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.

Accounts

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.

Draws

The Draws tab shows draws for the route. First, you will need to specify some parameters for displaying draw.

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 Calculation Methods

Draw figures are displayed differently depending on how draw is calculated (known as draw type). The draw types used by Circulation are:

Actual draw

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

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

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.

Account Draw

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.

Rates

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.

AAM %

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.

Truck Sequences

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.

Inserts

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.

Demographics

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:

1. Highlight the question you wish to answer.

2. Click Modify.

3. Enter the answer to this question in the Answer field. Most questions have only certain valid answers—press F2 for a lookup.

4. Click OK.

Transactions

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.

Messages

The Messages tab is where you work with messages for a route. See Messages for documentation.

Deadlines

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

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).

Adding a Manual Task

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.

To add a task:

• 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.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

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:

1. Finding Routes

2. Mapping

3. Viewing Route Information

4. Transactions

5. Draw Management

6. Account Information

7. Messages

8. Route Service Reports

9. Setup

10. Utilities

11. Distribution Maintenance

12. Account Services

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).

About Draw Changes and Shortages

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.

Draw Change

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.

To enter a draw change:

1. Find the route whose draw you wish to change.

3. Complete the following fields and click OK.

   Field

   Type

   What to enter

   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.

Shortage

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.

To enter a shortage:

• Use Find to locate the route that has been shorted.

• Complete the following fields and click OK.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

Note

Use this option to attach a note to a home delivery or single copy route.

To add a route note:

• Find the product/route combination for which you want to add a note.

• Complete the following fields and click OK.

Complaint

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.

To enter a complaint:

• Find the route toward which the complaint is directed.

• Complete the following fields and click OK.

Start (Outlet Start)

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.

To enter an outlet start:

• Find the single copy outlet for which you want to add draw.

• Complete the following fields and click OK.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

Stop (Outlet Stop)

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.

To enter an outlet stop:

1. Find the single copy outlet for which you want to remove draw.

3. Complete the following fields and click OK.

   Field

   Type

   What to enter

   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.

Modifying Transactions

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 Transactions for more information about the Transactions tab.

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.

Batch Draw Change

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 Draw Change option instead. If you want to adjust the draw for all single copy routes, use the Group Draw Change option.

To enter a batch draw change:

1. Select Batch Draw Change from the Draw Mgmt menu.
2. Enter parameters for the batch in the fields described below. Then click OK.

   Field

   Type

   What to enter

   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.

3. 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.

   Field

   Type

   What to enter

   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.

4. 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.

Refusing a Batch

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.

Update Pending Draw

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.

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 Draws). Pending draw can also be updated automatically as part of End Publ Run; a Business Rule determines how many days are updated.

To update the draw:

• Select Update Pending Draw from the Draw Mgmt menu to display the Update Pending Draw window.

• Click Add.
• Complete the following fields.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

Update Preprint Zone

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.

To update the Preprint Zone Summary 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.

Group Draw Change

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 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 Draw Management). You must do this before final Transaction Processing is run for the publishing day.

Group Draw Change is composed of two options: Entry and Processing.

To create group draw changes:

• 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.

• 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.

Advance 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.

To change advance draw:

• Select Advance Draw Change from the Draw Mgmt menu.
• Click Add and complete the fields described below.

• 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.

Returns

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:

• Returns for a Day

• Returns for a Week

• Returns Import

• Route Returns

• Returns Journal

About Authorized and Unauthorized Returns

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

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”.

Return Periods

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.

Returns for a Day

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).

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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

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.

Returns for a Week

You may want to enter returns weekly instead of daily. Weekly returns are entered in the same way as daily returns, 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.

Returns Import

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).

To import a returns file into Circulation:

• Select Returns Import from the Returns menu.
• Click Add and enter information about the file and the batch that will be created.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

Route Returns

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.

Route returns are entered in the same way as single copy returns (see Returns for a Day), 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.

Returns Journal

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.

To create the Returns Journal:

• Select Returns Journal from the Draw Mgmt | Returns menu to display the Returns Audit Report window.
• Click Add and enter parameters for the report.

• Click OK and then Continue to produce the report.

Draw Adjustments

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:

• Adjust for a Day

• Adjust for a Week

• Route Adjust

• Draw Adjust Journal

• Draw Adjust Import

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.

Adjust for a Day

Use this option to enter draw adjustments for single copy outlets for a single day.

To enter daily draw adjustments:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Adjust for a Week

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.

Entering draw adjustments for a week involves the same procedure as entering adjustments for a day (see instructions). 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.

Route Adjust

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.

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 Transaction Processing 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.

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.

Draw Adjust Journal

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.

To print the journal:

• 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.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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 Adjust Import

This feature is similar to the Returns Import. 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”).

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).

To import the returns file into Circulation:

• 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.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

Copies Sold Import

The Copies Sold Import allows you to import sold or shrink copies for single copy outlets. This is an optional feature.

About Sold / Shrink Copies

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.

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 Appendix B). 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 Proof of Sale Adj). This credits the account for the original draw charge and posts a new charge for the same amount, but with the current date.

Import sold or shrink copies

• 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.

  Field

  Type

  What to enter

  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.

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 Customer Service | Mapping ). The three options are Map Delivery Addresses, Map Single Copy Address, and Find Single Copy Locations.

Map Delivery Addresses

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.

Map Single Copy Address

The Map Single Copy Address option will map the address associated with a single copy address.

Find Single Copy Locations

This option is described in the Customer Service Chapter. See Customer Service | Mapping | Find Single Copy Locations.

The first step in performing most Route Service activities is to find and display information about a route or account (Account Information 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.

To find a route:

• Click the Find Route button ().
• Enter the product and one of the following:

  1. The route ID of the route you wish to locate. If you are not sure of the route ID, click the lookup icon.

  2. 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.

  3. Route or account name. See discussion of searching for route or account names, and wildcards, below.

• Click OK to display the route information.

Searching for a Route or Account Name

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.

Searching for Routes with Wildcards

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

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.

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

• Broadcast (i.e., displayed on the Accounts tab when applicable routes are displayed; see Accounts)

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.

Adding Messages

You can enter messages only for publishing dates that have not yet been processed with Transaction Processing.

To enter a message:

• Open the Messages tab and click Add. Or, click the Messages button ().
• 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.

Finding Messages

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.

In addition to route information, Route Service allows you to view information about your accounts. To access account information, click the Account Inquiry button ().

Your first action will be to find an account:

• Click the Find Account button ().

• 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.

Account

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.

Routes

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.

Charges/Credits

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.

Recurring

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).

Levy

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.

Payments

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).

Tax Authorities

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.

Invoices

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.

Invoice Disputes

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.

Complaint

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.

Demographics

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.

Notification

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.

Tasks

The Tasks tab allows you to enter a manual task for an account.

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.

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:

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:

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.

To define the router:

1. Select Router Utility from the Setup menu.

2. Enter the delivery map, product, and selection options for this router entry session.
3. 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.
4. To define an address range, click Add and enter information in the Segment Details tab.
5. 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.
6. Add another address range, or click Cancel.

Route Tab

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.

To assign the route:

• 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.

Publication Tab

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.

Split Tab

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.

Combining Router Segments

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.

Address Defaults Tab

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.

Rules Setup 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).

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.

To reroute addresses and/or subscriptions:

• Select Setup | Rerouting to display the Rerouting window.
• Click Add and specify how rerouting will be done by completing the fields described below.

• 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.

Entering Multiple Zip Codes

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.

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.

Assign route walk sequences for a route

• Select Setup | Route Sequence in the Route Service module.

• Click the Find Route button () and specify the route for which you want to walk sequences.

• 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”.

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.

Draw Change Journal

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:

• Select Draw Change Journal from the Reports menu to display the Draw Change Journal window.

• Click Add and complete the following fields.

• Click OK and then Continue to produce the journal. A sample Draw Change Journal is shown below.

Compare/Update Draw

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.

• Click OK and then Continue to compare draw. A sample report is shown below.

Historical Invoice

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.

Truck Delivery Time

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.

• Click OK and then Continue to run the report.

Truck Weight Audit

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.
• Click OK and then Continue to run the report.

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

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.

Route Setup

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 Information

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.

Delivery Schedule

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.

Placement

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.

Map 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.

Census Tract

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.

Town of 25

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.

Zip

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.

Service Area

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.

Price Level (Single Copy)

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.

Edition Model

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.

TM Product Info

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.

Resupply Exception

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.

Deadlines

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.

Demographic (Single Copy)

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.

Sections

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.

Draw Class (Single Copy)

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.

Trip Route

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.

Maintain a Route Address

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).

To use this option:

• 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.