Overview

Inventory management is used to handle stock of physical goods and to supervise the movement of products that enter and leave a company's warehouses.

In CRM.COM, a warehouse represents the physical location where sold or rented hardware is stored. A separate warehouse can be set up for each location from which hardware is retrieved. Additional warehouses can be set up to represent locations where hardware is returned, in order to distinguish them from unused goods.

Through inventory management module you can set up warranty and return policies which will define the company's policies with regard to the replacement and return of goods respectively. More over if you are looking to implement an IOT business model, inventory management is the module you need.

Setting Up Inventory Management and Core Processes

Configuration / Foundation Application / Foundation Settings / Set up Inventory Management

Before you start using Inventory Management set up the system to reflect your own business needs.

statusWarehouse TypesTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

Warehouse types are used to group warehouses and assign them different functions. Types are added in the inventory definition to designate warehouses that physical goods are taken from and returned to. For example, one type (Sales) can be defined for use when selling goods directly from a company's point of sale and another (Rentals) when renting out goods.

whtypeWarehouse Types During TransactionsTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

Warehouse Types during transactions control the movement of physical goods that are taken from or returned to warehouses and that are sold or rented to customers.

Provide the type of the warehouse to be used in each event (such as 'For Adding' or 'For Removing') and assign a classification to determine whether the goods are rented or sold.

Rentals: Installed items added to subscriptions and not purchased by the customers; the goods must be returned when the subscription is terminated.
Sales: Installed items sold through jobs or direct sales; the goods do not have to be returned. If the good is extracted from a proprietary warehouse, the customer is billed through CRM.COM; if the good is extracted from a warehouse that belongs to a partner, the customer is not billed through CRM.COM.

In case of removing from a warehouse you must specify a default for each classification.('Rented', 'Sales')

System process for determining return warehouse during removing

Check whether the returned item was rented or sold (i.e., the classification of the warehouse the good was originally taken from).
Retrieve the default warehouse type of the established classification from the inventory management definition.
Retrieve warehouses of the established warehouse type, from the pool of available warehouses.
Match the group that the user is currently logged in under, to one of the retrieved warehouses' 'Owned By Group', to identify the warehouse the good should be returned to.
If no match is found in the default warehouse type (in step 2), then check other warehouse types of the same classification and return to step 3.

System process for determining return warehouse during replacement

Check whether the returned item was rented or sold (i.e., the classification of the warehouse the good was originally taken from).
Retrieve the default warehouse type of the established classification from the inventory management definition.
Retrieve warehouses of the established warehouse type, from the pool of available warehouses.
Match the group that the user is currently logged in under, to one of the retrieved warehouses' 'Owned By Group', to identify the warehouse the good should be returned to.
If no match is found in the default warehouse type (in step 2), then check other warehouse types of the same classification and return to step 3.

Back to top

warehouseWarehouses Turquoise16pxfa-question-circle

A warehouse is a storage place for physical goods. Physical goods (traceable and non-traceable) are located in warehouses from where they can be retrieved and transferred to customers or other warehouses. Each warehouse has a warehouse type and an Owned By Group. The group represents the group that owns the warehouse and automatically defaults to that of the logged-in user (can be changed). Only users with access to the specific group can view and move products in and out of the warehouse. The combination of the Warehouse Type and Owned By Group must be unique. When a customer returns a physical good, the system uses the combination of these two fields to determine in which warehouse the good should be placed.

It is possible for each warehouse to Allow Negative Stock. This will allow the removal of non-traceable physical goods from a warehouse when the stock's quantity is not measurable. E.g., if you have a non-traceable good in the system, such as milk, so that it can be added to an order of (traceable) coffee. Note that negative stock is not allowed when moving goods between warehouses.

Other settings

Non Stockable ProductsTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle: A list of physical goods (traceable and non traceable) which will not be included in any warehouse or warehouse transaction
Installed Item CategoriesTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle: Categories are used to classify installed items based on common attributes.
Installed Item State ClassificationsTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle: Installed Item State Classification are used for defining the reasons an installed item is set as not effective. An installed item can also be set as 'not effective' automatically through its applied warranty (if applicable) and based on the coverage reason. Refer to Warranty Policies for more information

warrantyWarranty Policies

Warranty PoliciesTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

A warranty policy defines how physical goods bought by customers can be replaced within a specific period after the purchase. Multiple warranty policies can be set up. The most suitable (subject to conditions defined in the policy) is automatically applied when a good is sold or swapped. A policy must have an 'Effective' life cycle state to be applied. The life cycle state of a policy can be toggled between 'Effective' and 'Not Effective' using a dedicated action.

The Duration of each policy defines the coverage period. Each policy has a Validity which is the period during which the warranty policy is available defined by a 'Valid from Date' and 'Valid to Date' . Valid from Date is always mandatory, while the Valid to Date can be left empty if the period is open-ended. The validity period is used to determine which policy should be applied to goods when more than one policy is applicable. The policy with the most recent Valid from Date is applied and has priority over 'Always Valid' policies.

In each policy you can define the Physical Goods Covered by the Policy and the allowed Coverage Reasons. For each reason you can select Replacement Under Coverage Policy which will determine what will happen to the warranty once the physical good is replaced. The available options are:

Carry Over Remaining Duration: The remaining warranty is transferred to the new physical good.
Apply New Warranty: The replacement physical good is issued a new warranty.
No Warranty: The new physical good is not issued a warranty.

Additionally, for each reason you have to define whether it will Provide Coverage. If enabled then the item can be swapped free of charge.

Warranty Coverage ReasonsTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

'Coverage reasons' are user-defined and provide a justification for the replacement of a physical good. Once coverage reasons are configured, they must be added to warranty policies to determine whether the replacement will be free of charge.

A coverage reason may cover the free replacement of a physical good when selected for one warranty policy and not for another

It is possible to set an installed item as 'Not Effective' when the replacement is made using a specific warranty coverage reason as well as define the 'Installed Item State Classification' to be set on the installed item once it is set as Not Effective. Refer to Inventory Management for information on how to set up Installed Item State Classification.

Back to top

returnReturn Policies Turquoise16pxfa-question-circle

Return PoliciesTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

Return Policies define if and when a customer is allowed to return purchased traceable physical goods. The most suitable (subject to conditions defined in the policy) is automatically applied when a good is sold,

A policy must have an 'Effective' life cycle state to be applied. The life cycle state of a policy can be toggled between 'Effective' and 'Not Effective' using a dedicated action. A policy can only be updated if its not effective or it has not yet been applied to a good.

The Allowed Return Period of each policy defines the eligible return period.

Each policy has a Validity which is the period during which the return policy is available defined by a 'Valid from Date' and 'Valid to Date' . Valid from Date is always mandatory, while the Valid to Date can be left empty if the period is open-ended. The validity period is used to determine which policy should be applied to goods when more than one policy is applicable. The policy with the most recent Valid from Date is applied and has priority over 'Always Valid' policies.

In each policy you can define the Physical Goods Covered by the Policy and the allowed Coverage Reasons. For each reason you can select whether Credit will be provided which means that the item will be refunded.

Return Coverage ReasonsTurquoise16pxfa-question-circle

'Return Coverage reasons' are user-defined and provide information associated to the return; for example, 'returned in good condition' 'damaged', 'cannot be resold'. Once return coverage reasons are configured, they must be added to return policies to determine whether the return is refundable.

A return coverage reason may refund the return of a physical good when selected for one return policy and not for another.

Recommended additional setup

In addition to the Inventory Management specific settings the following may be configured for the Inventory Management to operate at its full capacity.

Products: Create the products that will be stocked in the warehouses or used to create installed Items (traceable physical goods).

Back to top

Using Inventory Management

Foundation / Inventory Management

Use Inventory Management to manage your company's physical goods (traceable and non traceable) which can either be rented or sold to customers and partners. Before you proceed to find out all the things you can do with inventory management it is important to understand the various terms being used.

Physical Goods

Physical Goods is a tangible commodity which is offered to customers (e.g. decoders, smartcards, cameras etc.) and can either be a traceable or non traceable item. Physical Goods can be provided as a standalone product or a bundle of products and are Sold or Rented to customers or partners, giving them the exclusive ownership of the good.

Traceable Physical Goods (Installed Items)

Physical goods which can be uniquely identified by its serial number are referred to as 'Installed Item' or traceable physical goods. For example, Set top box, modem, car

Non Traceable Physical Goods

Physical goods which are not traced to a single instance and are measured based on their quantity. For example,remote control, coffee,

Physical Goods Bundles

Physical Goods can be created as bundles, representing a package of components (traceable or non-traceable). Two classification of bundles are available

Fixed Bundles: A fixed bundle of products which contains specific components which are provided as a package (available for both traceable and non traceable physical goods)
Flexible Bundles: A flexible bundle of products which contains specific components from which a part of them can be provided based on the Customer's needs (available only for non traceable installed items)

Warehouse Transactions

Warehouse Transactions are used to move stock in, out or between the warehouses. They can either be created by the user or by the system following a user action and there are three types of warehouse transactions

Stock In Transaction: responsible to add stock into the warehouse
Stock Out Transaction: responsible to remove stock from the warehouse
Stock Movement Transaction: responsible to move stock between the warehouses

Goods are always available to agents for stock out transactions but must be posted to be available for stock in and stock movement transactions. In either case, the stock balance remains unmodified. Goods can be added or removed from the transaction as long as it is in a 'Draft' state. Once all physical goods have been accounted for and the modifications finalized, the transaction can be closed (Posted) and the stock balance updated. Use SAVE from the Actions' menu to post the transaction or SAVE AS DRAFT to keep it editable. To post the finalized transaction, go to Manage Warehouse Transactions, select the transaction and click Post from the Actions menu. Once a Stock Warehouse Transaction is Posted then the Stock Balance of the affected warehouse will be affected.

Warehouse transactions may also be done and registered by the system when installed items are transferred from a warehouse to a subscription account or job or vice versa.

Back to top

Managing Stock

Adding stock to warehouses

In order to be able to sell or rent products they must initially belong in a warehouse except in the case where a good will be imported to a customer's account directly in case that he already owns the good, and he wants to use it.

There are various ways to add stock to a warehouse.

Remember that there are 2 types of physical goods, traceable and non-traceable. Some processes are only available for adding traceable physical goods

Stock In warehouse transactions

Stock in warehouse transactions is the only way through which you can add non-traceable physical goods to your warehouses.

Navigate to Foundation / Inventory Management / Manage Warehouses
Click on Actions > Warehouse Transactions
Click on New > Stock in Transaction
Select the warehouse to import items to
Follow the table below on how to add physical goods to the transaction depending on of what you wish to do

Adding an existing installed item	Adding new installed items	Adding non-traceable goods
In edit mode go to the Installed Item search box (in the Items to Stock In section). Search for the installed item and click on enter	Select the Product Type and the Product from the drop-down lists. Serial Number: Provide the unique identifier of the new item. Use Enter to add the items. The item is added to the list and an alternative code and unit cost can be provided. If an alternative code is not provided, then it is set equal to the serial number.	Select the Product Type and the Product from the drop-down lists. Quantity: provide the number of non-traceable items to be removed from the warehouse. Use Enter to add the items. The item is added to the list and a quantity and unit cost can be provided.

Import Installed Items

The fastest way to add stock into a warehouse is by using the 'Import Installed Items' utility and an external file.

Navigate to Foundation / Utilities / Import Data / Import Installed Items
Define installed item import settings in the utility definition.
Click on Submit from the Actions menu and select the file with the items.
(The file must be prepared for import in one of the following formats (templates can be used): XML, Excel,CSV

Navigate to Import Installed Items and from the Definition Data Entry page click on Actions > Download Template. (Download the template after you Save the definition and then click Submit.)
Select the type of template to download (XML, Excel or CSV).
The import file must be prepared according to the downloaded template.

If a bundle product is being imported, then the bundle installed item must be defined in the file before its components.

Manually create installed items

Installed items can also be manually created through Manage Installed Items page. However, creating an installed item from the Installed Item Data Entry page does not place it in a warehouse. A stock in transaction must be used for the transfer.

To create an installed item

Navigate to Foundation / Inventory Management / Manage Installed Items
Click on New
Create the installed item

Installed items have a State which can be 'Effective' (default) or 'Not Effective' where 'Non-Effective' Installed Items cannot be provided to customers. Manually set an item as Not Effective through Actions > Set as Not Effective. When installed items are Not Effective they have a State Classification which states the reason why the installed item was set as not effective. Both the State and State Classifications can be automatically set to Not Effective by other processes in the system, such as a return from a warranty policy where the coverage reason was set as broken.

Additionally installed items have an Ownership Status which provides information whether the company or customer owns the installed item, depending on the business transaction that was registered. The available values are:

Sold to Customer through Company : Sold to the customer through the company (therefore it was billed in CRM.COM) and is owned by the customer
Sold to Customer through Partner: Sold to the customer through a partner (therefore it was billed outside CRM.COM) and is owned by the customer
Owned by Customer
Owned By Company
Sold to partner: Sold to partner
Rented to Customer: Rented to the customer and is owned by the company or partner (depending on the warehouse it belongs to)

Import customer assets

Customers can register their own installed items into the system in order to use them. Note however that imported installed items cannot be returned or have their ownership transferred.

You can import a customer's installed items through their account receivable Manage Assets > Import Asset action or directly upon adding an installed item to a subscription (Import Installed Item). They are easily identified on the installed items page by their 'Owned by Customer' ownership status.

Removing stock from a warehouse

You can remove physical goods from a warehouse through a 'stock out warehouse transaction'

Navigate to Foundation / Inventory Management / Manage Warehouses
Click on Actions > Warehouse Transactions
Click on New > Stock out transaction
Select the warehouse to remove items from
Follow the table below on how to add physical goods to the transaction depending of what you wish to do

Remove an installed item	Remove Installed Items added from a batch	Remove non-traceable goods
Go to the Installed Item search box Search for the installed item and click on enter	Click on Installed Items Using Batch Number Provide the batch number and click enter	Select the Product Type and the Product from the drop-down lists. Quantity: provide the number of non-traceable items to be removed form the warehouse. Use Enter to add the items. The item is added to the list and a quantity and unit cost can be provided.

Moving stock between warehouses

Once stock has been imported in a warehouse it can then be moved between warehouses. This is particularly useful in logistics, where all imported good initially goes to a head warehouse and then transferred to the rest warehouses.

Navigate to Foundation / Inventory Management / Manage Warehouses
Click on Actions > Warehouse Transactions
Click on New > Stock Movement transaction
Select the from and to warehouses
Follow the table below on how to add physical goods to the transaction depending on of what you wish to do

Remove an installed item	Remove Installed Items added from a batch	Remove non-traceable goods
Go to the Installed Item search box Search for the installed item and click on enter	Click on Installed Items Using Batch Number Provide the batch number and click enter	Select the Product Type and the Product from the drop-down lists. Quantity: provide the number of non-traceable items to be removed from the warehouse. Use Enter to add the items. The item is added to the list and a quantity and unit cost can be provided.

Viewing available stock

It is possible to view the available stock in each warehouse through its balance. The running balance of stock kept in specific warehouses can be viewed through the Stock Balance section.

If you would like to view the total stock per product then you can use the View Balance action available in the Manage Warehouses summary page.

Back to top

Sales Rentals and Returns

Selling physical goods

Customer can buy physical goods. Once a good is bought, it is considered a customer asset and it is available through the customer's account assets. Goods can be bought either directly through the company or from partners. Additionally, goods can be transferred from one customer to another.

Sold goods may be subject to warranty or return policies if they have been configured accordingly. For more information refer to Applying Warranty Policies and Applying Return Policies

Selling to customers

Physical goods can be sold to customers by creating an invoice (Financial Transaction) and adding the installed items to be sold Goods sold to the customer are invoiced by CRM.COM and the account will be invoiced accordingly.

Physical goods sold by partners are provided to customers through Subscriptions. The system will identify that the physical good belongs to a partner through the warehouse it will be removed from. (i.e. a warehouse that belongs to a partner). Goods sold through partners are not invoiced by CRM.COM.

Selling to partners

Goods can be sold to partners (in bulk) by creating an invoice (Financial Transaction) and adding the installed items to be sold and the warehouse to be moved at. Goods sold to partners will be transferred to the defined warehouse (if one is defined) of the partner and a warehouse transaction will be created to handle the transfer of the items. The goods are available through the partner’s account’s assets and the account will be invoiced accordingly.

Transferring Ownership of Sold Physical Goods

Sold physical goods can be transferred from their owner Account to a different account without affecting their billing or their warranty. Imported installed items are excluded from the transferring ownership process.

Renting physical goods

Installed items are rented to the customer through Subscriptions. (Free of charge by default). Rented goods are not invoiced by CRM.COM as the goods are returned to the company when a subscription is canceled.

Returning physical goods

In cases where the physical good was sold and the customer wishes to return it (for any reason) it can be returned through the Accounts Receivable. Physical Goods are returned through the Accounts Receivable using Actions > Manage Assets > RETURN PHYSICAL GOOD’ .

If the installed item was subject to a Return Policy then the amount paid may be refunded. Refer to Return Policies for more information.

In case that the physical good was rented, then the return is done through the 'Remove Installed Item' subscription action. In this case the installed item will be returned to the designated company warehouse as dictated by the 'Warehouse Types Used During Transactions' setup.

Replacing physical goods

Installed Items (either rented or sold) may need to be replaced by new ones either because they are broken or lost. Replacing of goods is possible either through the subscription.

If you would like to replace a good through the subscription then you will need the Swap Installed Item action. It is possible to swap with an item that belongs to a warehouse or an item that is already one of the customer's assets.

In case that the replaced physical good was subject to a warranty then depending on the warranty policy applied, the new installed item may or may not remain under warranty. For more information refer to Applying Warranty Policies

Back to top

apply_warrantyApplying Warranty Policies

A Warranty Policy is issued by a company in order to assure that a set of physical goods bought by its customers can be repaired or replaced, free of charge, within a specific period after the purchase. A Warranty Policy holds information about the traceable goods or product types or brands or families which can be covered and the period during which the physical goods will be covered after their purchase.

automatic_applicationIssuing a warranty for sold goods

Warranties can be issued for traceable physical goods sold to customers based on warranty policies. The process is automatic and takes place when the goods are sold. When a good that is eligible for a warranty is sold, the system determines the warranty policy that should be issued.

If the good is eligible for more than one warranty policy, the policy with the most recent Valid from Date is applied and has priority over other 'Always Valid' policies. Only Effective valid Warranty policies are taken into account

The user selling the good must belong to an organizational unit added in the 'allowed organisational units' (AOU) of the warranty policy, or must be a super user, or the user's unit must collaborate with the AOU of the warranty policy

You can see whether an installed item is under warranty through the Manage Installed Items Data Entry page in the Warranty Policy section.

Checking the warranty coverage through service requests before replacing an item

Service requests can be used to check for the coverage of faulty hardware items before a new job is created to replace it.

Create a new service request and provide the contact and account details so that the system retrieves the customer's physical goods.
In the Affected Products section, select the good in question under the 'Affected Physical Goods' tab.
Check for coverage by selecting the coverage reason from the drop-down menu. The covered field indicates whether a replacement is available free of charge.

If the customer requests a replacement, plan a job through the service requests page.

Determining the warranty policy applied on replacement

When replacing an item through a job the system determines whether:

The item is under coverage (will be replaced free of charge).
The item's warranty policy will be transferred to the new physical good.
A new warranty policy will be issued for the replacement item.

The system follows the Replacement Under Coverage Policy defined on the selected warranty coverage reason when replacing the item and uses it to determine which policy (if any) will be applied to the item. Replacement under Coverage Policy has three possible values:

Carry Over Remaining Duration: The remaining warranty period is calculated and applied to the new item.
Apply New Warranty: A new warranty policy is issued as if a new traceable physical good was sold.
No Warranty

The diagram below displays how the warranty policy on an existing installed item (II) affects the warranty on the new item, during a replacement.

Back to top

Identifying from which warehouse the item will be removed

When a physical good is swapped, the system uses configuration set in Warehouse Types During Transactions and warranty coverage to determine the warehouse that should be used to perform the swap, as displayed in the following diagrams:

Warehouse transaction movements when the replacement physical good is provided free of charge

Warehouse transaction movements when the replacement physical good is not covered by a warranty

Coverage reason does not include coverage (i.e. replacement is not free of charge)
Warranty on existing item has expired
No Warranty exists

Back to top

apply_returnApplying Return Policies

A Return Policy is issued by the company in order to define its business rules and policies in terms of returning physical goods which were sold to customers. The Return Policy determines when and which purchased physical goods can be returned by the customers and whether the customer is allowed a refund for the returned physical goods or not.

Applying Return Policy on selling physical goods

Return Policies are applied automatically during the sale of a physical good . When a good that is eligible to a return policy is sold, the system determines the return policy that should be issued on the good. If the good is eligible for more than one return policy, the policy with the most recent Valid from Date is applied and has priority over other 'Always Valid' policies. Only Effective valid return policies are taken into account

The user selling the good must belong to an organizational unit added in the 'allowed organisational units' (AOU) of the return policy, or must be a super user, or the user's unit must collaborate with the AOU of the return policy
Providing installed items to customers through Rentals
On selling physical goods to partners

You can see whether an installed item is under warranty through the Manage Installed Items Data Entry page in the Return Policy section.

Returning a physical good with a return policy

Customers may request to return a physical good for various reasons (e.g., due to a technical issue or to upgrade it or because it was stolen). If the good has a valid return policy which has not expired yet, the system checks whether the return is refundable based on the return coverage reason set by the user. The return date must be equal or before the Warehouse Issue Date + the return allowed period.

The return of physical goods can be done through Accounts Receivable (Managing Assets action) or Service Requests

To return the good through Service Requests create a Request and add the good in the Affected Products. Save the request and click on RETURN next to the item.

To return the good through Accounts Receivable access the Manage Assets action select the good to return and click on Actions > RETURN PHYSICAL GOODS

Back to top

Additional Processes

Measuring usage of installed items

The meter reading of a device is used to measure consumption and therefore might create usage, on which customers can be billed. An example of a device's meter readings are the energy metering devices that are installed in houses and collect electric consumption and homeowners are billed based on their overall usage. A device's meter reading is classified through the Meter Reading Types. These types define how the device is used (what readings are actually measured) by defining its unit of measurement (pound, litre, Kilometre, gallon, etc)

To use the meter reading feature

Navigate to Configuration / Finance Application / Finance Settings / Set up Product Settings / Meter Reading Types and set up a meter reading type
Navigate to Configuration / Finance Application / Finance Settings / Set up Product Settings / Product Types and create a product type of traceable physical good and select the applicable meter reading
Navigate to Finance / Product & Pricing / Products / Manage Products Create a product of the specific product type
Create an installed item of the specific product
Add the installed item to a subscription
Use Add Service Usage Subscription action to add and bill the usage done through the specific product.

Internet of Things (IOT) in CRM.COM

IOT is a network of uniquely identifiable ‘things’ that communicate without human interaction using IP connectivity. Billing of IoT is the monetizing of any IoT data that can be measured and rated. Examples of industries which make use of IoT

Telecommunications, Pay TV
- OTT (VOD)
- VoIP (calls)
Fleet Management
- Vehicle Care
- Vehicle Usage (mileage, location)
- Vehicle Fueling
Industrial
- Machine Usage (printer papers)
- Machine maintenance (printer inks)

CRM.COM supports IOT business models by utilizing multiple features available in the system.

(WEB API)Device Authentication: Devices must be authenticated to CRM.COM in order to access information. A device is authenticated by its serial number (installed item serial number) Once a device is authenticated it can access data associated to the account or subscription the device is registered with.
(WEB API) Get Entitlements (optional): Entitlements is a series of services that are available/applicable for the device. (The information also returns the maximum number of devices allowed logging in to a service simultaneously. i.e. number of devices logging in an SVOD platform)
Metadata use metadata to provide device specific characteristics.
Provide device ‘usage’ for billing: Send information gathered from the device which are billable to CRM.COM which can be rated and billed. Use of metadata in usage services allows you to request any information required to support diverse industries. Metadata information logged through the usage is used in billing to decide price with which usage will be billed.

Example of IOT business model in CRM.COM

Device Authentication: Printer (The printer will gain access to CRM.COM by using serial number)
Get Entitlements (optional): Printer can log in to CRM.COM once a day and receive the list of services which it can perform. (this is optional, in case devices would like to work offline. If the device is online all the time then the checks are done in real time by CRM.COM)
Metadata use metadata to provide printer characteristics (printer type, ink type, papers used etc)
Provide device ‘usage’ for billing: Send the number of papers and the ink quantity used for a print job and bill accordingly.

Back to top

Business Flows

Title

Scenario

Aluxsat Co warehouse is used to control the location and quantity of all physical goods related to aluxsat subscriptions such as TV boxes, routers, and remote controls. Different warehouses are used for hardware sold by ZX partners.

All hardware is initially imported into Aluxsat's Main Warehouse and distributed to other warehouses from there.

Warehouse Types

Configure warehouse types as explained in the table below

Name	Information
Sales WT	Warehouses that belong to Aluxsat Co. or partners and from where installed items will be sold. (Items from partner warehouses are not billed from CRM.COM).
Rentals WT	Warehouses that belong to Aluxsat Co. and from where installed items will be rented (not billed).
Returns of Sales WT	Warehouses that belong to Aluxsat Co. or partners and where installed items that were sold and are being replaced for free (through Warranties) will be returned.
Returns of Rentals WT	Warehouses that belong to Aluxsat Co. and where rented installed items will be returned.

Warehouse Types Used During Transactions

Configure the Warehouse Types Used During Transactions as explained in the table below.

For Adding		For Adding During Replacement		For Removing		For Removing during Replacement
Warehouse Type	Classification	Warehouse Type	Classification	Warehouse Type	Classification	Warehouse Type	Classification
Sales WT	Sales	Sales WT	Sales	Returns of Sales WT	Sales	Returns of Sales WT	Sales
Rentals WT	Rentals	Rentals WT	Rentals	Returns of Rentals WT	Rentals	Returns of Rentals WT	Rentals

Warehouses

Create warehouses as explained in the table below, providing the respective group and warehouse type for each.

Warehouse Name	Warehouse Type	Group (Sales Branch or Partner)
Sales	Sales WT	Sales (Aluxsat Co.)
Partner Sales	Sales WT	Sales Partner
Rentals	Rentals WT	Sales (Aluxsat Co.)
SBA Direct Sales Returns	Returns of Sales WT	Sales (Aluxsat Co.)
PBA Indirect Sales Returns	Returns of Sales WT	Sales Partner
SBA Rentals Returns	Returns of Rentals WT	Sales (Aluxsat Co.)

Configuration

Create the following Products, classified as traceable physical goods:
1. TV Boxes
2. Routers
Create the following Products, classified as non-traceable physical goods:
1. Remote control

Import installed items

Create a new import for the installed items.

In the import installed items definition provide the following information:
1. Warehouse: Sales
2. Warehouse transaction life cycle state: 'Posted'
3. Installed item product: Use products specified in the import file (Check that the import file has the correct product codes).
4. Schedule to 'Run Now' / run immediately.
Save the definition and click Submit from the Actions' menu.
1. Create a file by downloading the import template and updating it and 'Add' it in the modal window.
Once the import is complete all the items will be available in the Sales Warehouse.

Create transaction to create Remote Controls

Create a stock in warehouse transaction to 'create' the remote controls (non-traceable physical goods can only be 'created' through stock in warehouse transactions)

Navigate to Direct Sales Warehouse and from the Actions menu select 'New Stock in transaction'
Select Product Type 'Non-traceable physical good' and Product 'Aluxsat Co. Remote Control'.
Input '10' as the Quantity and press 'Enter'.
Save the transaction.

Distribute boxes routers and remote controls to partner warehouse

Create a stock movement warehouse transaction to move physical goods from the Aluxsat Co. warehouse to the partner's warehouse.

Navigate to Direct Sales Warehouse and from the Actions menu select 'New Stock Movement Transaction'.
Define the 'To Warehouse' as 'Partner Sales'.
Select Product Type 'Non-traceable physical good' and Product 'Aluxsat Co. Remote Control'.
Input '10' as the Quantity and press 'Enter'.
Click on 'Add Multiple Installed Items' and search for the items that were just imported.
Select 3 boxes and 3 routers from the modal.
Save the transaction.

Title

Scenario

Aluxsat Co. imports all new physical goods into a central warehouse for initial stocktaking and then distributes them to the other warehouses.

Use 'stock in' warehouse transactions (for non-traceable physical goods) and the 'import installed items utility' (for traceable physical goods) to import all goods in the central warehouse. Use 'stock movement' warehouse transactions to distribute the goods other warehouses.

1. Import all installed items into the temporary warehouse using the import utility.
2. Import all non-traceable physical goods into the temporary warehouse using a stock in warehouse transaction.
3. Navigate to the temporary warehouse and click pm
4. Click on ACTIONS > NEW STOCK MOVEMENT TRANSACTION.
  1. Specify the target warehouse that goods will be moved to.
  2. Specify the product type and the product of the installed items that are being moved.
    1. Type or scan the installed items.
  3. Specify the product type and the product of the non-traceable physical goods that are being moved.
    1. Specify the quantity of the non-traceable physical goods.
  4. Save the warehouse transaction.
5. Check the stock balance to ensure that the correct traceable physical goods and quantities of non-traceable physical goods have been moved.

Title

Scenario

Aluxsat Co. wants to create a 30-day Return Policy for its decoders sold to customers and apply coverage reasons for the decoders sold. The return policy should be applicable only if the decoders are not damaged.

Configuration

Configure a new return policy with validity of 30 days and allowed return period of 30 days.
Fill in the coverage reasons to why the return policy will be applicable and the decoder which the return policy is applied on.Fill in any further information required for the Return policy and Save
- Returned with damages - Do not credit
- Returned in good condition - Credit
- Cannot be resold - Do not credit

Using the new created Return Policy

User:

A decoder is sold to a new subscriber and the return policy is applied (A warehouse for the decoder needs to be already setup). Refer to Inventory Management for further information on warehouses.

Customer:

Customer returns the decoder and the decoder is inspected for any physical damage.
User navigates to the Account Receivable profile of the customer and clicks on Manage Assets. Return Physical Goods action is created via the Actions.
A Return Coverage Reason is selected and the Return Policy is checked.
Accordingly the customer is either credited for not based on the physical condition of the decoder.

Glossary

CRM.COM Term	Definition
Metadata	Metadata is a set of data that describes and gives information about other data.
IOT	A network of uniquely identifiable ‘things’ that communicate without human interaction using IP connectivity.
Meter Reading	The meter reading of a device is used to measure consumption and therefore might create usage, on which customers can be billed.

FAQ

How can I know whether an installed item has been sold to a customer or rented?

All installed items have an Ownership Status which provides information as to who owns the item. Rented installed items are still owned by the company however they may reside at the customer location. In this case the Ownership Status would be 'Owned by Company' however you would also be able to see a Subscription which is using it. This means that the item is rented and not sold.

On the other hand, if an item is sold then the Ownership Status would be set to 'Sold to Customer' and may or may not have information about the subscription using it.

Customer used to have a subscription in the past and he still has the decoder. How can I use the system decoder to register his subscription?

Customers have can use existing equipment they already own,(given it is supported by your business rules) There are two ways to manage this scenario.

If the item will be used on a subscription then while adding the installed item to the subscription, select the option 'Import Installed Item' and provide all the details required (as in creating a new installed item). This is only possible if in the Traceable Physical Goods section of the Subscription Type of the subscription allows the import. i.e. Block Installed Items that Subscriber already owns is disabled.

You can also import the installed item through the accounts receivable module.

While on the customer's account click on Manage Assets action and then click on Import Asset and provide all the details required (as in creating a new installed item). Once the item is imported it can be added to the customer's subscription normally.

Customer wants to return his decoder and he demands a refund. How can I check if he is entitled to a refund?

In order to check whether the customer is eligible to a refund you should check the installed items' information. In the data entry page of the installed item check for the Return Policy section and if one is available then related information will be shown.

Useful Links

falseV4Manualfalselabel = "global" and space = "V4Manual"global

Browser not supported