Authorized users can create and maintain starting blocks in the Product Catalog. The following starting blocks are provided out-of-the-box when the Orders setting is enabled:
New (Basic) Order
New (Basic) Sale
Disconnect Customer
Disconnect Service*
Hotline Service*
New Feature*
New Service
Reconnect Service*
Redirect Service*
Restore Service*
Suspend Service*
Swap Equipment*
Bill Payment
Return Item
Void Transaction
In addition, for systems on IDI solution version 22.4 or later, the Direct Invoice Experience starting block is provided when direct invoicing is enabled.
Notes:
Starting blocks marked with an asterisk (*) replace the equivalent options available in the Actions drop-down menu (available when starting blocks are disabled).
The out-of-the-box starting blocks listed above can be used as is or be modified as needed. You can also create custom starting blocks as needed.
To create/edit a starting block, in the Product Catalog web module choose MANAGE > Starting Blocks.
This displays the Starting Blocks page listing existing starting blocks. The Name link for each block lets you open the block to view and edit its current configuration. You can also use this form to create custom starting blocks to meet your specific requirements.
To create a new starting block, click New Starting Block in the upper right corner. Then use the New Starting Block dialog to configure the block’s behavior.
Note:
In IDI solution 22.12 and later, the New/Edit Starting Block form presents configuration options on two tabs – Main and Policy. In earlier releases, all fields are presented on one comprehensive form, and some fields are not available at all.
The fields presented on the Main tab (shown above) are described below.
Name, Caption | These fields are required. The text you enter here is displayed on the Select Starting Block form. The Caption should briefly describe the block’s purpose. |
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Description | This field is optional. You can use it to provide additional notes.
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Start As | This field is required. Use the drop-down menu to select the type of transaction initiated when you select this block:
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Start Date, End Date | These date pickers are optional. You can use one or both to establish a date range when the starting block will be available on the Select Starting Block form. It will not be available before the start date, nor after the end date. Not entering a start date makes the block immediately available, and not entering an end date makes it available in perpetuity. |
Order Type | This field is optional. You can use it to set a default order type. The type can be modified on the Basic Information page when you start a new transaction. |
Starting Action | This field is optional. You can use it to set a default action for the transaction. The action can be modified on the BasicInformation page when you start a new transaction. Note: Additional options are presented for starting block configuration when applicable for the selected starting action. This lets you prepopulate the required information on the order to streamline the process and potentially avoid errors. The options depend on the selected starting action. For example, when Starting Action = Return Item, drop-down menus are provided for selecting a return reason and inventory status.
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Displayed In | Use these check boxes to select where the starting block will be available for selection. This can be one or any combination of the:
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Allowable Actions | Use these check boxes to select which actions can occur within the transaction. This can be one or any combination of the listed actions. |
Behavior | This provides options to:
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The fields presented on the Policy tab are shown and described below.
Location Options | These options are only applicable when the block is intended to start a retail or direct invoice web transaction. This can be handled in two ways: For remote (not in-store) sale applications where sales associates are not required to use a specific location/register, you can specify a global Location & Register using the respective drop-down menus. These menus are populated with locations and registers as configured in IDI Desktop Client POS Back Office. For in-store sale applications where sales associates must use their individual locations/registers you’ll typically leave the Location and Register undefined. In this case, check the Is Register Required check box. This will require sales associates to select their location and register at the start of each transaction (as long as they are not pre-assigned to a register via Register Management). For Direct Invoice applications, you must set Location and Register specifications on the starting block. The My Locations option is not applicable for direct invoice transactions |
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Email Options | These options support emailing a receipt or service/installment agreement for the transaction. The drop-down menu defaults to No Email. In this case, all related fields are disabled and there will be no options to email a receipt on completing the transaction. If you want to email a receipt, select one of these options:
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Receipt/Invoice Configuration | This area is labeled Receipt Configuration when Start As on the Main tab = Sale or Order. In this case you can use this area to:
This area is labeled Invoice Configuration when Start As = Direct Invoice. In this case you can use this area to:
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Considerations for Tender Bill Payment Starting Blocks
The default Bill Payment starting block is predefined with the following parameters on the Main tab:
Start As = Sale
Starting Action = Tender Bill Payment
Displayed in is set to Customer Care Account Level and Orders
Allowable Actions Account level and Bill Payment are enabled (checked)
Behavior = Skip Transaction Details Page
The Policy tab setup has not changed, except that Require Register to Start Transaction is preselected and cannot be disabled.
Considerations for Return Item Starting Blocks
The default Return Item starting block is predefined with the following parameters on the Main tab:
Start As = Sale
Starting Action = Return Item – This provides two additional drop-down menus:
Return Reason
Inventory Status
Displayed in is set to Customer Care Account Level and Orders
Allowable Actions all are enabled (checked)
No Behavior to skip pages are predefined
The Policy tab setup has not changed. Note: As rules that govern returns are set on a register policy basis, the Location options can be used to set up additional starting blocks to enforce different return rules for different locations. Also, Require Register to Start Transaction is preselected and cannot be disabled.
Considerations for Void Transaction Starting Blocks
When Void Transaction is selected as the starting action:
The Start As drop-down menu is set to Order and cannot be changed. This ensures voids can only be performed on order transactions.
The Allowable Actions options are disabled and cannot be changed.
Displayed In defaults to Customer Care Account level and Orders; however, Customer Care Service level may be selected if you want.
On the Policy tab, Location, Email and Receipt configuration options are disabled and cannot be changed.
Considerations for Service/Installment Agreements – Email Options
If you want the ability to email agreement documents during a web transaction, set up the starting block to support email options accordingly.
Considerations for Credit Checking and Manual Deposits
This functionality requires you to select the Perform Credit Evaluation Behavior and Deposit Allowable Action. This action toggles the ability to manually add a deposit to the transaction, independent of the credit scoring logic. This setting does not impact automatically adding deposits to a transaction as dictated by your credit scoring logic.
Note:
With proper setup, manual deposits can also be supported without starting blocks.