Keys: CTRL+G
Use 'Group change' to change the makeup of an ongoing group or two-party subscription. You can use this transaction to add members, delete members, or change the number of copies, or shipping method for any of the members. Because these types of changes usually change the subscription price, running this transaction cancels the original order and creates a new order, transferring the remaining term and the unearned balance from the old order to the new one.
You can also use 'Group change' to turn a two-party subscription into a group subscription by adding one or more ship-to addresses. Or you can turn a group subscription into a two-party subscription by deleting ship-to addresses, so that only one ship-to remains.
If you need to change only the address of a ship-to customer or bill-to customer (you have no change in the number of copies or the shipping method), use 'Address change' instead. You can also use 'Address change' to replace one ship-to customer with another. Click here for details on the 'Address change' transaction.
To change a group subscription, you must first locate the two-party or group subscription that you want to change. (Click here for details on the lookup procedure.) Once you are on the "Subscription and prospect record" lookup screen, select 'Group change' under 'Transactions' on the main menu.
The screen you will see contains the bill-to address and a list of group members.
In the 'New total copies' field, enter the total number of copies you'll ship to the new group. Then move the cursor down to the list of group members and make the necessary changes.
To add a new member, click on "New." You'll see a customer address form. Enter the number of copies, the shipping class, and the name and address of the new member. Fill out the address form just as you would when entering a new order. When you're done, click on "OK."
Duplicates
QuickFill now searches your customer file to see if the address you added duplicates an existing customer. If it finds a potential match, it displays the matching address and asks whether it's the same person. If you respond by clicking on "Not the same person," QuickFill creates a new customer record.
If you respond by clicking on "Same person," QuickFill displays both records and waits while you make minor corrections to resolve the differences between the two.
You can merge certain information on the records by clicking on "Merge," copy information from one field to another by highlighting the information you would like to copy and then using the copy and paste commands in the tool bar or edit menu (click here for details on the tool bar and on the edit menu commands), swap addresses by clicking on "Swap," or edit any of the fields (i.e., title, department, etc.). When you click on "OK" to save your changes, QuickFill will combine the two customer records so that all prospect records and subscriptions are listed under a single customer record. Click here for a detailed explanation of duplicate detection.
Note: using "Merge"
"Merge" may be used to merge the sex, telephone number, fax number, E-mail address, user ID, password, demographic fields, and the last 4 digits of a 10 digit zip code. If the record that is going to be discarded contains data for one of these fields and the other does not, then the data is automatically copied to the record that is being kept.
To replicate an existing group member's information, move the cursor to that member and click on "Replicate." You'll see a customer address form with the group member's address data. Simply type over the data you wish to change and click on "OK." The ability to replicate an existing group member's information is helpful when the address data for the new member you are adding is the same.
To change the name, address, number of copies you ship, or the shipping method for an existing member, move the cursor to that member and click on "Change." You'll see a customer address form with the current address data. Simply type over the quantity field or the shipping class field and click on "OK."
To delete a member, move the cursor to the member you want to delete and click on "Delete." QuickFill displays a customer address form with the address data of that member and asks you to confirm that this is the member you want to delete. If it is, click on "Yes;" if it's not, click on "No."
If you want to start shipping issues to the bill-to address, use the procedure for entering a new group member filling in the customer number of the bill-to customer on the customer address form. If you look up the bill-to address after you've finished making that change, you'll see that the subscription is listed twice under that customer address—once as a bill-to and once as a ship-to.
As you make changes to the group membership list, QuickFill displays a running total of the number of copies you'll ship above the list of group members, next to the words "Actual total copies." To double-check your changes, you can compare this number with the number you entered in the 'New total copies' field. When these numbers match and you've made all your changes, click on "OK." QuickFill cancels the original order and creates a new replacement order. The replacement order starts where the old one left off and has a term equal to the number of issues remaining on the original order. And, QuickFill transfers any amount due or credit balance from the old order to the new one. The names of the group members that were added or deleted are listed in the subscription history.
QuickFill sets the term of the new order to equal the number of unserved issues from the original order. It calculates the price of the new order by dividing the price of the original order by the original number of copies. It multiplies this price per copy by the new number of copies to arrive at the price of the new order. It then transfers the unearned balance from the original order to the new one. The new order usually has a balance due or a credit depending on whether you added or deleted members.
If there's a balance due that is greater than the minimum bill amount you defined, QuickFill generates a bill in the usual way (click here for details on defining the minimum dollar amount to be billed). If there's a credit balance, that amount is either automatically refunded or applied to the next renewal of the subscription—depending on your publication policies for dealing with credit balances and refunds (click here for details on defining refund policies).
Click here for additional information on how to handle two-party & group subscriptions.
Since the 'Group change' transaction is not a batched transaction, it is recorded in the miscellaneous batch. Click here for details on the miscellaneous batch.
Error messages
n That is not a group or two-party subscription
The subscription you chose is a single subscription. You cannot use 'Group change' to turn a single subscription into a group or two-party subscription. Use the 'Add bill-to' transaction instead, then return to this transaction if you need to make more changes. (Click here for details on the 'Add bill-to' transaction located under 'Two-party' under 'Transactions' on the main menu.)
n Only active subscriptions can be changed
The subscription that you chose is graced, canceled, or expired.
n Sum of quantities for each customer does not match declared quantity
The number that you entered in the 'New total quantity' field doesn't match the 'Actual total quantity' QuickFill calculated and displayed above the list of group members. Check the list of group members to make sure you don't have missing or extra members.