the sub-party who initiated the transaction. For example, if the source was “Telemarketing”, the sub-source might be “John”, a particular telemarketer.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason for the combo change. Note that the reason code entered here must be valid for the “ComboChange,” “Start,” and “BillingChg” transaction types. When moving from a non-combo subscription to a combo, the expire date for the primary publication will be retained, if the reason code has Update Expire set to “n” in setup. There will be either a positive or negative discount created, depending on whether the combo rate is more expensive or less expensive than the original non-combo rate.
DELIV METHOD
predefined
The delivery method will default based on combo setup.
ROUTE or LABEL GROUP
setup
The route/label group will default based on combo setup.
DELIV SCHEDULE
setup
The delivery schedule will default based on combo setup.
START DATE
date
Enter the first date the customer should begin receiving the combo.
MERCHANDISE
setup
If the subscriber will be awarded some merchandise for switching to the combo, enter the merchandise code(s) here. The available merchandise codes depend on the reason code entered above.
FULFILL DATE
date
When the merchandise order is fulfilled, the fulfill date will be displayed.
ACCEPT BONUS DAYS
yes/no
Indicate if this subscriber should receive papers on special days that are not normal delivery days for the subscription—for example, on New Years, even though it is on a Tuesday and the delivery schedule is weekend-only.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks pertaining to this combo change.
Billing Information
BILLING METHOD
predefined
The billing method will be Office Pay.
INVOICE SUBSCRIBER
yes/no
Indicate whether an invoice should be sent for this combo.
AUTO PAY
yes/no
Indicate if this combo should be automatically renewed to the customer’s credit card or bank account. Click the Auto Pay button to enter auto-renew information (described below). Note: If the Auto Pay checkbox is selected, then the term, length, and billing group must be set up in advance for all of the combo’s component publications.
RENEW AFTER THIS TERM
yes/no
Indicate whether a renewal notice should be sent for this combo.
EXPIRE DATE
date
The default expiration date is the day the combo starts (unless a payment has already been entered). It indicates the first date of the grace period for a start and bill subscription. You will not be able to change the expire date here. Keep in mind that although the expire date will be the current date, the subscriber will still get the paper—they will be in grace. You may be able to modify the expiration date as a separate transaction.
Miscellaneous Information
ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM Zone for the delivery address, such as “city,” for this combo.
PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a delivery placement for the newspaper, if applicable. For example, the subscriber might request that the paper be put under the mat. Delivery placements can default from the router.
OCCUP TYPE
setup
Enter the occupant type for this subscriber, such as “regular” or “student.”
RATE
display
The rate is based on combo rate setup.
DELIVERY FEE
setup
The delivery fee, if any, is displayed. Delivery fees cannot be added, deleted, or modified when entering a combo change.
P. O. NUMBER
open (20)
Enter the purchase order number for the combo, if needed on the customer’s renewal notices.
PREV DELIVERY
yes/no
If this field opens, indicate whether a previous day’s paper (such as the previous Sunday) should be delivered to the new subscriber. This field defaults based on Business Rules.
You can optionally click the Accounts button to view and change the combo components in the Account Selection window. If the new combo adds additional subscriptions, they will display as “New” in the Status column.
When entering a combo change for an existing combo subscriber, if the new combo does not include some subscriptions in the existing combo, they will be listed in the “Dropped Combo Accounts” area of the Account Selection window. If you leave the Stop checkbox flagged, a dropped subscription will be permanently stopped as part of the combo change. If you uncheck the Stop field, the subscription will remain, but will no longer be part of the combo.
Click OK to accept the combo change.
End a combo subscription
Find the subscriber who is requesting the combo subscription to be ended.
Enter details about the end combo transaction. The fields are described in the table below.
To end individual subscriptions as part of the end combo, click the Account button and select specific component publications to perm stop in the Account Selection window that opens. Individual subscriptions will remain active for products not perm stopped.
Click OK to end the combo, and stop any individual subscriptions selected in the Account Selection window. A Combo End transaction is created for the subscriber.
The Route Service module is used to view route information, enter route transactions, and perform other route-related activities.
Topics covered in this section are as listed below:
Tasks generated for individual subscribers and addresses can be viewed, and manual tasks can be added, in Customer Service. A Tasks tab is located in the upper-right corner, next to Transactions and Subscriptions tabs. All tasks related to the current subscriber, including completed tasks, will appear here. Double-click on a task to display details in the Tasks tab below.
The Tasks tab provides several options for managing tasks, including owning, reassigning, and completing a task. See the Tasks chapter for documentation on these options. You can also add a manual task (described below).
If applicable, you can create transactions based on a task, using the buttons in the Task Detail panel. Clicking one of the buttons brings you back to the Transactions Tab in the main Customer Service window, with the fields ready to begin entering the type of transaction you selected.
You can add manual tasks for an individual subscriber, occupant, or address via the Tasks tab. You can also enter “stand-alone” tasks that are not tied to any entity, by leaving the Include Address? checkbox unselected. For example, you could enter personal reminder notes. Only tasks for task types set up with a “manual entry” event in Task setup may be added.
Find the subscriber (or address) for whom you are adding this manual task.
On the Tasks tab, click the Add button.
Manual task entry fields will be displayed. Enter information about the task in these fields.
Click OK to create the task. Once it is created, the task can be reassigned, escalated, completed, etc., in the same was as an automatically generated task.
Messages form part of the communications necessary to deliver the newspaper. The topic of the message can be anything from slippery road conditions, to a subscriber who wants the carrier to stop by to collect after 6 pm on Tuesday. Messages can be distributed in the following ways:
Printed on bundle tops
Printed on truck manifests
Printed on the District Manager Report
Broadcast to Customer and/or Route Service, and iServices Subscriber and/or Distribution.
Displayed in Dispatching (so the dispatcher can relay the message to the service drivers)
A message may have a start and end date to limit its visibility to a certain time period. For example, you may want to broadcast a message during the period when there is a substitute carrier on a route.
Some messages are generated automatically by the system. For example, a message may be created if the subscriber’s route is being delivered by a new carrier (this can be useful when answering customer calls). Business Rules determine whether a message is created by the system when a new carrier is delivering a route and, if so, how many days it should be displayed. Business Rules also determine if subscriber messages are retained. If they are retained, a message transaction will be created for all messages that have Include Address selected, and can be viewed like any other subscriber transaction. If messages are not retained, they will be purged at the end of the publishing run(s) for which they are entered.
You can enter messages only for publishing dates that have not yet been processed by transaction processing.
To enter a message:
Define the contents and distribution of the message.
If the message is broadcast and the selection type is “district”, “route”, “truck”, or “ZIP”, you can click the Deadline Override button to override the delivery deadlines of the routes involved. Deadline overrides can be entered only if the message start and end dates are the same (i.e., a one-day message). The deadline override will be in effect for the day of the message.
Click OK to distribute the message.
Add other messages or click Cancel to exit the Messages tab.
You can locate previously entered messages by clicking Find on the Messages tab. Enter search criteria in the Message Information fields. Any messages that meet the criteria will be displayed.
You can modify any transaction that has not been processed by transaction processing or, in the case of payments, subscriber payment processing. Refunds cannot be modified in Customer Service, because they are placed in a suspended refund batch after being entered. Complaints can be modified even after the complaint is processed, but only the reason code can be changed.
A rate should be automatically defaulted. Accept the default rate or enter another rate code for this transaction. A new rate may adjust the expire date—see for more information.
Indicate whether this refund is a cash, bank draft, or credit card refund. If it is a bank draft or credit card refund, a window will appear for more detailed information. See for information about the fields in this window.
Circulation displays the calculated refund amount owed to the subscriber. This includes the subscriber’s wallet amount, if they have paid for undelivered premium days (see ).
Indicate whether the payment is a check, cash, credit card or bank draft payment. If you enter “credit card”, the Credit Card window will open for entry of the credit card number, CVV2 value, expiration date, authorization number (optional), account holder’s name, and the transaction number of the payment in the authorization system, if applicable. If you use a Hosted Payment Page solution, the window will be called from the credit card authorization provider’s system, so that no credit card information is stored in Circulation. The Hosted Payment Page also contains name and address information to be used for credit card authorization. The subscriber’s occupant and address information default in these fields, but can be changed if needed for authorization purposes. See for more information. If you enter “bank draft”, the Bank Draft window will appear. Enter the client type (business or personal), the account type (checking or savings), bank number, subscriber’s bank account number, authorization number (optional) and authorization transaction number, if applicable. Business Rules determine whether Client Type is active, and the valid account types. If you enter “check”, you can click the Pay Type Info button and enter the account holder’s name.
An e-mail confirmation message for the payment can be sent to the subscriber, if you have e-mail confirmations implemented for payments and the subscriber qualifies (see A). If there is an amount in the Payment Amount field, the standard Payment confirmation is sent. If Payment Amount is zero and only a tip or donation are specified, the Tip or Donation template will be used instead.
Click the Refund Writeoff button ().
Click the Notes button ().
Click the Placement Change button ().
Click the Grace Writeoff button ().
Transaction Security (refer in Setup Manual) can be configured under:
Character Setup > System > Security > Transaction Security > CSMWriteOffType
Use this option to enter an outbound customer contact, such as an upsell e-mail message or letter, or a welcome message. As part of an e-mail contact, you can send an e-mail message to the customer, using a predefined template. Contacts can also be automatically added by sending an e-mail confirmation with another transaction, such as a start (see ). Any contacts associated with the customer will be listed on the Contacts tab in the upper-right corner of the Customer Service window (see ).
Click the Contact button () to display the Contact Information window.
If the contact type is “Email”, you can send an e-mail to the customer by selecting the template here (the contact of the e-mail is contained in the template). By default a “welcome” template (e-mails sent to new customers) and a “sorry” template (e-mails sent to resolve issues) are defined, but additional custom templates can be added. Templates are defined in Website Setup (see in the Setup Manual for more information).
Click OK to save the contact. You will be able to view the contact transaction from the Contacts tab in the upper right corner of the Customer Service module (see ).
A combo change transaction allows you to switch active non-combo subscribers to a combo subscription, or switch active combo subscribers to a different combo with the same primary product. See for more information on combos.
Click the Combo Change icon () and select Combo Change from the pull-down menu.
Combo subscriptions can be ended, and subscriptions for some or all of the combo publications stopped, with a Combo End transaction. See for more information about combos.
Click the Combo Change icon and select End Combo from the pull-down menu. The End Combo Information screen displays.
Click the My Tasks button () to switch to the My Tasks window, where you can view and work with the tasks assigned to you. You can return to the Customer Service window by clicking the Switch to Customer Service window button () in My Tasks.
Note: In order to add manual tasks, a user must be part of a task group that is selected for a manual entry task. See for more information.
Click on the Messages tab and select Add or click the Messages button ().
To modify a transaction, double-click on it in the Transactions Summary window. You can then click Modify and change the values in the transaction fields. When you have made the changes, click OK. See for more information about the Transactions tab.
COMBO
setup
Select the combo that should be ended for this subscriber.
TRAN DATE
date
Enter the stop date for the combo subscription. The current publishing date defaults.
SOURCE REASON
setup
Enter the source and reason code for the combo end. Only valid combo change reason codes may be selected.
REMARKS
open
Enter any comments that pertain to the combo end.
GROUP
setup
This field will display the name of the group by which the task is being created.
TASK TYPE
setup
Select the task type that identifies this task. Task types are set up in advance. Only task types set up for manual entry in the Tasks option will be available.
INCLUDE ADDRESS
yes/no
Check this box if the task should be entered for the current subscriber/address. If the customer has a subscription to a publication not selected for manual entry in Task Setup, this field will not be available (the task cannot be added for the subscriber). If this field is not checked, the task will be a “stand-alone” task not connected with a customer.
ASSIGN TYPE
display
The assign type for the task (individual user or a group) will be displayed here. This is defaulted from Task setup.
ASSIGN TO
setup
This field will display the individual or group assigned to the task. If the assign type is “individual” and the assign to was set up as <group member> or <supervisor>, you will be able to select any group members or supervisors within the task group.
DUE DATE
date
Enter the due date for this task. This will default based on the current date, along with the days to complete and deferred start days specified in Task setup.
PRIORITY
integer (3)
Specify a priority for the task. This will default from Task setup.
INSTRUCTIONS
open (unlimited)
Enter any explanations or instructions pertinent to the task here.
Message Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product for which the message should be sent. The product could be a publication or a TM product.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this message should be distributed. You may leave End Date blank.
INCLUDE ADDRESS
yes/no
Indicate if the displayed name and address should be included with the message. This may be helpful if a customer has just called and you want to send a delivery message to a service driver. Include Address determines whether this is a subscriber-specific message, and other message fields will have different choices, based on how it is set. For example, in Selection Type, “Distribution Method” is only valid if Include Address is not selected, while “Cust Service” is only valid if it is selected.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Enter the distribution type for this message (CustService, distribution method, district, truck, trip, route, Zip Code or all). “CustService” is used for individual subscriber broadcast messages (the message is displayed only for that subscriber).
SELECTION
setup
Enter the specific truck, trip, district, route, district, delivery method or Zip code for which the message should appear. For example, if you entered “route” in Distribution Type, enter the route here. Enter “*” to select multiple entities. If the selection type is “Cust Service”, this field will be skipped.
MESSAGE
unlimited
Enter the text of the message.
Message Usage
PRINT ON
yes/no
Indicate if the message should appear on bundle tops, the District Manager Report and/or the Truck Manifest. Truck Manifest is active for data entry only if you enter a Distribution Type of “Truck” or “All”.
BROADCAST TO
yes/no
Indicate if this message should be broadcast to Customer Service, Route Service, iServices Subscriber and/or iServices Distribution.
DISPATCH
yes/no
Indicate if this message should appear in Dispatching so the dispatcher can forward it to service or shortage drivers.
Broadcast Time
START TIME, END TIME
time, AM/PM
If this is a broadcast message, you can set the exact time the message should be broadcast during the date range.
The Map Delivery Addresses option can be helpful in determining exactly where to find an occupant’s delivery address. In addition to a map of the route, the addresses on the route and the delivery schedules of the subscribers are also shown.
You can view detailed information (address, account number, status, etc.) by hovering the mouse pointer over a delivery address. In addition, each address on the route is listed below the map. You can zoom in/out on a single location, as well as center the map on a specific location by clicking the corresponding Marker link.
The Map Single Copy Address option will map the address associated with a single copy address.
Carriers, district managers, and others will often ask for information about a route. Much of this information is contained in the tabs in the lower part of the Route Service window, which are listed and discussed individually below.
The Accounts tab lists the accounts that distribute the route, including the account name and ID, address and phone number, account type, and the days on which the papers are distributed.
Circulation allows multiple accounts to deliver a single route, so more than one account may be listed here. The district, district manager, and number of households on the route are also listed, as well as any messages that apply to the route. If you double-click on an account, you will be taken to the Account Inquiry window for that account.
If an account delivers more than one route, arrows will appear at the bottom of the window. Click the arrows to show the other routes. If more than one account is listed for a route, you will need to highlight the specific account before you can use the arrows to select another route.
The Draws tab shows draws for the route. First, you will need to specify some parameters for displaying draw.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which draw information should be displayed. You may leave END DATE blank to display draw for all dates on or after the START DATE.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate what type of draw figures should be displayed—actual, pending, or advance.
SHOW GROSS DRAW
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a row that shows Gross Draw for each week.
SHOW NET DRAW
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a row that shows Net Draw for each week.
SUPPRESS ZERO ROWS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to hide rows that have zero draw.
UPDATE PENDING
yes/no
Indicate whether pending draw should be updated automatically based on future activity.
SHOW DRAW BY DELIVERY SCHEDULE
yes/no
If this is a home delivery route, indicate whether draws should be broken out by delivery schedule. This pertains only to home delivery routes.
SHOW DRAW BY BILLING METHOD
yes/no
If this is a home delivery route, indicate whether you want to break out draws by billing method instead of delivery schedule. This pertains only to home delivery routes.
SHOW DRAW BY RATE CODE
yes/no
Home delivery route draw can be stored by subscriber rate code (a Business Rules option). Indicate whether draws for each week should be broken out by rate code. This pertains only to home delivery routes.
SHOW ADJUSTMENTS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to display draw adjustments for each week. If you import sold and shrink copies, they will display in separate rows.
SHOW RETURNS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a row that shows returns for each week (home delivery routes only).
SHOW AUTHORIZED RETURNS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a row that shows authorized returns (single copy routes only).
SHOW UNAUTHORIZED RETURNS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a row that shows unauthorized returns (single copy routes only).
SHOW DRAW CLASS
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include a column that shows the draw class for each draw entry (single copy routes only).
Draws are displayed differently depending upon whether the route is single copy or home delivery. For home delivery routes, draw figures are broken out by AAM delivery method:
Office Pay—Subscribers who pay the newspaper, which then applies the payment to the carrier’s account.
Carrier Collect—Subscribers who pay the carrier directly.
Unpaid Complimentary—Subscribers who do not pay for the subscription at all—it is free of charge. This billing method is most commonly used with “friends of the newspaper” individuals, such as advertisers.
Paid Complimentary—This is the same as unpaid complimentary, but it is reported separately on AAM reports. This category is used for employees of the newspaper.
Sample—Copies given to the carrier to hand out to non-subscribers.
Service—Extra copies given to the carrier in case there is a shortage or some papers are damaged.
Third Party—Free copies delivered to non-subscribers that are sponsored by a business.
For single copy routes, draw figures are displayed by date, with returns, draw adjustments, and net draw (the original draw plus or minus returns and draw adjustments). All draw classes are included in the draw figures.
Draw figures are displayed differently depending on how draw is calculated (known as draw type). The draw types used by Circulation are:
For dates that have been published, this is the draw as it was calculated by Circulation (not counting returns and draw adjustments), or gross draw. For dates that have not been published, the actual draw is the gross draw for the last published date of the same day of the week, plus or minus any processed transactions. So, if a route had a draw of 45 last Wednesday, and there have been 2 starts and 1 stop processed for the route, the actual draw for this Wednesday will be 46. This is also known as projected draw.
Pending draw is calculated in the same way as actual draw, but unprocessed transactions are also taken into consideration. So, in the example above, if there were 2 more starts for the route that have not yet been processed, the pending draw would be 48. Pending draw is calculated with an option called Update Pending Draw (it can also be calculated during End Publ Run, depending on Business Rules). Pending draw will exist only for future (unpublished) dates.
Advance draw is used only with advance publishing runs. This is the pending draw at the time the advance run was started. While pending draw can be recalculated over and over again, advance draw is calculated only once.
The Account Draw tab displays the draw for all routes assigned to an account. After specifying a start date, optional end date, and product(s), click OK to display the account’s gross draw. If multiple accounts are assigned to the route, you can toggle among them using the arrows to see the gross draw for each account.
The Rates tab lists the account rates for a route. To view rates for home delivery routes, first enter the account, delivery schedule, and subscriber rate code for which to show rates (enter “*” for all). Then click OK. For single copy routes, enter the account ID or enter “*” for all (if there is only one account, the rates will simply be displayed).
The rate information displayed includes the account, delivery schedule, AAM zone, draw type, days of the week, draw rate and credit rate. Note that a route can have several different rates. For example, office pay draw might have a different rate than carrier collect draw.
The AAM% tab shows the percentage of the route that lies within an AAM zone and Town of 25. AAM zones and Towns of 25 are areas used in Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) reports. The percentages are entered in Route Setup.
The Truck Sequences tab shows the truck sequences associated with the route, and the truck assigned to the route within each sequence. A truck sequence is a pattern that determines which routes will be dropped by which trucks and in what order. A publishing date will use a particular truck sequence, and this determines what truck will drop bundles for the route.
The Inserts tab shows the inserts delivered by this route, starting with the publishing date. You can view inserts delivered by the route for a different date range or product by changing these values in the fields clicking OK. You must have InsertPlus to use this feature.
The Demographics tab shows single copy demographic questions and answers. You can enter and modify answers. Demographics can be used as criteria in making group draw changes.
To enter or modify a demographic answer:
Highlight the question you wish to answer.
Click Modify.
Enter the answer to this question in the Answer field. Most questions have only certain valid answers—press F2 for a lookup.
Click OK.
The Transactions tab is where you view detail about route transactions, such as draw changes. You can also modify and delete transactions on this tab, as long as the transaction has not yet been processed by Transaction Processing.
Note: Unprocessed transactions appear in blue text in the Transactions tab in the upper-right portion of the window; processed transactions appear in gray text.
To view a transaction, select it from the Transactions tab in the upper-right portion of the window.
Delivery deadlines can be defined for home delivery routes as part of Route Setup. The standard delivery time indicates the time of day by which the route should be delivered, while the dispatch cutoff time indicates the time of day by which all papers must be dispatched for redelivery. Notice the Override and Remarks columns. Overrides to delivery deadlines can be entered using the Deadline Override option.
Tasks can be generated or manually entered for routes and accounts, as well as customers. Route tasks are displayed in the Tasks tab in the upper-right corner of the window. Double-click on a task to display details in the lower part of the window.
The Tasks tab provides several options for managing tasks, including owning, reassigning, and completing a task. You can also add a manual task (described below).
Manual tasks are added via the Tasks tab. “Stand-alone” tasks (i.e., tasks that are not tied to an entity, such as personal reminders) can also be entered by leaving the Include Route checkbox unselected. Only tasks for task types set up with a “manual entry” event in Task setup may be added.
Find the route for which you are adding this manual task.
On the Task tab, click Add. Manual task entry fields will appear.
Complete the following fields and click OK. Once the task is created, it can be reassigned, escalated, completed, etc., in the same way as an automatically generated task.
GROUP
setup
This field will display the name of the group by which the task is being created.
TASK TYPE
setup
INCLUDE ROUTE?
yes/no
Select this checkbox if the task should be entered for the current route. Leave it unselected if you want the task to be a “stand alone” task not connected with a route.
ASSIGN TYPE
display
The assign type for the task (individual user or a group) will be displayed here. This is defaulted from Task setup.
ASSIGN TO
setup
This field will display the individual or group assigned to the task. If the assign type is “individual” and the assign to was set up as <group member> or <supervisor>, you will be able to select any group members or supervisors within the task group.
DUE DATE
date
Enter the due date for this task. This will default based on the current date, along with the days to complete and deferred start days specified in Task setup.
PRIORITY
integer (3)
Specify a priority for the task. This will default from Task setup.
INSTRUCTIONS
open (unlimited)
Enter any explanations or instructions pertinent to the task here.
Enter the product and one of the following:
The route ID of the route you wish to locate. If you are not sure of the route ID, click the lookup icon.
An account ID associated with the route you wish to locate. If you enter an account ID that is associated with multiple routes, the following dialog box will be displayed. Select the specific route you wish to view.
Route or account name. See discussion of searching for route or account names, and wildcards, below.
Click OK to display the route information.
When you perform a Find in Route Service, the system first attempts to locate a route ID that matches what you enter in the Route field. If a matching route ID is not found, the system will attempt to locate a matching account ID. If a matching account ID is not found, the system will now locate all route and account names that begin with the character string you entered.
If multiple matching route and/or account names are found, the search results will be displayed in a dialog box, shown below. Selecting an item in the list will populate the Route field with the route ID. This example shows the results of a search on “go mart”—all routes and accounts with a name that begins with “go mart” are displayed.
If you enter a search string that contains wildcards (the asterisk character (*)), Circulation will search only for routes (home delivery and single copy). Wildcards cannot be used to search for an account.
In the following example, *mart is entered to locate all route names that end in “mart.” If mart* is entered instead, Circulation will locate all route names that begin with “mart.” If *mart* is entered, Circulation will locate all route names that have text before and after the string “mart.”
Selecting a route from the list of found routes will populate the Route field. If Circulation finds only one route that matches the search string entered, that route ID will be populated automatically.
The Route Service window is divided into three parts:
The Route Info panel (upper-left) is where route and publication information appears. If more than one product is delivered on this route, two arrow buttons will appear beneath the other route information. Click these buttons to view information about the other products.
The upper-right portion of the window contains several tabs that show summary information for the route. These tabs are described below.
The Draw tab shows projected draw for the selected product and route for the next seven days. The projected draw is the total number of newspapers a carrier, dealer, or motor route driver is scheduled to receive on a particular day, including all draw classes. It does not include unprocessed starts and stops. The pending draw, however, takes this into consideration.
The TM Draw tab shows Targeted Marketing draw for this route for past dates (up to 180 days before the current date) and future dates that have been processed.
The Transactions tab shows a summary of transactions for the route. Double-click on a transaction to display detailed information about it in the Transactions tab at the bottom of the window.
The Create/Modify tab shows the date and time when the route was created and by which user. It also shows when the route information was last modified.
The Publications tab shows all of the publications delivered by this route. You can double-click on a publication to show detailed information about it in the tabs at the bottom of the window.
The Tasks tab shows route-related tasks. Double-click on a task to display details in the Tasks tab at the bottom of the window.
The lower portion of this window contains several tabs that allow you to view and modify additional information about the route. These tabs are described in the next sections.
Your first action will be to find an account:
Enter search criteria, such as the account ID or name, social security number, or route ID.
Click OK. If more than one account meets the search criteria, select the correct account from the window that appears.
Once selected, the account ID and other personal information about the carrier/dealer will appear in the upper-left part of the window. The routes delivered by the carrier/dealer are shown in the upper-right corner.
Additional information about the account is shown in the tabs in the lower half of the window. These tabs are described below.
This tab contains information about the carrier/dealer’s balances, among other things. This information is useful when they call to ask about the status of their accounts.
If available, the Account tab will display:
The account’s vendor ID. Vendor IDs may be used in the accounts payable system, and Circulation exports the vendor ID when interfacing credits to AP.
The account’s tax ID, permit number, account class, birthday and contract date.
Account Groups information, which is entered in Account Setup.
The account’s balance for each company and billing source (most carrier/dealers belong to just one company and billing source). The balance will be broken out into four aging periods, with the Current period containing the most recent charges, and Period 3 the oldest. You may or may not apply finance charges to balances in one or more aging periods. Included with the balance information is the date and amount of the last payment.
The Routes tab displays information about the routes delivered by this carrier, or the single copy outlets managed by this dealer. The district, carrier type and start date for the route are listed. You can also see the days on which the carrier delivers the route (in Circulation, a carrier can deliver more than one route, and a route can be delivered by more than one carrier).
Double-clicking on a route will take you to the main Route Service window, with information about that route displayed.
A miscellaneous charge is a charge or credit applied to a carrier account on an irregular basis—for example, a credit because the carrier had a shortage and had to buy papers from a store.
The Charges/Credits tab lists the amounts and charge codes of any miscellaneous charges entered for the account, starting with the most recent charge. Note that the Billed column indicates whether the carrier/dealer has been billed for this charge.
In contrast with miscellaneous charges, recurring charges are standard charges or credits applied to carrier accounts on a regular basis—for example, a charge for insurance. The Recurring tab lists all recurring charges that have been set up for the account (in Account Setup).
Court-ordered levies can be imposed on a carrier’s wages for expenses such as alimony and car loans. In Circulation, levies are similar to recurring charges, but they are based on the carrier’s 1099 net income. Levy charges are displayed on the Levy tab.
You can view payments made by the account, starting with the most recent, on the Payments tab. The date, check number, and the batch in which the payment was entered is also shown. The invoice or invoices associated with each of an account’s payments are also shown. Clicking the “+” next to each payment will display the related invoice(s).
If you tax your accounts, you may find the Tax Authorities tab useful. Any city, county, state or country tax authorities that apply to the account are listed. If the account is exempt from a tax authority that would normally tax them, the exempt reason code will be shown in the Exempt column.
Carrier/dealers sometimes have questions about items on their invoices. Existing invoices can be viewed on the Invoices tab. The payment or payments associated with each invoice are also shown. Clicking the “+” next to each invoice will display the related payment(s). To view a specific invoice, highlight it and click the View Invoice button. It will be displayed in your browser, and the standard view/print options will be available. You can also click the View Signature button to view the signature for a payment, if there is a signature image on file.
In addition to viewing invoices, you can enter and resolve disputes from the Invoices tab. While an invoice is disputed, payments cannot be applied to it, and the invoice will show up as disputed on the Detail Age Analysis report.
Click the Dispute button to enter a dispute for the invoice. In the Dispute window that opens, enter the dispute date, reason, date, and any comments that pertain to the dispute. Then click OK.
Click the Task button to create a task for a disputed invoice. (The task button is only active when a disputed invoice is selected.)
Click the Resolve button to resolve a disputed invoice. This will close any task related to the dispute, and an alert can be generated automatically.
The Complaint tab displays complaints entered for an account within a given date range. To view complaints, enter a start and end date, then click OK. The date, product, route, complaint code and complaint text will be shown for all complaints entered for this account that have a complaint date within this date range.
The Demographics tab displays the demographic questions and answers that apply to the account. To enter a demographic answer, highlight the question, click Modify, and enter the answer.
The Notification tab displays the message notification preferences defined for the account. These preferences define how this account receives messages when the carrier mail export is run.
The Tasks tab allows you to enter a manual task for an account.
Two important transactions, draw changes and shortages, can be entered in Route Service, but will not be processed until Transaction Processing is run during the publishing run.
You can enter draw changes:
For an individual route
As part of a batch of draw changes
As part of a group of mass draw changes, which are typically short term (due to a late-breaking story, bad weather, etc.)
Individual draw changes and shortages are covered in this section. Batch and group draw changes are covered in the Draw Management section (see below).
Carriers and dealers may not always have the exact draw they need to serve their customers. Circulation assigns draw to a route based on the active subscriptions on that route. However, some routes may need extra papers for samples or other purposes. Or, in the case of dealers, routes may have more or fewer customers than usual. Four draw-related transactions are available in Circulation:
A draw change adjusts draw before Transaction Processing takes place. This is used primarily with dealers and racks. For example, if there is a large convention in town, downtown dealers might ask for increased draw.
A shortage does not adjust the draw at all, but simply records a shortage (or overage) for dispatching and audit purposes. For example, if a carrier is given too few papers and needs more, the newspaper may elect to dispatch the missing papers.
A draw adjustment adjusts draw after Transaction Processing takes place. For example, after a late-breaking story, a dealer might run out of papers and order additional copies.
A return adjusts draw after Transaction Processing takes place, just like a draw adjustment. However, in the case of returns, the draw is reduced. This happens when dealers and racks do not sell all of their draw on a given day.
Keep in mind that draw transactions apply to routes, not the dealers or carriers who distribute them. For example, if two carriers deliver route 11, a draw change to route 11 will affect the draw of both carriers.
You may need to change a route’s future draw for many reasons. For example, a big news story may affect some routes more than others, or you might increase the draw for a route that delivers to college campuses when classes begin in the fall.
Draw changes are typically made only for dealers and racks. Starts and stops on home delivery routes are automatically included in the draw during the publishing run. Also, a route may not be set up to allow draw changes, although draw changes for “service” and “sample” copies are always allowed. Draw change transactions can be entered only for dates that have not yet been processed with Transaction Processing.
The Draw Change option is most useful if you need to enter draw changes for only a few routes. To enter draw changes for a large number of routes, use the Batch Draw Change option. To change the draw for all single copy outlets on a particular day, use Group Draw Change.
Find the route whose draw you wish to change.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Carriers and dealers may call to say they received more or fewer newspapers than scheduled. For example, a carrier’s bundle top might indicate that she should receive 50 newspapers, but she only received 40. This information can be sent by the dispatcher to drivers for redelivery of the additional 10 papers.
Use Find to locate the route that has been shorted.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Use this option to attach a note to a home delivery or single copy route.
Find the product/route combination for which you want to add a note.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Use this option to enter complaints related to a single copy or home delivery route. Complaints may involve wet papers, non-delivery, or no papers in a rack. Non-subscribers may report a problem with the carrier, such as “yard” or “noise”. Entering a route complaint is very similar to entering a Customer Service complaint, except complaint codes for route complaints are added using Setup | Distribution | Route | Complaint Code.
Find the route toward which the complaint is directed.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Use this option to add draw for a single copy outlet that has no draw. When you enter an outlet start, a draw change will be created to add the draw you specify. You can enter a flat draw amount to be added to each day of the week, or you can specify differing draw amounts for each day of the week.
Find the single copy outlet for which you want to add draw.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
Use this option to remove all draw from a single copy outlet (e.g., because a store is closing). When you enter an outlet stop, a draw change will be created to zero out the draw for all days of the week.
Find the single copy outlet for which you want to remove draw.
Complete the following fields and click OK.
A route is a geographic location made up of addresses. Routes that sell papers to customers are single copy routes. Routes that deliver papers to subscribers are home delivery routes. Both types of routes are defined in the Route Setup Utility.
The Route Setup Utility is an alternative to the Distribution Point, Home Delivery Route, and Single Copy Route setup options (see Distribution Point in the Setup Manual). The advantage is that, by using Route Setup, you are walked through all three setups, including specific information, in one continuous entry session.
The Route Setup Utility consists of a number of tabs. These tabs are described in the order in which they are arranged. To begin, select Route Setup Utility from the Setup menu.
Basic information for the route appears in the top portion of the Route Setup window. See the descriptions in the following table. After basic information is entered, additional route information can be specified in the tabs in the bottom portion of the window, as documented below.
If you are defining a home delivery route, you must enter delivery information in the Route Setup tab. Click OK to accept the information. The other Route Setup tabs will then be open.
Single copy routes include racks, dealers, NIE, bulk, and office copies. Dealers and racks are reported in paid circulation totals, bulk is reported in the bulk sales section of AAM reports, and the office is reported in the unpaid section of the AAM reports.
If you are setting up a single copy route, the Route Setup tab will contain different fields, as shown below.
The Delivery Schedule tab is where you indicate the delivery schedules that are valid for this route. Subscribers with delivery schedules not added here cannot be assigned to the route.
Click Add and complete the following fields. Click OK to make the delivery schedule valid for the route.
Subscribers can specify a delivery placement (for example, “door” or “mat”) for the paper as part of a start, move, temporary address or reroute transaction. Delivery placements are set up in advance and can be valid for all home delivery routes or for a specific set of routes. If your delivery placements are valid only for certain home delivery routes, you can specify the delivery placements that are valid for this route here. This tab is not active for single copy routes.
Click Add and complete the fields described below. Then click OK to make the delivery placement valid for this route.
Home delivery routes are attached to delivery maps for routing and other purposes. If you have more than one delivery map set up, specify the map(s) to which the route should be assigned on the Map Route tab.
Click Add and complete the fields described below. Then click OK to accept the map assignment.
Because routes may lie in more than one census tract, the draw percentages for each census tract should be specified on the Census Tract tab. You need enter census tract information only if you have census tracts defined and use them for market penetration, subscriber rating, Targeted Marketing selection or InsertPlus. To add census tract percentages, click Add and complete the fields described below. Click OK to accept the percentages entered for the census tract.
Routes may lie in more than one Town of 25, so you need to establish what percentage of the route draw lies within each area. These percentages are used to determine Town of 25 circulation for the paragraph 3 by Town Report. Percentages are defined on the Town of 25 tab.
Click Add and complete the fields described below. Then click OK to accept the percentages. Enter all Towns of 25 that overlap with this route.
As with Towns of 25, routes may also cross Zip code boundaries. If you do AAM reporting by Zip, you will need to specify the percentage of this route’s draw that lies within each Zip code. These percentages are used to determine circulation within a Zip on the Paragraph 3 by Zip Report.
Zip code percentages are defined on the Zip tab. Click Add and complete the fields described below. Then click OK to accept the Zip percentage. Define percentages for each Zip code that overlaps with this route.
If you use service areas in dispatching, you can assign the route to a service area on the Service Area tab. Click Add and complete the fields described below. Then click OK to accept the service area assignment.
If this is a single copy route, you can assign a single copy price level via the Price Level tab. If your newspaper reports AAM circulation figures based on price level, and the draw for a single copy route will not fall under the default price level for single copy (as defined in Business Rules), a price level must be assigned. Enter a price level for each day of the week, and the date range for which the price level assignment is valid.
The edition normally delivered by the route has already been specified as part of the basic information for the route. On certain occasions, however, a different edition may be delivered. For example, routes sometimes deliver a different edition on holidays. In these cases, an alternate edition model is used. The model tells Circulation which edition is delivered by each route on days when the editions are non-standard. If your newspaper does not use alternate edition models, you do not need to enter information on this tab.
Alternate editions are specified on the Edition Model tab. Click Add and enter the editions that should be delivered by the route when a certain alternate delivery model is used. Click OK to accept the alternate edition assignment.
If the route will deliver TM products, a minimum delivery credit for each product can be defined on the TM Product Info tab. You need to enter this information only when the minimum delivery credit for the route is not the same for all routes delivering the product (if it is the same, it can be set up in Targeted Marketing). Click Add to define the minimum delivery credit for a TM product and OK to accept.
This tab is used to enter route-level resupply exceptions. An exception is needed when a product allows resupply (Deliverable record), but the route does not.
You can specify the time by which the route should be delivered on each day of the week on the Deadlines tab. This information can be useful to customer service associates, especially when entering complaints. Click Add to enter the deadline times and OK to accept the deadlines.
The Demographic tab is where you can answer single copy demographic questions (as set up in Setup | Subscription | Demographics). To answer a question, highlight the question and click Modify. You can then supply an answer for the question. Click OK to accept the answer.
If you select “all” or “some” in the Sections By Route field, the Sections tab will be available. If you select “all”, the Paper Section field will be populated automatically with “*”. If you select “some”, you will need to complete the fields described below to identify which sections are delivered by this route.
The Draw Class tab allows you to enter draw classes for a single copy route, as well as minimum and maximum draw, and optimal and maximum return information. At least one draw class (flagged as primary) must be defined for a single copy route. See Draw Class in the Setup Manual for more information on draw classes.
Click Add to add the first draw class. The draw class flagged as primary in Draw Class setup will display in the CLASS field and cannot be changed. If additional draw classes are added for the route, the CLASS field opens and a non-primary draw class can be selected.
Trips are walk sequences used by carriers who deliver multiple routes; addresses from all of the routes are arranged collectively in one trip sequence. If this home delivery route belongs to a trip, you can assign it on the Trip Route tab. Click Add and specify the trip for the route. Then click OK.
Use this option to enter or change the drop address associated with the route. This is the address that will be shown in the Single Copy Locator (through geocoding).
Find the route whose address you want to enter or change.
You have the following options in this window:
Add—Use this option to add a new address to associate with the route. The address fields are described in the Customer Service section.
Find—Use this option to search for an existing address to associate with the route.
Remove—Use this option to modify the address that is associated with the route.
Click Continue when you have finished.
Several route-related setup items are available on the Setup menu in Route Service. Account Services (where account setup is managed) and Distribution Maintenance (where truck sequences are managed) are also accessed from the Setup menu. These options are listed below.
Messages form part of the communications necessary to deliver the newspaper. The topic of a message can be anything from slippery road conditions, to a subscriber who wants the carrier to collect after 6 pm on Tuesday. Messages can be distributed in the following ways:
Printed on bundle tops
Printed on truck manifests
Printed on the District Manager Report
Dispatched to a district, truck or route
A message may have a given start and end date to limit its visibility to a certain time period. For example, you may want to broadcast a message during a time when a substitute carrier is delivering a route. To view all messages for a route, click the Route Messages button.
You can enter messages only for publishing dates that have not yet been processed with Transaction Processing.
To enter a message:
Define the contents and distribution of the message.
If the message is broadcast and the selection type is “district”, “route”, “truck”, or “Zip”, you can click the Deadline Override button and override the delivery deadlines of the routes involved. Deadline overrides can be entered only if the message start and end dates are the same (i.e., a one-day message). The deadline override will be in effect for the day of the message.
Click OK to distribute the message.
Add another message or click Cancel to exit the Messages tab.
Locate previously entered messages by clicking Find on the Messages tab. Enter search criteria in the Message Information panel. Any messages that meet the criteria will be displayed. Another way to display messages for a particular route is to Find the route and then click the Route Messages button at the bottom of the Messages tab.
Circulation can be set up to use internet-based mapping features. In Route Service, you can generate a map showing home-delivery routes and single copy addresses. You can and also locate all of the single copy locations within a specified distance from an entered address (see ). The three options are Map Delivery Addresses, Map Single Copy Address, and Find Single Copy Locations.
This option is described in the Customer Service Chapter. See .
The Messages tab is where you work with messages for a route. See for documentation.
Click the My Tasks button () to switch to the My Tasks window. The Task window, Task tab, and My Tasks button can also be accessed from Account Inquiry, although the tasks will pertain to the account rather than the route.
Select the task type that identifies this task. are set up in advance. Only task types set up for manual entry in Tasks setup will be available.
The first step in performing most Route Service activities is to find and display information about a route or account ( describes how to locate an account). The Find option allows searching for a route by entering a route name or account name. Additionally, asterisks (*) can be used to perform wildcard searches for route names and single copy locations.
Click the Find Route button ().
In addition to route information, Route Service allows you to view information about your accounts. To access account information, click the Account Inquiry button ().
Click the Find Account button ().
Click the Draw Change button ().
Click the Shortage button ().
Click the Notes button () to display the Notes entry window.
Click the Complaint button ().
Click the Start button ().
Click the Stop button ().
You can modify any transaction that has not yet been processed with Transaction Processing. To modify a transaction, double-click on it in the Transactions tab in the upper-right portion of the window. You can then click Modify and change the values in the fields. When you finish modifying the transaction, click OK. See for more information about the Transactions tab.
You can add (), find (), modify () or copy () routes using the Route Setup Utility.
Note: The other option on the toolbar () is used to maintain the drop address associated with the route. See for more information about this option.
Note: If this is a single copy route, the fields on the Route Setup tab will be different. See for descriptions of those fields.
Click the Maintain a Route Address icon (). The Route Address window appears.
Broadcast (i.e., displayed on the Accounts tab when applicable routes are displayed; see )
Open the Messages tab and click Add. Or, click the Messages button ().
NOTE DATE
date
Enter the date for this note.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter the content of the note.
SOURCE
setup
Select the source code for this transaction.
REASON
setup
Select the reason code for this transaction.
INCIDENT DATE
date
Enter the date for this route complaint.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “customer” or “carrier”.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason for this route complaint.
COMPLAINT
open
The description of the reason code will appear in this field, but you can modify it.
REDELIVER
yes/no
Indicate whether products with this complaint code should be redelivered.
INSTRUCTIONS
open
Enter re-delivery instructions, if applicable.
DISPATCH
yes/no
Indicate whether this complaint should be dispatched.
URGENT
yes/no
Indicate whether resolution to this complaint is urgent.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “DM”.
START REASON
setup
Enter the reason for this outlet start. At least one reason code must be set up in advance with a transaction type of “OutletStart”.
DRAW CHG REASON
setup
Enter the reason for the draw change that will be created as a result of this start.
DATE
date
Enter the effective date of the draw change.
DRAW [SAT-FRI]
integer
If the draw will be the same for all days of the week, enter the amount in the DRAW field. If the draw will differ by day of the week, enter the draw for individual days.
REMARKS
open
Enter any helpful remarks about this transaction.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for this transaction, such as “DM”.
STOP REASON
setup
Enter the reason for this outlet stop. At least one reason code must be set up in advance with a transaction type of “OutletStop”.
DRAW CHG REASON
setup
Enter the reason for the draw change that will be created as a result of this stop.
DATE
date
Enter the effective date of the draw change.
REMARKS
open
Enter any helpful remarks about this transaction.
PRODUCT
setup
Select a product that can be delivered on this route.
ROUTE
open (8)
Enter an ID for this route.
START DATE
date
Enter the first date this product can be delivered on this route.
END DATE
date
Enter the last date this product can be delivered on this route. Never set an end date until the draw is zero (0) and all billing has been completed.
TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this is a route (home delivery route) or single copy route.
POSTAL DROP?
yes/no
If you selected “single copy” in TYPE, indicate if this is a bulk postal drop.
NAME
open (25)
Enter the name of the route.
DISTRICT
setup
Enter the district in which this route is located.
SECTIONS BY ROUTE
setup
This field is used by advance publishing and the Burt export option. Indicate if this route delivers all or some of the newspaper’s advance sections. Otherwise, enter none. If you select “all” or “some”, the Sections tab will be available for entry of Burt part information. Note: If all routes of an edition deliver an advanced section, you can link the section to the edition, and can select “All” here.
AAM COLUMN
setup
Select the AAM column in which paid circulation figures for this route should be recorded for AAM reporting.
ROUTE CLASS
setup
Select the route class for this route. A route class is a group of similar routes for group draw purposes. If, for example, you have four racks at a shopping mall whose daily draw would change at the same rate, you can group them together in a route class.
RATE CLASS
setup
Optionally, select an account rate class for this route. A rate class is a group of routes used for account rating purposes.
INSERT GROUP
setup
If you have InsertPlus, enter the insert group for this route (also known as a preprint demographic). Insert groups represent types of routes (such as “apt” and “house”) that are typically sold together when advertisers order insertions.
BONUS RATE CLASS
setup
Optionally, select a bonus rate class for this route. Bonus rate classes are used to insert bonusing with InsertPlus.
BURT ALT ZONE CODE 1
integer
User defined. Works in conjunction with Burt Export and is only for sites that export alternate zone information.
CODE 2
integer
User defined. Works in conjunction with Burt Export and is only for sites that export alternate zone information.
ALLOW RETURNS?
yes/no
Indicate whether returns are allowed for this route.
ALLOW DRAW CHANGES?
yes/no
Indicate whether draw changes (changes to the draw before the publishing run has been processed) are allowed for this route. Leave this box unselected for home delivery routes whose office pay, carrier collect, paid comp, and unpaid comp draws should not be adjusted manually. Note that you will still be able to adjust the draw for samples and service copies.
LOCATION?
open (unlimited)
Indicate whether a drop location should be entered. If the drop location for this route does not vary and is not the carrier’s home address, select this checkbox and then specify the drop location for this route in the Default Drop Location dialog box that appears.
INSTRUCTIONS?
open (unlimited)
Indicate whether special drop instructions apply to this route. If so, select this checkbox and enter the instructions in the Default Drop Instructions dialog box that appears.
ROUTE TYPE
setup
Enter the route type for this route, such as carrier or foot. Route types are user-defined categories.
NUMBER OF MILES
decimal (4)
Enter the number of miles covered by this route. This field is currently used for reference purposes only.
HOUSEHOLDS
integer (6)
Enter the total number of households on this route (subscribers and non-subscribers). This field is used by InsertPlus.
VAC PAC HANDLER
predefined
Indicate whether vacation packages will be held for subscribers by the carrier or the office (District Manager).
PRINT LABELS
predefined
Indicate whether route labels should never be printed for this route, always be printed, or be printed only for dwelling types that have been set up for route labels. Enter “always”, for example, if this route delivers to a nursing home or campus dormitory where every paper on the route should be labeled for internal distribution.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE CLASS
setup
The route may be assigned to a subscription rate class for subscriber rating purposes. If so, enter the rate class here.
ASSOCIATED ROUTE
setup
At times, transactions performed by agents are not reported until after they have occurred. For example, a subscriber may start a subscription on a Monday, but the newspaper may not be notified until Wednesday. In this situation, the agent provides the paper to the subscriber from a specific single copy route until the regular route draw is updated. Backdated draw adjustments can be created to reconcile this draw between home delivery and single copy routes. In associated route, you enter the single copy route that should be used to provide or receive papers related to the backdated transactions. This field is required if the Business Rule, Should backdated transactions create draw adjustments between associated routes? is set to “Yes”.
SUBSIDY
decimal (8)
If transportation cost subsidies can be entered at the route level (as governed by the Business Rule Should route level subsidies be included in transportation costs?) you may specify the subsidy for this route. If a subsidy amount is specified, it increases the transportation cost for taxing purposes.
For example, if a subsidy of .05 is entered and the carrier receives 27¢ per copy to deliver a subscription, the total transportation cost for the subscription would be .32.
If a subsidy amount is entered at the route level, it will be used rather than the subsidy specified in the Business Rule What is the daily subsidy amount which should be added to the remit on payment trans cost calculation?
REDELIVER
yes/no
Indicate whether products can be redelivered to the subscriber, if necessary, on this route. For example, redelivery may not be allowed to some subscribers because of time/distance constraints. Typically, redelivery is made because the paper is wet or damaged.
OFFICE PAY
yes/no
Indicate whether office pay subscriptions are allowed on this route.
CARRIER COLLECT
yes/no
Indicate whether carrier collect subscriptions are allowed on this route.
STATUS CARDS
yes/no
Indicate whether office pay status cards should be printed for this route. These cards are printed when an office pay subscriber has a transaction that would affect the carrier (such as a change in expiration date).
DELIVER RENEWALS
yes/no
Indicate whether subscriber renewal notices are delivered by this route. Renewal notices can be delivered by route or mailed.
THROWOFF
yes/no
Indicate whether this is a throwoff route. A throwoff route represents one or more subscribers delivered directly by the truck driver (the individual subscribers will print on the truck manifest).
PRINT CC INVOICES
yes/no
If you produce invoices for carrier collect subscribers (a Business Rules consideration), indicate whether carrier collect invoices should be printed for this route.
ALLOW ISERVICES WALK SEQ UPDATES
yes/no
Route walk sequencing will only be allowed in iServices Distribution when this field is checked.
BILL WHEN
predefined
This field will be open only if the Print CC Invoices checkbox is selected. If you print carrier collect invoices for this route, indicate whether the invoices should be produced in advance or in arrears. If you select “arrears”, the collect invoices for this route will indicate what is due from each carrier collect subscriber in the current billing period. If you select “advance”, the invoices will indicate what is due for the next billing period.
BILLING METHOD
predefined
If both the Office Pay and Carrier Collect checkboxes are selected, this field will be open. Enter the default billing method for subscribers on this route. This will be either office pay, or carrier collect. Leave the field blank to use the default billing method defined in Business Rules.
TIME ZONE ZIP
setup
Enter the Zip code for this route. Time zones are associated with Zip codes in Zip setup. If you enter a Zip code with an associated time zone, the time zone will default.
TIME ZONE
setup
CITY
open (28)
Enter the city in which this route is located. This and the following fields are used for taxing purposes and will be open only if you tax by route (a Business Rules consideration).
COUNTY
open (25)
Enter the county in which this route is located.
STATE
setup
Select the state in which this route is located.
COUNTRY
setup
Select the country in which this route is located.
EDITION SUN - SAT
setup
For each day of the week (Sunday - Saturday), indicate the edition that will be delivered on this route. The edition will be printed on the bundle top, insuring that the correct edition is sent to the route.
DEPOT SUN - SAT
setup
If you use depots, enter the depot at which this route’s papers are dropped for each day of the week.
ORDER SUN - SAT
integer (8)
If a depot is entered for some or all days in the week, enter the route’s drop order within the depot on that day.
BURT TYPE
open (2)
Specify the Burt product type for this route for each day of the week. The product type is exported to Burt and indicates how the route is inserted (complete, part, etc.). The product type entered here is used for actual and pending draw; the product type used when exporting advance draw is specified in the Section tab.
CITY PERMIT
open (15)
Some cities require a permit for every newspaper box on a street corner. If so, enter the city permit number for this route. The permit number is for reference only.
IDENTIFIER
open (15)
If you use ANA/URN numbers to identify single copy routes, enter this route’s ANA/URN identifier here. The identifier can be included in bundle top exports and returns imports, along with the publication barcode. See Publishing Info in the Setup manual for more information.
SINGLE COPY TYPE
setup
Indicate the single copy type for this route. To establish a Counter Sales route, enter a single copy type other than “office” so that it is included in paid circulation.
DISPATCH SHORTAGES
yes/no
Indicate whether shortages should be dispatched on this route.
CITY
open (28)
Enter the city in which this route is located. This and the following fields are used for taxing purposes, and will be open only if you tax by route (a Business Rules consideration).
COUNTY
open (25)
Enter the county in which this route is located.
STATE
setup
Select the state in which this route is located.
COUNTRY
setup
Select the country in which this route is located.
TIME ZONE ZIP TIME ZONE
setup setup
Optionally enter the ZIP Code and time zone for this route. Time zones can be associated with ZIP Codes in Zip setup. If you enter a ZIP Code with an associated time zone, the time zone will default, but can be changed.
If a time zone is specified, transactions for subscribers delivered by the route will display in Customer Service and elsewhere with the time adjusted for the time zone.
ALLOW ISERVICES DRAW ADJUSTMENTS
yes/no
Check these fields if the route allows draw adjustments, draw changes and/or returns to be entered via iServices Distribution. Note: These fields are enabled only if iServices Distribution is installed. In addition, Allow iServices Draw Changes is enabled only if the Allow Draw Changes checkbox is selected for the route, and Allow iServices Returns enabled only if the Allow Returns checkbox is selected for the route.
ALLOW ISERVICES DRAW CHANGES
yes/no
Check these fields if the route allows draw adjustments, draw changes and/or returns to be entered via iServices Distribution. Note: These fields are enabled only if iServices Distribution is installed. In addition, Allow iServices Draw Changes is enabled only if the Allow Draw Changes checkbox is selected for the route, and Allow iServices Returns enabled only if the Allow Returns checkbox is selected for the route.
ALLOW ISERVICES RETURNS
yes/no
Check these fields if the route allows draw adjustments, draw changes and/or returns to be entered via iServices Distribution. Note: These fields are enabled only if iServices Distribution is installed. In addition, Allow iServices Draw Changes is enabled only if the Allow Draw Changes checkbox is selected for the route, and Allow iServices Returns enabled only if the Allow Returns checkbox is selected for the route.
DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the draw adjustment code to apply to returns entered via iServices Distribution.
UNAUTH DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the draw adjustment code to apply to unauthorized returns entered via iServices Distribution.
EDITION SUN - SAT
setup
For each day of the week (Sunday - Saturday), indicate the edition that will be delivered on this route. The edition will be printed on the bundle top, insuring that the correct edition is sent to the route.
DEPOT SUN - SAT
setup
If you use depots, enter the depot at which this route’s papers are dropped for each day of the week.
ORDER SUN - SAT
integer (8)
If a depot is entered for some or all days in the week, enter the route’s drop order within the depot on that day.
BURT TYPE
open (2)
Specify the Burt product type for this route for each day of the week. The product type is exported to Burt and indicates how the route is inserted (complete, part, etc.). The product type entered here is used for actual and pending draw; the product type used when exporting advance draw is specified in the Section tab.
ROUTE
display
The route ID is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The product for which this route is being defined is displayed.
DELIVERY SCHEDULE
setup
Enter a delivery schedule valid for this route. Press F2 to display a lookup of valid schedules.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Specify the first date range this delivery schedule will be used for this route. You may leave End Date blank.
ROUTE, PRODUCT
display
The route and product being defined are displayed.
DELIVERY PLACEMENT
setup
Enter a valid delivery placement for this home delivery route.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this delivery placement will be valid for this route. You may leave End Date blank.
MAP
setup
Enter the ID of a delivery map to which this route should be assigned.
DELIVERY DAYS FOR MAP
display
The days on which the delivery map is used by this product are displayed.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which the route will be assigned to this map. You may leave End Date blank.
ROUTE
display
The route ID is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The product for which you are defining this route is displayed.
TOWN OF 25
setup
Enter a Town of 25 that overlaps with this route.
AAM ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM zone for this Town of 25. It is possible (though uncommon) that the Town of 25 lies in two or more AAM zones. In that case, you would enter percentages for each Town of 25/AAM zone combination.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which the following draw percentages are valid. An end date is not required.
SUN-SAT
decimal (6)
For each publishing day of the week, enter the percentage of this route’s draw that lies within this Town of 25 and AAM zone. The combined percentages for all Towns of 25 must equal 100 for each publishing day.
ROUTE
display
The route ID is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The product for which you are defining this route is displayed.
ZIP CODE
open (5)
Enter a Zip code that overlaps with this route.
TOWN OF 25
display
The Town of 25 is displayed.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which these draw percentages are effective. You may leave END DATE blank.
SUN-SAT
decimal (5)
For each day of the week, enter the percentage of the draw that is delivered within this Zip code. Draw percentages for all Zip codes must total 100% for each publishing day.
ROUTE
display
The route ID is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The product for which you are defining this route is displayed.
SERVICE AREA
setup
Enter the service area to which this route belongs. A route may belong to different service areas on different days of the week. Service areas must be set up in advance.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which the route belongs to the service area above. You may leave END DATE blank.
SUN-SAT
yes/no
Enter the days of the week that the route belongs in this service area.
ROUTE
display
The route being defined is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The publication delivered by the route is displayed.
EDITION MODEL
setup
Enter the alternate edition model for which you are specifying an edition.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which the edition specified here will be delivered by the route when this alternate edition model is used. START DATE cannot be before the current publishing date; END DATE can be left blank.
EDITION
setup
Enter the edition that will be delivered by the route when this alternate edition model is used.
ROUTE
display
The route ID is displayed.
PRODUCT
display
The product for which you are defining the route is displayed.
TM PRODUCT
setup
Enter a TM product that can be delivered by this route.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter a start date and, optionally, an end date during which the delivery credit information is in effect.
MINIMUM CREDIT
decimal (8)
Enter a minimum delivery credit. This is the minimum credit that a qualifying account can earn for delivery of this product. Accounts must be cleared for delivery credits during Account Setup.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter date range for which the deadlines are valid. You may leave END DATE blank.
STANDARD DELIVERY (SUN-SAT)
military (4)
For each day of the week, enter the time by which papers on this route should be delivered. Enter the time in military format. For example, 9 am would be entered as 09:00, and 2:30 pm would be entered as 14:30.
DISPATCH CUTOFF (SUN-SAT)
military (4)
For each day of the week, enter the latest time of the day by which papers must be dispatched for redelivery.
PRODUCT
display
The route’s product is displayed.
ROUTE
setup
The route ID is displayed.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this section will be delivered by this route. The end date may be left blank.
PAPER SECTION
setup
Enter the section this route will deliver.
BURT PART
open
Enter the Burt product type for this route when distributing this section. The product type is exported to Burt and indicates how the route is inserted (complete, part, etc.).
PRODUCT
display
Displays the product ID.
ROUTE
display
Displays the route ID.
CLASS
setup
Select a valid draw class for this single copy outlet. When adding the first draw class record for a route, this field will display the primary draw class defined in Draw Class setup.
START DATE
date
Enter the first date the draw class can be used for this single copy outlet.
END DATE
date
Enter the last date the draw class can be used for this single copy outlet.
OPT RET TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the optimal draw information (entered below) is a percent or an amount. The optimal return percent or amount is used for Return Draw Analysis reporting, which compares the actual returns for the route with its optimal percentage/amount. If the returns are different from the optimal, Circulation creates draw change transactions.
MIN DRAW
integer (6)
For each day of the week, enter the minimum draw limit for this draw class. Draw changes will not be able to set the draw below this limit (unless the draw is changed to zero).
MAX DRAW
integer (6)
For each day of the week, enter the maximum draw limit for this draw class.
OPT RET %*
decimal (4)
If the optimal return type for this draw class is “percentage” (as entered in Optimal Type), enter the optimal return percentage for each day of the week.
OPT RET AMOUNT*
integer (6)
If the optimal return type for this draw class is “amount” (as entered in Optimal Type), enter the optimal quantity for each day of the week.
MAX RET %
decimal (5)
For each day of the week, enter the maximum percentage of draw that may be returned. The maximum percentage may not exceed 100%. Note: Returns that exceed the maximum percentage entered for this draw class will be considered “unauthorized” returns.
ROUTE, PRODUCT
display
The route being set up is displayed, along with the product it delivers.
TRIP
setup
Enter a trip that includes this route. A route may only be assigned to one trip per day. For example, if a route is assigned to a trip that is valid for all days of the week, it cannot be assigned to another trip.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which the route will belong to this trip. End Date may be left blank.
Message Information
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product for which the message should be sent. The product could be a publication or a TM product.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this message should be distributed. You may leave END DATE blank.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Select the distribution type for this message (distribution method, district, truck, route or all).
SELECTION
setup
Enter the specific truck, district, route, or delivery method for which the message should appear. For example, if you entered route in Distribution Type, enter the route here.
MESSAGE
unlimited
Enter the text of the message.
Message Usage
PRINT ON BUNDLE TOP, PRINT ON DM REPORT, PRINT ON TRUCK MANIFEST
yes/no
Indicate if the message should print on bundle tops, the District Manager Report and/or the Truck Manifest. Print On Truck Manifest is active for only if you enter a Selection Type of “Truck” or “All”.
BROADCAST
yes/no
Indicate if this message should be visible on the Customer Service window when a subscriber is displayed who is on a route, truck, etc., specified in the message. Broadcast messages are also displayed on the Account tab.
DISPATCH
yes/no
Indicate if this message should be dispatched. This option is available if the selection type is “district”, “truck” or “route”. After the message is dispatched, the Dispatch Detail button will become available for viewing the date, time, remarks, compliance information, and other information.
START TIME, END TIME
integer (4) predefined
If this is a broadcast message, you can set the exact time the message should be broadcast during the date range. Enter the start and end time, indicating whether each is AM or PM.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the first date that this draw change will be in effect.
REVERSAL DATE
date
Enter the date on which this draw change should be reversed. Leave this field blank if the draw change is for an indefinite period of time. For example, if you want to change the draw for 6/4/10 through 6/6/10, the date you enter in Effective Date would be 6/4/10, and the date you enter in Reversal Date would be 6/7/10.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code, such as “carrier”, for this draw change. This field is optional.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code, such as “scdraw”, for this draw change. This field is optional.
RATE CODE
setup
If this is a home delivery route and you store draw at the rate code level (a Business Rules consideration), enter the subscriber rate code for which draw is being changed. Account rates can be based on subscriber rate codes.
DELIV SCHED
setup
If this draw change is for a home delivery route, enter the delivery schedule for which this draw change should occur; for example, “daily” or “Friday”. This field is not active for single copy routes.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
ADJUST/REPLACE
predefined
Indicate whether the draw should be adjusted (increased or decreased) or replaced. If you are replacing old draw figures with new draw figures, choose replace.
ADJUSTMENT, SUN-SAT
integer (6)
For each day of the week, indicate the number of newspapers that should be adjusted/replaced. To enter negative adjustments, add a minus sign (such as “-5”). The adjustments/replacements will be displayed for each publishing day. You can leave the first field blank so that different amounts can be entered for each day.
REMARKS
open (unlimited)
Enter any necessary remarks about this transaction.
PRODUCT
setup
Indicate which product is short.
INCIDENT DATE
date
Enter the date this shortage occurred.
REQUEST RESUPPLY
yes/no
QUANTITY SHORT
integer (4)
Enter the number of newspapers this route was shorted.
QUANTITY LONG
integer (4)
Enter the number of newspapers this route received over the scheduled draw (if too many newspapers were received).
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code, such as “carrier”, for this transaction.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code, such as “shortage”, for this transaction.
DISPATCH?
yes/no
Indicate whether this transaction should be dispatched. Some shortages may not need dispatching. For example, a carrier who is shorted 3 papers may buy the missing papers at a store. In this case, you would not dispatch papers. You would, however, give the carrier a miscellaneous credit for the cost of the store-bought papers. After the shortage is dispatched, the Dispatch Detail button will become available for viewing the dispatch date, time, remarks, compliance information, and other information.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks about this transaction.
REDELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
unlimited
Enter any instructions for redelivery of the newspapers. For example, enter instructions here if the shortage driver should deliver the additional papers to the carrier’s home or work address.
The Reports menu contains a number of key route-related reports, such as the Draw Change Journal and Route Delivery List.
All reports except the Draw Change Journal, Compare Draw, and Historical Invoices also appear in the Reports section, and are documented here.
The Draw Change Journal can be used as a draw change audit report. It lists all draw changes entered within a date range or batch. If run for a date range, both draw changes entered individually and in batches will be included.
To produce the Draw Change Journal:
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Field
Type
What to enter
REPORT TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the report should include draw changes based on the batch, the date of entry, or the effective date of the draw change. If “Batch” is selected, all the remaining fields will be inactive except for Print Order and Include Reversals.
BATCH
open (10)
If “batch” is the Report Type, enter the name of the batch that should be included in the report.
PRODUCT
setup
If the report is being run for a date range, enter the product that should be included in the report. Enter “*” to multi-select products.
START DATE, END DATE
date
If the report is being run for a date range, enter the date range here. If you entered “date of entry” in Report Type, all draw changes entered within this date range will be included. If you entered “effective date”, all draw changes that go into effect within this date range will be included.
SELECTED WEEKDAY
predefined
Select the day of the week for which you are running the journal, or select All.
ALL EDITIONS, EDITION
yes/no setup
Indicate whether you want to include all editions in the Draw Change Journal. If All Editions is unchecked, you will need to specify one or more editions in the Edition field (enter “*” to multi-select).
ALL SOURCES, SOURCE
yes/no setup
If only draw changes entered with specific source codes should be included in the report, select the source codes in the Source field. Otherwise check All Sources.
ROUTE TYPE
setup
Select the type of route to include in the report: home delivery or single copy.
SUSPENDED ONLY?
yes/no
Indicate whether only draw changes from suspended batches should be included in the report. You should periodically run this report with Suspended Only selected. This will tell you whether there are any suspended batches that should be reviewed.
PRINT ORDER
predefined
Indicate whether the report should list draw changes by route or by district (in route order by district).
INCLUDE REVERSALS?
yes/no
Indicate whether draw reversals should appear in the Draw Change Journal. For example, if a route’s draw change has a reversal date, the reversal transaction will print on the report if this checkbox is selected.
Click OK and then Continue to produce the journal. A sample Draw Change Journal is shown below.
The Compare/Update Draw option compares the single copy draw from an historical draw date to the draw for a future, unprocessed delivery date, and allows you to replace the future draw with the gross or net draw from the historical date, plus or minus a specified percentage.
To use this option:
Select Compare/Update Draw from the Reports menu to display the Compare Draw window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product ID.
EDITION
setup
Select the edition ID.
HISTORICAL DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date of the previous draw you want to compare.
HISTORICAL BASE
predefined
Select gross draw or net draw.
INCLUDE ZERO DRAW?
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to include zero draw in the comparison.
PERCENTAGE CHANGE
decimal (8)
If desired, enter the percentage by which you want the historical draw to be increased or decreased before it replaces the future draw. Indicate a decrease by entering a negative percentage (e.g., “-10”) in this field.
FUTURE DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date of the future draw you want to compare. This date must have draw but be unprocessed.
FUTURE DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate if you want to compare Actual draw, Advance draw, or Pending draw.
DRAW CLASS
setup
Enter the draw class of the draw you want to compare.
SINGLE COPY TYPE
setup
Enter the single copy type of the draw you want to compare (e.g., “dealer,” “rack,”)
CREATE DRAW CHANGES
yes/no
Indicate whether you want to create a batch of draw changes that replaces the future draw with the historical draw. The batch-related fields at the bottom of the window become active when this checkbox is selected.
OVERRIDE SETUP
yes/no
Select this checkbox if single copy routes that are set up not to allow draw changes (i.e., draw changes = “no” in Route Setup) should be selected anyway. Note: The availability of this checkbox is controlled by the “AllowDrwChgOvrd” Transaction Security item.
INCLUDE PENDING
yes/no
Indicate if you want to include pending draw in the report.
BATCH
open
If you are creating draw changes, enter a name for the batch of draw changes that will be created.
DESCRIPTION
open
Enter a description of the batch.
SOURCE
setup
Enter a source code to be used with the draw changes.
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code to be used with the draw changes.
REVERSAL DATE
date
Enter the date on which the draw change will be reversed.
Click OK and then Continue to compare draw. A sample report is shown below.
Carriers sometimes ask the newspaper to reprint an invoice that they lost or did not receive. Historical Invoice provides an easy method to reprint individual invoices without having to access the old invoice spool file. A historical invoice is simply a reprint of the original invoice for a given billing date. Historical invoices are created for specific accounts (not the entire billing run) and can be created only for closed billing runs.
To produce a historical invoice:
Select Historical Invoice from the Reports menu.
Click Add and enter the company, bill source, bill date, and account ID for the invoice.
Click OK and then Continue to reprint the invoice. The current bill format will be used for the invoice.
This report identifies drops occurring outside of the standard delivery times for a selected truck sequence.
To produce the report:
Select Reports | Truck Delivery Time to display the Truck Delivery Time Report window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product.
START DATE / END DATE
date
Specify the date range to be covered by the report.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the truck departure sequence.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence
ALL TRUCKS
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want to include all trucks for the selected departure and truck sequence.
TRUCK
setup
Enter the truck ID, enter “*” to multi-select trucks to include in the report.
SORT OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether the report should be sorted by departure order, run date, or truck.
SHOW TRUCK SUMMARY SHOW DROP DETAIL EXCEPTIONS ONLY
yes/no
Select one or more of these options to further define what will appear on the report. You can include a summary and/or drop detail. Additionally, you can have the report include only the exceptions.
Click OK and then Continue to run the report.
This report displays all trucks that will exceed their maximum weight on a selected day. The weight of each product is included, along with a total weight for all products.
To produce the report:
Select Reports | Truck Weight Audit to display the Truck Weight Audit Report window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
RUN DATE
date
Enter the publishing date.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Specify the draw type: actual or advance.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the truck departure sequence.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence
PRODUCT
yes/no
Enter the product or “*” to multi-select. Products can be publications and TM products.
WEIGHT/PAGE OPTION
predefined
Indicate if you want to use actual or default weights in the report. • Actual weight is the average copy weight from Press Room Entry plus the combined weight of the inserts in the route’s package for the mix (identified in MIX NAME). • Default weight is the average copy weight from Press Room Entry. Defaults can be overridden on the Weight And Page Detail window, which you can access by clicking the yellow arrow next to this field.
Notes: • The Weight And Page Detail window also allows you to exclude selected editions from the weight calculation. • To include the weight of a mix, you must be using InsertPlus and have insert mixes set up in advance.
MIX NAME
setup
Specify the mix name to include in the weight calculations. InsertPlus must be connected for this field to be active.
SORT OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether the report should be sorted by departure order or truck.
REPORT TYPE
predefined
Select detail or summary. Detail will show product, section/edition, and relay truck information for each truck. Summary will show one line of information per truck.
EXCEPTIONS ONLY
yes/no
If this checkbox is selected, only trucks that are overweight will be listed on the report.
Click OK and then Continue to run the report.
There may be cases in which more than one substitute delivers a route in the absence of the regular carrier. For example, you might put two substitutes on a route because, being unfamiliar with the neighborhood, it will take longer for them to deliver it. Normally, a substitute will be given credit for the route draw at the regular carrier’s rate. However, with multiple substitutes, the system does not know what percentage of the draw each is delivering. So, the draw must be split between the substitutes manually by using this option.
You will be able to split draw only for routes and days where multiple substitutes are active. Also, you can use this option only if the Business Rule, Are multiple substitute accounts allowed for a single day for a publication and route? (Account Finance section), is set to “yes”.
Once the draw is split, each substitute will be billed based on their portion of the draw. You may not be able to use the regular carrier’s rate to bill the substitutes—special substitute rates may need to be set up instead. Another Business Rule in the Account Finance section, How should multiple substitutes be rated?, determines whether the regular carrier’s rate or special substitute rates are used to rate draw for multiple substitutes.
If the regular carrier’s rate is used, the rate must have “*” in Delivery Schedule, Draw Type, and Rate Code, because split substitute draw will not have a value for any of these fields. If a special substitute rate is defined, you will probably want to use Account Rule with the specific account type for the substitutes. Also, Delivery Schedule, Draw Type, and Rate Code must all be set to “*”.
Select Substitute Draw from the Setup menu.
Click Add and complete the fields described below.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the publication for which you are entering draw for multiple substitute carriers.
ROUTE
setup
Specify the route for which you are entering draw for multiple substitute carriers.
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date for which you are dividing draw among the substitute carriers for this publication and route.
ROUTE TYPE
display
The route type of the route entered above is displayed here.
TOTAL DRAW
display
The total draw for the route is displayed.
UNALLOCATED DRAW
display
This field displays the draw that has not been allocated to a substitute. As you enter draw for each substitute carrier, the unallocated draw will decrease.
CARRIER, DRAW
display
The substitute carriers for the route and the draw previously allocated to them are displayed in these fields.
NEW DRAW
integer (8)
Enter the number of papers that each substitute carrier will deliver on this route and day of week.
After the draws are entered for each substitute (and they add up to the total draw for the route), click OK.
Split substitute draw for another route or date, or click Cancel to exit.
Use the Route Sequence option to create walk sequences for your carriers to help them deliver their routes. The walk sequences you create can include directions. After setting up walk sequences, use the Route Walk Sequence report to print them.
Select Setup | Route Sequence in the Route Service module.
The different streets that are delivered by the route display in the Streets area on the left of the screen. Address segments will only display in the Delivery Segments area to the right if a route walk sequence has already been defined for the route. To view the house numbers delivered on a street, click the plus sign to the left of the street name. You can then click the plus sign to the left of a house number to view the subscribers at that address.
Click on a street name to define walk sequences for its addresses. The Segment Entry window displays. This is where you determine the house number range for the delivery segment. Initially, the full house number range for the street delivered by the route displays, but you can change the house number range if only defining walk sequences for part of the street. You can also set the Side field to only deliver to the odd or even side of the street (the default is both) and change Order field from ascending to descending, if the street is delivered in descending house number order. Click OK to add the street segment.
Add additional delivery segments, as needed. If you click on a street that already has delivery segments added for it, the Segment Entry window will default with the house number range and side that is not yet included. For example, if you click on a street name and keep the full house number range but change the Side to “Even”, the next time you click on the street name, the Segment Entry window will have the full house number range but default Side to “Odd”.
This option allows you to reroute subscribers and addresses to new home delivery routes, based on the router.
After changing router boundaries, you may want to use this option to reassign the subscribers and addresses that are affected (both addresses and subscriptions have assigned routes). There are three different scenarios for rerouting:
You can reroute addresses. If the router now places the address in a different route, the new route will be assigned. Subscriptions held by occupants of these address will not be affected, but any new starts or Targeted Marketing distribution will use the new route. You may want to do this so that current subscribers will keep being delivered by their familiar carrier.
You can reroute subscribers. The addresses will stay on the same routes as before, but the subscriptions will be assigned to a new route, if determined by the router. New starts will also be assigned to the new route, if the default start date is after your reroute date. Targeted Marketing distribution, however, will not be affected.
You can reroute both subscribers and addresses.
To give an example, let’s say the router was changed and part of Elm street fell within route 12 instead of route 5. Mr. Jones lives in this area now assigned to route 12, and he has an active subscription.
If we run rerouting for subscriptions only, Mr. Jones will notice that a new person, the carrier from route 12, was delivering his paper.
If we run rerouting for addresses only (instead of subscriptions), Mr. Jones will likely not notice a difference, except he perhaps may observe that TM products are being delivered by someone else. If Mr. Jones stops his paper and then starts another subscription, however, it will be delivered by the new carrier on route 12.
Rerouting both addresses and subscriptions will cause Mr. Jones to be delivered by route 12, and in addition any new subscriptions or TM products will likewise be delivered by route 12.
Select Setup | Rerouting to display the Rerouting window.
Click Add and specify how rerouting will be done by completing the fields described below.
REROUTE TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether to reroute subscribers, addresses, or both.
APPLY TO ALL PRODUCTS / PRODUCT
yes/no setup
Indicate if all products should be rerouted. If not, enter the product for which addresses and/or subscriptions should be rerouted.
REASSIGN RATES
predefined
If you are rerouting subscribers, indicate whether and when the subscriber rate should be reassigned if rerouted (subscriber rates can change from route to route). If you enter immediate (a rate change will be created immediately upon rerouting) or on expire (a future rate change will be created that will be effective as of the subscriber’s expire date), a warning message appears that all rates (including promotional rates) may be changed. You are then prompted to continue. If you enter no, subscriber rates will not be reassigned.
REASON CODE
setup
If Reroute Type is “subscribers” or “both”, enter a reason code indicating why this rerouting is to be done. The reason code will be used for rerouting and billing change transactions created as part of the rerouting process.
TRAN DATE
date
Enter the transaction date for this rerouting activity. Subscriber rerouting goes into effect as of this date. Address rerouting goes into effect immediately, using this date to determine route boundaries.
UPDATE BILLING METHOD
yes/no
If you are rerouting subscribers, indicate whether subscriber billing methods may be changed, if needed. For example, a carrier collect subscriber may be rerouted to a route that accepts only office pay subscribers. If this checkbox is selected, a billing change transaction would be created when the reroute is processed in Transaction Processing, changing the subscriber from carrier collect to office pay (If this field were set to “no”, the carrier collect subscriber would not be rerouted). Billing change transactions created by rerouting will not be printed on bundle tops.
UPDATE ROUTES
yes/no
Indicate whether addresses and/or subscribers should actually be updated. You may want to run rerouting with this checkbox deselected, study the Unroutable Address Report to make sure the rerouting is what you expected, and run it again with this checkbox selected.
REROUTE BY
predefined
You have the choice to reroute only certain geographical areas. Or, you can reroute using router changes made within a certain date range. Indicate whether addresses should be rerouted by Zip code, map, route, district or date. Enter all to reroute all addresses.
ZIP CODE ZIP EXTENSION
open (10)
If rerouting by Zip code, enter the Zip code for which to reroute. Enter an asterisk (*) in order to specify multiple Zip codes (a window will open, described below). You can optionally include the Zip code extension.
STREET NAME
open (22)
If rerouting by Zip code, enter the name of the street for which to reroute. Do not enter suffixes such as RD, Dr, etc. If you do not enter a street name, all streets in the selected Zip code will be rerouted.
STARTING HOUSE NUMBER, ENDING HOUSE NUMBER
open (10)
If you entered a street name, enter the house number range that should be rerouted. If you do not enter house numbers, all houses on the selected street will be rerouted.
STREET SIDE
predefined
If you entered a house number range, indicate whether houses with odd or even house numbers should be rerouted, or select both to reroute both odd and even addresses.
MAP
setup
If rerouting by map, enter the delivery map here. Rerouting will only be done for router segments defined for this map.
DISTRICT
setup
If you are rerouting by district, enter the (new) district for which rerouting should be carried out.
ROUTE
setup
If you are rerouting by route, enter the (new) route for which rerouting should be carried out.
START DATE, END DATE
date
If you are rerouting by a range of dates, enter the date range here. The rerouting will only take into account changes in the router that occurred within these dates.
Click OK to begin the rerouting. As part of the process, the Unrouteable Address Report is created, listing addresses that could not be rerouted due to gaps in the router boundaries or other reasons. The standard view/print settings are available.
If you enter “*” in the Zip Code field, a window will open for you to add the Zip codes you want rerouted. Enter the Zip codes, one at a time, along with the Zip+4 extension (if desired), the street name, beginning and ending house number, and street side (odd, even, or both). These fields are all described in the table above. After you have entered all of the Zip codes to be rerouted, click OK. Then, click OK again to return to the main window.
The Circulation router is essentially a set of address ranges. Each address range has a default route. For example, the following address ranges and routes could be assigned:
100 Main St - 500 Main St
route 7
340 5th Ave - 770 5th Ave (even only)
route 7
2440 Portland Ave - 2565 Portland Ave
route 3
35 Robbie Pl - 90 Robbie Pl
route 12
When a subscription is started for a subscriber at, say, 55 Robbie Pl, the router will automatically default route 12.
The router can store address ranges by either Zip code or city. It might be easier to use the Zip code, but there may be situations where there are two streets of the same name in one Zip code. For example, there may be a 1st Ave in St. Anthony and one in Falcon Heights, both in Zip code 55114. In this case you would define 1st Ave by city.
It may be helpful to look at the router in terms of a single route: route 08 (illustrated at right).
Route 08 would be defined in the router by the following address ranges:
100 - 300 Bolivar St (odd only)
200 - 500 3rd Ave (even only)
100 - 300 Elm St
200 - 400 2nd Ave
100 - 200 10th St (even only)
400 - 500 2nd Ave (odd only)
200 - 300 10th St
215 - 400 1st Ave (odd only)
200 - 300 Como Pl (even only)
210 1st Ave, Units 10-90 (other units delivered by another route)
Business Rules determine whether you use routers and, if so, whether any of the router boundaries are defined by city rather than Zip code. Business Rules also determine whether the Zip code or the city should be consulted first when assigning a route to an address. When routing Canadian addresses, Business Rules determine whether the full Zip will be used. Finally, Business Rules determine whether the delivery method of an unrouteable address should default to mail or be decided by an operator.
Select Router Utility from the Setup menu.
Enter the delivery map, product, and selection options for this router entry session.
MAP
setup
Enter the delivery map for which you are defining the router. This determines which routes are valid. Enter “*” to include all delivery maps.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product for which you are defining the router. Enter “*” to include all products.
SELECTION
predefined
Indicate what you want to enter selections for: Zip, city (also includes county, state, and country), route, or street (a street name default can also be entered with the other three options). For example, if in this session you are defining the router for only one route, you might select route.
ZIP CODE
open (5)
If you entered “Zip” in Selection, enter a Zip code.
COUNTRY, STATE, COUNTY, CITY
setup setup setup setup
If you entered “city” in Selection, enter a country, state, county, and city.
ROUTE
setup
If you entered “route” in Selection, enter a route.
STREET
open (28)
This field will always be active. Enter a street name, if most of your entries will be for one street.
Click Find. Address ranges that have already been defined will then be displayed, according to your selections. For example, if you entered a Zip code, all of the address ranges defined for that Zip code will be displayed.
To define an address range, click Add and enter information in the Segment Details tab.
ZIP CODE
open (5)
If you are defining this address range by Zip code (rather than city) enter the Zip code for the range.
EXTENSION
open (4)
This field pertains only to Canadian rural routes (middle digit of FSA is “0”). Enter the LDU for this rural route.
PO ROUTE (type and number)
setup
These fields enable you to define route boundaries by PO route type and PO route number, in cases where the house numbers have a dash, such as 11-04. The first set of digits is the block and the second the house number on the block. The availability of these fields depends on Business Rules.
COUNTRY, STATE, COUNTY, CITY
setup setup setup setup
If you are defining the address range by city, leave Zip Code blank and enter the city for this address range, along with the county, state and country where the city is located.
FROM HOUSE TO ODD/EVEN
open (10) open (10) predefined
Enter the starting and ending house numbers for this address range. Then, indicate whether the range includes odd house numbers, even house numbers, or both (a route may cover only one side of the street). If the entire street is in one route, you may leave the house number fields blank and the street side defaulted to “b”.
Street Address fields
predefined open (28) setup predefined
Enter the street address (predirectional, street name, street type, and postdirectional) of this address range.
FROM UNIT TO
setup open (8)
If the route covers only part of a street address (for instance, a large apartment building), enter the range of units delivered by the route. For example, if route 12 delivers units 200-400 at 300 Main St, you would enter 300 in both house number fields and 200 and 400 in the unit fields.
COMPLEX, BUILDING
open (20) open (20)
If the address range covers only a certain complex or building at a particular street address, enter the complex and/or building here.
CENSUS TRACT CENSUS BLOCK TOWN OF 25
setup setup setup
These fields are optional. Enter the census tract, block, and Town of 25 for this address range. These values will default when an address is added.
AAM ZONE
setup
This field is optional. Enter the AAM zone that should default when a subscription is started in this range. This and the following field will be inactive if you entered “*” in Product—you will need to assign the AAM zone and delivery method by selecting Publication (see below).
DELIVERY METHOD
predefined
Indicate whether the address range is route or mail delivered.
DELIVERY PLACEMENT
setup
This field is optional. Enter the default delivery placement (for example, “door” or “mat”) for subscriptions in this range.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route that should be defaulted when a subscriber living in this address range starts a subscription. Leave this field blank if the addresses are mail delivered. If you entered “*” in Delivery Map, this field will be inactive and you will need to assign the route by selecting Route (see below).
# OF HOUSES
integer (6)
This field is for reference only. Enter the number of houses within this address range.
RULE
setup
If a special rule applies to this address range, enter the rule here. Rules must be set up beforehand (see the section on rules, below).
CLEANSE
yes/no
Indicate whether this address range may be cleansed by Quadient.
Click OK to accept the router segment. In certain circumstances, you may need to enter information in one of the router option tabs, described below.
Add another address range, or click Cancel.
If a router segment was defined for a delivery map of “*”, you will need to assign the route to use with each delivery map from the Route tab.
Highlight a router segment and click Select.
On the Route tab, enter the delivery map, the route that should be assigned under the delivery map, and the start date of the route assignment.
If a previous route assignment existed (as displayed in the Router Route Segments area), it will be end-dated on the date previous to the start date entered for the new route assignment.
This tab is similar to the Route tab, but it allows you to change the AAM zone and delivery method (route or mail) for a particular address range. If you entered “*” in Product, use this option to specify the AAM zone and delivery method for each publication.
You can use the Split tab to split a single address range into two ranges. Select the router range, and enter the split house number and odd/even type on the Split tab. Two router segments will result, the second one beginning at the split number.
Two address ranges that are adjacent to one another can be combined into one segment if they have the same street name, route, publication and AAM zone. For example, if you want to combine 120 - 150 with 250 - 350 Colfax Ave., the result would be one address range: 120 - 350 Colfax Ave. Note that some house numbers not included before in either range (between 150 and 250) are now included.
To combine two router segments, highlight them both, click Select to select them, and then click Combine.
Some information entered with the router segment (Town of 25, for example) is for default purposes. Rather than entering this with the address range, you can add or modify the defaults on the Address Defaults tab. The information will also be added or modified in the Segment Details tab.
Use the Rules Setup tab to set up a special router rule. Rules are used when the address fields cannot adequately differentiate between address ranges. This happens most often in rural communities. The rule will contain a rule ID, display order, condition, and route.
If a subscription is started at an address where special rules apply (such as “North of Hwy 17 and west of County Rd 8” and “North of Hwy 17 and east of County Rd 8”), a rule window will pop up with the available rules, and the operator will select one. In cases where rules are used, two or more route records are entered with the same address range, but with different rules (and different default routes).
The 'Draw Mgmt' menu contains options for batch, group, and advance draw changes; returns; and draw adjustments. It also contains utilities for updating pending draw figures and the preprint zone summary file. The Draw Management options are listed below.
Select Batch Draw Change from the Draw Mgmt menu.
Enter parameters for the batch in the fields described below. Then click OK.
BATCH
open (10)
Enter a name for this batch (either a new batch ID or the ID of a suspended batch). Note: Batch ID field cannot be blank.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product that should default when draw changes are entered.
SOURCE
setup
Indicate the source of the draw change, such as “District Manager”.
REASON
setup
Indicate the reason for the draw changes, such as “updraw” or “seasonal”.
DRAW CLASS
setup
Specify the draw class that will be affected by this draw change.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the default publishing date on which the draw changes should take effect.
REVERSE DATE
date
Enter the default publishing date on which the draw changes or replacement should be reversed. If these draw changes are permanent, do not enter a date here.
TOTAL PAPERS
integer (7)
Enter the total number of papers that will be changed or replaced in this batch. Use “-” if the total is negative. If replacing a draw, count all the papers in the draw.
ENTERED PAPERS
display
This field displays the total number of draw changes made thus far. It will initially be zero, and increase (or decrease) as you enter draw changes.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Batch draw changes are often entered for routes on a specific truck or district. The Batch Draw Change option can default all of a truck or district’s routes, making entry of this type of batch more efficient and accurate. In this field, indicate whether routes in a specific account, district, truck, zip, edition, or demographic should default, or select manual if no routes should default. Note: If the selection type is “account,” a Prefill button will be available in the bottom of the window to prefill the draw change entry pane with an account’s draw. When you click this button, a popup window appears for entry of an account number. Multiple accounts can be prefilled in this manner.
[SELECTION]
setup
Enter the specific selection for the selection type entered above. For example, if you entered “District” above, enter a specific district here.
DEMOGRAPHIC
setup
If the selection type is “Demographic”, enter the demographic by which you want to select routes.
ANSWER
setup
If you entered a demographic above, enter the answer to that demographic here.
ROUTES WITH NO DRAW
yes/no
Indicate whether routes with no draw should be selected.
ALLOCATE DRAW?
yes/no
If this checkbox is not selected, the routes will be displayed with zero draw changes, and you will need to enter them by selecting Modify. If this checkbox is selected, draw changes will default, using the following method: • A route’s percentage of the draw of the truck or district will determine the percentage of the total draw change it receives (pct. of draw * total draw change). For example, if a truck has a total draw of 3000, a route’s draw is 150 and the total draw change is 120 papers, the route will receive a draw change of 6 papers (150/3000 = .05, and .05 * 120 = 6). Calculations will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.
• If an effective date and a reversal date are specified on the batch screen, the draw changes will be distributed across these days. If no reversal date is entered, the draw changes will be distributed across the entire week, starting with the effective date.
• The default draw type will be “Adjust” (not “Replace”).
• If a route has a maximum draw change amount defined, the defaulted draw change will not be above the maximum. Likewise, if a minimum is defined, the default will be above the minimum.
• Draw change amounts for all routes can be modified for fine-tuning. Routes that default with a draw of zero will not be included in the draw change batch and no draw change transactions will be created for them.
OVERRIDE SETUP
yes/no
Select this checkbox if single copy routes that are set up not to allow draw changes (i.e., draw changes = “no” in Route Setup) should be selected anyway. Note: The availability of this checkbox is controlled by the “AllowDrwChgOvrd” Transaction Security item.
Click Add and enter the draw changes for each single copy route, one at a time. You can add or subtract from the existing draw, or replace the existing draw with a new number. The columns in which you enter draw change information are described below. After entering each draw change, you can click OK to save that information, and then click Add to add the next draw change, or simply press Enter in the last column.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product to which this draw change applies.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the ID of a single copy route whose draw should be changed (press F2 to display a route lookup). The single copy route must be set up to allow draw changes, or draw change entry will not be allowed.
CLASS
setup
Enter the draw class that is affected by this draw change. If only one draw class is valid for this route, this column will be populated automatically and skipped.
TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the draw for this route should be adjusted or replaced. If replacing a draw, the replacement draw must stay within the minimum and maximum draws set up for the route.
ADJ
integer (3)
If the draw change is the same for all the days of the week, enter the number for each day here. Otherwise, leave this field blank.
SUN - SAT
integer (3)
For each day of the week, enter the amount the draw should be changed. Enter “-” for negative amounts. If you are replacing (rather than changing) draw, enter the total new draw for each day of the week. Days that are holidays or non-publishing days will not be active for draw change entry.
EFFECTIVE DATE REVERSAL DATE
date
Enter effective and reversal dates for this draw change, or accept the default date(s). Leave Reversal Date blank if the draw change is permanent.
When you have entered all the necessary draw changes, click OK and then Accept to accept the batch. If your control number (Total Papers) does not match the actual number of draw changes entered (Entered Papers), you will have to change the control number or modify one or more draw changes. You can also suspend a batch, and then modify or accept it later.
The Refuse button is used only for draw change batches entered through iServices Distribution, and it is available only when viewing one of these batches. Clicking this button causes the batch to be sent back to the carrier or agent along with optional refusal text (e.g., describing the reason for the refusal). The carrier or agent will then have the opportunity to modify the batch and resubmit it for review/acceptance.
Pending draw figures, which are based on both processed and unprocessed transactions, are useful for predicting future draws. Pending draw is different from projected draw, which does not take unprocessed transactions into account.
Select Update Pending Draw from the Draw Mgmt menu to display the Update Pending Draw window.
Click Add.
Complete the following fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the ID of the product whose draw should be updated.
DAYS
integer (3)
Enter the number of days in advance of the current publishing date for which the draw should be calculated. Or, leave this field defaulted to “0” and enter a date in the next field.
THROUGH DATE
date
If DAYS is left at “0”, this field becomes active for the entry of a date. Pending draw will be estimated through this date.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
You may choose to update pending draw figures for only certain routes. Routes can be selected by route, district, single copy type, or route type. Enter all here to update pending draw for all routes.
SELECTION
setup
Enter the route, district, single copy type, or route type for which to update pending draw, or enter “*” to multi-select. If Selection Type is “all”, this field will not be used.
Click and then Continue to update the draw.
InsertPlus uses Circulation draw figures to calculate required quantities for preprints. InsertPlus Scheduling uses an intermediary file called Preprint Zone Summary, which stores circulation figures provided by Circulation.
You can use the Update Preprint Zone option to manually update the Preprint Zone Summary file with the most recent Circulation draw figures. Preprint Zone Summary may also be updated automatically at the end of each publishing run in Circulation (this is an InsertPlus Business Rule). InsertPlus Business Rules also determine whether actual or pending draw is used to update the file.
Select Update Preprint Zone from the Draw Mgmt menu to display the Update Preprint Zone Summary window.
Click Add and specify the publication for which to update the Preprint Zone Summary file. Note that you cannot enter combined publications here—a combined publication is updated when Update Preprint Zone is run for its component publications.
Click OK and then Continue to update the Preprint Zone Summary file with the draw figures for this product for the current publishing date and the six days following it. A report will be displayed, listing any errors that occurred as part of the update process.
This option is designed specifically for situations in which a late-breaking story or other event makes your single copy draw increase (or decrease) for a short period of time. Typically, this will be a one-day-only draw change.
Group Draw Change is composed of two options: Entry and Processing.
Select Entry from the Draw Mgmt | Group Draw Change menu.
Click Add, enter information about the group draw batch, and click OK. Or, click Copy and copy group draw changes from a previous date, if they are the similar to the current batch of group draw changes.
BATCH
open (10)
Assign an ID to this batch of draw changes.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of the batch.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the publication for which you are entering group draw changes.
SOURCE
setup
Enter a source code that describes who is entering or initiating the draw changes, such as “DM”.
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code that describes why the changes are being made, such as “STORY”.
EFFECTIVE DATE, REVERSE DATE
date
The effective date is the date on which the draw changes will first apply, and the reverse date is the date on which they will be reversed. The current publishing date for your publication will default as the effective date, and the day after will default as the reverse date. This will give you a one-day draw change. You can set the effective and reverse dates as many days apart as you wish, but you must enter a reverse date.
SELECT DAYS WEEKDAY
predefined
In Select Days, indicate whether this draw change applies only to selected days of the week. Then, select the day(s) of the week from the Weekday combo box.
DRAW CLASS
setup
Enter the draw class to which this draw change applies.
EXCLUDE EXISTING
yes/no
Select this checkbox if routes that already have a draw change on the selected dates should be excluded from this group draw change.
ZERO DRAW
yes/no
Indicate whether routes with zero draw should be included.
OVERRIDE SETUP
yes/no
Select this checkbox if draw changes should be made for single copy routes that are set up not to allow them (i.e., draw changes = “no” in Route Setup). Note: The availability of this checkbox is controlled by the “AllowDrwChgOvrd” Transaction Security item.
PERCENT CHANGE
decimal (5)
If you are changing the draw by a certain percentage, enter it here. For example, if you enter “10.00”, and a route would normally have a draw of 70, the draw for the route will be 77 during the group draw date range. To decrease draw, enter a minus sign (-) with the percentage.
MINIMUM CHANGE MAXIMUM CHANGE
integer (6)
If you enter a percentage, you can use these fields to indicate the minimum and maximum number of copies the draw should increase (or decrease) on the selected routes. For example, if a route has a draw of 20, and the draw change is for 15%, the draw would increase to 23. However, if the minimum was 30, this route would be given a draw of 30 instead. If the percentage is negative (decreasing draw), you should also enter a minus sign (-) with the minimum and maximum.
QUANTITY CHANGE
integer (6)
Rather than increasing draw by a percentage, you can specify a quantity. All routes selected will increase their draw by this number. So, if you enter “10” here, a route with a normal draw of 40 will now have a draw of 50. To decrease the draw, enter a minus sign (-) with the quantity.
BASE DRAW CLASS
setup
If a percent change is entered rather than a quantity change, the base draw class entered here (if different from the draw class entered in Draw Class) will be used as the basis for calculating the draw change.
REMARKS
open (unlimited)
You can enter any remarks about the draw change here.
Click Add and choose the routes that will receive draw changes. Routes can be selected based on:
AAM zone
Zip code
Route class
Single copy type, or
Single copy demographic
After specifying one of these selection types in the Select By column, enter a value (such as a particular AAM zone or single copy type) in the Value column. For single copy demographics, you must also enter a demographic answer in the Answer column. Only routes that have given this answer to the demographic question will be selected.
You can enter as many parameters as you want. Be aware, however, that Group Draw Change will create draw changes only for routes that match at least one of the values of each “select by” category used. For example, if you enter Zip codes 55113 and 55119 and route class “beach”, only routes that are within 55113 or 55119 and have a route class of “beach” will be selected.
When you have finished entering selection parameters, click OK. You can now accept the batch of group draw changes.
Select Processing from the Draw Mgmt | Group Draw Change menu.
Click Add and select the ID of the batch you have just entered in the Batch field.
Click OK and then Continue to create a suspended batch of group draw changes. Note that the changes still need to be accepted in Batch Draw Change.
The Advance Draw Change option allows you to adjust advance draw up or down by a certain percentage. Advance draw changes might be necessary, for example, if the newspaper knows there will be many temporary stops on a holiday and, therefore, the actual draw will be significantly less than the advance draw. In this case, the advance draw should be decreased. Advance draw can be changed for one or more route types, single copy types, and/or label groups.
Select Advance Draw Change from the Draw Mgmt menu.
Click Add and complete the fields described below.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication whose advance draw is being changed.
SECTION
setup
If you keep advance draw at the section level (a Business Rules consideration), enter the section whose advance draw is being changed. Enter “*” to multi-select sections. If you do not keep advance draw at the section level, this field will be set to “*”.
ROUTE TYPE
setup
If advance draw is being changed for home delivery routes, enter the route type to change or enter “*” to multi-select route types.
PERCENTAGE
decimal (4)
Enter the percentage to adjust the advance draw for routes with the route type(s) selected above. Enter “-” to decrease draw.
SINGLE COPY TYPE
setup
If advance draw is being changed for single copy routes, enter the single copy type to change or enter “*” to multi-select single copy types.
PERCENTAGE
decimal (4)
Enter the percentage to adjust the advance draw for routes with the single copy type(s) selected above.
LABEL GROUP
setup
If advance draw is being changed for mail subscribers, enter the label group to change or enter “*” to multi-select label groups.
PERCENTAGE
decimal (4)
Enter the percentage to adjust the advance draw for the label group(s) selected above.
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the run date for the advance run that should be adjusted. An advance run must be active for this date.
Click OK and then Continue to adjust the advance draw. Once the advance draw has been adjusted, the Advance Draw Change report will be displayed. This report lists draw totals before and after the adjustment, and other information about the process. The standard view/print options are available for the report.
Carriers and dealers do not always receive (or sell) the expected number of papers. To record these changes in Circulation, follow these three rules:
If the draw is changed before final Transaction Processing has taken place (for example, if a convenience store manager calls to order 50 extra papers after a big story breaks), you should enter a draw change.
If the draw needs adjustment after final Transaction Processing (for example, a dealer calls at the last minute and orders additional papers), you should enter a draw adjustment.
If the draw is correct, but extra papers are returned (this typically happens only with single copy dealers and racks), you should enter returns using one of the options on the Returns menu.
Because returns and draw adjustments involve posting charges or credits, charge/credit codes must be set up for them. Draw adjustment codes are then set up and linked to a charge/credit code. When you enter draw adjustments or returns, you must specify the draw adjustment code. This code controls several aspects of draw adjustment processing:
Whether carriers should be charged for the adjustment.
If carriers are charged, the charge code specified for the draw adjustment determines whether this is a credit or a charge. Returns should always be credits.
Whether the adjustment should adjust AAM history.
When account bill processing is run, the returns or draw adjustments are added or subtracted from the draw (depending on the charge code), and the draw is then rated in the normal way (by account rating). A return will usually credit the carrier/dealer’s account (for the value of that paper as determined by rating—the rate used for the draw charge will also be used for the return). The exception would be a return “reversal” used to correct erroneous returns entered in a previous batch.
Business Rules determine whether a warning is displayed if adjustments or returns have been entered for the same route previously that day, or if the number of returns entered is greater than the number of papers received that day by the route. Business Rules also govern whether payments are automatically created when cash amounts are entered (typically for racks).
Returns can be managed with the following options:
You can track authorized and unauthorized returns for single copy routes. Returns that do not conform to the “return rules” that have been established are considered “unauthorized”; while returns that are within the rules are considered “authorized”. Returns can be identified as unauthorized for the following reasons:
• The returns amount exceeds the original draw for the day.
• Returns are imported on a day when there was no original draw.
• Returns are past the return-by date.
• Returns are imported for an invalid edition.
• Returns exceed a maximum return percentage.
Business Rules in the Returns section determine the draw adjust code that will be applied to returns that are identified as unauthorized for various reasons.
Maximum return percentages can be set up for each draw class. Returns that do not fall within the maximum percentage are considered unauthorized. See Draw Class in the Setup Manual for more information about draw class setup.
When returns are processed, the return quantity entered is applied according to the return priority of each draw class as set up in Draw Class Publication (see Publication in the Setup Manual). For example, let’s say you use two draw classes: Box-out and Standing. Box-out is set up with a return priority of 10, and Standing is set up with a return priority of 20. This means that returns will be applied first to the Box-out draw class (up to the maximum allowable returns), and then to the Standing draw class. Should the number of returns exceed the maximum allowable returns of the Standing draw class, anything left over is considered “unauthorized”.
Returns that fall outside of the defined return period are considered unauthorized. A hierarchy is used to determine which set of return rules is used:
If the returnable after days and returnable days fields are defined for a product/single copy type combination, those rules will override all other rules. See Return Rules in the Setup Manual for more information about this option.
In Press Room Entry, a return period date range can be entered to identify the acceptable period for returns. These dates will default from the Deliverable record if they exist, but can be overridden by entering different dates.
If neither of the above rules are set up, the returnable days and returnable after fields in Deliverable setup will be used to define the returns period. See Deliverable for more information about Deliverable setup.
Note: Unauthorized returns appear with a red exclamation point next to them in the returns windows.
A Transaction Security item, “UnauthRetrnOvrd” (Unauthorized Return Override) can be used to allow certain users to override the return rules that have been set up. These users will be able to click on the red exclamation point, which will turn yellow, indicating that the return is now authorized.
A “docked” tab, Return Periods, allows you to display the allowable return days for a product and edition.
You select a product and edition, and then click on a publishing date in the calendar. The dates for which the product is returnable will be highlighted in the calendar (based on all of the rules entered). If no rules exist, a message will be displayed indicating that no rules have been defined for that product and date.
Use this option to record single copy route returns for a publishing day.
To enter returns for a day:
Select Returns For A Day from the Returns menu to display the Returns for a Day window.
You will probably enter many returns at once. The returns you enter in one session make up a batch. Enter information that applies to the batch of returns you post (described below).
BATCH
open (10)
If you are entering a new batch, enter a unique ID for it here. If you are restarting a suspended batch, enter the batch ID and click OK to bring up the batch information.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the draw adjustment code (Rack, Dealer, etc.) for the returns.
ENTRY DATE
date
Indicate the date on which you are entering the returns. You may not enter returns for a date that has already been billed (i.e., the date you enter in Entry Date cannot be a date for which billing has been processed).
PUBLISHING DATE
date
Enter the default publishing date to be used during return entry.
CONTROL CASH
decimal (11)
Enter the total amount of cash collected (typically from racks) in this batch.
CONTROL PAPERS
decimal (11)
Enter the number of returns in this batch.
BATCH TYPE
display
Used only for Route Returns.
ENTRY TYPE
predefined
This field is used to “prefill” the returns entry portion of the window for more efficient entry. In other words, you can show all of a truck’s routes or all of an account’s products for which returns can potentially be entered. The options are: • Account, which then allows you to specify an individual account. All of the parent products delivered by that account will then be shown, and returns can be entered by simply typing the quantity returned. Sub-products will not be pre-filled, although they can be added. Otherwise, returns for sub-products will be calculated based on the draw percentage identified in Deliverable setup. • Truck, which then allows you to enter a truck sequence and truck. All of the truck’s routes will be shown, and returns can be entered by simply typing the quantity returned. You must enter the Product when using this entry type. • Manual, which does not pre-fill information in the window.
PRODUCT
setup
If the Entry Type is Truck, specify the product that should default in return entry.
TRUCK SEQUENCE,
setup
If the Entry Type is Truck, enter the truck sequence here, and the truck ID here in the truck field. All of the routes dropped by the truck on this truck sequence will automatically display in the batch window.
ENTITY (ACCOUNT or TRUCK)
setup
If the Entry Type is Truck, enter the truck ID. If the Entry Type is Account, enter the account ID.
TOTAL CASH
display
Displays an updated cash total as you add return entries to the batch.
TOTAL PAPERS
display
Displays an updated paper total as you add return entries to the batch.
Click OK to accept the batch information. If you have entered an amount in Cash Total (i.e., if you will enter cash collected from racks), a Cash Batch window will open. Enter a name and description for the payment batch, as well as the ID of the bank where this cash will be deposited.
In the lower part of the window, enter the returns for each route, one route at a time. The columns are described below. Click OK after entering each route’s returns.
PRODUCT
setup
Indicate the product for which you are entering returns. You may override the default.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the ID of the single copy route for which you are entering returns, or press F2 for a route lookup. Or, you can enter the account ID or name to locate the route. In order to enter returns for a route, the route must be set up to allow returns.
QUANTITY
integer (6)
Enter the quantity of returns received for this particular route.
AMOUNT COLLECTED
decimal (8)
Enter the amount collected from this single copy outlet (typically, a rack). This amount is used to determine the pilferage amount for the route. Business Rules determine if this amount creates an account payment. If so, a payment record will be created for each account receiving a payment (the account may have multiple routes).
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the publishing date for these returns (this is defaulted from Publishing Date above).
AAM DRAW DATE
date
Enter the draw adjustment date for AAM Reporting purposes. This will be the same date as Draw Date unless AAM has already been closed for the draw date.
DRAW ADJUSTMENT
display
The draw adjustment code entered for this batch is displayed here.
When you are finished entering returns, click Accept in the batch area of the window. If your control totals for papers and cash (entered on the default window) are not in agreement with what you have entered, a warning will appear and you will be able to modify the control totals. If the control totals match, you will exit to the main Route Service window. If you want to leave this batch open and return to it later, click Suspend rather than Accept. You can restart it later by entering the batch name.
Note: The Batch Type field is a display-only field that will always display “RETURNS”.
The Prefill button at the bottom of the window allows you to change the truck or account for which you are entering returns. For example, to change from truck M10 shown above, you would click the Prefill button to bring up the Prefill popup window. You would then select the new truck and click OK to return to the returns window.
This option allows you to import returns from another software program, creating a suspended batch of returns. You can then activate and accept the suspended batch using Returns For A Day or Returns For A Week. Returns can be imported for single copy routes only.
The import file can be given any name and imported from anywhere on your system. The format is determined by the file map you create for it (DrawAdjImprt usage).
Select Returns Import from the Returns menu.
Click Add and enter information about the file and the batch that will be created.
BATCH
open (10)
Specify an ID for the suspended returns batch that will be created.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication to which these returns belong.
DRAW ADJUST (+) DRAW ADJUST (-)
setup
Enter draw adjustment codes for these returns; separate codes will be applied to positive and negative values that are imported. Only draw adjustment codes that are valid for returns may be entered.
ENTRY DATE
date
Enter the date for this batch of returns. This is usually the current date.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select a file format to use (set up in File Map) for the export.
FILE NAME
open (45)
Enter the name of the import file.
CLAIMS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
yes/no
If this checkbox is selected, a file will be exported to dti/exchange/cm that contains the barcode and ANA/URN as well as specific data on returns that were accepted and rejected. Rejected claims are identified with specific error codes and reasons. Note: This checkbox is available only when a custom EDI file map is being used.
EXPORT FILE FORMAT
setup
If Claims Acknowledgement is selected, select the file map to be used for exporting the barcode, ANA/URN, and other information.
EXPORT FILE NAME
open
If Claims Acknowledgement is selected, specify the name of the export file that will be created.
Click OK and then Continue to import the returns and create the batch. A processing report will be displayed after the import is completed.
Some home delivery routes may have returns. For example, a carrier might deliver carrier collect subscriptions on a daily-pay basis (the subscriber must pay at the door to receive the paper). After the route is delivered, the carrier might then have several carrier collect copies to return.
In order to enter returns for a home delivery route, the route must be set up to allow returns.
The Returns Journal lists all returns that were entered using the Returns for a Day, Returns for a Week, and Route Returns options, as well as imported using Returns Import.
Select Returns Journal from the Draw Mgmt | Returns menu to display the Returns Audit Report window.
Click Add and enter parameters for the report.
REPORT TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether returns are to be included according to batch, draw date, entry date, or AAM draw date.
BATCH
open (10)
If you entered batch in the above field, enter the batch you want included in the report.
START DATE, END DATE
date
If you did not enter batch in Report Type, enter a date range here.
SUSPENDED ONLY
yes/no
Indicate whether only suspended batches should be included in the report.
ROUTE TYPE
predefined
Indicate if this is a single copy, route, or TM report.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product to be used in this report.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this report should sort by route, district, zone, region, or area.
SELECTION
setup
Enter the route, district, zone, region or area (depending on what type is entered above) to include, or multi-select entities.
DISTRICT OPTION
predefined
If the selection type is “district” and a district should be sorted by district manager, enter detail here. Otherwise, enter summary. For example, if a new manager is assigned within a reporting period and “detail” is selected, information for the old and new district managers would be reported separately.
RETURN TYPE
predefined
Select a return type of authorized, unauthorized, or both.
EXPORT
yes/no
Indicate if you want to export the Returns Journal.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select a file format to use (set up in File Map) for the export.
FILE NAME
open (20)
Enter the name of the file to be exported.
FILE OPTION
predefined
Select append to add new figures to an existing file or replace to replace an existing file.
Click OK and then Continue to produce the report.
A draw adjustment is needed to change a route’s draw after final Transaction Processing has taken place for that publishing day. For example, if a dealer at a convenience store sells out all 100 of her papers and calls in to order 50 extra copies, a draw adjustment would be entered for this route. The draw for this day would then be recorded as 150.
Like returns, draw adjustments are entered in batches. A draw adjustment code (such as “rackadj” or “dealer”) must be specified for each batch.
Do not confuse draw adjustments with draw changes, which are made before Transaction Processing. Draw changes are for future changes to the draw, while draw adjustments are for historical changes.
Draw adjustments are typically entered for single copy outlets (dealers, racks, etc.) on a daily or weekly basis.
You can manage draw adjustments with the following options:
Draw adjustments can also be entered by the dealers or district managers themselves, via iServices Distribution. However, iServices draw adjustments can only reallocate draw between outlets of the same dealer or DM—the net adjustment must be zero. See the iServices Distribution manual for more information.
Use this option to enter draw adjustments for single copy outlets for a single day.
Select Adjust For A Day from the Draw Mgmt | Draw Adjustments menu to display the Adjust for a Day window.
Complete the following batch-related fields.
BATCH
open (10)
Enter a name for this batch (either a new batch ID or the ID of a suspended batch).
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the product that should default during draw adjustment entry.
DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the default draw adjustment code (“rackadj”, “dealer”, etc.) for the draw adjustment.
ENTRY DATE
date
Indicate the date on which you are entering the draw adjustments. You cannot enter adjustments for a date that has already been billed. In other words, the date you enter in this field cannot be a date for which billing has been processed.
PUBLISHING DATE
date
Enter the default publishing draw date to be used during draw adjustment entry.
RESUPPLY DOCUMENTS
yes/no
BATCH TYPE
display
This field shows the type of batch being created. The batch type is determined by the draw adjust code being entered. “DNORDER” will be displayed if the draw adjust code is for “did not order” adjustments.
CONTROL PAPERS
integer
Enter the total number of papers that will be entered in this batch.
TOTAL PAPERS
display
Will be updated as you enter draw adjustments.
Click OK to accept the batch information. Fields for draw adjustment entry will appear.
Click Add and enter draw adjustments for each route, one at a time.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the product for which you are entering draw adjustments (or accept the default).
ROUTE
setup
Enter the ID of the single copy route for which you are entering the adjustment. Or, you can enter the account ID or account name to locate the route.
DRAW CLASS
setup
If the single copy type assigned to this route supports multiple draw classes, specify the draw class here.
QUANTITY
integer (6)
Enter the number of papers adjusted for the route. Enter a “-” sign if the adjustment is negative (typically, a negatives are used only to correct a previous adjustment that was erroneously entered).
DRAW DATE
date
Indicate the publishing date for which you are entering adjustments (or accept the default).
AAM DRAW DATE
date
Enter the draw adjustment date for AAM reporting purposes. This will be the same date as DRAW DATE unless AAM has already been closed for the draw date.
DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the draw adjustment code to use with this adjustment, or accept the default. This code determines whether the draw adjustment increases or decreases the draw for the route. If the draw adjustment code is a charge code, the draw will be increased; if it is a credit code, the draw will be decreased.
When you have finished entering draw adjustments, click Accept. If the control totals for papers and cash are not in agreement with what you entered, a warning will appear, and you will be able to modify the control totals. If you want to leave this batch open and return to it later, click Suspend rather than Accept. You can restart it later by entering the batch name.
Select this option to enter draw adjustments for single copy outlets for an entire week. For example, you may enter rack draw adjustments for an entire week in a single batch on Friday.
Draw adjustments may need to be entered occasionally for home delivery routes. Suppose, for example, that a district manager gives a carrier five sample papers at the last minute (after Transaction Processing has been run for that day). A draw adjustment would then have to be entered that increases the carrier’s draw and adjusts AAM history.
Route draw adjustments can also be automatically created for back-dated subscriber transactions, if the Business Rule— Should backdated transactions create draw adjustments between associated routes? is set to “Yes” and the home delivery route in question is associated with a single copy route (Associated Route field in the Route Setup Utility). For example, a subscriber may start a subscription on Monday, but the newspaper may not be notified until Wednesday. In this instance, the agent provides the paper to the subscriber from a specific single copy route until the regular route draw is updated. A route draw adjustment is then created to adjust the home delivery route’s draw after the fact. For backdated transaction draw adjustments, the batch will be named “HD[yymmdd][seq]”, where [ymmdd] is the batch entry date, and [seq] is a sequence number, such as “001”.
The Restate AAM History and Digital Access Draw options also create draw adjustment batches that can be accepted in Route Adjust. In this case the adjustments are typically made in order to create digital draw for AAM reporting purposes.
Route draw adjustments are entered in the same way as single copy draw adjustments (see Adjust for a Day for instructions), but the route adjustments are broken down into carrier collect, sample, and service. In addition, the delivery schedule and rate code (if you store draw by subscriber rate code) must be specified. This is because account rates (and thus the value of the added draw) can be defined by delivery schedule and rate code.
If the batch of draw adjustments is for previous delivery papers, the window will be slightly different—there will be a column for carrier collect, office pay, paid comp and unpaid comp. Also, if the batch of draw adjustments is for AAM history restatement, there will be a column for AAM column and subscription.
A Business Rule determines the maximum number of records that can be visible in a route draw adjust batch. This typically pertains to batches created automatically by Restate AAM History or another option. Regardless of the size of the batch, when the batch is accepted, all records will be processed in the background.
The Draw Adjustment Journal prints the draw adjustments entered in Adjust For A Day, Adjust For A Week, and Route Adjust, that fit the specified criteria. Draw adjustments created by Tran Processing for previous deliveries will be listed only when the report is run for the previous delivery batch.
Select Draw Adjust Journal from the Draw Mgmt | Draw Adjustments menu to display the Draw Adjust Audit Report window.
Click Add to enter parameters for the report.
REPORT TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the report should include adjustments by batch, draw date, entry date, or AAM draw date.
BATCH
open (10)
If you entered batch in the previous field, enter the batch to include in the report.
START DATE, END DATE
date
If you did not enter batch in Report Type, enter a date range of the report. Draw adjustments will be included if their entry date, draw date, or AAM draw date (whichever is specified in Report Type) falls within the date range entered here.
SUSPENDED ONLY
yes/no
Indicate whether to include only suspended batches.
ROUTE TYPE
predefined
Indicate if this report is for single copy outlets, home delivery routes, or TM products.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product for which to print adjustments.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this report should sort by route, district, zone, region, or area.
SELECTION
setup
Enter the route, district, zone, region or area (depending on what type is entered above) to include or enter “*” to multi-select.
DISTRICT OPTION
predefined
If the selection type is “district” and a district should be sorted by district manager, enter detail here. Otherwise enter summary. For example, if a new manager is assigned within a reporting period and “detail” is selected, information for the old and new district managers would be reported separately.
RETURN TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether authorized, unauthorized, or both types of returns should be included in the report.
Click OK and then Continue to produce the report.
Draw adjustments can be imported for single copy routes only. The import file can be given any name and imported from anywhere on your system. The format is determined by the file map you create for it (DrawAdjImprt usage).
Select Draw Adjust Import from the Draw Mgmt | Draw Adjustments menu to display the Draw Adjust Audit Report window.
Click Add to enter parameters for the report.
BATCH
open (10)
Enter an ID for the suspended draw adjustment batch that will be created.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication to which these draw adjustments belong.
RESUPPLY DOCUMENTS
yes/no
DRAW ADJUST (+) DRAW ADJUST (-)
setup
Enter draw adjustment codes for these draw adjustments; separate codes should be used for the positive and negative values that are imported.
UNAUTH DRAW ADJUST
setup
Enter the draw adjustment code to be applied to any unauthorized draw adjustments imported from the file.
ENTRY DATE
Date
Enter the date for this batch of draw adjustments. This is usually the current date.
FILE FORMAT
predefined
Enter the name of the file map to use for this import.
FILE NAME
open (45)
Enter path and file name of the import file.
Click OK and then Continue to import the draw adjustments and create the batch.
The Copies Sold Import allows you to import sold or shrink copies for single copy outlets. This is an optional feature.
Circulation can track copies sold by a single copy outlet, as well as shrink copies (copies lost, spoiled, stolen or otherwise unaccounted for). For example, the quantity sold at a store may be pulled from the registers at the end of each day. Either sold or shrink copies can be imported. One quantity is used to determine the other, using the equation:
shrink = net draw (including adjustments and returns) - copies sold
So, if a batch contains sold copies, Circulation calculates the shrink copies when it is accepted. If the batch contains shrink copies, Circulation calculates the copies sold. Sold copies will not affect the account balance, but shrink copies can credit the account like other negative draw adjustments, and display on invoices.
Create a file of draw adjustments in format of the Sold Import file map discussed above, and place it in your dti/exchange/cm directory. The file can contain sold copies or shrink copies, but you cannot mix the two.
Select Copies Sold Import from the Draw Mgmt | Draw Adjustments menu to display the Single Copy Sold/Shrink Import screen.
Select Add and specify the batch, file name, and other information for the import. The fields are described in the table below.
BATCH DESCRIPTION
open (12) open (30)
Specify a batch name and description for this batch of sold/shrink draw adjustments.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product that these draw adjustments pertain to. Or, if the product is contained in the file format, leave this field blank.
DRAW ADJUST
setup
Select the draw adjustment code defined for sold or shrink copies. This determines whether the copies imported are counted as sold or shrink.
ENTRY DATE
date
Specify the entry date for the draw adjustments. If the import file has a date in it, this date will only be used as the batch date. The last published date defaults.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select the file format for the import. This is the file map discussed above.
FILE NAME
open (45)
Enter the file name containing the sold/shrink adjustments. The file must exist in your dti/exchange/cm directory.
Click OK and then Continue to import the draw adjustment batch. The batch will be suspended.
Once a batch of sold or shrink copies has been imported, it can be accepted in Adjust for a Day or Adjust for a Week. Select the Batch ID in the Batch field and click OK to display the adjustments in the suspended batch. If the adjustments look correct and the batch can be accepted, click Accept.
This option allows you to define the expected start and end delivery times for each truck on a selected truck sequence.
To define expected truck times:
Select Setup | Truck Time to display the Truck Time Setup window.
Click Add and complete the fields described below. These fields define which trucks are displayed in the Truck Time table.
PRODUCT, DEPARTURE, and TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Select the product, departure and truck sequence to determine which trucks are displayed in the Truck Time table.
SHOW ALL RUN DAYS and S M T W T F S
yes/no
Further define which trucks are displayed in the Truck Time table by selecting the individual days of the week. The order of days is determined by Business Rules. If you want to see trucks for all weekdays, select the Show All Run Days checkbox.
SHOW ALL TRUCKS
yes/no
If you select this checkbox, all trucks for the selected departure will be displayed. Otherwise, only trucks that have been defined previously will appear. Show All Trucks is helpful when setting up truck information for the first time.
SHOW INACTIVE RECORDS
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want to display records that are not valid for today.
Click OK. Trucks that match your selection criteria are displayed in the Truck Time table.
In the Truck Time table, select a truck, click Modify, and complete the fields described below. To add a truck, click Add instead of Modify.
DEPARTURE ORDER
display
The truck’s departure order is displayed.
TRUCK
setup
Select a truck for which you want to enter truck time information.
START DATE and END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which the truck times are valid.
RUN DAY
predefined
Enter a day of the week, or “*” to cover days not specifically set up for the truck. For example, if the trucking information is different for Sundays than for the rest of the week, you can enter one record for Sunday and another record using “*” to cover the remaining days.
RUN DAY OFFSET
integer
This field is used to specify how the departure time should be determined relative to the actual publish date. For example, a number of trucks delivering a morning publication may load before midnight of the previous day. Entering “-1” here indicates that the truck leaves before midnight of the run date. If the truck loads on the run date, enter “0” (the default).
DEPARTURE TIME
time
Enter the time of the truck’s departure in a 24-hour format (e.g., 08:00, 23:00).
DURATION
time
Enter the amount of time (in HH:MM format) that is normally required to make the deliveries (i.e., the difference between the departure time and when the last drop is made).
Click OK to save the information.
The Distribution Maintenance module allows you to manage routes and trucks within a truck sequence using drag-and-drop functionality.
Using Distribution Maintenance, you can assign drop sequences and drop locations to truck sequences that have already been set up.
The truck sequence determines the truck, drop order and drop location for a specific route.
The drop order is the order in which bundle tops are printed and bundles are loaded on the truck (and, hence, dropped off at routes). More than one route can have the same drop order, if multiple routes are dropped at the same location.
The drop location is where the bundles are dropped.
Some features in Distribution Maintenance are controlled by Transaction Security:
The DistribMaintUpd security item controls who has the ability to make changes in Distribution Maintenance. Users who do not have security will be able to view everything but will be unable to make changes.
The DistribMaintDte security item controls the ability to click on a node and select Show Dates.
See the Circulation Setup Manual for more information about Transaction Security.
To display a truck tree (i.e., a truck departure/sequence combination):
Enter filter criteria in the following fields and click OK.
TRUCK DEPARTURE
setup
Specify the truck departure you want to view. The truck departure is the order in which trucks depart from the loading dock. Truck departures are set up in Setup | Distribution | Truck | Truck Departure Sequence.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Specify the truck sequence you want to view. The truck sequence is the order, and from which truck, bundles will be dropped. Truck sequences are set up in Setup | Distribution | Truck | Truck Sequence.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the effective date for which you want to view the truck departure and truck sequence. The effective date defaults to the maximum cut-off date of all the products in the truck sequence.
Note: Entering a date after the defaulted date turns off some functionality. Entering a date before the minimum cut-off date turns off most functionality.
REORDER DEP ORDER / RETAIN DEP ORDER
radio
If you want to allow the departure order to be modified while working with the truck tree (i.e., rearranging departure trucks), select Reorder Dep Order. If you select Retain Dep Order, you will not be permitted to change the order of departure trucks in the truck tree. You can change them using the Departure Order option, however.
DROP DESCRIPTION VISIBLE / ROUTE DESCRIPTION VISIBLE
radio
If you want the truck tree to show the drop location as the description of the drop, select Drop Description Visible. If you want the truck tree to show the route ID as the description of the drop, select Route Description Visible.
FULL DISTRIBUTION BUILD DEPARTURE DISTRIBUTION BUILD
radio
If you want to build the entire distribution tree, select Full Distribution Build. Using this build method, the act of expanding an object in the tree merely displays details that have already been loaded. If you want to build only the departure trucks and their potential drops, select Departure Distribution Build. Using this build method, the act of expanding an object in the tree causes the next level of detail to be loaded.
The truck tree shows departure trucks, relay trucks, drops and routes. These objects are represented by icons, which are described below.
The root of the tree structure (the printing plant). It displays the truck departure name. Note:
Highlight this icon before you perform a text search of the entire tree.
A truck that has no objects (drops, routes, or other trucks) within it. An empty truck.
A truck that has objects (drops, routes, or other trucks) within it.
A relay truck.
A drop for multiple routes, multiple trucks, or a truck and a route. Note:
When a drop is for a single route or truck, no separate icon represents the drop—only the route or truck icon will be visible.
A home delivery route. The route name will be bold and italicized if the route has an end date.
A rack route. The route name will be bold and italicized if the route has an end date.
A single copy route. The route name will be bold and italicized if the route has an end date.
A split route (added to more than one truck in the same truck sequence).
A throw-off subscription.
A broken object (e.g., route or truck).
An unknown route.
You can view a legend of these icons by right-clicking an object in the truck tree and selecting Legend.
To view detailed information, click an object in the truck tree. The details will appear in the right pane, as shown below.
You can also hover over an object with the mouse pointer to display selected details.
Several options for working with Distribution Maintenance are accessed by clicking buttons on the button bar, shown and described below.
Find Trucks (Alt-Q)
Display a new truck tree by selecting a different truck departure, truck sequence, and/or effective date.
Route Service (Alt-R)
Return to the Route Service interface.
Account Inquiry (Alt-I)
Search for a carrier/dealer.
Truck Sequence Export (Alt-E)
Export truck sequences.
Truck Sequence Import (Alt-P)
Import truck sequences.
Split Route Setup (Alt-L)
View a list of split routes that have been created, and modify order priorities and split draw quantities.
Double (Alt-B)
Display a duplicate view of the current truck tree. This can be helpful when you are moving objects within a large tree. For example, if you want to move a route that is near the bottom of the tree to a position near the top, you could scroll down and click on the route in the truck tree, then drag it to its new position in the duplicate view of the tree. You can drag objects to, from, and within the duplicate view.
Departure Order (Alt-O)
View and modify the departure order. You can modify the order by dragging one truck at a time to its new position. Or, you can use Ctrl-click or Shift-click to select multiple trucks to drag to a new position.
Alternate Tree (Alt-2)
Show a different truck tree, side by side with the current tree. This option allows you to copy objects and groups of objects from one tree to another. The departure or sequence of the alternate tree must be different than the current tree.
Backup (Alt-K)
Create a copy of a truck departure or sequence under a different name
Add a Truck Record (Alt-M)
Add a truck record.
The Truck Tree has its own button bar, shown and described below.
Search Trucks (Alt-F)
Search the entire truck tree, or a portion of it, for a specific text string (e.g., to locate a truck or route by ID). After finding a match, you can locate the next match by pressing F3. Note:
The scope of your search depends on what is highlighted in the truck tree when you click this button. If a truck is highlighted, only the objects within that truck are searched. If you want to search the entire truck tree, highlight the root icon before clicking this button.
Add Route
Add a route or split route to the truck tree. When you click this button, a context menu appears that allows you to indicate where you want the route placed on the tree:
• To add the route to a truck, first highlight the truck, then click this button and select Add Route In [Departure or Relay Truck]. Note that similar options are available for adding split routes.
• To add the route to another route, first highlight the route, then click this button and select Add Route In.
• To add the route below another route, first highlight the route, then click this button and select Add Route Below.
• To add the route to a drop, you can either (1) highlight the drop, then click this button and select Add Route In, or (2) highlight another route within the drop, then click this button and select Add Route at Same Drop.
Note: You cannot add a route if the root icon is highlighted.
Add Truck
Add a truck to the truck tree. When you click this button, a context menu appears that allows you to indicate the type of truck (departure or relay) and where you want it placed on the tree:
• If you want to add a departure truck, highlight the root icon before you click this button.
• If you want to add a relay truck, highlight another truck before you click this button. When adding a relay truck, the truck record needs to be added first. Then it can be placed in the departure as a relay truck.
Delete Selected
Delete the highlighted object or objects in the truck tree. Multiple objects of the same type can be deleted at the same time.
Note:
You cannot delete objects that contain other objects. If you want to delete a truck, for example, you must delete all objects within it (starting at the lowest level) before you will be able to delete the truck.
Toggle Future (Alt-G)
Toggles between the original tree, which displays records active on the effective date, to a similar tree that shows data active on or after the Effective Date. Note:
Records that have a future aspect (i.e., the Start Date or End Date is after the Effective Date) are shown in red italicized text.
You can right-click on an item in the truck tree and select Show Dates.
The particular dates that are shown depend on the type of item that was right-clicked.
Departure trucks will show a departure truck modify line.
Relay trucks will show a relay truck line, a parent departure truck line, a relay departure truck line, and an associated drop line.
Drops will show a drop line and parent departure truck line.
Regular routes will show a route line, a parent departure truck line, and an associated drop line.
Split routes will show a route line, a parent departure truck line, an associated drop line, and an associated split route line.
The Transaction Security item “DistribMaintDte” controls access to this feature.
Rearranging sequences is fairly straightforward using drag and drop—click on an object to select it, drag it to a new location, and then release the mouse. You can move routes, trucks and drops in this way.
If the object could potentially be inserted below another object or within it (such as a route being inserted within a drop), a pop-up menu will be displayed. You have three options:
Select Drop In to insert the object within the other object.
Select Drop Below to insert the object on the same level as the other object, but below it on the truck tree.
Select Cancel to cancel the action.
If there is only one logical insertion point, the object will be placed there automatically (i.e., the pop-up menu will not appear). If you attempt to drop an object in an invalid place (e.g., drop a route on the root icon), the action will simply cancel itself. No error message will appear.
You can select multiple objects to drag and drop at the same time: multiple routes (independent of route type), multiple drops, or multiple trucks. However, you cannot drag and drop a truck and a route at the same time.
You can open another instance of the current truck tree to aid in rearranging sequences. This can be helpful when you are moving objects within a large sequence.
For example, if you want to move a route that is near the bottom of the tree to a position near the top, you could scroll down and click on the route in the original tree, then drag it to its new position in the duplicate view.
You can drag objects to, from, and within the duplicate view.
You can modify the departure order in the following ways:
Click and drag one truck at a time to a new position.
Use Shift-click
to select multiple, adjacent trucks, and then drag them all to a new position.
Use Ctrl-click
to select multiple, non-adjacent trucks, and then drag then all to a new position. When you use Ctrl-click
, the system remembers the order in which you clicked on the trucks. When you drag them to a new position, they will be sequenced in the order you selected them.
Click OK to close the window.
The Alternate Tree option allows you to open a different truck tree (as opposed to a duplicate view of the same tree) and copy objects to it. This can be helpful when you are building a new truck tree that will use some of the same trucks, routes and drops as an existing tree.
Enter the Truck Departure and Truck Sequence of the alternate tree. Either the departure or sequence of the alternate tree must be different than the current tree.
Click OK. The alternate tree appears in the right pane of the window.
Copy objects from the truck tree to the alternate tree as necessary.
When you have finished, click Cancel.
In the truck tree, click on the object where you want the route to be added.
Complete the following fields and click OK to add the route.
TRUCK
setup
This display-only field shows the ID of the truck to which you are adding the route.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product (usually a publication) that will be delivered on this route.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route being dropped (home delivery or single copy). If dropping to a throw-off subscriber, leave this field blank.
SUBSCRIPTION
setup
If the drop is to a throw-off subscriber, enter the account number. Otherwise, enter zero.
DROP START DATE DROP END DATE
date
Specify the date range during which the drop is valid.
• If you are adding a route to an existing drop, these fields will be populated from the drop information and cannot be modified.
• If you are adding a route and creating a drop at the same time, the DROP START DATE will default from the Effective Date, and you can modify it.
The Drop End Date may be left blank.
ORIG START DATE CURR END DATE
date
Specify the date range during which this route is valid. The end date may be left blank.
BULK?
yes/no
Select this checkbox if the papers are delivered in bulk to the distribution point.
Papers for all bulked routes on the truck will be bundled together, and the driver will count the papers for the route from the stack.
In this case, a bundle top is not prepared for the route unless Key Only is selected.
KEY ONLY?
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want to print bundle tops for key bundles only. If you do not check this box, bundle tops will be printed for all bundles.
If you do not check this box, and the route has messages, a special bundle top will be printed that contains only messages.
Otherwise, no corresponding bundle will be printed for the route (the truck will receive a truck-level bulk bundle).
STACKER DETAILS
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you wish to enter free-form details about the stacker.
When you select this checkbox, the Stacker Details button becomes active. Click this button to display the Stacker Details window and enter information.
DROP WHERE
predefined
Indicate whether the drop will be made at the Account (carrier’s address), a location specified with the DistribPoint, or a Specific location.
If you enter “specific”, the Drop Location field will remain active so you can specify the drop location.
DROP LOCATION
open
If you selected “Account” above, this will be the carrier’s address. If you selected “Specific”, this field will allow you to enter a specific drop location.
If you selected “DistribPoint”, this will be the default drop location in the Distrib Point Publication record.
INSTRUCTIONS
open
Enter specific instructions about the drop.
MAP REFERENCE
open (4)
Enter a reference to a map on which this route can be found, if applicable.
NUMBER
open (4)
If you use map references, enter the number on the map where this route can be found, if applicable.
ORDER SPLIT DRAW
integer
If this route is a split route:
• Each truck in the split must be assigned an order priority, with the lowest order number receiving first priority.
• The highest-priority truck must have a split draw quantity entered. This is the maximum draw that will be assigned to the truck. Once this quantity is achieved, the remaining draw will then “spill over” to the next truck in the priority.
• The lowest-priority truck must have a split draw quantity of zero. Once all other trucks have received their maximum draw, the last truck in the priority will receive the rest of the draw.
Use this option to set up the individual trucks that distribute your publication. The truck IDs that are assigned here can then be added to the truck tree as departure or relay trucks.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
TRUCK
open (8)
Enter a truck ID.
TRUCK NAME
open (20)
Enter a name describing this truck.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter a date range for this truck. The end date may be left blank.
MAX WEIGHT
decimal (10)
The maximum weight of this truck.
FIRST NAME
open (12)
Enter the driver’s first name.
Note: An occupant record will be created for this driver.
LAST NAME
open (30)
Enter the driver’s last name.
OCCUPANT TYPE CREDIT STATUS
display
The default occupant type and credit status are displayed. Business Rules determine these defaults when adding an occupant record.
Click OK to save the truck record.
Add more trucks, or click Exit.
Use this option to export truck sequence details, for a selected draw sequence, to an external file. The export will use a File Map you create in advance. The file will be written to /dti/exchange/cm/
.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the truck departure sequence.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence.
APPLY TO ALL PRODUCTS PRODUCT
yes/no
If you want this export to apply to all products. select this checkbox. Otherwise, select a product or products to include.
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date for which draw figures should be exported.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate if actual, advance, pending draw should be exported.
TM PRODUCT
SETUP
Indicate which TM products you want to include in the export, if applicable. Valid TM products are based on the product(s) entered above.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select the name of the file map you created for this purpose.
FILE NAME
open
Enter the name of the file to be exported, if different from the default.
Click OK and then Continue to export the information.
Use this option to import truck sequences from an external file in /dti/exchange/cm/, using a File Map you created previously. The following Circulation tables will be updated during the import process:
DepartureSequence*
TruckSequence*
TruckDeparture*
TruckDropSequence**
TruckDropDistribPoint**
RouteDeliveryDeadline***
* only if one does not already exist
** existing record will be end-dated and a new record created
*** only if provided in the import file
Click Add and complete the following fields.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the truck departure sequence. It can be an existing departure sequence or a new one.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence. It can be an existing truck sequence or a new one.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date on which these records will become effective.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select the name of the file map you created for this purpose.
FILE NAME
open
Enter the name of the file to be imported.
Click OK and then Continue to import the information.
Use this option to view all of the split routes that have been created. In this window, you can enter and modify order priorities and split draw quantities. A red icon will be displayed in the Status column for all split routes that are in an error state.
You can add departure trucks and relay trucks to the tree. The placement of the new truck depends on the object you highlight before clicking the Add Truck button and which option you choose from the context menu that appears.
To add a departure truck to the truck tree:
If you highlighted the root icon, select Add Departure Truck at Root from the context menu. If you highlighted another truck, select Add Departure Truck Below Departure Truck from the context menu.
Complete the following fields and click OK to add the new truck.
TRUCK
setup
Enter a truck ID or select one from the list. Trucks are set up in character Circulation: Setup | Distribution | Truck | Truck.
ORIG START DATE
display
The date on which this truck was first added to the sequence.
CURR END DATE
date
An optional end date for this truck.
SPOOL BREAK?
yes/no
Indicate whether a new spool file should be created once this truck’s bundle tops have printed. Select this checkbox, for example, if you print bundle tops at more than one printer at the same time.
MAX WEIGHT
decimal (10)
The maximum weight of this truck.
CHUTE
open (2)
The chute ID can be exported to file-mapped stacker interface files. A site may use chutes as loading “lines” on the docks for their trucks.
Multiple chutes could be used to load trucks on one dock, for example, or a single chute could be used to load trucks on multiple docks.
Chutes could be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc., or A, B, C, etc. Chute (also known as dock) assignments can also be imported.
BUNDLE SIZE METHOD
predefined
Indicate whether the key or split key bundle size calculation should be used for this truck.
The “key” option will produce one key bundle, while the “split key” option will produce two key bundles (a key bundle is the odd-sized bundle in a group of standard bundles).
PRINT OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether standard or key bundles should be printed first.
PRINT KEYS WHERE
predefined
Indicate whether with route or end of truck where keys should be printed
To add a relay truck inside another truck:
In the truck tree, highlight an existing truck to which you want the new relay truck to be added.
Select Add Relay Truck In Departure Truck from the context menu.
Complete the following fields and click OK to add the new truck.
TRUCK
display
This display-only field shows the ID of the truck to which you are adding the relay truck.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the product delivered by this truck.
RELAY TRUCK
setup
Enter a truck ID or select one from the list. Trucks must be set up in advance .
DROP START DATE DROP END DATE
date
Specify the date range during which the drop is valid. • If you are adding a relay truck to an existing drop, these fields will be populated from the drop information and cannot be modified. • If you are adding a relay truck and creating a drop at the same time, the Drop Start Date will default from the Effective Date, and you can modify it. The Drop End Date may be left blank.
ORIG START DATE CURR END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this truck can be used. You can leave the End Date blank.
SPOOL BREAK
yes/no
Indicate whether a new spool file should be created once this truck’s bundle tops have printed. Select this checkbox, for example, if you print bundle tops at more than one printer at the same time.
MAX WEIGHT
decimal (10)
The maximum weight of this truck.
CHUTE
open (1)
The chute ID can be exported to file-mapped stacker interface files. A site may use chutes as loading “lines” on the docks for their trucks.
Multiple chutes could be used to load trucks on one dock, for example, or a single chute could be used to load trucks on multiple docks. Chutes could be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc., or A, B, C, etc.
BUNDLE SIZE METHOD
predefined
Indicate whether the key or split key bundle size calculation should be used for this truck.
The “key” option will produce one key bundle, while the “split key” option will produce two key bundles (a key bundle is the odd-sized bundle in a group of standard bundles).
PRINT OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether standard or key bundles should be printed first.
PRINT KEYS WHERE
predefined
Indicate whether with route or end of truck where Keys should be printed
BULK?
yes/no
Select this checkbox if the papers are delivered in bulk to the distribution point. Papers for all bulked routes on the truck will be bundled together, and the driver will count the papers for the route from the stack.
In this case, a bundle top is not prepared for the route unless Key Only? is selected.
KEY ONLY?
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want to print bundle tops for key bundles only. If you do not check this box, bundle tops will be printed for all bundles. If you do not check this box, and the route has messages, a special bundle top will be printed that contains only messages.
Otherwise, no corresponding bundle will be printed for the route (the truck will receive a truck-level bulk bundle).
DROP WHERE
predefined
Indicate whether the drop will be made at the Account (carrier’s address), a location specified with the DistribPoint, or a Specific location.
If you enter “specific”, the Drop Location field will remain active so you can specify the drop location.
DROP LOCATION
open
If you selected “Carrier” above, this will be the carrier’s address. If you selected “Specific”, this field would allow you to enter a specific drop location.
INSTRUCTIONS
open
Enter specific instructions about the drop.
MAP REFERENCE
open (4)
Enter a reference to a map on which this route can be found, if applicable.
NUMBER
open (4)
If you use map references, enter the number on the map where this route can be found, if applicable.
Use the Backup option to create a copy of a truck departure or sequence under a different name. Saving a backup of your work is a good idea; it allows you to go back to the original version of the departure or sequence if you make a mistake. This option also allows you to remove a truck departure or sequence (for example, once you’ve finished building a truck departure, you may want to remove the old backup and create a new one).
Click the Copy button.
Select either the Copy Departure? or Copy Sequence? check box, as appropriate.
Enter a name for the backup in the To Departure or To Sequence field, as appropriate.
Click OK to create the backup.
Click the Remove button.
Select either the Remove Departure? or Remove Sequence? check box, as appropriate.
Click OK to remove the departure or sequence.
In addition to Burt, you can also export route and truck information to GMA’s SAM application, which is used in insert packaging. This allows circulation data to be transferred automatically to the GMA inserter. This export can be run for publications or TM products.
Before running the export, Circulation route types must be mapped to GMA “account types”; account types are exported as part of the route information. This is done using the GMA/SAM Account Type option on the Setup menu in Utilities. Currently, this option is available only in Circulation’s character interface.
Several Business Rules in the Route Services section control various aspects of the SAM Export, including what is exported in the Zone Group, Content Code, and Plant Code fields, and whether mail draw is exported.
Select GMA/SAM Export from the Utilities | Export menu to display the GMA/SAM Export window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to run the export. The files will be exported to the /dti/exchange/cm
directory. See Appendix B for the file format. A processing report will then list the number of records exported and any errors that occurred during the process.
A route’s delivery can be suspended for a period of time. For example, bad weather might prevent some routes from being delivered on a given day. When a route is suspended, it will not appear on distribution reports, and its draw will not be included in AAM reporting. Subscribers on suspended routes will be temporarily stopped for the number of days the route is suspended. The carrier may or may not be charged/credited for the draw on the suspended days.
The following setup must be in place before using this option:
At least one reason code each must be set up for the Suspend and Unsuspend transaction types in Reason setup. These will be used as the reasons for the route’s suspension and reinstatement.
The Suspend reason code must also be set up for the transaction type of Stop, and the Unsuspend reason code must also be set up for the transaction type of Restart. For example, if you define a reason code of “SUSPEND” for the transaction type of Suspend, you must also define a reason code of “SUSPEND” for the transaction type of Stop. Similarly, if you define a reason code of “UNSUSPEND” for the transaction type of Unsuspend, you must also define a reason code of “UNSUSPEND” for the transaction type of Restart.
For the Stop and Restart reason codes, the Update Draw, Print On Bundle, and Print Code On Bundle fields all must be set to “n.” This is required because the temporary stops and restarts created by the suspend and unsuspend processes should not affect the draw and are not printed on bundle tops (bundle tops are not produced for a route while it is suspended).
Select Suspend Route from the Utilities menu.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to complete the suspension (or reinstatement). A Suspend transaction will be created for the route. This transaction, when processed during non-final Transaction Processing, will create temporary stops for subscribers on the route. Once processing is complete, a report will display details about the process.
Once delivery can be resumed, routes are reinstated using the Suspend Route option with a Transaction Type of “Unsuspend.” An Unsuspend transaction will be created for each route that is reinstated. When processed by Transaction Processing, the Unsuspend will create restarts for the subscribers on the route.
For example, if a route is suspended on the 6th and reinstated on the 9th, subscribers on the route will have a temporary stop dated the 6th and a restart dated the 9th. This means that the route was suspended on the 6th, 7th, and 8th, and the subscribers will have their expire dates extended by three days.
If a route is suspended, a draw of zero will be shown for the suspended days and a suspend message will be displayed in the Route Service window. The route will also have a Suspend transaction. If this transaction is for a future date, it can be deleted, which would cancel the suspension.
When the route is reinstated, the suspend message will no longer appear, and the route will have an Unsuspend transaction. Again, future Unsuspend transactions can be deleted, which would cancel the reinstatement.
If a subscriber is on a suspended route, a message will be displayed in the Customer Service window. The subscriber will also have a Suspend transaction; this is the temp stop, but it is called “suspend” to distinguish it from ordinary temp stops.
When the route is reinstated, the suspend message will no longer appear, and the subscriber will have an Unsuspend transaction, which is the restart.
As mentioned, suspended routes will not appear on any reports (bundle tops, truck manifest, AAM reports, etc.). Subscription messages for the route will be retained, however.
When the route is reinstated, all of the subscription messages that have accumulated over the suspended period will appear on the route’s bundle top.
If an account is to be charged/credited for some or all of the draw on suspended days, draw records will be kept for the draw types that should be billed. The draw, however, will be given a draw type of “suspend,” so that it will be ignored by most Circulation options.
Billing, however, will pick up suspended draw and bill it. It will be billed at the normal rate. If an account will not be charged/credited for suspended draw, no draw records will be kept.
Many larger newspapers employ sophisticated inserting systems that have their own software applications. In order to insert the correct preprints in the papers for each route, these applications need the route draws. They also need to be updated when routes change trucks, or when ad zone boundaries change. The Insert Draw and Insert Base options export this data to an ASCII file, where it can be imported into an inserting system.
The draw export contains route draw figures, while the base export contains truck, ad zone, edition, preprint demographic, and other information for the route. The draw export will most likely be run daily. The base export may be run on a periodic basis, but if it is, you should wait to add new routes or make changes to existing routes until just before running the export.
Using this process, Circulation and the inserting application will always have the same information and you will not, for example, be importing draw into the inserting system for a route that doesn’t exist there yet.
The base export can be run for up to seven days, beginning with a user-defined start date. It can be run for both publications and TM products. In the case of a TM product, all routes belonging to its delivery publication will be exported. For each day, only one Zip code and AAM zone will be exported. If a route belongs to more than one, the Zip or AAM zone with the highest percentage will be used. The distribution ad zone (the ad zone belonging to the ad zone map that is assigned to the product on that day) will be exported, along with up to seven selling ad zones. A selling ad zone will be included only if it is assigned to an ad zone map on that day of the week. See the InsertPlus manual for more information about ad zones.
The base records will be sorted in the export file by date, truck departure order, and the route’s drop order within each truck.
Select Insert Base from the Utilities | Export menu.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to begin the export. The base data will be exported to /dti/exchange/cm
, and the file will be named <ProductID><Month><Day><Year> BASE
. For example, if route information for the Times is exported starting on 10/02/09, the file will be named times100209BASE
. See Appendix B for the format of this file. Once the export has completed, the Insert Base Export report will list the number of records exported, and other information about the process.
The draw export is run for a user-defined date, and can export actual or advance draw information. Only routes that are active and have draw for the publication entered will be included in the export.
Select Insert Draw from the Utilities | Export menu.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Select OK and then Continue to begin the export. The draw will be exported to /dti/exchange/cm
, and the file will be named <ProductID><Month><Day><Year> <Draw Type>
. For example, if actual draw for the Times is exported on 10/02/06, the file will be named Times100206ACT
. If advance is exported rather than actual, the file would be Times100206ADV
. And, if a section is entered, the first three letters appended to the file name (for example Times100206ADVCOM
). See Appendix B for the format of this file. Once the export has completed, the Insert Draw Export report will list the number of records exported, and other information about the process.
The Utilities menu contains options to suspend routes, export routes, and draw information to an inserting system. The utility options are listed below.
Circulation has the ability to interface draw and truck information to the BURT inserting software package. The Burt Export option writes four fixed-length ASCII files to the /dti/exchange/cm directory. These files can then be imported into the BURT system. The export now includes zip pure records for each zip code the route is linked to for sites that export alternate zone information.
The Burt format version used (version 4 or version 7).
Whether routes with zero draw for the draw date are included in the export.
Whether the class of sale should be “HD” for home delivery routes and “SC” for single copy routes, or the first two characters of the route’s route type or single copy type.
Whether carrier routes or ad zones should be exported as Burt “ad routes”. If ad zones are exported, a special ad zone map must be defined to identify the “ad route” ad zones.
Whether the truck departure sequence is exported as the in the Sequence Offset field, and whether the Route Sequence field is populated.
Whether mail subscribers are included in the export. If so, a carrier route and an ad route record will be exported for each edition within a Zip code or ad zone (based on the ad zone type selected) and include the draw for all mail subscribers receiving the edition in that Zip or zone. If using ad zones, they must be defined by Zip code; mail subscribers with Zip codes that are not assigned to an ad zone will be grouped under the ad zone “MAIL”. The route ID exported will be “Z” plus the Zip code. The trucks exported will be “ML” plus the ad zone or Zip code. The class of sale for mail draw is also specified in Business Rules. Note that mail draw will not be exported if the ad zone type is “Truck”.
Whether the Burt Product Type can vary by route. If so, “Routes” will be an option in the Home Delivery Product Type and Single Copy Product Type fields. If the “Route” option is selected, the Burt product type exported for the route will be based on route setup (for actual or pending draw, the Burt Type field on the Route Setup tab, and for advance draw, the Burt Part field on the Sections tab). If a product type is not defined for a route, the product type specified in the Home Delivery Indicator field will be exported.
The file extension used for the Burt files (can be product ID, draw date, or both).
The entry and presort discount codes exported, if any.
Draw by Carrier Route (CR)
Draw by Ad Route (AR)
Draw by Ad Route Checksum (ARC)
File Name Index (FN)
Carrier Route Detail (BurtPlus add-on only)
Carrier Messages (BurtPlus add-on only)
See Appendix B for the formats.
Select Burt Export from the Utilities | Export menu.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to perform the export. After the export has completed, a processing report will list the number of records exported and any errors that occurred during the process; the standard viewing and printing options will be available.
Accounts (i.e., carrier/dealers) handle the last stage of distribution—getting publications into the hands of the readers. Home delivery carriers, motor route drivers, and dealers are all considered “accounts.” They are independent contractors who buy the publication wholesale and sell it retail. In cases where one person delivers the paper and another handles finances, both are considered accounts.
Account Services is used to view, set up and maintain accounts and the distributions (routes and districts) for which they are responsible. Access it by selecting Account Services from the Setup menu.
The following Business Rules support various features of Account Services:
Enter the character or string to be used to represent the day of week the account does not deliver the product (Account Setup section)—identifies the characters that represent non-delivery days for the account in the Account Detail window
Enter the character or string to be used to represent the day of week the account delivers the product. (Account Setup section)—identifies the characters that represent delivery days for the account in the Account Detail window
The Search Date in Account Services should default as how many days before the current date? (Account Setup section)—controls the default date when searching for an account, with 0 being today’s date
The following Transaction Security items control various features of Account Services. By default, no security is applied to Account Services.
AS-Account—Add or modify account information. Also controls demographic and tax-maintenance functions.
AcctWrittenOff—Change the “written off” setting for accounts.
AS-Change—Run the Account Services change function.
AS-Distribution—Add or modify distribution or substitute information.
AS-Levy—Add, modify, or delete levy information.
AS-Notification—Add, modify, or delete notification preferences.
AS-Recurring—Add, modify, or delete recurring charges.
AS-Terminate—Terminate or reinstate a distribution.
The following buttons are accessed from the Account Services button bar on the top of the window.
Enter any combination of search criteria and click OK to find an account.
The distributions that are shown for an account are those distributions that are active as of the Search Date or the account’s last bill date, whichever is earlier. A Business Rule, The Search Date in Account Services should default as how many days before the current date? (Account Setup section), controls the default search date, with 0 being today’s date.
If a single account matches the search criteria, it will be displayed. If many accounts match the criteria, they will be displayed in a popup window. Double-clicking the account in the popup window will select it.
Once an account is selected, the current setup displays on the Account Services screen.
When working with large amounts of data in Distribution tab, the filter option can be useful. Records can be sorted using these filters based on Product, Account Type, Route ID, and Active.
Account details display in subtabs in the lower portion of the Account Services screen:
Routes currently linked to the account display on the Distribution tab (shown above). Some route-related information, such as contract review date, can be modified from here.
Substitute information displays on the Substitute tab, if applicable.
Personal information displays on the Account tab. The Account Info fields on the right side of the screen can be modified. Occupant and Address information can be changed by clicking the Occupant or Address buttons.
Billing information for the account displays on the Billing tab. The Billing Info fields can be modified.
While modifying Billing Info, click the "Modify CC Info" or "Delete CC Info" to change or delete credit card information. You can also change the billing occupant or address by clicking the Billing Occupant and Billing Address buttons.
Click the “Modify BD Info” or “Delete BD Info” to modify or delete the bank draft information. Note: If the Business Rule—Should you use Naviga Pay for Bank Draft payments? (Pymt Auth - General section), has been set to No, the ‘Modify BD Info’ and ‘Delete BD Info’ buttons under the Billing tab will not be displayed.
The bill sources an account is linked to display on the Source tab. You can modify information for an existing bill source, such as the bill terms. You can also link the account to another bill source by clicking the Add button. You can also click the Delete button to remove a bill source link, but only if the account has no billing history for the bill source.
The tax authorities assigned to the account display on the Tax tab. The exempt reason and tax number for a tax authority can be modified from this tab.
Recurring charges defined for the account display on the Recurring tab. You may modify charge details from this tab.
If the account has levies, levy information displays on the Levy tab, and can be modified from there.
Truck information for the routes delivered by the account displays on the Truck Drop tab. This tab is initially blank. To show all truck drop information for the account’s routes, click the OK button. Or, select a specific truck sequence, truck, product and/or route and click OK to filter on those values.
Notifications set up for the account display on the Notification tab. Notification details can be modified from here.
Account List is a docked tab on the left side of the Account Services window. Click this tab to open the Account List.
This tab contains three window panels:
This is an account search function that allows for a more flexible use of search criteria than the regular account search. Partial values can be entered in the search fields, and multi-selection can be used in most of the fields.
When you enter search criteria and click OK, the search results are added to the Account List. Double-click on an account to view the account details in the Account Services window. The Account List is not cleared between searches (i.e., it is cumulative). You can clear the entire list by selecting All in the Clear field and clicking the Clear button. You can remove selected items from the list by using Ctrl + click
and/or Shift + click
to select the items, choosing Selected in the Clear field, and then clicking the Clear button.
This panel contains a list of accounts that were selected for viewing (i.e., double-clicked) from the Account List. This list can be cleared in the same way as the Account List.
The Account Detail pane is a tree view of all the distributions associated with an account.
The tree shows, in order:
The account ID, company, and bill source.
The account’s role (e.g., delivery, bill-to, or other type of account).
The route type (e.g., home delivery, motor, rack, etc.).
Individual routes of that type associated with the account.
Publications delivered by each route.
The publication can be further expanded to show the account responsible for the route (in a bill-to situation, this will not be the account being viewed) and the days of week on which the product is assigned to the account, as well as the start and end dates of this assignment.
The Business Rules, Enter the character or string to be used to represent the day of week the account does not deliver the product and Enter the character or string to be used to represent the day of week the account delivers the product (Account Setup section), are used to identify the characters that represent delivery and non-delivery days for the account.
Detail Tree is a dockable tab on the right side of the window. It is a copy of the Account Detail pane that can be resized, left open, etc., like other docked tabs. This could be useful, for example, if the account is a bill-to for many other accounts for which changes are being made.
The Account Setup wizard is used to set up an account. It walks you through all the specific information you need to enter.
In the Route Service module, select Setup | Account Services to display the Account Services window.
Click the Account Wizards icon and select Add Account. The wizard’s first card appears.
To use the wizard, enter the information on the cards (described below) and click Next to move to the next card. Click Finish on the last card to complete the wizard.
Complete the following fields and click Next:
Account Number—Enter an account number. If the Business Rule, Should the account ID be automatically assigned?, is set to “yes,” then the account number will be assigned automatically and this field will be disabled.
Receives an invoice—This option controls whether the second and third parts of the wizard will appear (Add Account Billing and Add Account Source). If this account does not receive an invoice, only the first part of the wizard will be needed.
Account and Billing occupants are the same—Select this option if the account and the billing occupant are the same person.
Account and Billing addresses are the same—Select this option if the account’s address and the billing address are the same.
To find an occupant, click Find. Then, enter search criteria and click OK. The occupant information will appear in this card.
Click Next when you have supplied the occupant information.
If an address is found for the occupant, it will be displayed on this card. You can modify it as necessary.
If you need to use a different address, click Find. Then, enter search criteria and click OK to locate the address.
Click Next when you have supplied the address information.
Complete the following fields on this card:
Enter the following dates:
Click Next when you have finished. A message, “Account added to database,” is displayed. Click OK.
This is the same basic card as Enter Occupant Information. If you indicated on the first card that the account and billing occupant are the same, then the occupant information will already be filled in here. If they are not the same, either find the billing occupant or add the billing occupant’s information.
Click Next when you have supplied the billing occupant information.
This is the same basic card as Enter Address Information. If you indicated on the first card that the account and billing address are the same, then the address information will already be filled in here. If they are not the same, either find the billing address or add the billing address information.
Click Next when you have supplied the bill address information.
Complete the following fields and click Next.
To add source information, click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK to save the source information.
At this point, you can:
Click Add to enter more source information.
Highlight a row in the upper portion of the card and click Modify to modify source information.
Click Finish to end the wizard.
Once an account has been set up, it can be maintained using the various tabs (Account, Billing, and Source, depending on whether the account can receive an invoice). The occupant and address information can be maintained on the Account and Billing tabs.
A distribution is a route or district for which an account is in some way responsible. To add a distribution, you will use the Add Distribution wizard, which walks you through the specific information you need to enter.
To add a distribution, click the Distribution Wizards icon and select Add Distribution. The Add Distribution card appears.
Complete the following fields:
Click Add Another to add another distribution, or click OK if you have finished.
If errors are encountered, they are displayed and the options of revising the entered information or continuing the wizard are presented (whether to Revise or to Continue).
When the distribution has been added, you are returned back to the first card to add another distribution. If you have finished entering distributions, click Cancel and then Finish to return to the main Account Services window. The distribution(s) you added will be visible on the Distribution tab.
To terminate a distribution, click the Distribution Wizards icon and select Terminate Distribution. The Termination Criteria card appears.
Enter the effective date of the termination and the days of the week to terminate. The effective date is the last day this account will be associated with the distribution.
Individual days can be selected under Days For Terminate. For example, if only the Sunday portion should be stopped, then select only the Sunday checkbox. Click Next to continue.
On the Termination Selection card, you will see a list of distributions that qualify for termination based on the effective date and weekdays selected on the first card. To select a distribution for termination, check the appropriate Select checkbox. To select all distributions, click the Select button (you can also click Unselect to deselect all distributions). Click Finish to complete the termination.
To change a distribution means to reassign it to a different account. One or many distributions can be reassigned at the same time. To reassign a distribution, click the Distribution Wizards icon and select Change Distribution.
Complete the following fields and click Next.
The Copy Criteria card will have active fields if any of the following checkboxes on the previous card were not selected: Copy Minimum Daily Draw Credit, Copy Contract Review Date, or Copy Substitute Penalty Maximum. Enter new values in these fields as necessary, then click Next.
On the Change Selection card, you will see a list of distributions that qualify for reassignment based on the effective date and weekdays selected on the first card. To select a distribution for reassignment, check the appropriate Select checkbox. To select all reassignments, click the Select button (you can also click Unselect to deselect all distributions). Click Finish to complete the change.
If you need to “back out” of a distribution change (i.e., reverse it) because it was entered in error, you can use the following procedure.
Use the Terminate Distribution wizard to end-date the new account. When terminating, use the day before the effective date that was used for the original change. For example, if the distribution was to become active for the new account on 3/10/12, then use 3/9/12 when terminating the distribution. This will remove all records associated with the original change.
Then, on the old account, use the Reinstate Distribution wizard to reactivate the route. Use the same date as the end date on the route. If the route relationship was ended 3/9/12, then use 3/9/12 for the effective date in the Reinstate wizard.
Perform the distribution change again using the correct effective date.
Perform a distribution change from the incorrect account to the correct account using the same effective date.
The Change Distribution wizard can be used to perform a mass modification of minimum daily draw credits, contract review dates, and substitute penalty maximums. In other words, you can change this information for all accounts associated with a bill account at the same time.
In Account Services, find the bill account for the accounts whose information you want to change.
Launch the Change Distribution wizard.
Select the Maintain Account / Billing Account Relationship checkbox.
Enter the current bill account in the Bill Account field. Do not change the company and bill source.
Enter the effective date of the changes.
De-select the appropriate checkbox(es) related to the information you want to change. For example, if you want to change the contract review date, you must de-select the Copy Contract Review Date checkbox. The same is true for minimum daily draw credits and substitute penalty maximums.
Leave all of the Days For Change selected.
Click Next.
Enter the new information as appropriate.
Click Next.
Select the distributions to which this change should apply.
Click Finish to end the wizard.
Reinstate means to reverse a termination or change (i.e., if it were entered in error).
To reinstate a distribution, click the Distribution Wizards icon and select Reinstate Distribution. The Reinstate Criteria card appears.
Enter the reinstate date, which must be the end date of the distribution to be reinstated. Optionally, you can reinstate the recurring charges by selecting the Reinstate Recurring Charges checkbox.
Click Next.
On the Reinstate Selection card, you will see a list of distributions that qualify for reinstatement based on the reinstate date selected on the first card. To select a distribution for reinstatement, check the appropriate Select checkbox. To select all reassignments, click the Select button (you can also click Unselect to deselect all distributions). Click Finish to reinstate the distributions.
The distribution fields that can be modified appear on the Miscellaneous Info panel of the Distribution tab.
To modify a distribution, select it from the list and click Modify. Enter an effective date for the modification, make the appropriate changes, and click OK. The changes will be in effect as of the date entered. Note: The effective date cannot be before the last bill date.
Recurring charges are charges that appear on an account’s bill regularly (for items such as insurance or monthly bond charges).
To add a recurring charge, click the Other Wizards icon and select Add Recurring Charge.
Complete the following fields and click Next.
On the Recurring Charges Selection card (below), you will see a list of distributions to which the recurring charge can be assigned. Check the appropriate Select checkbox(es) or Select All. Then, click Finish.
The Add Levy wizard is used to assign court-imposed levies that must be deducted from the carrier’s 1099 income. For example, a levy may be imposed on a carrier to pay a creditor.
Click the Other Wizards button and select Add Levy to display the first card.
Complete the following fields and click Next.
On the Levy Selection card, click the Select checkbox next to the company and bill source to which this levy applies. Or, click Select All to select all company and bill source combinations. Click Finish to end the wizard.
Notification preferences are used by the Carrier Mail Export to distribute notifications to accounts. For example, if an e-mail address is specified as a preference, then notifications will be sent to the account’s e-mail address.
To add a notification preference, click the Other Wizards icon and select Add Notification.
Complete the following fields:
Account—This will default if the currently selected account is the only associated account. If this is a billing account with many associated accounts, then click the lookup icon and select the account whose notification preference is being added.
Notification—Specify the notification preference (e-mail, home phone, etc.).Account notifications must be defined in advance (see Notification in the Setup Manual). The notification method (e-mail, bundle top, etc.) is specified when the notification is set up.
Start Date and End Date—Enter the date range during which this notification preference is valid.
Details—Enter the specific e-mail address, phone number, etc., of the account.
Click Finish when you have entered all the information.
This wizard allows you to define the default recurring charges for a distribution. When a new account is associated with a distribution, the recurring charges will default based on how they are set up here.
Click the Other Wizards icon and select Default Recurring Charges.
On the first card, enter the effective date of the default recurring charge and click Next.
On the second card, select the distributions to which default recurring charges should be applied. Then, click Finish.
Enter the route draw type, such as “carrier collect”, “office pay”, “paid complimentary”, or “third party”. For single copy outlets, enter a valid draw class in this field. See for more information about draw types. See the Setup manual for more information about draw classes.
Check this field if this is a resupply request for the route, rather than an actual shortage. If so, distribution documents will be regenerated for the papers, and a draw adjustment will be made, using the resupply draw adjustment code specified in Deliverable setup. See for more information about the resupply feature. You can still use the Resupply button in Dispatching to distribute regular shortages (which have this field unchecked). See for more information.
Select Draw Change Journal from the Reports menu to display the Draw Change Journal window.
Click the Find Route button () and specify the route for which you want to walk sequences.
Note: If all of a street’s addresses are included in a sequence (i.e. are in the Delivery Segments area), it will have a dark yellow pending icon (). If only a portion of the addresses are included in a sequence, the pending icon will be light yellow ().
If you want to define a delivery segment that is only part of a street, it may be easier to click the Add Street Segment icon (). This will add the first street in the list that does not have a delivery segment, with the From and To fields blank. Set the house number range in the From and To fields, as well as the Side and Order.
You can add left turns, right turns, and turnarounds to the sequence by clicking on the , , and icons. When adding a turn, the Direction Entry window displays. The Description will be Turn Left, Turn Right, or Turn Around, depending on what type of turn was selected. In the Detailed Instructions field, enter any specific instructions for this turn. Then click OK.
Any new streets segments or turns will automatically be added to the end of the sequence. To move a segment up or down in the delivery sequence, highlight the segment and click the or buttons to move it. You can also remove a delivery segment by checking the box to the left of it and clicking the Delete icon ().
When finished with the route sequencing, click the Save Changes icon (). The delivery segments, which were marked with a yellow pending icon (), will now have a green updated icon (), indicating that the route walk sequence has been saved to the database.
After sequencing a route, you can produce a Route Walk Sequence report (see ) by clicking the Report icon ().
Use this option if you are entering draw changes for a number of single copy routes. If you want to change draw for only a few routes (or for a home delivery route), use the instead. If you want to adjust the draw for all single copy routes, use the .
Note: If you want to change a route’s draw after Transaction Processing, you must enter a .
This option creates pending draw records by looking at unprocessed transactions happening on or before a specified date (it does not process the transactions). You may update pending draw as often as you wish, and you can view it on the Draws tab (See ). Pending draw can also be updated automatically as part of End Publ Run; a Business Rule determines how many days are updated.
Group Draw Change changes the draw for all single copy routes within the selection parameters you enter by a certain percentage or quantity. It will create a suspended batch of draw changes, which you must then accept using the Batch Draw Change option (see ). You must do this before final Transaction Processing is run for the publishing day.
You may want to enter returns weekly instead of daily. Weekly returns are entered in the same way as , except they can be entered for each day of the week that a route delivers. Based on the date entered in Entry Date, the seven days of the previous week are displayed.
Route returns are entered in the same way as single copy returns (see ), but the returns are broken down into carrier collect, sample, and service. In addition, the delivery schedule and, if you store draw by rate code, subscriber rate code must be specified. This is because account rates (and thus the value of the return) can be defined by delivery schedule and subscriber rate code.
Select this checkbox if a bundle top is required for each entry in the batch. This option is available for products that allow resupply. See .
Entering draw adjustments for a week involves the same procedure as entering adjustments for a day (see ). The only difference is that you enter draw adjustments for each day of the week. Based on the date you entered in the Entry Date field, the seven days of the previous week are displayed.
Another example of home delivery draw adjustments are previous delivery papers, which are sometimes given to new subscribers when they start. Previous delivery route draw adjustment batches can be automatically generated by for previous delivery draw. Generated previous delivery batches will be named “PD[yymmdd]”, where [yymmdd] is the publishing date on which the previous delivery paper is being delivered.
This feature is similar to the . It allows you to import a suspended batch of draw adjustments, which can later be activated and accepted using Adjust For A Day. After the batch is accepted, Circulation will append the suffix “.old” to the file name (for example “nov11.dradj” would be changed to “nov11.dradj.old”).
Indicate whether these draw adjustments should have resupply documents created for them. See for more information.
Draw adjustment codes for sold and shrink copies can be defined, and sold or shrink copies can be imported via this option. In order to import sold or shrink copies, a file map must be defined in File Map setup with a usage of “SoldImport” (see ). Draw adjustments can also be entered manually for sold or shrink copies, by selecting the sold or shrink draw adjustment code in Adjust for a Day or Adjust for a Week.
Amounts for sold copies can also be imported, via the Proof of Sale Adj option on the Account Payments menu (see ). This credits the account for the original draw charge and posts a new charge for the same amount, but with the current date.
The DistribMaintBkp security item controls the Backup feature. This button will be inactive for users who don’t have security. See for more information about the Backup option.
Click the Distribution Maintenance button () on the Route Service button bar to launch Distribution Maintenance. The parts of the interface are shown below.
Click the Find Trucks button () on the button bar.
To open a duplicate view, click the Double button () on the button bar. A duplicate view of the truck tree appears in the right pane of the window. To hide the duplicate view, click the Double button again.
To view or modify the departure order, click the Departure Order button () on the button bar. The departure order is displayed in the right pane of the window.
Click the Alternate Tree button () on the button bar.
Click the Add Route button () and select the appropriate option from the menu. You can also right-click on the new route’s drop (or the drop just before it) and select Add Route in Drop or Add Route below Drop from the Add Route menu.
Click the Add Truck button ().
If you plan to export truck sequence details, modify them, and then re-import them back into Circulation, it is recommended that you include all possible file-mapping data elements when performing the export and the import. Missing one or more data elements may result in missing data. See .
Click the Truck Sequence Export button ().
Click the Truck Sequence Import button ().
Highlight the root icon in the truck tree () or another truck.
Click the Add Truck button ().
Click the Add Truck button ().
Click the Backup button ().
Click the Backup button ().
Business Rules must be set up to handle special circumstances, such as perm-stopping a subscriber on a suspended route. See for information.
and related to Account Services
When you click the Search button (), fields are made available for finding an account in the system.
The account’s answers to account demographics are displayed on the Demographic tab (see ).
To add a new occupant, click Add and complete the occupant fields on this card. The occupant fields are described in Adding an Occupant in the Customer Service chapter (see ).
You can also add one or more phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the occupant, on the Phone and Email subtabs. This is similar to entering phone and e-mail information for occupants in Customer Service (see ).
If you need to add an address, click Add and complete the address fields on this card. The address fields are described in in the Customer Service chapter.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the publication or TM product whose route information should be exported. Note that draw must be created during TM processing prior to running this export for a TM product. Mail numbers will not be exported for TM products (only publications).
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date for which route information should be exported.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether actual, pending, or advance draw should be exported.
DEPARTURE SEQUENCE
setup
Select the truck departure sequence that should be used in the export. Only trucks in this sequence will be selected.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Select the truck sequence that should be used in the export. Only routes dropped by this truck sequence will be selected.
ACCOUNT GROUP TYPE
predefined
Indicate the entities that should be exported as account groups and zones. The choices are ad zone, Zip code, truck, parent truck, district, distribution zone and carrier ID.
ZONE TYPE
predefined
Indicate the entities that should be exported as zone types. The choices are ad zone, Zip code, truck, district, and distribution zone.
INCLUDE DRAW BATCH
open
This field allows you to include a suspended draw change batch (or batches) in the SAM export file, so that multiple export files can be generated for different draw scenarios. When the export is run, a message is written to the process log indicating which batches were included in the export.
CIRC GROUP
open (10)
Enter the circulation group ID that should be exported. This may default from Business Rules.
EXPORT FILE NAME
open (30)
Specify the file name for the SAM export file. This will be the name of the draw file; the global file will have this name with “GLBL.txt
” appended to it.
EXPORT MESSAGES
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want messages records (1 through 6) to be exported. Messages will not be exported if this checkbox is not selected.
SUSPEND/UNSUSPEND INFORMATION
TRANSACTION TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether you are suspending or unsuspending (reinstating) routes.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether routes should be selected for suspension/reinstatement by district, route, or account.
PRODUCT
open (8)
Enter the publication for which you are suspending or reinstating routes.
SELECTION
setup
Depending on what you entered in Selection Type, enter the district, route, or account that should be suspended or reinstated. You can also multi-select. If you select districts, all routes in the selected districts will be suspended or reinstated. If you select accounts, all routes associated with the accounts will be affected.
ROUTE TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether single copy or home delivery routes will be suspended or reinstated.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for the suspension or reinstatement.
REMARKS
unlimited
Enter any remarks pertinent to the suspension or reinstatement.
SUSPEND
SUSPEND DATE
date
Enter the date on which the routes will be suspended.
ROUTE REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for the suspension. The reason code must be a Suspend reason code.
CHARGE/CREDIT ACCOUNT?
yes/no
If you are suspending home delivery routes, indicate whether carriers should be charged/credited for the draw on the suspended day. Single copy routes will never be charged or credited for a suspended day.
ROUTE DRAW TYPE
predefined
If you selected Charge/Credit Account, indicate the draw types for which carriers should be charged/credited on the suspended day, or multi-select draw types. The valid draw types are carrier collect, office pay, paid comp, unpaid comp, service, and sample.
SUBSCRIPTION REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for the temporary stop transactions that will be created by the system for subscribers on the routes selected. The reason code must be a Stop reason code.
UNSUSPEND
UNSUSPEND DATE
date
Enter the date on which the routes will be reinstated.
REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for the reinstatement. The reason code must be an Unsuspend reason code.
SUBSCRIPTION REASON
setup
Enter the reason code for the restart transactions that will be created by the system for subscribers on the routes selected. The reason code must be a Restart reason code.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication or TM product for which base information should be exported.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range for the base export. Route information will be exported for the days in the date range. If a publication does not publish on a given day of the week, no records will be exported for that date. Note that the export can be run for a maximum of seven days.
DEPARTURE
setup x 7
For each day of the date range, enter the truck departure sequence that should be used for sorting purposes.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup x 7
For each day of the date range, enter the truck sequence that should be used. This determines the truck to which a route is assigned and its drop order within the truck.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the publication for which draw should be exported.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether to export actual or advance draw figures.
SECTION
setup
If you are exporting advance draw and you keep advance draw by section (a Business Rules consideration), enter the section whose draw figures should be exported. Otherwise, this field will be skipped.
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date for which draw figures should be exported. If there are no draw records for this date and the type entered above, you will be prompted to enter a different date. Actual draw, for example, cannot be exported for more than seven publishing days in the future because it is kept for only seven days beyond the current publishing date.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication for which to export draw and truck information to BURT.
DRAW DATE
date
Enter the date for which draw information should be exported.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether actual, advance, or pending draw should be exported. If draw has already been exported for this product, date, and draw type, you will be prompted as to whether the existing file should be overwritten.
SECTION
setup
If running the export for a draw type of “Advance,” specify the section whose draw numbers should be exported (if advance publishing is run by section). If advance publishing is across all sections, enter “*” here.
DEPARTURE SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck departure sequence that should be used to determine the trucks to be exported.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence that should be used to determine the routes to be exported.
HOME DELIVERY PRODUCT TYPE, SINGLE COPY PRODUCT TYPE
predefined
BURT has a Product Type field, which indicates whether a route is shipped complete or in parts that are assembled outside of the mail room. In these two fields, indicate whether your home delivery routes and single copy routes leave the mail room as completes or parts. If the Business Rule, Does the route indicator vary by route for Burt Export? (Route Services section) is set to “yes”, you will also be able to enter route in these fields. Selecting route will export the Burt product type entered for the route in Route Setup or, if not defined, the product type specified in the fields below.
HOME DELIVERY INDICATOR, SINGLE COPY INDICATOR
open
If you selected “Route” in either of the product type fields above, enter the Burt product type to export for routes that do not have a product type specified in Route Setup. Note that if the Override field, below, is checked, this will be the product type exported for all home delivery and/or single copy routes.
OVERRIDE ROUTE INDICATOR
yes/no
The product type for a route may be specified in Route Setup. If Home Delivery Product Type or Single Copy Product Type is set to “Route”, indicate whether the route’s predefined product type should be exported, or whether the home delivery/single copy indicators entered above should be exported for all routes.
ROUTING SCHEDULE
open (6)
The BURT system uses the concept of a routing schedule (or “delivery schedule”) to identify how the inserting should be carried out on a given day of the week. Potentially, seven different routing schedule could be used. For example, the same departure sequence and truck sequence might be used for the Times on Tuesday and Wednesday, but in certain cases two Circulation Management “trucks” might be loaded onto the same physical truck on Tuesday. To differentiate the different load arrangements, Tuesday and Wednesday could be assigned separate routing schedules. In this field, enter the routing schedule for the export date (for example “TMSSAT” for “Times Saturday”).
AD ZONE TYPE
predefined
BURT has an “ad zone” field. Indicate whether the route’s truck, Zip code or ad zone should be exported in the ad zone field. Ad zone will only be a valid option if you have InsertPlus.
AGE GROUP
predefined
Indicate if this account belongs in the youth or adult age group.
You may use the age group, account rate class, and contract date as criteria when determining the rate that is charged or credited for draw.
ACCOUNT RATE CLASS
setup
If this account belongs to a special rate class, enter that rate class here.
See Account Rates in the Setup Manual for more information.
WORK PERMIT
open (15)
Optionally, enter the account’s work permit number.
SSN
integer (11)
Enter the social security number of the account (optional). Enter this number with dashes (for example, “123-45-6789”).
Business Rules determine whether the social security number must be unique.
TAX ID
open (15)
Optionally, enter the account’s tax ID number.
RCTI
yes/no
This field is used to identify agents who have the ability to generate recipient-created tax invoices (Australia only).
CAN CREDIT TMC
yes/no
Indicate if this account may be credited for the delivery of targeted marketing products.
CAN DROP CREDIT
yes/no
This field is used to identify accounts that should be paid on a per-address (i.e., drop) basis rather than account rating basis.
LANGUAGE
setup
Enter the account’s preferred language.
DROP INSTRUCTIONS
open (60)
Enter drop instructions that print on the bundle top and truck manifest when the drop location is the account’s address (optional).
START
date
Enter the start date for this account.
END
date
Enter the end date of this account. Leave this field blank until the account becomes inactive.
BIRTH
date
Enter the account’s birth date (optional).
GRADUATION
date
Enter the account’s graduation date (optional).
CONTRACT
date
Indicate the first day of this account’s contract. This can be used in account rating.
Billing Information
ACCOUNT CLASS
setup
Enter the account class or press F2 for lookup. See Account Class in the Setup Manual to learn how to set up account classes.
COLLECTOR ID
setup
Enter the ID of the collector assigned to this account, if applicable.
BILL WHEN
predefined
If you print carrier collect invoices for this route, indicate whether the invoices should be produced in advance or in arrears. If you select “arrears,” the collect invoices for this route will indicate what is due from each carrier collect subscriber in the current billing period; if you select “advance,” the invoices will indicate what is due for the next billing period.
BILL FORMAT
predefined
Specify the bill format to use with this account, either single or memo. The single bill format prepares one bill for each account and may include more than one route and product combination. The memo bill format prepares separate bills for each route and provides a summary bill with totals for the “bill to” account.
Vendor Information
ID
open (8)
Enter this account’s vendor ID used in interfacing credit balances to an Accounts Payable system for check generation. If you interface account information to an AP system, the account’s vendor ID and vendor company must be entered here (otherwise the balance will not be interfaced). This may (based on Business Rules) be a system-assigned number. If so, the vendor ID will be displayed here but cannot be changed. The vendor ID, company, and payment method can also be imported into Circulation.
COMPANY
open (4)
Enter this account’s vendor company ID used in interfacing credit balances to an Accounts Payable system for check generation.
METHOD
open (8)
Indicate the method by which checks are sent to the account in the AP system. Examples might be “office” and “mail.” This is interfaced to the AP system along with the vendor ID and company.
Note:
If you enter vendor information (i.e., interface credits to an AP system), the Bank Number and secondary bank fields will be skipped unless the AP interface uses the Dunn and Bradstreet or Peoplesoft 3 format.
Bank Draft Information
NUMBER
open (9)
Enter a bank number that defines this account’s bank. This and the following fields are used in direct deposit. Enter information here only if the account will be involved in your direct deposit program.
ACCOUNT
open (20)
Enter the bank account number.
TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this bank account is a checking or savings account.
BRANCH
open (8)
Enter a branch number, if needed, for this bank.
HOLDER
open (30)
Enter the name to whom the bank account is registered, if different from the account’s name.
PRENOTE SENT
yes/no
A prenote is a zero-amount transaction sent to make sure all of the account information is correct. Indicate if a prenote has been sent to the bank for this carrier.
Credit Card Information
NUMBER
open
This field, and the next two fields, allow a site to generate credit card payments through Account Lockbox processing without having to include credit card information in the lockbox file itself. Enter the account’s credit card number for lockbox payments.
TYPE
display
The type of credit card is displayed.
EXPIRES
date
Enter the credit card’s expiration date.
USAGE
predefined
Indicate the usage of the credit card: On File (lockbox processing) or Recurring Charges.
HOLDER
open (30)
Enter the name to whom the credit card is registered, if different from the account’s name.
COMPANY
setup
Enter a company for which this account will be billed.
BILL SOURCE
setup
Enter the bill source indicating the billing group in which this account will be billed. See Bill Source for more information.
TERMS
setup
Enter a terms ID to indicate the terms which should be used to bill this account (such as “By3rd” to indicate that the payment is due by the 3rd of each month). See Terms for more information.
MIN DAILY DRAW CHG
decimal (8)
Enter the minimum amount charged to this account each delivery day, if desired. Business Rules govern whether minimum daily draw charges are used and, if so, their charge code.
ACCOUNT GROUP
setup
Enter the account group to which this account belongs, if applicable.
BILLING PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product for which this account will be billed.
BILLING ROUTE
setup
Enter the route for which this account will be billed.
DISTRIBUTION CODE
setup
You may want to assign a distribution code to this account (see Distribution Code). Distribution codes can be used in sorting account invoices.
PROTECTED LEVY AMOUNT,
decimal (7)
If this account has a levy imposed upon his or her net income, enter any protected income here. For example, a levy of 100.00 may be imposed on a carrier to pay an auto loan, but the court may stipulate that 500.00 of a carrier’s income is protected. See the next section for more information on account levies.
PROTECTED LEVY PERCENT
decimal (6)
The protected income can be entered either as a flat amount or a percentage. If the carrier has no levies or the levies have no protected amount, leave these fields set to zero.
CAN FINANCE CHARGE
yes/no
Indicate whether finance charges can be applied to this account balance.
CAN WRITE OFF
yes/no
Indicate whether this account’s amount due can be written off in the future.
WRITTEN OFF
yes/no
Indicate whether this account’s amount due has been written off. Payments and/or returns are not accepted after a carrier’s amount due has been written off. Changing the value in Written Off to “y” will not actually write off the account’s balance, but payments and/or returns will no longer be allowed for this account. You must write off the balance due by selecting Accounting | Miscellaneous Charge/Credit and making the appropriate entries.
ACCOUNT TYPE
predefined setup
Select Delivery or a user-defined account type such as “trainee” or “agent.” Delivery means the account is responsible for delivering the route (a CarrierDistribPoint record is created). Other account types are considered billing accounts (a BillingDistribPoint record is created).
DISTRIBUTION TYPE
predefined
If Delivery is selected in Account Type, then this field will be set to Route and disabled. If a different account type is selected, then either Route or District can be selected here.
DISTRIBUTION
setup
The route ID or district ID of the distribution type defined above. You can select multiple routes or districts.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product for which you are assigning the distribution.
ACCOUNT
setup
This field will default to the currently selected account. If the currently selected account is set up to receive an invoice, then any account can be selected in this field. However, if the current account is not set up to receive an invoice, then the default must be used, and the field is disabled.
START DATE END DATE
date
Enter a date range for this distribution. The start date defaults to today’s date, and the end date may be left blank.
BILL ACCOUNT
setup
Enter the ID of the account who receives the bill.
COMPANY
setup
Enter the company of the bill account.
BILL SOURCE
setup
Enter the bill source of the bill account. Only bill sources linked to the account above can be selected. Bill sources can be linked to an account via the Source tab in Account Service.
MON - SUN
yes/no
Select the days of week on which this distribution is active.
ADD DEFAULT RECURRING CHARGES
yes/no
Select this checkbox to create default recurring charges for the distribution.
MINIMUM DAILY DRAW CREDIT
decimal (6.2)
Enter the minimum amount credited to this account each day. The availability of this field is controlled by Business Rules.
CONTRACT REVIEW DATE
date
Enter the date on which this account’s contract will be reviewed.
SUBSTITUTE PENALTY MAXIMUM
decimal (6) X 7
When a substitute delivers a route, a penalty can be assessed for the regular account. If you are setting up a delivery account, enter the maximum penalty per day that can be charged to him/her when the route is delivered by a substitute.
MAINTAIN ACCOUNT / BILLING ACCOUNT RELATIONSHIP
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you are reassigning this distribution to a new billing account, but the delivery accounts should remain the same. The Account field will be disabled and the relationships maintained. If you do not select this checkbox, the distribution will be reassigned to the accounts specified in the Account and Bill Account fields below. No relationships will be maintained.
ADD DEFAULT RECURRING CHARGES
yes/no
Select this checkbox to allow new recurring charge records to be created from the default values for each distribution that is reassigned.
ACCOUNT
setup
Enter the account to whom this distribution is being reassigned.
BILL ACCOUNT
setup
Enter the bill account to whom this distribution is being reassigned.
COMPANY
setup
Enter the company of the bill account.
BILL SOURCE
setup
Enter the bill source of the bill account. Only bill sources linked to the account above can be selected.
Bill sources can be linked to an account via the Source tab in Account Service.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date on which this distribution assignment becomes active.
COPY MINIMUM DAILY DRAW CREDIT COPY CONTRACT REVIEW DATE COPY SUBSTITUTE PENALTY MAXIMUM
yes/no
These three checkboxes control whether the respective entries from the original record are copied to the new record or if new entries will be provided. If one or more of these checkboxes are not selected, then the next card in the wizard will prompt for the new entries.
RETURN TO CURRENT ACCOUNT
yes/no
Select this checkbox if you want to continue working with the current account after finishing the wizard.
If it is not selected, the account entered in the Bill Account field will be displayed instead.
DAYS FOR CHANGE
yes/no
Select the days to be reassigned.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this recurring charge is active.
CODE
setup
Enter the recurring charge/credit code. Charge and credit codes need to be set up in advance of recurring charges. Note that if the account is a non-delivery account at the district level (i.e., is not assigned to a specific route), only charge codes with a flat rate type will be available.
BILL PERIOD
setup
Enter the bill period in which the recurring charge should appear on the account bills. For example, if the recurring charge should appear on bills the fourth week of every month, enter the code established for the fourth week recurring charges. Then, during account billing, Circulation prompts you to enter which bill period should be billed in that run.
ADVANCE
yes/no
Indicate whether the recurring charge should be included in the account’s advance bill, if accounts are billed in advance.
RATE TYPE, CALCULATION TYPE
display
The rate type (percentage or flat) and calculation type (the percentage can be calculated based on draw charges or draw credits) are displayed. These are defined when the charge code is set up.
FLAT RATE
decimal (6)
If the rate type is flat, enter the amount of the charge or credit for this account.
MAXIMUM AMOUNT
decimal (9)
Enter the maximum ongoing amount that can be charged to the account with this recurring charge. For example, if an account was charged 10.00 per billing period for a bond, and the maximum was 70.00, the recurring charge would show up for seven billing periods before it would reach its maximum and no longer appear. It is possible to exceed Maximum Amount with interest calculations. For example, if the recurring charge Rate is 50.00, Maximum Amount is 150.00, and the account’s current balance is 145.00, only 5.00 of the current recurring charge would be added to the total, but any interest calculations could increase the total amount to more than 150.00.
PERCENT RATE
decimal (6)
If the rate type is percentage, enter the percentage that draw charges or credits should be multiplied by to calculate the charge. For example, enter 3% as “3.000”.
MAXIMUM FACTOR
decimal (6)
If you did not enter a maximum amount for a percentage charge, you can establish a maximum amount each billing period based on the draw charge/credits. This factor is multiplied by the draw charge or credit to find the maximum amount. For example, if the draw charge is 100.00 and the maximum factor is 2.000, the maximum for this recurring charge would be 200.00. If you use a maximum factor, the maximum amount will be “floating”—i.e., it will be recalculated each time the charge is billed, based on the current draw charges or credits.
TOTAL AMOUNT
display
Each time this recurring charge is selected for billing and processed, Circulation increases the Total Amount by the amount charged/credited.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range during which this levy will be imposed on the carrier’s wages. End Date may be left blank.
CHARGE CODE
setup
Enter the charge code for the levy. The charge code must be defined in advance and be identified as a levy charge code.
SECONDARY
integer (5)
The order in which different levies are deducted from the account’s wages is defined when the levy charge code is set up. However, there may be situations in which two levies with the same charge code are imposed on a carrier (for example, two auto loan levies). If two levies of the same charge code are assigned, this field determines which levy is imposed first.
AMOUNT
decimal (6)
If the levy is for a flat amount, enter the amount here. This amount will be deducted from the account’s wages each period, if possible.
PERCENT
decimal (6)
If the levy is for a percentage, enter the percentage here. This percentage of the account’s wages will be deducted for the levy, if possible.
MAXIMUM
decimal (8)
Enter the maximum cumulative amount for the levy. For example, if the levy for an auto loan is 100.00 per period until the entire loan of 2000.00 is paid off, then 2000.00 would be entered here.
Search. Search for an account.
List. Open the Account List Builder.
Account Wizards. Launch a wizard to add an account, an account billing, or an account source.
Distribution Wizards. Launch a wizard to add, terminate, change, or reinstate a distribution.
Other Wizards. Launch a wizard to add a recurring charge, a default recurring charge, a levy, or a notification.
Current/History Toggle
Go To Subsystem. Go to another part of the Route Service module: Route Service main window, Account Inquiry, Route Setup, Distribution Maintenance, or Tasks.
Account Status. Shows the status of the account setup. This button has three possible states: a red traffic light indicating an error in the account setup; a “caution” mode, which indicates a “warning” about the account setup, and a green flag indicating no issues with the account setup. Button states other than the green flag will display a report of errors/warnings about the account setup when clicked.
Use this import utility to import drop times from an ASCII file. File layouts for this import are defined in File Map. At a minimum, you must include the truck ID, drop time and drop number in your file map, although you may include all of the required fields. Any fields that are not included in the file map will be prompted for at run time.
Select Utilities | Import | Drop Time to display the Drop Time Import window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
READ OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether the import should be run in commit mode (transactions imported into Circulation) or edit mode (no transactions imported—the file is simply read and any errors displayed).
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select a File Map format to use for this import. The file name may default from the file map.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product.
RUN DATE
date
Enter the run date.
DEPARTURE
setup
Select the truck departure order.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Select the truck sequence.
DELIVERY DATE
date
Enter the delivery date.
FILE NAME
open (30)
Enter the name of the file being imported; it must be in the /dti/exchange/cm
directory.
Click OK and then Continue.
This option imports router changes from an external file in the RouteSmart format. To export Circulation route information, you generate the Route Delivery List report with a report type of “Export.”
Export Circulation’s route information to a file that can be read by RouteSmart. The Route Delivery List report, which is run as an export using a predefined “RouteSmart” file map, accomplishes this.
Import the file into RouteSmart and make the necessary route-boundary modifications. Then, export the route information from RouteSmart. Be sure to export all of the addresses for each route that was changed.
Using the new Route Import option, import all of the route information back into Circulation.
Run the Route Reassignment option to create reroute transactions for subscribers who are now on different routes.
To use this option, you will need to create a new file map with a usage of “RouterImport”. The data elements that can be used with this file map include AAM Zone ID, Address ID, New Route ID, Old Route ID, Product ID, and Record Identifier. All elements except AAM Zone ID and Record Identifier are required.
Select Utilities | Import | Router in Route Service to display the Router Import window.
Click Add.
Complete the following fields:
Read Option—Select Edit to produce a report of the router changes that would have been made if Commit were selected. Select Commit when you are ready to update the database with these changes.
When run in “Commit” mode, the Router Import will
make a backup copy of the current router tables (i.e., Router, RouterRoute, RouterPublication, and RouteAddress) in the default exchange directory,
delete all of the router-related records for both the old and new contained in the input file,
build a new set of router-related records for the “new” routes contained in the input file, and
produce a report of the new router segments that were created.
File Format—Select the file map that you created for this import.
File Name—The file name will default from File Map setup, but it can be changed. The file must be located in the default exchange directory.
4 Click OK to run the import.
Dock (chute) assignments for trucks can be imported from an external file, via Truck Dock Import. The option imports a file that is comma or pipe delimited for a specified effective date and truck departure, and contains two fields. The first field is the truck ID and the second is the dock number.
Create an ASCII file containing the dock assignments, in the format described above.
Select Utilities | Import | Truck Dock Import to display the Truck Dock Import screen.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
FILE NAME
open (30)
Enter the name of the import file in the /dti/exchange/cm directory.
DELIMITER
predefined
Indicate whether the delimiter used is a comma or a pipe symbol (|).
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Specify the date on which the dock assignments will take effect.
TRUCK DEPARTURE
setup
Select the truck departure for which the dock assignments are being imported.
READ OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether the file should be processed in edit or commit mode. Edit mode will only read the records and report any errors. Commit mode will create the dock assignments. NEWSYCLE recommends running this option in edit mode before importing the actual dock assignments in commit mode.
Click OK and then Continue to import the dock assignments. A processing report will display the number of records exported and any errors.
This option allows you to select single copy draw class records based on product and draw class, and change the maximum return percentage permanently, or for a date range.
Select Max Return from the Utilities menu to display the Max Return Percentage window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product ID.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether this report should include a particular edition, district, zip, route, truck, single copy type.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
If you entered “truck” in Selection Type, select a truck sequence here.
SELECTION
setup
Enter the specific edition, district, zip, etc. (depending on what type is entered in Selection Type) to include. If you entered “mail” above, this field will be skipped.
ZIP EXTENSION
open
If you are using a Zip code as the selection, enter the Zip extension here.
DRAW CLASS
setup
Select the draw class for which you want to change the maximum return percentages.
START DATE
date
Enter the date on which the maximum return percentages should be changed.
END DATE
date
Enter the date on which the percentages should be changed back.
MAX RETURN PERCENT (SUN-SAT)
decimal (6)
Enter the maximum return percentage for these draw classes for each day of the week.
Click OK and then Continue to change the percentages. A processing report will be displayed.
Use this import utility to import single copy draw changes from an ASCII file. For example, if you track NIE draw in a different system, you could export draw changes for NIE routes to a file and import them into Circulation.
This option creates a suspended batch of draw changes. The draw changes will replace (rather than adjust) the route’s draw for each day of the week beginning with the start date. A reversal date for the draw change may be specified in the ASCII file, or may be left blank (no reversal date). All of the draw dates interfaced must be unpublished, and only draw changes for single copy routes can be imported.
Create an ASCII file containing the draw change information. The file format is defined in File Mapping.
Select Utilities | Import | Single Copy Draw to display the Single Copy Draw Import window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
READ OPTION
predefined
Indicate whether to edit or commit this information. Select commit to import draw records. Select edit to view a report showing the number of records processed (and errors)—you must then run this option a gain and set this field to commit. A batch, description, source and reason are only needed when this field is set to commit.
BATCH
open (8)
Specify an ID for the draw change batch that will be created.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this batch.
SOURCE
setup
Enter the source code for the draw change batch (such as “NIE”).
REASON
setup
Enter a reason code for the draw change batch.
OVERRIDE SETUP
yes/no
This checkbox is available only in “commit” mode. Select this checkbox if draw changes should be made for single copy routes that are set up not to allow them (i.e., draw changes = “no” in Route Setup). Notes: The availability of this checkbox is controlled by the “AllowDrwChgOvrd” Transaction Security item.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product ID or leave the field blank to use an imported value.
EFFECTIVE DATE
date
Enter the date on which these draw changes will be active or leave the field blank to use an imported value.
REVERSAL DATE
date
Enter the date on which these draw changes should be reversed or leave the field blank to use an imported value.
ADJUST/REPLACE
predefined
Indicate whether these draw changes should adjust existing draw or replace it.
FILE FORMAT
predefined
Enter the name of the file map to use for this import.
FILE NAME
open (30)
Enter the name of the import file in the /dti/exchange/cm
directory.
Click OK and then Continue to import the draw changes. The draw changes will be imported, and a suspended batch created (the batch can be accepted using Batch Draw Change). A processing report will display the number of records exported and any errors.
This option exports a draw forecast file to be used by an external forecasting application. The export is for a specified time period and uses file mapping (“DrwForecastExprt
” usage). The export file includes single copy draw, returns, and draw adjustments for a selected product and date range. Past and future draw dates can be included in the file.
Select Draw Forecast from the Utilities | Export menu to display the Draw Forecast Export window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the publication whose draw, returns and draw adjustments should be exported.
START DATE END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which to export the information.
ROUTE TYPE
setup
Select the type of route to include in the export: home delivery, single copy, or both.
DRAW TYPE
predefined
Select Advance, Pending, or Actual draw.
PROJECT ACTUAL DRAW WHEN NO DRAW FOUND
yes/no
When no pending or advance draw exists for a given weekday, actual draw can be used instead. For example, if you are running advance draw for a week, but advance draw exists for only one day, select this checkbox if the remaining days should be populated with actual draw.
EXPORT DAYS WITH NO DRAW
yes/no
When this checkbox is selected, data will be exported for all days selected, in order to keep the format of the export file consistent each time it is run. If this option is not selected, only days with draw will be exported, and it will be possible for the number of days to vary among exported records.
EXPORT CHANGED DRAW ONLY
yes/no
When this checkbox is selected, only those days of the week with draw that differs from the previous week will be exported. For example, if Wednesday’s draw is the same as it was last week, it will not be exported. If this option is not selected, all draw will be exported.
DRAW OPTION
predefined
This field is available only when Export Changed Draw Only (above) is selected. Indicate whether All Dates In Range or Changed Dates Only should be exported. For example, if the export is run for one week, and only one day’s draw differs from the previous week, you have the option to export only that date or all dates in the entered date range.
EXPORT BY DRAW CLASS?
yes/no
Indicate whether draw, returns, and draw adjustments should be sorted by draw class in the export file.
EXPORT BY DELIVERY SCHEDULE ID?
yes/no
Indicate whether draw, returns, and draw adjustments should be sorted by Subscriber’s delivery schedule in the export file.
FILE FORMAT
setup
Select a file format to use (set up using File Map).
FILE NAME
open (20)
Enter the name of the file to be exported.
FILE OPTION
predefined
Select append to add new figures to an existing file or replace to replace an existing file.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
If the selected file map (File Format field) contains the truck ID element, specify the truck sequence ID to use in this export.
Click OK and then Continue to run the export. The file will be exported to the default exchange directory. A processing report will list the number of records exported and any errors that occurred during the process.
Use this utility to record start and end times of each truck, as well as the drop time for each drop on a truck.
Select Utilities | Drop Time Entry to display the Drop Time Entry window.
Click Add and complete the following fields to define which trucks are displayed in the Truck Time table.
PRODUCT
setup
Select the product to determine which trucks are displayed in the Truck Time table.
RUN DATE
date
Enter the run date.
DEPARTURE and TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
If only one departure and truck sequence exist for the entered product and run date, they will be populated automatically, and these fields will be skipped. Otherwise, you must enter the departure and truck sequence.
DEPARTURE DATE, COMPLETE DATE, and DELIVERY DATE
date
Optionally, you can use these fields to establish default dates for the Truck Time table.
Click OK. Trucks that should have had deliveries for the run date entered are displayed in the Truck Time table.
Select a row in the Truck Time table and click Modify.
Complete the fields described below.
DEPARTURE ORDER, TRUCK, and DESCRIPTION
display
The truck’s departure order, ID, and description are displayed.
DEPARTURE DATE and DEPARTURE TIME
date
Enter the date and time of the truck’s departure. Enter the time in 24-hour
format (e.g., 23:30
).
COMPLETE DATE and COMPLETE TIME
date
Enter the date and time that the truck completed its route. Enter the time in 24-hour
format (e.g., 00:45
).
Click OK.
Select a row in the Truck Time table and click Drop Time. The Drop Time Entry window, which shows all of the deliveries for the truck in drop order, is displayed.
Select a row in the Drop Time table and click Modify.
Enter the drop date and time in the Delivery Date and Delivery Time fields.
Click OK.
Click Close when you have finished entering drop times.
The Reseq Drop Order utility resequences the drop order of selected trucks and can also be used to remove end-dated truck records.
Select Reseq Drop Order from the Utilities menu to display the Resequence Drop Order window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to run the utility.
The Truck Check report displays routes with draw that are not assigned to a truck for a selected truck sequence(s), with an option to create tasks. This information can be useful to ensure that all routes with draw will be included in the distribution documents.
Select Utilities | Truck Check to display the Truck Check window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to produce the report.
When a route with draw is found, but not assigned to a truck, a task will be created if:
The Create Task checkbox is selected, and
A task is set up in the Tasks module for the Truck Check report (i.e., An Event of “Report Processing” and “Truck Check” selected as the Report).
The Draw Change Lockout utility is used to lock out additional draw changes for a selected date, product, single copy type, route, etc. If draw changes are locked, then additional draw changes cannot be entered in Route Service, iServices Distribution, or imported from a file, depending on the particular usage defined.
Select Utilities | Draw Change Lockout to display the Draw Change Lockout window. All active draw change lockouts are shown in the upper portion of the window.
Click OK to save the lockout information, or Add Another to add more lockout entries.
You may want to override the normal delivery deadlines from time to time, for example if the weather is delaying delivery. This can be easily accomplished with this option, the Delivery Deadline Utility.
Select Deadline Override from the Utilities menu to display the Delivery Override window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to override the deadlines. The utility creates Delivery Deadline Override records, which will be retained in the system for a certain number of days, as defined in Business Rules (How many days do you want to retain delivery deadline override records?). Once the overrides have processed, the Delivery Deadline Utility report will be displayed, listing the routes whose deadlines were overridden and other information about the process. The standard view/print options are available.
The Truck Validation Sequence report lists potential problems in a truck sequence, such as routes that have more than one drop assigned, routes that are not assigned to a truck, and so on.
You can run the Truck Sequence Validation report for a particular truck sequence, product, departure sequence, and date, to ensure that:
All of your routes have been assigned a drop order with a truck.
There are no routes that have been assigned to more than one truck.
All route drops have been assigned a location (a Truck Drop Sequence record).
A route doesn’t have multiple drop orders on a truck.
A truck does not have multiple editions (if One Edition Per Truck is set to “y”).
All trucks are included in the departure sequence.
This report is useful after initial setup, and whenever you are doing significant modifications to your trucks or routes. Some problems this report might reveal are: routes assigned to multiple trucks, routes that are not assigned to trucks, routes that do not appear because the drop record has an end date before this date, and routes on trucks multiple times.
Select Utilities | Truck Validation to display the Truck Sequence Validation Report window.
Click Add and complete the following fields.
Click OK and then Continue to produce the report.
Click the Add icon () and complete the following fields:
Delivery deadlines can be defined for home delivery routes as part of Route setup (see ). The deadline indicates the time of day by which the route should be delivered. Deadlines can be viewed in Customer Service and Route Service (see ), and display when entering a complaint if the deadline has not yet been met.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the departure whose departure orders will be resequenced.
REMOVE END DATED RECORDS
yes/no
Select this checkbox if end-dated departure IDs should be deleted.
MAX CHARACTERS
open
Enter the maximum number of characters that can be used in a departure order number. For example, entering “3” in this field indicates that departure order can be numbered up to 990 using multiples of 10 (e.g., 10, 20, 30, up to 990). If it is not possible to use multiples of 10 and remain within the 3-character limit, then a smaller multiple (between 1 and 9) will be used instead.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter truck sequence containing the drops to be resequenced.
REMOVE END DATED RECORDS
yes/no
Select this checkbox if end-dated drops should be deleted.
RESEQUENCE ALL TRUCKS TRUCK
yes/no setup
Indicate which trucks should be resequenced. Either specify the trucks in the Truck field or select Resequence All Trucks.
MAX CHARACTERS
open
Enter the maximum number of characters that can be used in a drop sequence number. For example, entering “3” in this field indicates that drops can be numbered up to 990 using multiples of 10 (e.g., 10, 20, 30, up to 990). If it is not possible to use multiples of 10 and remain within the 3-character limit, then a smaller multiple (between 1 and 9) will be used instead.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the product or enter “*” to multi-select.
TRUCK DEPARTURE
setup
Specify the truck departure or enter “*” to multi-select.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Specify the truck sequence or enter “*” to multi-select.
CHECK BY EDITION EDITION
yes/no setup
If you want to limit this utility to a specific edition, select Check By Edition and specify the Edition.
WEEK DAYS
predefined
Optionally, specify the day of the week.
START DATE
date
Enter the date at which you want to start locating unassigned routes.
DRAW METHOD
predefined
Select the draw method: Actual, Advance, or Both.
CREATE TASK
check box
Select this check box if you want to create tasks to alert users to assign these routes.
PRODUCT
setup
Specify the product to which this lockout applies.
ALL EDITIONS EDITION
yes/no setup
Specify the edition to which this lockout applies, or select All Editions.
ALL SINGLE COPY TYPES SINGLE COPY TYPE
yes/no setup
Specify the single copy type to which this lockout applies, or select All Single Copy Types.
ALL ROUTES ROUTE
yes/no setup
Specify the route to which this lockout applies, or select All Routes.
ALL ACCOUNTS ACCOUNT
yes/no setup
Specify the account to which this lockout applies, or select All Accounts. If you select an account, then all routes associated with that account will be locked out.
ALL DRAW CLASSES DRAW CLASS
yes/no setup
Specify the draw class to which this lockout applies, or select All Draw Classes.
ALL USAGES USAGE
yes/no predefined
Specify the usage (external, internal, or import) to which this lockout applies, or select All Usages. • External refers to iServices Distribution and the Distribution API. • Internal refers to the Route Service module.
• Import refers to any import of draw changes.
DRAW START DATE DRAW END DATE
date date
Specify the date range of the draw affected by this lockout.
LOCKOUT START DATE LOCKOUT START TIME
date time
Specify the date and time at which this lockout takes effect. The start time is optional.
LOCKOUT END DATE LOCKOUT END TIME
date time
Specify the date and time at which this lockout is no longer in effect. These fields can be left blank.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication whose deadlines are being overridden.
OVERRIDE DATE
date
Enter the date on which the override will take place. The override will only be effective on this date.
ENTITY TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether overrides are being entered for routes based on area, region, zone, district, route, depot, truck, edition, or Zip code
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
If the entity type above is “truck”, enter the truck sequence that should be used when selecting routes from the trucks entered. Otherwise, this field will be skipped.
ENTITY
setup
Enter the entity for which deadlines are being overridden. For example, if the entity type is “edition”, you would enter an edition here. Enter “*” to multi-select entities.
OVERRIDE TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the override will be an Adjust, Override, or Delete. An Override will set a new delivery deadline for this date for the routes selected. An Adjust is used when you need to add time to an override deadline already entered. A Delete will remove an override, which means the deadlines defined in route setup will be in force again on that date.
OVERRIDE TIME
integer (4)
Enter the time, in military format, for the deadline. If this is an adjust, rather than an override, enter the number of hours and minutes that the deadline should be extended.
REMARKS
open (30)
Enter any remarks pertinent to the deadline override. Remarks entered here will appear on the Delivery Deadlines screen in Route and Customer Services.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product for which to produce the report. Only routes delivering this product will be considered.
DEPARTURE
setup
Enter the departure sequence for the report. Trucks that are in the truck sequence but not in this departure sequence will be listed.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup
Enter the truck sequence for which to produce the report. The drops information will be considered according to this sequence.
VALIDATION DATE
date
Enter the date on which to base the report. For example, if a drop record has an end date before this date, the drop will not show up on the report.
ONE EDITION PER TRUCK?
yes/no
Indicate whether the truck sequence should be validated for edition—if so, a warning will be displayed if more than one edition of the newspaper is being dropped by a truck.
WEEKDAY
predefined
If you are validating for edition, indicate the day of week that should be validated, or enter “*” to multi-select days. Routes can have different editions on different days of the week; you may allow multiple editions on a truck on one day but not another day.
ALL TRUCKS?
yes/no
Indicate whether you want all trucks to appear on the report.
On certain occasions such as holidays, a publication may have special editions, or routes might deliver different editions than they normally would. For example, if the newspaper is closed on Christmas, a route might deliver edition “Early”, dropped off the night before, rather than edition “Late” on Christmas day.
Circulation allows you to change the editions delivered by routes based on alternate edition models. These models are set up in advance (see the Setup Manual) and indicate the edition each route should deliver when the model is used. You can have several different alternate edition models—for example, an “Xmas” model, an “election” model, and a “snow day” model. Alternate edition models are used only with routes; editions delivered to mail subscribers (which is determined by their label group) cannot be changed in this manner.
Use Edition Override to override the editions for a regular or advanced publishing run.
Select Edition Override from the Publishing menu to display the Edition Override Setup window. This option is available only if you have alternate edition models set up.
Complete the following fields and click OK to add the override.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product whose editions will be overridden.
RUN TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the edition override will be for the regular (actual) publishing run, or for the advance publishing run.
RUN DATE
date
Enter the publishing date on which the edition override will occur.
PAPER SECTION
setup
If you are entering an edition override for an advance publishing run, you can specify a section to which the override applies, or enter “*” to include all sections. Advance processing bundle tops, stacker, and truck manifests will use the alternate edition model only when run for the sections indicated here.
EDITION MODEL
setup
Specify the edition model that should be used for this product on this publishing date. Each route will receive the edition defined for it under this model.
There may be situations in which you want to override multi-pack setup for specific trucks and/or routes. For example, product “DM” and product “GZ” final editions may usually be combined into a multi-pack, but there may be specific routes or trucks for which you don’t want combined bundles. By excluding these routes or trucks using this option, separate bundle tops will be produced for each product/route combination, and multi-pack indicators will not be printed on the truck manifest. The remaining routes or trucks, however, will continue to have their bundles combined. To learn more about multi-packs, see Multi Pack in the Setup Manual.
Select Multi-Pack Override from the Publishing menu to display the Multi-Pack Override window.
Complete the following fields and click OK to add the override.
PUBLISHING GROUP
setup
MULTI PACK
setup
Enter the multi-pack ID to which this override applies. See Multi Pack in the Setup Manual for more information about multi-packs.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the product to which this override applies.
RUN TYPE
predefined
Indicate whether the override will be for the regular (actual) publishing run, or for the advance publishing run.
RUN DATE
date
Enter the publishing date on which the override will occur.
SELECTION TYPE
predefined
Select Truck, Route, or All. If you select “Truck” or “Route”, you will need to select trucks or routes in the selection field.
SELECTION
setup
Select the specific trucks or routes to which this override applies.
The Publishing module includes options for processing pending subscriber and route transactions as well as generating the documents (such as bundle tops) required to distribute the product.
Topics covered in this section are as listed below:
Distribution Menu
Mail Menu
The Publishing module is used for the daily distribution of your publication. You will use many Publishing options each day as part of the daily “publishing run”. Two basic activities take place during the run:
Transactions entered in Services, Accounting, and elsewhere will be processed (using Transaction Processing). These include new starts, stops, and moves, to name a few. From this information (and the subscriber payments that were processed using Payment Processing), Circulation can determine which subscribers should receive a paper on this particular day.
Distribution documents can be printed, including bundle tops, truck manifests, and mail labels. These documents are crucial to the distribution of any publication.
You can perform mail and route processing in separate publishing runs. This allows you to perform mail processing much earlier than route processing for the publishing date if you wish, which means Customer Service activity may continue for route-delivered subscribers after mail processing has begun. If the publication has separate edition cutoff times, each edition will have a separate route run. You can also have an “advance” publishing run in order to print bundle tops and other materials for a section of the paper, such as comics, that is delivered beforehand and inserted by the carrier on the delivery day.
You can run Transaction Processing more than once during a publishing run. This enables you to process the bulk of transactions early in your publishing day. When you are ready to create distribution documents, run Transaction Processing for the final time. Once final Transaction Processing has started, transactions can no longer be entered for that publishing day and product unless backdating is allowed (Business Rules determine the number of days a transaction can be backdated). Final Transaction Processing can be undone, however, by running Undo Final Tran Proc.
A publishing run involves eight basic steps (shown below). Within these steps, you carry out various functions in Circulation, some that are mandatory and others that can be performed as needed.
1
Advance Publishing
2
Start Publishing Run
Enter Bundle Info Import Bundle Sizes Edition Override
3
Subscriber Payment Processing (on the Accounting menu) Group Draw Change (in Route Service) Transaction Processing
4
Final Transaction Processing
Daily Draw Worksheet (preliminary) Press Room Report (preliminary)
5
Post Office Report (mandatory only if run includes mail subscribers)
Stacker Interface Bundle Tops Truck Manifest Route Labels Office Pay Status Cards Carrier Collect Cards Previous Delivery Cards Single Copy Receipts
6
District Manager Report
7
End Publishing Run
8
Press Room Entry
If you are distributing one or more sections of the newspaper in advance, do an advance publishing run. When the rest of the paper arrives, the carrier will insert the advance sections into it.
Begin publication day processing by running the Start Publ Run option to specify the product and delivery method (route, mail, or both) to be processed. At this time, you can also define bundle sizes and other delivery information for the run (using Enter Bundle Info and Import Bundle Sizes) and specify an alternate edition to use, if necessary (using Edition Override). Bundle and edition override information can be entered for any future product or date regardless of the publishing run, but must be entered before any distribution documents (bundle tops, etc.) can be produced.
Run Subscriber Payment Processing (on the Accounting menu) to process all subscriber payments and create start (and grace paid) transactions for them. Transactions that affect the draw will then be processed when you run Transaction Processing.
Run Transaction Processing to process all of the transactions that affect distribution. These include stops, starts, and draw changes. Transactions created with Subscriber Payment Processing will also be processed. You can run Transaction Processing more than once if you like. You must, however, perform final Transaction Processing before you move on to step five. After you perform final Transaction Processing, you cannot process more transactions for that publishing run unless you run Undo Final Tran Proc to reopen the run.
If the delivery method for this publication is “route” or “both” (i.e., mail and route delivery), use the options on the DISTRIBUTION menu to:
Print bundle tops and truck manifests
Print the Daily Draw Worksheet
Print status cards, carrier collection cards, route labels and previous delivery cards
Interface distribution information to a stacker machine
If the delivery method for this publication is “mail” or “both” (i.e., both mail and route delivery), select options on the MAIL menu in order to:
Print mail labels
Print the Post Office Report. This is mandatory if there are mail subscribers in this run.
After you have printed bundle tops, etc., you may want to print a report listing the activity on each route. This is the District Manager Report.
When you have completed all processing, use End Publishing Run to update AAM history, prepare the draw for billing, and prepare for the next publishing day.
After the publishing run has ended, you may want to make entries about statistics and details of the run using Press Room Entry.
Use the Publ Run Status option as often as you wish during the publishing run to verify the current stage of the publishing run.
Separate publishing runs may be needed for different editions. For example, publishing for the Early edition may need to be completed by 1 a.m., while the final edition publishing may not need to be finished until 4 a.m. To allow Transaction Processing and distribution reports to be done at a later time for later editions, these areas of the publishing run can be set up to function at the edition level. This feature applies to regular publishing runs only; not advance publishing.
If editions will have separate cutoff times on a day of the week, this must be specified by setting the Cutoff By Edition flag to “y” in Publication setup (see Publication in the Setup Manual). Editions must also be flagged as active or inactive on each day of the week—this is done in Specifics | Publication Edition within Publication setup (see the Setup Manual).
If a publication does not have separate edition cutoff times (i.e., Cutoff By Edition is set to “n”), editions will not play a part in the publishing run, other than a route’s edition printing on the bundle tops and other distribution documents. If there are separate cutoff times (i.e., Cutoff By Edition is set to “y”), the publishing run will still be started for the entire publication/delivery type, but Transaction Processing and reports such as bundle tops and the truck manifest will be run for individual editions:
If the delivery method is “route” or “both”, the Start Publ Run option will start separate publishing runs for each edition. If the delivery method is “mail”, only one run will be started (separate edition runs are not supported for mail).
Transaction processing will be run for each edition independently.
The Press Room Report will still be run for the entire publication.
Bundle information will be entered for the entire publication. Bundle sizes can be defined by edition.
The DM report, bundle tops, the truck manifest, route labels, status cards, collection cards, previous delivery labels, and the stacker interface will be also be run on an edition-by-edition basis. Only routes assigned to the specific edition will have bundle tops, status cards, etc. printed for them.
Publ Run Status displays the status of each edition, if a publishing run has separate edition cutoffs.
End Publ Run must be run for the entire publication. This means that all editions must have completed final Transaction Processing before any of the runs can be ended.
Publishing groups can be used in cases where multiple publications should appear on the same truck manifest and (optionally) bundle tops. Publishing groups differ from combined publications in that the individual publications are still delivered separately—they only appear together on bundle tops and manifests in order to save time and paperwork. Publishing groups are defined in advance (see Publishing Group in the Setup Manual).
Publishing runs for all products in the group should be started at the same time, and the group ID specified in Start Publ Run.
Bundle info is entered for each product in the publishing group separately, but the same truck departure and truck sequence should be used, containing all routes for all products.
When selecting an edition for bundle tops, the truck manifest or the stacker interface, all of the other publishing runs for the same edition may be auto-selected, based on the Business Rule — Should automatic selection of same editions be skipped for publishing group when running bundle, manifest and stacker? (Route Processing section).
When running truck manifests, if all products in the group are selected, all products distributed by a truck will appear on a single manifest list for the truck. If only one product is selected for the truck manifest, only the manifest for that product will be generated.
Bundle tops can be combined (if a route delivers multiple products), print separately sorted by route, or print separately sorted by product (one product’s bundle tops, then the next product’s, etc.). The Combine Bundle field in Publishing Group Run setup determines how bundle tops print. The choices are “Physical” (combined), “Logical” (sort by route) and “None” (sort by product).
Publishing groups do not affect other options in the publishing run (Transaction Process, End Publ Run, etc.), in which the products are selected individually.
If a combo contains a component publication that is not published daily, then the non-daily publishing run should be opened and Transaction Processing run should be run daily to keep the component publications in alignment. Subscriber Payment Processing should also be run on the same schedule.
Circulation has many features that default or validate dates based on the last publishing run for which final Transaction Processing has been run. If there are separate runs for different editions, final Transaction Processing can be complete for one edition but not for another. In this case, Circulation will consider edition when making these validations and defaults. Some features impacted by this are:
Individual draw changes, batch draw changes, and group draw changes. When validating that the draw date has not yet had final Transaction Processing, the route’s edition on that day will be taken into consideration.
Shortages. A shortage can be entered only for days on which final Transaction Processing has been run. Edition will be taken into account when determining this.
Returns and draw adjustments. In order to enter returns or draw adjustments, Transaction Processing must be finalized for all editions through the entry date.
Complaints. A complaint must have an incident date that has had final Transaction Processing completed. The edition delivered by the subscriber’s route will be taken into consideration when validating the incident date.
Other Customer Service transactions. Many subscriber transactions, such as starts and stops, have a Business Rules-determined number of days that they can be backdated. When making backdating calculations, the edition delivered by the subscriber’s route will be taken into account.
Account Billing Selection. When starting a billing run for an entire bill source, Transaction Processing must be finalized for all editions through the last date being billed.
Holiday Draw. In order to run holiday draw, Transaction Processing must be final for all editions on the holiday date.
Click the Add Edition Override Setup button ().
Click the Add Multi-Pack Override Setup button ().
Enter the publishing group ID to which this override applies. See for more information about publishing groups.
The Daily Draw Worksheet will still be run for the entire publication. The Edition Drawsheet, however, can be run for each edition (see ). It contains the same content as the Daily Draw Worksheet but at the edition level.
If you use combos (see ), each component publication will have its own publishing run. Transactions for the combo will be handled at the individual publication level, and be processed by that publication’s Transaction Processing. For example, a payment for the combo will generate multiple payment transactions, once for each component publication.