Letter Service In Scheduler

Collect!'s Scheduler is a separate module available for purchase that is designed to optimize your administrative departmental efficiency. With this module, you can set tasks to run automatically unattended after hours and/or automatically during business hours without the necessity of an attendant being necessary to launch any of the processes or be involved by having to answer screen prompts.

The list of tasks you can automate with the Scheduler module include:

* Create letter service daily output file

* Print reports/letters for clients and debtors

* Recalculate Totals

* Print Reports - extremely useful for any resource time
intensive items

* Database Snapshot and Maintenance

* Process TCN campaign results

* Import/Export data

* Credit Bureau Report to TU/EFX/EXP

* Any Batch Processing, i.e. Contact Plans, Assign Accounts to Operators, etc.

* Generate Statements

* Archive Accounts * * Update NCOA from file * * Reconcile ACH Transactions (Billing Tree) * * Reconcile Credit Card Transactions (Billing Tree)

You control the days/times/frequency that the tasks of your choice are scheduled for.

Contact Administration at 250-391-0466 option 3 for pricing if you wish more information on the add-on Scheduler module.

The following is the procedure to set up and manage your daily Letter Service batch processing.

When you configure a Letter Service task, the Scheduler takes you through the setup steps that appear the same as when you are manually creating your output file. The singular difference is the absence of "Prompt when there is a choice" option on the popup window. Since the Scheduler is intended to run without an operator in attendance, there can be no prompts which require an operator's response.

If you are scheduling both Letter Service and hardcopy letters you will still print in your office, it is very important to make sure you Scheduler tasks place the Letter Service job FIRST with enough time to complete before your inhouse print job for hardcopy letters is initiated.

Collect! will allow you to generate both a hardcopy and letter service data output on any letter set up in your Print Menu. To ensure your Letter Service output file is created, this special subset of Letter Contacts must be processed with the Contact events marked done BEFORE any hardcopy letters are generated to be sent to your inhouse printer. If your hardcopy letters occur first, you will get paper output for ALL your letters and an empty letter service output file.

The Scheduler is ordinarily running on your Server station. It is OK to click where indicated if it is running to stop it if you can see that it is NOT currently processing a task that it is still in progress. Click into the body of the Scheduler Tasks pane and then click New to enter your Letter Service batch.

After clicking "New", you will get a Scheduler Task window. Click the drop-down arrow beside Task and select "Letter service" from the pick list.

1. Click the Configure button to enter the Batch Letter Options screen. Note that it looks just like the manual version of this screen, except that you do not see the option to "Prompt when there is a choice". The choices must be decisioned in advance to avoid the process grinding to a halt when the screen is waiting for an operator response and no operator is present.

Batch Letter Options

The 3 necessary decisions surround what you want to do in the event of the following 3 items in particular:

(a) Print to Cosigners. Check the box if you'd normally answer Yes.

(b) Print to Closed Accounts. Check the box if you'd normally answer Yes.

(c) Print to Unverified Addresses. Check the box if you'd normally allow a letter to be generated on accounts where the Address OK on the debtor account is NOT checked

On.

If there are any other parameters on this screen that you would ordinarily modify, i.e. Date Range, Max Letters allowed to generate, Operator ID associated with the batch, enter those details on this screen.

Click the "Print" button in the lower right corner to advance to the next setup screen.

2. The Report Options screen is opened and shows you that it is already configured for the Letter Service file destination. If the path displayed for where the file will be saved is not where you'd like, you can edit this field to input your file path location of choice. All the other options are Read Only and cannot be modified.

Letter Service File Options

Click the "Print" button in the lower right corner to proceed to the next setup screen.

3. The next popup asks if you want to send a Summary of the letters being generated to a specific operator ID. This is the same type of summary report that regular letter batches produce.

Prompt to Schedule a Summary

If you do not want the Summary report, click "No" and you will be returned to Scheduler Task window. You will see that the color on the Configure button is now green, telling you that all the necessary information was completed.

If you want the Summary report, click "Yes" and proceed to step 4 below.

If you selected No, the following are the steps to complete your setup. You must enter your preferences for the following options:

(a) Interval. Click the drop-down arrow and choose Daily if you want to remit to your letter service provider on a daily basis.

(b) Select the Date and Time for the first process to run. The Scheduler will look after it's own repeat intervals, depending on your setting. "One time only" events are not repeated.

(c) Click OK in the lower right corner of the screen to accept the setup of your Letter Service task, and you will be returned to the main Scheduler Window.

(d) It is very important to restart the Scheduler. If you do not, the module is not engaged and active. This will result in nothing being launched when date/time due. Click the START SCHEDULER button in the lower left corner of the Scheduler window.

4. If you selected "Yes" for the Summary report, you can now select an Operator ID that is to be the recipient of the report.

List of Operators is Displayed

This report is the same as the type generated for regular print letter batches which provides totals regarding the number of letter contacts processed and completed successfully.

The following are the steps to complete your setup. You must enter your preferences for the following options:

(a) Interval. Click the drop-down arrow and choose Daily if you want to remit to your letter service provider on a daily basis.

(b) Select the Date and Time for the first process to run. The Scheduler will look after it's own repeat intervals, depending on your setting. "One time only" events are not repeated.

(c) Click OK in the lower right corner of the screen to accept the setup of your Letter Service task, and you will be returned to the main Scheduler Window.

(d) It is very important to restart the Scheduler. If you do not, the module is not engaged and active. This will result in nothing being launched when date/time due. Click the START SCHEDULER button in the lower left corner of the Scheduler window.

REMINDER. You must make sure that Letter Service batch processes are run AND completed BEFORE any regular hardcopy to printer type daily letter batch is initiated. If the order of operations is not maintained, the regular print batch of letters will generate and Complete ALL letter type contacts, leaving nothing found to be sent to the letter service company.

See Also

- Scheduler
- Scheduled Batch Letters