- BATCH INVOICING SETUP:
- CREATING BATCH INVOICES:
- INVOICE BATCH PRINTING
BATCH INVOICING
Batch Invoicing was added to the system to separate the Invoice printing process, from the Job Cost Review/Invoice creation process. Flooring businesses that generate a large volume of Invoices will value the efficiency of this process, as well as likely save on postage. Additionally, the Batch Invoicing feature can be used for processes such as reprinting a year’s worth of Invoices for a Customer.
BATCH INVOICING SETUP:
There are three areas/levels in the system where default Invoice Print Preference settings can be accessed, and where you can also set the default to Batch Invoice. Those areas are as follows: Branch Level, Customer Level, and Ship To Level. The Ship To Level overrides all other levels, and the Customer Level overrides the Branch Level. To be clear, these are the Invoice Preferences that appear as follows:
By clicking Do Not Print, the Batch Invoice default will be set.
CREATING BATCH INVOICES:
During the invoicing process, in order to set up Batch Invoicing, if the default has not been set, you need to make sure the Print Now box at the bottom of the Invoice Selection Screen is unchecked, prior to clicking the Continue button. When you uncheck that box, the system will display (Batch) to the right of the Print Now display as follows:
When you click the Continue button, an Invoice Summary box will display prior to finalizing as follows:
For Batch Invoices, this box will alert you of two things: This invoice will not be printed and This job will be closed. The system is placing the Invoice in a queue for printing in preparation for Invoice Batch Printing, explained below.
INVOICE BATCH PRINTING
When you have finished processing all Batch Invoices, to start printing those Invoices, select the Invoice Batch Printing option from the Function menu at the top left of the Invoice Selection Screen. The system will prompt an Invoice Batch Printing screen as follows (click the Build button to display Batch Invoices in the screen below):
At the top left of the screen are three menu options that appear as follows: Exit, Function, and Print. The Exit option will return you to the previous screen. The Functions menu contains one option as follows: Change Print Parameters. When you click this option, the system will prompt a Print Parameters box as follows:
These parameters can be changed and saved for a Batch Invoice Printing run. For example, if you wish to print all Customer XYZ Invoices for the past year and you want them to look the same, regardless of any system default Print Preference settings, you can use this option. If the Print Parameters Active (1) box is checked, then the system will prompt the three Print options in the box below. In the Print (2) options box, check all that should apply to this Batch Invoice Printing. If any changes are made, click the Save button to keep these parameters selected. If Print Parameters are activated, you will see the following display at the bottom of the screen: Special Print Parameters Being Used. The Print option will give you access to the Select Printer box to make a printer change.
Moving on to the main screen, the Print Invoice Batch Report (1) button will print a list of the Invoices you see in the main display area of the Invoice Batch Printing screen. At the Branch (2) field, you can select ALL Branches or leave the current Branch. Any change to the options in this section will require you to click the Build button to update the display screen with new Invoices matching the new criteria. The Beg. Date and End Date (3) fields will default to the current date, but you can select a range of dates or a prior date to view Batch Invoices. The Customer and Ship To (4) buttons will allow you to select and see Batch Invoices for a specific Customer and/or Ship To code. You can further customize the Batch Invoice display screen by selecting a specific Job Type (5), Job Status (6), or Customer Type (1) by using the drop down arrow in each of those fields to make a selection. In the next series of fields (8), a few additional options are available. The Batch Only box will automatically be selected when you enter this screen. If you uncheck that box, and check the Include Previously Printed box and then click the Build button, the system will display any Invoice for the date range and other sort criteria selected. In the display section, you will note a “B” and a “P” column. The “B” denotes Batch, and the “P” denotes regular Print Invoice. The Output Preference can be changed as needed. The Exclude Zero Invoices option, when checked, will remove zero balance invoices from the display screen. The Select Filter (9) option works much the same as in the Quote and Order Entry modules. It is one additional method for sorting the Invoices that appear in the display screen in preparation for Batch Invoice Printing.
To select an Invoice in the display screen, you can click in the Select (10) column next to an Invoice, double-click on an Invoice line to select, or use the Select/Unselect All (11) button to instantly select or unselect all Invoices in the display screen. At the Copies (12) field, you can change the number of copies to print if applicable. When you have made all your selections, click the Print Invoices button to begin Batch Invoice Printing. The system will perform internal procedures and once the Invoices have printed, the system will prompt the following:
Click OK to return to the Invoice Batch Printing screen.
Many of the BMS clients utilizing this process will typically use the Invoice Batch Printing screen options as follows: check the Batch Only box as well as the Exclude Zero Balances option, set a Date Range and click the Build button. They will then sort by Address and print that Batch.