You use the 'Make subscriptions' update to create controlled subscriptions for prospects or to reactivate expired subscribers (that is, to create controlled requalifications for expired subscribers). To run this update select 'Make subscriptions' from the submenu 'Controlled subscriptions…' under 'Updates'on the main menu.
Tip: predicting the results of running the 'Make subscriptions' update
Use the 'Qualified circulation' report to predict the results of running a 'Make subscriptions' update. The 'Qualified Circulation' report uses the same filter tabs as the 'Make subscriptions' update and produces a report that contains most of the sections of the 'Publisher's Statement' report. By requesting that active subscribers and a specified prospect list be included in the report, you can see the effect of adding these prospects to your circulation. By requesting that active subscribers and last year's expires be included in your report, you can see the effect of reactivating the expires.
The filter for the 'Make subscriptions' update has several tabs. After the first tab, the remaining tabs are the same as the 'Qualified circulation' report.
Use prospects, Use inactive subscriptions
You must choose whether to use prospects or inactive subscriptions. If you choose prospects, QuickFill will create a new controlled subscription for each selected prospect. If you choose inactive subscriptions, QuickFill will create a controlled requalification order for each selected subscriber. However, if a selected inactive subscriber was a ship-to member of a group subscription, a new order will be created for that ship-to instead of a requalification order.
The subscription or order that is created can be assigned a new classification code and request type or you can specify that the existing codes be reused. For prospects, a new classification code must be specified on the filter screen since prospect records do not contain a classification code. You can either specify a new request type for subscriptions created from prospects or the existing code in the prospect record can be used.
QuickFill will not create a subscription or order for a customer that already has an active subscription to the same publication, nor will it reactivate a subscription that is nonqualified. If you are reusing the existing classification code then it will not reactivate subscriptions that are classified as paid. You can, however, reactivate inactive paid subscriptions if you assign them a new nonpaid classification code.
Publication
Enter the code for the publication for which you are creating subscriptions. You may either type the code or right click once to select from a list of publication codes.
Tracking code
Enter the code to be used to identify the new subscriptions, either by typing the code name directly or by right clicking once in this field to select from a list of defined codes. This field applies to controlled subscriptions made from prospect records or from expired group and two-party ship-tos that meet the criteria specified on the filter.
Classification
Enter the subscription classification code to be used for the new or reactivated subscription. Only qualified non-paid classifications may be used. For reactivated subscriptions you can leave this field blank and check the box to the right if you want the classification from the prior order to be used.
Request type
Enter the request type code to be used for the new or reactivated subscription. You can leave this field blank and check the box to the right if you want to use the request type from the prior order or from the prospect record.
Requalification source
Enter the source code that QuickFill should use for the orders that are created. You can either type the code name directly or right click once to select from a list of defined source codes. (This field is required when the 'Make subscriptions' update is run for inactive subscriptions.)
Requalification channel
Enter the channel code that QuickFill should use for the orders that are created. You can either type the code name directly or right click once to select from a list of defined channel codes. (This field is required when the 'Make subscriptions' update is run for inactive subscriptions.)
Starting issue
Right click once to select the first issue to be served for the new subscriptions or orders.
Expire issue
Right click once to select the expiration issue for the new subscriptions or orders.
Shipping class
Enter the code for the shipping method to be used for the new subscriptions or orders. You can either type in the code or right click once to select from a list of available codes.
Service code
Enter the service code that should be applied to the new orders. You can either type in the code or right click once to select from a list of available codes. Entry in this field is not required.
Maximum subs to make
The number you enter here is the maximum number of subscriptions or orders that QuickFill will create—no matter how large your file or which selections you make. Entering a number in this field lets you create an exact number of new subscriptions or orders.
Hint: randomize your selection
You may be better off using the 'Random numbers' fields (on the Subscriber 1 tab and Prospect 1 tab of the 'Make subscriptions' update) in addition to the 'Maximum subs to make' field to select a subset of your prospects. Why? Say your prospect list contains 1,000 names, but you only want to create 500 subscriptions. If you select the first 500 prospects using only the 'Maximum subs to make' field, your new subscriptions may include a disproportionate number of low-numbered zip codes, especially if the prospects were originally entered in zip code sequence. By choosing prospects with random numbers from 0 to 49, you can randomize your selection. At a later date you can select the other half of the prospect list by choosing numbers from 50 to 99.
Click here for more information on Filter screens.
After you are done filling in the filter, click on "OK" and a message box will appear with the following options:
Run it now exclusively, only lookup allowed
Run it now shared, all transactions allowed, much slower
Run it with tonight's jobs
Save to an existing job list
Create a new job list
Click here for details on options for running updates.