Introduction

A box sale is an equipment-only sale item that does not require additional services and can be shipped or drop-shipped to customers. This document describes the options available in Q360 for working with box sales, based on the tracking and administrative requirements within an organization.

When deciding on the method for processing box sales, consider the following variables:

• Impact on workflows such as purchasing, picking, shipping and invoicing
• Inclusion of freight charges
• Accounting for internal change orders (ICOs) and customer change orders (CCOs)

Considering the volume at which box sales are processed, the goal is to minimize administrative effort and mitigate overhead costs.

 

Key Takeaways

• Manage box sales using either projects, calls, or independent orders
• Use a consistent method
• Consider freight charges when selecting a method

 

In Q360

Box sales can be processed using projects, calls, and independent orders. Use the following information to determine the best course of action for processing box sales for your organization.

Projects

Advantages

• Uses Internal Change Orders (ICO) and Customer Change Orders (CCO) for easier processing and tracking
• Adds freight charges after as a CCO
• Allows long term and large order box sales, with fulfillment over multiple months

Disadvantages

• Administrative overhead
• Tracking of when to invoice as items are fulfilled is a manual process
• WIP report and project related data can become overloaded
• PO Release Date must be set to trigger purchasing
• Invoicing requires manual determination

Calls

Advantages

• No ICO/CCO eliminates processing overhead
• Adding freight charges at later point eliminates processing overhead

Disadvantages

• Calls and Dispatch Q can become overloaded
• Service workflows will display box sale calls
• Service reports and Dashboards are impacted
• Users must manually check calls for box sales and mark them complete to trigger billing
• Can increase general administrative and data overhead
• Customizations maybe be required to overcome the above

Independent Sales Orders

Advantages

• Triggers purchasing, picking, and shipping for line items included in the order
• Triggers invoicing as equipment is shipped/delivered
• Easier to manage and process
• Does not complicate projects, and service data, and workflows

Disadvantages

• Less control of changes after orders are booked

 

FAQs

How do I account for freight charges at different stages in the process?

• If you require freight on box sale orders, administrators can create an auto-add rule in the system where a standard percentage of freight can be applied to order types. Note that auto-add rules (Accounting > Admin > Auto Add Rule Admin) can only be applied if an order is created from a quote.
• Additionally, when you invoice the order, you can also add freight charges line to bill customer.

How do I handle changes to the order?

• When the box sale is still in the quote phase and prior to being converted to an order, changes can be made.

• Once the quote is booked and converted to an order, ICO and CCOs cannot be submitted, but line items can be cancelled on the order. To add, replace, or remove items , you must cancel existing item if possible and process a new quote for the replacement of additional items.

Published: April 27, 2020