Agency Business Contracts
CAUTION!
This description does not include any details on applicable tax laws. Should you have any questions, please consult your tax advisor or auditor. Please note that the agency business functionality is exclusively available in Germany. If you are located outside of Germany, the use of this function is strictly prohibited.
In TRASER DMS 365, you have the option to process agency businesses. In an agency business, you act as an agent, brokering service items on behalf of the client/selling customer. In this role, you do not own the service item but act on behalf of and for the account of the selling customer, receiving a commission for your brokerage activities. The following documentation describes how to carry out agency businesses in TRASER DMS 365 and is divided into the following sections:
- Activating Agency Business Functionality on the User Card
- Basic Set-Up for Agency Businesses
- Setting up Agency Receivables Account
- Creating Agency Business Contracts
- Creating Loan Postings
- Defining Agency Business Contract Printouts
Activating Agency Business Functionality on the User Card
Before you can process agency businesses, you must first activate the function for the user. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the User Setup page.
- Select the user for whom you want to activate the agency business functionality.
- Click on Card in the menu bar.
- In the Sales FastTab, activate the Agency Business toggle switch.
The selected user can now process agency businesses. You can find more information on the user setup card here. The next section describes how to carry out the basic set-up for agency businesses.
Basic Set-Up for Agency Businesses
In order to be able to process agency businesses, you must first must first make some basic settings in the Sales & Receivables Setup. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Sales & Receivables Setup page.
- Navigate to the Agency Business FastTab on the Sales & Receivables Setup page.
- Complete the fields according to the table below.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Number Series | Enter a number series for agency businesses. |
| Gen. Journal Template | Enter the general journal template that should be used for the loan postings of the agency businesses. |
| Gen. Journal Batch | Enter the general journal that should be used for agency businesses. |
| Source Code | Enter the source code that should be used for agency businesses. |
| Always print VAT Information in Agency Business Documents | Activate this toggle switch if VAT information should always be printed on agency business documents. |
| Sales Order Type | Specify the default order type that should be used for sales documents created from agency businesses. |
| Trade-In Order Type | Specify the default order type that should be used for trade-in documents created from agency businesses, e.g., if the agency business was unsuccessful. |
| Resource (Service Item) | Enter the resource that should be used for the service item in the sales invoice and commission invoice of the agency business. We recommend to create a separate product posting group and VAT product posting group for this purpose. Both can be used to create an internal billing account, sales account and tax account. |
| Resource (Agency Commission) | Enter the resource that should be used for the posting of the commission of the agency business, if the agency business was successful. We recommend that you create a separate product posting group and VAT product posting group for this purpose to ensure that the revenue and VAT of the commission are posted correctly. |
| Resource (Agency Service Revenue) | Enter the resource that should be used for the posting of the service revenue and VAT of the agency business, if the agency business was successful. We recommend that you create a separate product posting group and VAT product posting group for this purpose to ensure that the revenue and VAT of the commission are posted correctly. |
| Headline Commission / Cost (Standard Text) | Enter a text for the heading of commissions/costs for agency businesses. |
| Beginning Text Agency Business Sales Invoice | Enter a beginning text for agency business sales invoices. |
| Beginning Text Agency Business Commission Invoice | Enter a beginning text for agency business commission invoices. |
| Loan Contract Printout | Specify how loan contracts should be printed. For more information on how to specify loan contract printouts, click here. |
| Agency Contract Printout | Specify how agency contracts should be printed. For more information on how to specify agency contract printouts, click here. |
You have successfully completed the basic setup for agency business contracts. The next section describes how to specify a receivables account for agency businesses for customer posting groups.
Setting up Agency Receivables Account
In order to be able to carry out loan postings, a receivables account for agency businesses must be specified for the customer posting group. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Customer Posting Groups page.
- Create a new customer posting group or carry out the following step for an existing customer posting group.
- Navigate to the Agency Business Receivables Account column.
- Enter a G/L account that should be used when posting receivables from agency business contracts for this posting group to generate customer ledger entries for the loan.
You have successfully specified a receivables account for agency businesses for a customer posting group. Your changes are saved automatically. The next section describes how to create an agency business contract.
Creating Agency Business Contracts
To create an agency business contract, please proceed as follows:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Agency Business Contracts page.
- To create a new agency business contract, click on New in the menu bar.
- Enter the following information in the General FastTab:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| No. | Enter a number for the agency business contract. |
| Description | Enter a significant description for the agency business contract. |
| Document Date | This field is automatically filled in with the current date. |
| Start Date | This field is automatically filled in with the start date of the agency business contract, but can be changed manually, if needed. |
| End Date | Enter an end date for the agency business contract, which is typically set for a one-year period. If the agency business is not successful within the year, the machine is traded in. |
| Status | This field is automatically filled in with the current status of the agency business contract. |
| Responsibility Center | Enter the responsibility center for the agency business contract. |
| Salesperson Code | Enter the salesperson for the agency business contract. |
| Reconciliation Customer No. | Enter the customer to whom the loans will be posted. You can either select the customer you work with for the agency business or specify a dummy customer for all loan postings. |
- Enter the following information in the Agency Seller FastTab:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Selling Customer No. | Enter the customer for whom you are selling the machine. |
| Selling Customer Name | This field is automatically filled in with the name of the selling customer once you enter a customer number. |
| Guaranteed Price (Incl. VAT) | Enter the price for the service item that was agreed upon with the selling customer. The difference between this price and the actual sales price will be paid out as commission. |
| Service Item No. | Enter the service item for the agency business. |
| Description | This field is automatically filled in with the description of the service item once you enter a service item number. |
| Serial No. | This field is automatically filled in with the serial number of the service item once you enter a service item number. |
You have successfully created an agency business contract. The next section describes how to create an agency business contract via a calculation worksheet.
Creating Agency Business Contracts via Calculation Worksheets
You can also create an agency business via a calculation worksheet. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Calculation Worksheets page.
- Open the calculation worksheet for which you want to create an agency business.
- Select the Return Type Agency Business in the General FastTab.
- Click on Agency Business in the menu bar to display the Agency Business FastTab.
- Select the service item for which you want to create an agency business in the No. column in the Agency Business FastTab.
- In the Unit Price column, enter the desired price.
- Click on Create Agency Business in the menu bar of the FastTab.
- Confirm the dialog window with Yes to open the agency business card.
You have successfully created an agency business via a calculation worksheet. You can now open the agency business via the Agency Businesses page or the corresponding calculation worksheet by clicking on Open Agency Business in the menu bar of the Agency Business FastTab. The next section describes how to create and carry out loan postings for an agency business contract.
Creating Loan Postings
Once you have created an agency business contract and agreed on a price with the sales customer, you must create and carry out loan postings. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- Click on Loan > Create Loan Posting in the menu bar of an open agency business contract.
- Enter a description for the loan posting in the Posting Description field.
- Check the information in the dialog window and click on OK.
- The general journal with the loan postings is displayed. The first line is the posting line for the selling customer who receives the loan. The second line is the offset entry for the reconciliation customer.
- Click on Preview Posting in the menu bar of the general journal and check the postings. Two customer ledger entries should be created: one for the receivables account and one for the Agency Business Receivables Account for the reconciliation customer.
- Then, click on Post in the menu bar.
- Confirm the dialog window to post the journal lines.
- Close the general journal.
The loan postings have been successfully created and posted. The status of the agency business is set to In Process. Now, there are two possible options:
Successful Agency Business
If you have found a buyer for the service item, please proceed as follows:
- In the open agency business contract, navigate to the Agency Buyer FastTab.
- Enter the following information in the Agency Buyer FastTab:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Buying Customer No. | Enter the customer that is buying the service item from the selling customer. |
| Buying Customer Name | This field is automatically filled in with the name of the buying customer once you enter a customer number. |
| Actual Sales Price (Incl. VAT) | Enter the price for the service item that was agreed upon with the buying customer. The difference between the Guaranteed Price (Incl. VAT) and the Actual Sales Price (Incl. VAT) will be paid out as commission. |
- If the service item requires repairs or maintenance before being sold, you can create a service order via the Service > New Service Order action in the menu bar. More information on creating and posting service orders can be found here.
- Then, click on Set Status > Successful in the menu bar. The status of the agency business is set to Successful.
Now, you have to create the sales invoice for the agency business. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- To create a sales invoice for the agency business, click on Billing > Create Agency Sales Invoice in the menu bar.
- The sales invoice is created. Confirm the dialog window with Yes to open the sales invoice.
- Check the details on the sales invoice.
- Click on Home > Post in the menu bar to post the sales invoice.
- Confirm the dialog window with Yes to post the sales invoice.
You have successfully created the sales invoice for the agency business. Now, you have to create the commission invoice for the agency business. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- To create a commission invoice for the agency business, click on Billing > Create Agency Commission Invoice in the menu bar.
- The commission invoice is created. Confirm the dialog window with Yes to open the commission invoice.
- Check the details on the commission invoice.
- Click on Home > Post in the menu bar to post the commission invoice.
- Confirm the dialog window with Yes to post the commission invoice.
You have successfully created the commission invoice for the agency business. The agency business is completed. The next section describes how to proceed if the agency business was unsuccessful.
Unsuccessful Agency Business
If no buyer is found for the service item by the end date specified in the agency business, you must trade in the service item. In the event of an unsuccessful agency business, proceed as follows:
- In an open agency business contract, click on Set Status > Not Successful in the menu bar. The status of the agency business is set to Not Successful.
- Then, you need to reverse the loan postings that were created during the creation of the agency business contract. To do so, click on Loan > Reverse Loan Postings in the menu bar of an open agency business contract.
- Enter a description for the reversal of the loan posting in the Posting Description field.
- Check the information in the dialog window and click on OK.
- The general journal with the loan postings is displayed.
- Click on Preview Posting in the menu bar of the general journal and check the postings.
- Then, select Post from the menu bar.
- Confirm the dialog window to post the journal lines.
- Close the general journal.
You have successfully reversed the loan posting. Now, you can create the trade-in for the service item. To do so, please proceed as follows:
- To create the trade-in for the service item, click on Billing > Create Trade-In in the menu bar.
- The trade-in is created. Confirm the dialog window with Yes to open the trade-in.
- Check the details on the trade-in card. You can now further process the trade-in. More information on this can be found under Processing Trade-In Orders.
You have successfully created a new trade-in. The agency business is completed.
Defining Agency Business Contract Printouts
You need to specify the print settings for loan contracts and agency business contracts in the Sales & Receivables Setup. To do so, you have to set up the entries that should be displayed on the printouts. Please proceed as follows to define these entries:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the Agency Business Contract Prints page.
- Click on New in the menu bar.
- Enter a code, e. g., Loan Contract or Agency Contract in the Print Code field. You must set up this code in the Sales & Receivables Setup to specify how loan and agency contract printouts should be displayed. More information on this can be found in the Basic Set-Up for Agency Businesses section.
- Enter a significant description in the Description field.
- Navigate to the Lines FastTab.
- To define content for the first page of the printout, click on the value in the Content Exists field.
- Enter the content to be printed on the first page in the text editor. You can use placeholders within your text. For an overview of all available placeholders, click on the info icon on the right side of the screen in the text editor.
- Click OK to save the content.
- Repeat this process for any additional pages and content as needed.
You have successfully defined what contents should be displayed on loan and agency contract printouts.