Most transactions are entered in batches to provide greater control, save keystrokes, and make it easier to locate paperwork later on.
Here's how the batch method gives you greater control: let's use the 'Payments' transaction as an example. Before you enter your batch in QuickFill, you count the number of payments in the batch and total the dollar amount of these payments. You enter these totals in the payment transaction "batch header."
Now, as you enter each payment, QuickFill displays a running total of the number of transactions and the dollar amounts you've entered. It then compares these totals with the numbers you entered originally in the header. When the totals match, QuickFill tells you that your batch is in balance and asks whether you want to post it. If you click on "Post Now," it enters these transactions into your database.
But say you enter all your payments and the totals don't match. Then you know that you probably made an error when entering one or more of the payments. You can easily look through the small group of payments in your batch to locate and fix the error.
You save keystrokes and reduce keying errors when using the batch method because you can enter into the batch header, one time, most characteristics common to the batch. Then, when you enter the actual transaction, QuickFill has already filled in these common fields for you.
Example: Say you've created a batch of new orders, all for a term of 12 issues. Enter "12" in the batch header, and you can skip over the 'Term' field when you enter each new order—QuickFill has automatically entered the correct subscription term for you.
What happens if you have one new order in the batch with a term of 6 issues? You just enter "6" in the 'Term' field for that one transaction. The "6" overrides the "12"—but only for this transaction.
QuickFill lets you stop entering batch transactions at any time and do something else—use 'Lookup' to find an order in response to a phone call, say. When you come back to the batch, the transactions you entered so far are still intact, and you can pick up entering where you left off.
We have found through experience that following the guidelines below leads to fewer mistakes:
Sort your transactions into the four basic batch types: new orders, renewal orders, payments, and prospects.
Sort these four groups into batches with similar characteristics—the same term, the same tracking code, and paid or unpaid, say.
Count the number of items in each batch. The batch method works best when you keep the batches small—no more than 20 or 30 transactions.
Run an adding machine tape to total the payment amount (include cash, checks, and credit card charges).
Enter the number of items and the total (paid) dollar amount into the batch header.
Enter into the appropriate fields any data common to all items in the batch.
When you've finished entering the batch, QuickFill lets you know if the number of transactions and the total dollar amount you entered match your original batch header entries.
If they don't, review your batch of actual transactions to see if you missed or duplicated any, entered an unpaid order as paid or vice versa, or mistyped an amount.