debt$net 6.9 user s gui dedebt$net™ 6.9 user ’s gui de produced and distributed by: the computer...

DEBT$NET™ 6.9 USER’S GUIDE

Produced and Distributed by:The Computer Manager, Inc.

Poulsbo, WA 98370

1 .8 0 0 .5 5 2 .8 3 9 7 v w w w .debtnet5 .com

TABLE OF CONTENTS DEBT$NET 6.9 USERS GUIDE

Copyright 2005 The Computer Manager, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 - GETTING STARTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

1.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11.1.1 Welcome to Debt$Net™ 6.9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

1.2 INSTALLING DEBT$NET™ 6.9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21.3 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS USED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21.4 ACCESSING THE DEBT$NET™ MAIN MENU BAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-41.5 DEBT$NET™ MAIN MENU BAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-41.6 DEFINITIONS OF KEY COLLECTION TERMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-81.7 DEBT$NET™ DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-91.8 A NOTE ON DEBT$NET™ DISPLAYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-111.9 GETTING AROUND IN DEBT$NET™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-111.10 DEBT$NET™ REPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-121.11 SAFEGUARDING DATA FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-121.12 SYSTEM BACKUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-131.13 SYSTEM SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-131.14 SYSTEM INFORMATION SCREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14

1.14.1 Debt$Net™ User List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-161.16 IF YOU NEED FURTHER HELP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17

CHAPTER 2 - CLIENT MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

2.1 CLIENT MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12.2 ADD CLIENTS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22.3 CLIENT INQUIRE/CHANGE SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

2.3.1 Check Guarantees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-182.4 PRINT CLIENT LIST SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-212.5 CLIENT STATEMENT PREVIEW SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-222.6 CLIENT ACTIVITY REPORTS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25

2.6.1 Client Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-262.6.2 Client Status Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27

2.6.2.1 Print Status Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-282.6.2.2 Print Cancel and Return Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-302.6.2.3 Update Canceled Account Report Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-332.6.2.4 Print Batch Status Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34

2.6.3 Twelve Month Recovery Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-352.6.4 Interest Payment Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-37

DEBT$NET 6.9 USERS GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS


2.6.5 Client Activity History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-372.6.6 Master Client Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-38

2.7 CLIENT PAYMENT & ADJUSTMENTS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-392.7.1 Add Client Payments/Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-402.7.2 Inquire/Change Client Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-412.7.3 Client Payment Edit List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-432.7.4 Client Aged Balance Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43

2.8 UPDATE COMMISSION CODES SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-442.9 PRINT MASTER CLIENT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-472.10 CLIENT GROUP MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-49

CHAPTER 3 - ACCOUNT/DEBTOR MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

3.1 ACCOUNT/DEBTOR MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13.2 ADD DEBTOR/ACCOUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

3.2.1 Checking for Existing Debtors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23.2.2 Adding a New Debtor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43.2.3 Adding Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

3.3 INQUIRE/CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-193.3.1 Extended Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-193.3.2 Base Working Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22

3.3.2.1 Debtor Inquire/Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-283.3.2.2 Account Inquire/Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-293.3.2.3 Deleting Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-303.3.2.4 Promise Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-313.3.2.5 Extended Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32

3.4 PRINT ACCOUNT LIST SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-363.4.1 Alphabetical or Numeric Account List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-363.4.2 Account List By Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-373.4.3 Account List by Collector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-383.4.4 Account Promise List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-383.4.5 Account List by Status or Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-383.4.6 Account List by Selected Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40

3.5 COMBINE ACCOUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-423.6 ACCOUNT CHANGE BY DEBTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-43

CHAPTER 4 - DAILY WORK SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

4.1 DAILY WORK SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14.1.1 Call List Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

4.2 ON-SCREEN COLLECTOR CALL LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34.2.1 Using the Call List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10



4.2.2 Choosing a Debtor To Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-114.2.3 Working an Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-114.2.4 Taking Unscheduled Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-124.2.5 Deferring Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-124.2.6 Setting Up Payment Plans (Promises) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-124.2.7 Reviewing Notices Sent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-154.2.8 Checking on Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-154.2.9 Updating Debtor Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-154.2.10 Linking Debtors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-164.2.11 Entering Contact Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-174.2.12 Entering Call Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-184.2.13 State and Agency Account Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-184.2.14 Quick Edit Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19

4.3 COLLECTOR SCROLL LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-204.3.1 Using the Scroll List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-214.3.2 Collector Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-224.3.3 Deferred Calls in the Scroll List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24

4.4 NAVIGATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-244.4.1 Work List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-264.4.2 Bookmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-284.4.3 Defers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-294.4.4 Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-304.4.5 Admin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32

4.4.5.1 Answering Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-324.4.5.2 Creating Quick Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-34

4.4.6 Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35

CHAPTER 5 - TRANSACTION MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

5.1 TRANSACTION MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15.1.1 Transaction Processing Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

5.2 ADD DEBTOR TRANSACTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35.2.1 Adding Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35.2.2 Transaction Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

5.2.2.1 Manual Distribution Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-115.3 INQUIRE/CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-125.4 PRINT DEPOSIT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-135.5 RECONCILIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-145.6 POST TRANSACTIONS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

5.6.1 Reprint Posted Transaction Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-185.6.2 Print Transaction Analysis Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-185.6.3 Multiple Periods Transaction Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18



5.7 POSTDATED CHECKS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-195.7.1 Maintain Postdated Check File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-205.7.2 Process Post-Dated Check File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-225.7.3 Print Report of Post-Dated Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22

5.8 PRINT INVOICES FOR DIRECT PAYMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-235.9 CHECK GUARANTEE MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24

5.9.1 Process Check Guarantees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-255.9.2 Check Guarantee Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27

5.10 PROCESS ACCRUED BALANCE POSTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-275.11 ADDITIONAL CHARGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30

CHAPTER 6 - COLLECTOR MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

6.1 COLLECTOR MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16.2 ADD COLLECTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26.3 INQUIRE/CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-56.4 COLLECTOR LIST SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

6.4.1 Print Collector Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-86.4.2 Collector Activity History Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

6.5 COLLECTOR DISTRIBUTION GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-106.6 COLLECTOR REASSIGNMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

CHAPTER 7 - STATEMENT AND CHECK MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

7.1 STATEMENTS/CHECKS MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17.1.1 Statement/Check Processing Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

7.2 PRINT STATEMENTS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47.2.1 Clear Month To Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57.2.2 Print Statements (Current Period) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57.2.3 Close Statement Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-97.2.4 Reprint Statements (Prior Periods) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10

7.3 PRINT CHECK EDIT LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-117.4 PRINT CHECKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-127.5 PRINT CHECK REGISTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-137.6 CANCEL CHECKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-137.7 RECONCILE BANK STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-157.8 TRUST ACCOUNT CHARGES AND REPORTS SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16

7.8.1 Trust Account Summary Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-177.8.2 Print Sales Tax Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-187.8.3 Outside Commission and Legal Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-197.8.4 Trust Checks and Charges Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20

7.8.4.1 Add Agency Trust Checks and Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21



7.8.4.2 Delete or Edit Trust Checks and Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-227.8.5 Print Trust Account Period Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22

7.9 UPDATE STATEMENT MESSAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23

CHAPTER 8 - ADMINISTRATIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

8.1 ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18.2 ACCOUNT HISTORY MAINTENANCE MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

8.2.1 Move Accounts to History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-38.2.2 Print History File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-58.2.3 Accounts History Purge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

8.3 PRINT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-78.3.1 Print Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-88.3.2 Purge Acknowledgment File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-98.3.3 Update Acknowledgment Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

8.4 PRINT NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-108.4.1 Printing Notices Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-118.4.2 Printing Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-128.4.3 Update Validity Claim Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-148.4.4 Update Disclosure Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-158.4.5 Print Debtor Statements by Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16

8.5 CREDIT BUREAU REPORTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-178.5.1 Setting Up to Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-178.5.2 Credit Bureau Comment Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-188.5.3 Reporting Spouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-198.5.4 Reporting Comakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-208.5.5 Credit Bureau Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-218.5.6 Create Credit Bureau Download File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-238.5.7 Reporting to Multiple Credit Bureaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-248.5.8 Create Experian Commercial CB File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24

8.6 AGENCY MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-258.6.1 Account Scroll List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-278.6.2 Print Two Week Notice Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-298.6.3 Mass Account Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-308.6.4 Call List Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34

8.6.4.1 End Of Day Call List Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-358.6.4.2 Clear Collector Call List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-368.6.4.3 Call List Redistribution Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-36

8.6.5 Account Forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-378.6.5.1 Create Forward File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-388.6.5.2 Forwarded Account Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-408.6.5.3 Maintain Forwarded Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-40



8.6.6 Agency Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-428.6.6.1 Maintain Agency Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-438.6.6.2 Print Agency Analysis Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-458.6.6.3 Collector Contact Result List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-468.6.6.4 Time Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-478.6.6.5 Account Collection Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48

8.6.7 Security and Audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-508.6.7.1 View Deletion Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-518.6.7.2 View Security Stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-528.6.7.3 Audit Log Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-53

8.6.8 Report Batching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-548.6.8.1 Setting up Batch Report Runs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-558.6.8.2 Running Batch Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-56

CHAPTER 9 - UTILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1

9.1 UTILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19.2 FILE MAINTENANCE FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

9.2.1 Reorganize Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39.2.2 Clear Multi-User Flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49.2.3 Maintain Menu Access Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59.2.4 Pre-Allocate Account Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69.2.5 Phone Prefix Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-79.2.6 Archive\Purge Audit Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-89.2.7 Account Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9

9.3 AGENCY FILE MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-109.4 NOTICE FILE MAINTENANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19

9.4.1 Setting up a Dunning Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-219.4.2 Adding a New Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-239.4.3 Notice File Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-269.4.4 Other Notice Maintenance Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39

9.5 DEBT$NET™ FILE TRANSFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-419.6 CODES AND DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42

9.6.1 Status Code Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-449.6.2 Check Print Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-479.6.3 Extended Reference Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-499.6.4 Maintain Account Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-529.6.5 Maintain Macro Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-559.6.6 Check Damages Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-569.6.7 Work Scoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-599.6.8 Result Code Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62

9.6.8.1 Result Code Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63



9.6.8.2 Result Code Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64

CHAPTER 10 - SALES MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1

10.1 DEBT$NET™ SALES MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-110.1.1 Contact Manager Operation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2

10.2 MAINTAIN CONTACT FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-210.3 SALESMAN MAINTENANCE SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6

10.3.1 Salesman Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-610.3.2 Print Salesman List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8

10.4 NOTICE FILE MAINTENANCE SUBMENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1010.4.1 Print Client/Contact Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1010.4.2 Notice File Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12

10.5 MASS CLIENT/PROSPECT CHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15

CHAPTER 11 - EXTENDED SERVICE OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1

1.11 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11.11.1 Install ESO’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1

APPENDICES:

APPENDIX A - GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

APPENDIX B - ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

APPENDIX C - FILE RECOVERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

APPENDIX D - REPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

APPENDIX E - BACKING UP FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

APPENDIX F - INITIAL SET UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

APPENDIX G - MULTI-USER CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1

APPENDIX H - WHAT TO DO...WHEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-1

GETTING STARTED DEBT$NET™ 6.9 USERS GUIDE

Copyright 2005 The Computer Manager, Inc. 1 - 1

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.1.1 Welcome to Debt$Net™ 6.9

Debt$Net™ Windows Release 6.9 is a collection software program©

designed to perform many of the functions involved in running acollection agency. Debt$Net™ may be used to maintain accounts, recordpayments, compute interest, and print out dunning notices, checks,statements, and reports. Among Debt$Net™’s many features aremultiple accounts for a single debtor, alpha searches for individualaccounts, check damages, collector distribution, client and collectoractivity reports, client statements, and client status reports.

Debt$Net™ 6.9 is user-friendly and interactive, which means that yourespond to on-screen prompts while performing collection tasks.Debt$Net™ consists of a Main Menu with thirteen selections, each witha drop-down submenu that outlines the menu selection’s options andcapabilities. Menu selections include: Clients, Account/Debtor, DailyWork, Transactions, Collector Maintenance, Statements/Checks,Administrative, Utilities, Sales Management, Extended Service Options,Message, Help, and Exit. Section 1.4 discusses the Main Menu andexplains the functions of each selection.

The Debt$Net™ 6.9 Users Guide provides a comprehensive descriptionof how to use Debt$Net™, as well as the options available inDebt$Net™. The Computer Manager, Inc. (TCM) recommends that allusers familiarize themselves with this documentation.

This Users Guide, available online under the “Help” Menu inDebt$Net™, consists of ten chapters and nine appendices. The UsersGuide is organized in the same order as the Main Menu selections inDebt$Net™: Chapter 2 explains the process of entering and maintainingclients; Chapter 3 covers the menus that set up and maintain debtors andaccounts; Chapter 4 covers the functions used to work accounts; Chapters5 through 9 cover the functions supporting agency management, systemadministration, and accounting; and Chapter 10 covers the functions used

DEBT$NET™ 6.9 USERS GUIDE GETTING STARTED

1 - 2 Copyright 2005 The Computer Manager, Inc.

by the sales staff to track potential clients. Appendices A through Icontain, respectively, a glossary of terms, error messages, file recoveryinformation, backup procedures, report descriptions, data filedescriptions, multi-user concepts, what to do when certain circumstancesoccur, and a look at Debt$Net Venture™ (a smaller version ofDebt$Net™ that provides basic functionality for new collectionagencies).

1.2 INSTALLING DEBT$NET™ 6.9

Debt$Net™ 6.9 is easily installed on your computer through the use ofa supplied installation program on a CD-ROM, which guides you throughthe installation process with step-by-step instructions on the screen.Refer to the installation instruction manual provided with your initialpurchase of Debt$Net™ for more information on the installation process.

Included in the Debt$Net™ 6.9 installation program is Adobe AcrobatReader, which is required to access the online Debt$Net™ 6.9 UsersGuide and the Extended Service Options Users Guide. Each of theseguides includes a complete Table of Contents, with links you may clickon to move to any section in the documentation.

1.3 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS USED

The information provided in this manual explains how to accomplishtasks in a Windows environment with a mouse. If you are new to usinga mouse, here is a quick review of the terms used in this manual:

Button A small enclosed area within a dialog box that may bepointed to and clicked on to perform the indicated action.

Click Pressing and releasing the left mouse button one time.Unless stated otherwise, clicking always refers to the leftmouse button.

Dialog Box An on-screen framed area in which the program promptsyou to enter information or make a decision.



Double-Click Clicking the left mouse button twice quickly. Again,unless specifically stated otherwise, double-clickingalways refers to the left mouse button.

Drag Pressing and holding down the left mouse button whilemoving the pointer.

Forms Pop-up windows used to capture data about clients,debtors, accounts, etc.

Menu Bar Group of selection headings which extends across the topof the screen, under which drop-down submenus display.To access a drop-down menu, simply select the heading.

Scroll Arrow Arrows appearing in the corners of the screen whichenable you to move through a list in small increments,up, down, right, or left.

Scroll Bar The shaded area on the right side or bottom of a screen,used to slide the screen up/down or right/left, in order toview all of the text. You may move through thedisplayed information on the screen by (1) clicking thescroll arrows, (2) clicking in the gray area around thescroll button, or (3) dragging the scroll button with themouse.

Scroll Button The scroll button is a slider within the scroll bar that youdrag in small or large increments to view another part ofthe document.

Select Positioning the cursor in the desired location and clickingthe left mouse button.

More terms are found in Appendix A, Glossary.



1.4 ACCESSING THE DEBT$NET™ MAIN MENU BAR

To access the Main Menu bar, proceed as follows:

A. Ensure that Debt$Net™ 6.9 is properly installed on yourcomputer.

B. Turn on the power and wait for the system to boot.C. Double-click on the Debt$Net™ 6.9 icon on the computer’s

desktop.D. When the opening screen of Debt$Net™ 6.9 displays with The

Computer Manager, Inc.’s Debt$Net™ logo and copyrightinformation, you may enter your user name and password if theyhave been set up in the system (Figure 1-1). The Main Menu bardisplays (see Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-1. Opening Screen of Debt$Net™ 6.9.

1.5 DEBT$NET™ MAIN MENU BAR

The Debt$Net™ Main Menu bar is shown in Figure 1-2. Each menuheading, when clicked, displays a drop-down submenu that lists optionsfor performing a particular group of collection agency tasks. Table 1-1explains the Main Menu bar headings and provides additionalinformation on the options available.



Figure 1-2. Debt$Net™ Main Menu Bar.

Table 1-1. Debt$Net™ Main Menu Bar Selections

SELECTION EXPLANATION

Clients Clients—The Client Maintenance Menu allows

you to add and delete clients in Debt$Net™; set up

check guarantees; set up financial and reporting

criteria; view and modify client records; print

alphabetical or numerical client lists; preview client

statements before printing, print various client

reports; maintain client payments and adjustments;

and update commission codes.

Account/Debtor A c c o u n t / D e b t o r — T h e A c c o u n t / D e b to r

Maintenance Menu lets you add new debtors and

accounts into Debt$Net™; review or modify

existing debtors and accounts; print various account

lists (alphabetical, numerical by client, etc.);

reassign an account from one debtor to another; and

change most frequently updated fields in the

account file for all accounts belonging to one

debtor.

Daily Work Daily Work— Daily Work provides two areas

where you may work accounts in Debt$Net™: the

On-Screen Collector Call List and the Collector

Scroll List. The On-Screen Collector Call List

provides a list of debtors set for contact today,

while the Scroll List provides a list of all debtors

assigned to you (in priority order).





Transactions Transactions— Transactions Maintenance Menu

provides options to add new debtor transactions;

review, delete or modify existing transactions; print

a deposit list of all unposted transactions paid to the

agency; print a reconciliation report of all debtor

transactions entered since the last posting run; post

transactions and print Posted Transactions Report;

maintain advance payment (postdated) checks when

working out payment plans with debtors; print

invoices for debtor payments that the client has

received; and process and print all check

guarantees set up for a client.

Collector M aint. C o l le c t o r M a in t . — C o l le c to r M a in te n an c e

provides options to add or delete collectors in the

system, review or modify existing collectors, and

print the collector list alphabetically, numerically,

or for collector activity history.

Statements/Checks Statements/Checks— The Statements/Checks

Menu displays options to print statements; clear the

“Month to Date” fields in the collector and client

files at the end of the month; close the current

statement period; review, print, and cancel checks;

print the check register; reconcile/balance bank

statements; print various trust account reports

(Sales Tax Report, Legal Detail Report, etc.); and

update the message that displays on the bottom of

all client statements.

Admin Admin— The Admin Menu provides options to

move cancelled accounts to the history file; print

acknowledgments and purge the acknowledgment

file; print notices daily; print debtor statements by

type; report new debtors/accounts to the credit

bureau; and perform agency management functions

such as Call List maintenance, check damages

setup, etc.





Utilities Utilities—The Utilities Menu allows you to

reorganize files, define extended references,

maintain macro definitions; add, review, or delete

status codes; access the Agency File Maintenance

Screen to set up agency defaults; print the Interest

Payment Summary; print checks; add, delete, and

modify notices; set up dunning notice series;

transfer files to and from the TCM bulletin board;

and set up or view result codes.

Sales Mgmt. Sales M gmt.—The Sales Management Menu

provides options for you to maintain salesmen

marketing contacts; add or modify salesmen; print

salesmen listings; set up and print marketing letters;

or change the sales information for a group of

clients or prospects.

ESO’s ESO’s—The ESOs Menu provides options

available for various Extended Service Options that

you have installed in your system. If there are no

ESOs installed, the options on this menu are

disabled.

Message Message—The Message Menu lets you send

Interstation Messages to other Debt$Net™ users in

a network environment.

Help Help— The Help Menu provides options to view

the System Information Screen and active users in

Debt$Net; the Online Users Guide and Online

Extended Service Options Users Guide; and a list

of new features added to Debt$Net™ 6.9.

Exit Exit— The Exit Menu option is used to log out of

Debt$Net™.

1.6 DEFINITIONS OF KEY COLLECTION TERMS

Certain collection terms are key to understanding the way thatDebt$Net™ is organized. After reviewing the terms in this section, it isrecommended that you also evaluate Appendix A for any data processingterms that are unfamiliar.



Client The person or company to whom the debtor owesthe debt, and for whom the agency is collecting.

Agency The collection agency who is collecting debts.

Debtor A person or company owing a debt to a client.

Account The actual debt that a person or company owes(there is one account for each debt). An accountpertains to only one debtor, but a debtor may haveseveral accounts.

Collector An employee of the collection agency whose jobis to contact debtors for the purpose of collectingdebts.

Transaction The payment of a debt either in full or in part bya debtor.

Statement A periodic report to a client listing all debtortransactions for a period. The statement serves asa bill to the client for any agency commission dueor may accompany a check for transactionsreceived by the agency.

Commission The fee charged by the agency for collecting thedebt (a percentage or a user-defined commissionstructure).

Payment A transaction that records the amount of moneycollected against a debt.

Trust Account A bank account used by the agency to deposit alldebtor transactions received. All funds remain inthe trust account until the agency forwards theclients their share of the transactions.



1.7 DEBT$NET™ DISPLAYS

Debt$Net™ displays information in the form of drop-down menus,submenus, prompts, data forms, reports, notices, client checks, on-screenmessages, and help screens. The following list explains the purpose ofeach of these formats:

Menu A menu lists the options available to performa particular segment of collection agencywork, for example, to maintain the client file.Access menus by clicking on the selectionheadings on the Main Menu.

Submenu A drop-down submenu displays when a menuoption provides additional choices.

Prompt A prompt is an on-screen message thatrequires a response in order for Debt$Net™ toproceed. For example, some prompts ask fora name or number. Debt$Net™ then performsan information search to call up a particularrecord with that name or number. Otherprompts ask for a yes or no (Y or N) responsebefore saving or deleting a record.

Data Form The data form is used to enter informationabout a client, account, debtor, or collector.

Report A report lists the information that you request(such as an alphabetical account list) either onpaper or on the screen.

Notice A notice is a piece of correspondence that theagency sends out to debtors.

On-Screen Message An on-screen message displays when youpress an incorrect key or enter a name ornumber that is not on file. On-screenmessages also inform you when the system isprocessing data, or if there are choices oroptions to select.



Debt$Net™ Help There are several ways for you to receiveassistance in Debt$Net™. Two types of helpscreens are available throughout the system,and a Help Menu option on the Main Menubar provides access to system information andinstructional manuals.

Context-sensitive help in Debt$Net™ may beaccessed by positioning the cursor in aparticular field and right-clicking with themouse. The help box that displays on thescreen explains the field, as well as whatinformation to input. To leave the helpscreen, simply click the “OK” button. Thesecond type of help screen available is a picklist which allows you to select items, such asdebtors, clients, status codes, etc. When youright-click the mouse, a window opens thatdisplays a list of possible selections. To makea selection, highlight the item and eitherdouble-click or press the “Select” button.You may then move through a selection picklist with the keys, scroll bar, and, or keys.

The Help Menu provides options for you toview the System Information Screen, theonline documentation, and a list of newfeatures available in Debt$Net™ 6.9. TheSystem Information Screen displays yourworkstation configuration information, serialnumber, disk space available, support number,etc. By clicking the “Users” button on thisscreen, you may review the users currentlylogged in to Debt$Net™. Onlinedocumentation provided includes the UsersGuide (this manual), as well as the ExtendedService Options Users Guide. Both manualsrequire that Adobe Acrobat Reader is installed



and working properly on your computer. Youmay print either manual while viewing it onthe screen, or you may request a printed copyof the Debt$Net™ Users Guide by contactingTCM’s Sales Department.

1.8 A NOTE ON DEBT$NET™ DISPLAYS

Debt$Net™ displays (such as screens and forms) include the name of thecollection agency at the top of the screen. The samples shown in thisUsers Guide contain the name of The Computer Manager, Inc. On yourscreen, however, the name of your agency (as entered at installation)appears.

1.9 GETTING AROUND IN DEBT$NET™

This section explains how to move from menu to menu, enterinformation, and move the cursor on the screen. It also explains some ofthe function keys used on the keyboard.

During normal operations, Debt$Net™ does not return to the desktopscreen unless you select “Exit” from the Main Menu. If the programreturns to the desktop screen, it is typically the result of an error.Debt$Net™ is programmed to trap certain errors and display a messagedetailing the error before exiting the system. Appendix B describes someof the error messages that you may encounter.

Information is entered into Debt$Net’s data forms through various fields.Once you enter information into a field, to move to another field you mayclick the key, + key combination, key, key, or click another field with your mouse. A field may be leftblank as long as Debt$Net™ does not require the information in order tocontinue (such as the “Address 2” field). In some instances, Debt$Net™automatically advances to the next field once you have enteredinformation into it. The key on the keyboard allows you toenter additional information into a field without typing over what isalready there.

The key on the keyboard may be used to delete a character orseveral characters on the screen. To delete more than one character,highlight the characters and press the key.



Use the keys to move the cursor to different locations on thescreen. These keys are sometimes referred to as the cursor keys. The leftand right arrows move the cursor one character at a time, while the up anddown arrows move the cursor one field at a time.

1.10 DEBT$NET™ REPORTS

Debt$Net™ has been programmed to produce a variety of reports usedin the typical operation of a collection agency, including activity reports,collection notices, statements, and client checks. A description of thesereports is available in Appendix D. Debt$Net™ provides the agency’sprinter with all of the formatting instructions necessary to print thesereports.

Client checks are printed on special check forms, and collection noticesand statements print on 8 l/2 x 11 inch paper (80-column format fornotices and 96-column for statements).

1.11 SAFEGUARDING DATA FILES

Appendix B, at the end of this manual, contains recovery instructions thatare necessary in the event that there is damage to Debt$Net™ data files.There are several good operating practices that you may observe tosafeguard your files. These practices should be accompanied by acomplete file backup procedure:

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR TERMINAL UNATTENDEDWHILE WORKING IN A DATA SCREEN. ALWAYSRETURN TO THE MAIN MENU BEFORE LEAVINGYOUR TERMINAL.

DO NOT WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER IF THEREIS A CHANCE OF POWER INTERRUPTION.

DO NOT INTERRUPT ANY PROCESSES ONCETHEY HAVE STARTED BY TURNING OFF POWEROR RE-BOOTING YOUR COMPUTER.



1.12 SYSTEM BACKUP

It is EXTREMELY important to have a backup procedure for all of yourdata files. The Computer Manager recommends that all files should bebacked up to tapes and stored in a safe location separate from yourcomputer. This backup should be done on a daily basis, with at least nineseparate tapes rotated throughout the month (four daily, four weekly, andone monthly). Appendix E discusses system backup procedures in furtherdetail.

Appendix F contains a list of Debt$Net™ data files. It also documentsthe processes that may affect each file’s content, which are referenced toapplicable sections of this Users Guide. For example, the account file ismodified when you add accounts, inquire/change, print notices, posttransactions, etc. This information is provided to aid you in developinga suitable backup procedure.

1.13 SYSTEM SETUP

Once you have successfully installed the Debt$Net™ software, you areready to configure it for your particular needs. The following is asuggested sequence for setting up Debt$Net™:

! Agency File Maintenance (Section 9.3) to define the system-widedefault parameters, and agency address and telephone numberinformation.

! Status Code Maintenance (Section 9.6.1) to define the accountstatus codes.

! Notice File Maintenance (Section 9.4) to create your dunningnotices and define any notice series.

! Print Acknowledgment Submenu (Section 8.3) to set up the textprinted on your Acknowledgments.

! Update Commission Codes (Section 2.8 ) to define your agency’scommission structure.

! Add Clients (Section 2.2) to add your clients to the system.



! Add Collectors (Section 6.2) to add new collectors to the system.

! Set up Access Levels (Section 9.2.3) to determine the menuselections that users have access to.

! Add Debtors/Accounts (Section 3.2) to add debtors to the system.

Be sure to check the “Multi-User/Network Version” box on thePhone/Security Tab of the Agency File Maintenance Screen if you areinstalling Debt$Net™ on a network (see Section 9.3).

e NOTE: If you plan on requiring passwords, be sure that all entries inthe collector file have a user name assigned. You may include your username on the command line when you start Debt$Net™ by typingCOLLECT user name.

1.14 SYSTEM INFORMATION SCREEN

The System Information Screen provides workstation configurationinformation, and includes the version number, amount of disk space usedand available, the support number, and the serial number for Debt$Net™.The System Information Screen is accessible by selecting “AboutDebt$Net” on the “Help” Menu. Figure 1-3 displays the SystemInformation Screen. The Technical Support Department primarily usesthis screen to diagnose workstation problems.



Figure 1-3. System Information Screen.

Table 1-2. System Information Screen Buttons

BUTTON FUNCTION

Users displays a scrolling list of all users currently running

the Debt$Net™ program.

Quit closes the System Information Screen.


Table 1-2. System Information Screen Buttons

BUTTON FUNCTION


LockOut is used by the Administrator to prevent users

from entering the system by physically preventing people

from being able to log in. This way, an exclusive process

can be run without being interrupted.

1.14.1 Debt$Net™ User List

The active Debt$Net™ User List (also known as the Active User ScrollList or the Interstation Message), is accessible by clicking the “Users”button on the System Information Screen, displays a scrolling list of allusers currently running the Debt$Net™ program. Use this screen toidentify staff members who are operating Debt$Net™. Active users areidentified with a “Y” in the “Active” column. Figure 1-4 displays theDebt$Net™ User List.

Figure 1-4. Debt$Net™ User List.



Table 1-3. Debt$Net™ User List Buttons

BUTTON FUNCTION

Quit closes the Active User Scroll List.

All Users allows a message to be sent toall users.

All opens the Debt$Net™ Users List. Thisbutton toggles with the Active buttonwhich shows which users are currentlylogged onto the system.

1.16 IF YOU NEED FURTHER HELP

The Computer Manager, Inc. has put a lot of effort into makingDebt$Net™ 6.9 as easy to use and as trouble free as possible.Nevertheless, you may have questions that would be best addressed to us.A Customer Service Representative is available to answer your questionsor discuss suggestions for additional features you would like to see addedto a future version of Debt$Net™.

The Technical Support Department provides a variety of support policiesto ensure that our customers receive the assistance they need. If you areinterested in purchasing a support policy, or would like additionalinformation, please contact our Customer Service Representative.

The Computer Manager, Inc.P. O. Box 1961

Poulsbo, Washington 98370

Sales Line: (800) 552-8397 Technical Support Line/Customer Service: (800) 893-6335

www.debtnet5.com

http://www.debtnet5.com

CLIENT MAINTENANCE DEBT$NET™ 6.9 USERS GUIDE


CHAPTER 2

CLIENT MAINTENANCE

2.1 CLIENT MAINTENANCE MENU

The Client Maintenance Menu (“Clients” from the Main Menu) displaysoptions available to maintain the client file. Within Debt$Net™, a clientis a person or business to whom a debt is owed and for whom youragency is collecting. The Client Maintenance Menu provides selectionsfor you to add, inquire, change, and delete client records; print clientreports; and record client payments. The Client Maintenance Menu isshown in Figure 2-1, with options explained in Table 2-1.

Figure 2-1. Client Maintenance Menu.

Table 2-1. Client Maintenance Menu


Add Clients Allows you to add new clients to the client file, set

up check guarantee criteria for that client, and set

up financial and reporting criteria.

Client Inquire/Change Used to inquire, change, or delete client

information.

Print Client List Prints an alphabetical or numerical client list.

DEBT$NET™ 6.9 USERS GUIDE CLIENT MAINTENANCE

Table 2-1. Client Maintenance Menu



Client Statement Preview Displays an on-screen report of what the client

statement would look like for the current period and

provides options to print the summary for one

client, all clients, or master client.

Client Activity Reports Provides options for printing the Client Activity

Report, Client Status Reports, Twelve Month

Recovery Report, and Client Activity History

Report.

Client Payment &

Adjustments

Allows you to add, inquire/change, or delete

payments and adjustments, and print the Client

Payment Edit List and Client Aged Balance Report.

Update Commission Codes Used to update, change, or delete commission

codes.

Print Master Client List Allows you to print the Master Client List by name

or by client number

Client Group M aintenance Used to link separate stores or locations to a single

“parent” client. Allows for consolidated reporting

and statements, yet provides individual store or

location totals.

2.2 ADD CLIENTS SUBMENU

Selecting “Add Clients” from the “Clients” heading on the Main Menudisplays the Client Selection Add Form, immediately followed by theClient Add Form (Figure 2-2). Use this screen to add new clients to theclient file. When the screen first displays, most fields are blank, with theexception of the Debt$Net™ defaults. Table 2-2 explains the Client AddForm fields.



Figure 2-2. Client Add Form.

Table 2-2. Client Add Form Fields

FIELD EXPLANATION

Client Name: If the client is a person, enter the last name, a comma

and space, and the first name (for example, Smith,

Tom). If the client is a business, enter the name

without a comma (for example, The Computer

Manager Inc.). Required field.

Address line 1: Client mailing address.

Address line 2: Second line of client address, if necessary.

City, State and Zip: Client city, client two-character state abbreviation,

client ZIP Code or postal code (up to 10 characters).

Country: Client country.

Fax: Area code/fax number.

Contact1: Name of the first contact for this client, which

displays on Client Statements and Acknowledgments

as “Att: Contact.”

Phone: Area code/telephone number for the first contact.

Ext: Telephone extension for the first contact.



FIELD EXPLANATION


Contact2: Name of a second contact for this client. Used for

billing purposes or as a secondary contact when the

first contact is unavailable. Contact 2 does not

display on Statements or Acknowledgments.

Phone: Area code/telephone number for the second contact.

Ext: Telephone extension for the second contact.

Email Address: Client e-mail address.

Sales Person Code: Sales person code number, if applicable. You may

print the Client Activity Report sorted and subtotaled

by salesman.

Date Acquired: Date the client was entered into Debt$Net™. Defaults

to today’s date.

Date Last Assigned: Date that the client last assigned an account to the

agency.

Last Statement: Shows the last close date that Debt$Net™ used to

print a statement for this client.

Default Collector: Collector number to assign to all accounts belonging

to this client in order to ease the data entry process.

Default collector may be changed when each

individual account is added.

Default Collector Group: User-definable distribution structure used by

DebtNet™ to assign accounts to collectors based on

distribution criteria (alpha split, high balance split, or

low-man roll). See Section 8.8 for more information

on setting up collector distribution groups.

Default Notice: Notice type set up to default as the first notice.

Default NSF Notice: Notice type set up to default as an NSF notice.

FINANCIAL TAB

Pay Type: Values 1 through 4 define the handling of debtor

payments. Type 1 indicates that the agency retains

commission from all debtor payments (Net Remit).

Type 2 indicates that all payments were sent to the

client in full and that the client is billed for the agency

commissions (Gross Remit). Type 3 indicates that the

agency retains the commission, but the client balances

are not carried forward or deducted from subsequent

statements. Type 4 indicates that all payments are sent

to the client with the agency billing for the

commissions, but the client balances do not carry

forward or deduct from subsequent statements. This

field defaults to Pay Type 1. Required field.

NSF Fee: Agency-defined check return fee for this client.



FIELD EXPLANATION


Comm Code: User-definable commission structure to apply to the

client’s accounts (see Section 2.8, Update

Commission Codes).

Tax Exempt: Flag this box if the client is tax exempt your state

charges sales tax on collection commissions.

Interest Rate: Interest rate to charge accounts. This rate is

transferred to the “Interest Rate” field on accounts

added for this client.

Payment Distribution: Controls the order in which account expenses are paid

off when Debt$Net™ posts a payment. “L” specifies

legal fees, “P” specifies principal, “C” specifies check

fees, “S” specifies attorney fees, “I” specifies interest,

and “A” specifies agency fees. The numbers 1, 2, and

3 specify miscellaneous fees. The default order is

typically LPCSIA123.

REPORTING TAB

Business Category: Business categories can be defined by the agency.

However, “NSF” is predefined in Debt$Net™ and

opens up check-related fields when accounts are

entered. Default types of business can be done by the

client, such as Retail or Medical, and transferred to

the “Category” field of the account file. An Account

List by Category Report is available.

Use Client Reference: Flagging this box shows the client reference number

on reports. If the client does not use a reference

number, or does not want the number to print on

reports, leave this box blank.

Sort By Reference: Flag this box to sort accounts by client reference

number on reports.

Status Code: Tells Debt$Net™ when to include a client in a Status

Report run (the continual printing of a batch of

reports). The valid options are “N” for no automatic

status reports, “M” for monthly status reports, “Q” for

quarterly status reports, “S” for semiannual status

reports, and “Y” for annual status reports.

Include Fees Flag to indicate fees were included in total.

CB Account Type: Default credit bureau account type. Indicates that this

client’s accounts should report to the credit bureau.

History Accounts

Reported?

Flagging this box includes accounts moved to history

on Status Reports. When printing Status Report runs,

this may not be overridden, but it may be overridden

when printing an individual client’s Status Report.



FIELD EXPLANATION


Statement Code: A single character used to group statements for

printing. Any character is valid.

Master Client #: Used to group clients together on printed statements.

Entering a Master Client Number prints multiple

statements for both the client and the master client.

For example, a Master Client Number may be

assigned to a store when other stores operate under it.

Master Check Flag to indicate if individual checks are rolled up into

one for the master client.

Use Client Groups: Flag to group payments together on a statement.

A/R AGING TAB

Beginning Balance: Balance due to the agency at the beginning of the

current period. Automatically updated by the closing

process in Debt$Net™.

Current Balance: Balance due to the agency for the current period.

Automatically updated by Debt$Net™.

Over 30 Days: Balance past due 30 to 60 days. Automatically

updated by Debt$Net™.

Over 60 Days: Balance past due 60 to 90 days. Automatically


Over 90 Days: Balance past due 90 days or more. Automatically


ESO’s TAB

When Extended Service Options are installed,

Debt$Net™ enables new fields to this tab (for

example, the “Check Verification Group,” “Client

View: Password,” and “Client View: User Number”

fields).

FEES TAB

Split by Percent Amount/

Interest:

Any interest collected by the agency for this client

account is split by the percentage entered here. Enter

a zero (0) to retain all interest or to split by

commission rate.


Agency Fee:

Any agency fees collected by the agency for this client

account are split by the percentage entered here.

Enter a zero (0) to retain all interest or to split by

commission rate.

Or Comm: Flag to split the interest or agency fee by the

commission rate.

Misc. Fees Label 1 (or 2

or 3):

User definable miscellaneous fee fields used to add

additional fees that the agency wishes to collect (for

example, postage fees or bank charges).



FIELD EXPLANATION



Misc. Fees 1 (or 2 or 3):

Any miscellaneous fees under Label 1 (or 2 or 3)

collected by the agency for the client account will be

split by the percentage entered here. Enter a 0 in this

field to retain all of this fee or to split by the

commission rate.

Or Comm: Flag to split miscellaneous fees 1, 2 and 3 by the

commission rate.

Default Amount: Default amount for each miscellaneous fee field.

CHECK GUARANTEE TAB

Check Guarantee: Flagging this box activates the Check Guarantee

feature for this client. The Check Guarantee feature

allows you to mark a check guaranteed, then

reimburse the client before you collect the amount of

the check. To set up a check guarantee for a

particular client, select the Check Guarantee Tab on

the Client Inquire/Change Form and flag the “Check

Guarantee” box.

Front Fee: The amount (in dollars and cents) the agency

reimburses the client up front, in addition to the

amount of the check guarantee.

CUSTOM FIELDS TAB

Statement Fields Statements may include two of the following custom

report fields: Account UserField, Assign Date, Batch,

Category, Check #, Dbtr Userfield1, Guar Rej,

Guar/Patient, Guaranteed, NSF Reason, or Reference.

Status Report Fields Status Reports may include two of the following

Custom Report Fields: Account UserField, Batch,

Category, Check #, Dbtr Userfield1, Guar Rej,

Guar/Patient, Guaranteed, NSF Reason, or Reference.

Acknowledgment Fields Acknowledgments may include two of the following

Custom Report Fields: Account User Field, Assign

Date, Batch, Category, Check #, Dbtr Userfield1,

Guar Rej, Guar/Patient, Guaranteed, NSF Reason, or

Reference.



FIELD EXPLANATION


MISC TAB

Work Score: Work scores are used as a method for determining the

chances of successfully collecting on an account If

you are using the Work Score feature of Debt$Net™,

enter a weight for the client. For new clients with no

history, you may want to enter a lower weight. Later,

you can change it when you know more about the

accounts turned over by this client.

Inactive: If this field is flagged, the client will not be included

in Client Activity Reports or in Status Reports when

“All” is selected.

Several items are worth noting concerning the Client Add Form fields:

! You must enter a UNIQUE client name in order to proceed on thescreen.

! Debt$Net™ assigns the client a client number once you select the“Save” button.

! The “Pay Type” field on the Financial Tab defaults to “Pay Type1, Net Remit,” the most common billing method.

! Default information entered into the following fields isautomatically entered into corresponding fields in the account fileeach time you add an account (Section 3.2) for the client. Youmay change the information when adding accounts:

- Category - Interest Rate - NSF Fee - Commission - Collector - Notice

- CB Account Type - Miscellaneous Fees- Default Amount

! All fields on the A/R Aging (Accounts Receivable Aging) TabMUST be left blank. Debt$Net™ automatically updates thesefields.



! Fields available through the “Activ” button may be edited so thathistorical information may be entered when an agency chooses todo a manual conversion from another collection system. Whenyou enter new clients, Debt$Net™ automatically updates thesefields.

During the add client process, the Client Add Form displays severalbuttons that are used in both the Add and Inquire/Change process(Section 2.3). A brief explanation of these are provided below, withfurther information provided in Section 2.3.

Table 2-3. Client Add Form Buttons

BUTTON FUNCTION

Save saves all information on the Client Add Form. Upon clicking

this button, you return to the Client Add Selection Form.

Quit exits the Client Add Form without creating a new client and

returns you to the Client Add Selection Form.

The “Activ” button displays the Client Activity Information Form.

Month-to-Date, Year-to-Date, and Total-to-Date activity is broken

down for each of the following fields: Number Assigned, Amount

Assigned, Number Collected, Amount Collected, Interest Amount,

Agency and Check Fees, Miscellaneous Fees, Legal Fees, Attorney

Fees, Principal, Agency Earned, Paid in Full, Number Returned, and

Amount Returned.

Payment displays the Client Payment List Form, a scrolling list of

all payments on file from the client.

Notes lets you enter additional information about the client into a

free-form text box.

Delete the client currently on the screen. A prompt displays to

confirm deletion.

Chk Guar (Check Guarantee) displays the check guarantee

criteria text (see Section 2.3.6).


Table 2-3. Client Add Form Buttons

BUTTON FUNCTION


Audit Log information for the selected client.

e NOTE: Debt$Net™ is set up with one client already added to the clientfile. This client (client number 101) is the agency record in the client file,and may not be deleted. This record provides the agency’s address, NSFdefaults, etc.

2.3 CLIENT INQUIRE/CHANGE SUBMENU

Selecting “Client Inquire/Change” from the Main Menu lets you locateand update client information already entered into Debt$Net™. Whenupdating existing client records, you first browse through the client listusing the Client Selection Form (Figure 2-3). This form enables you toupdate or review client information entered during the add process, aswell as updated automatically by Debt$Net™ as accounts are processed.

Figure 2-3. Client Selection Add Form.

Move through the list by using the keys to scroll up or down,or by typing the first few letters of a client’s name at the prompt andpressing . The list first displays in alphanumeric (client name)



order. Clicking on the “Number” column heading reorders the listnumerically and allows you to select a client by number.

Selecting a client name displays the Client Inquire/Change Form (Figure2-4). The Client Inquire/Change Form screen displays only if the selectedclient name is on file, or if you selected the client from the ClientSelection Form.

Figure 2-4. Client Inquire/Change Form.

Move around the Client Inquire/Change Form by using the keys on the keyboard, or by clicking in different fields with your mouse.A description of fields on the form has been provided in Table 2.2. Aftermaking changes to the necessary fields, click “Quit” to abandon yourchanges or “Save” to save them. The Client Selection Form redisplaysand you may select another client.

During the inquire/change process, additional information is available forreview and update via the following buttons across the top of the form.

Selecting “Refer.” from the Client Inquire/Change Formdisplays the Reference Selection Form (Figure 2-5). The



“Refer.” button displays in red when extended references are on file forthe client.

Figure 2-5. Reference Selection Form.

An extended reference contains information you need to track associatedwith a particular client, debtor, or account. Use extended references torecord information in Debt$Net™ when no standard field suits yourrequirements. Examples of uses for extended references for clientapplication include previous contact addresses, attorneys, insurancecompanies, etc.

Use the extended reference system by first defining a type or class orinformation you wish to track (a “client contact” extended reference type,for example). You may then create extended references for specificclients. The defining of extended reference types allows Debt$Net™ toprint reference information on notices.

The Reference Selection Form lets you browse through the list, then viewor delete a specific extended reference from the list, or add a newextended reference. To view or update an extended reference, highlightit in the list and click “Select.” The Client Extended Reference UpdateForm displays (Figure 2-6). Standard fields provided for extendedreferences include: Name, ID, Address information, Contact, Date,



Contact Phone and Fax Numbers, Amount, and Comments. All fieldsthat display on the screen may be printed on notices.

Figure 2-6. Client Extended Reference Update Form.

Selecting the “Add” button from the Reference Selection Form displaysthe Client Extended Reference Types Selection Form and lets you addnew extended references to the list. This screen allows you to review alist of existing extended reference types or lets you define a new type byclicking the “Add” button again to display the Reference Definition AddForm (Figure 2-7). This form provides fields to record the name of thenew reference type, a brief description, and to whom the reference isassociated (account, debtor, client, or contact). You may enter up to 20user-definable field labels under the tabs at the bottom of this screen.These display on the Extended Reference Data Entry Form. Use thesefields to record additional information regarding the extended reference.



Figure 2-7. Reference Definition Add Form.

e NOTE: You will not be able to define new Extended Reference Types if“Allow Add of New Extended References” is not flagged in Agency FileMaintenance (Section 9.3).

e NOTE: Additional information on extended reference notice variablesis available in Section 9.4.

The “Activ” button at the top of the Client Inquire/ChangeForm lets you view client performance activity statistics onassignments and collections for month-to-date, year-to-date,and total-to-date information. You may also review a

breakdown of all fees, interest from collections, and agency earnings(Figure 2-8). The information on this screen provides you with a quicksnapshot of your relationship with this client.



Figure 2-8. Client Activity Information Form.

The Month-to-Date, Year-to-Date, and Total-to-Date (Since “date”)activity is broken down for each of the following fields:

Table 2-4. Client Activity Information

FIELD DESCRIPTION

Number Assigned: Number of accounts assigned.

Amount Assigned: Total amount of accounts assigned.

Number Collected: Number of payments collected.

Amount Collected: Total amount of payments collected.

Interest Amount: Total interest collected.

Agency & Check Fees: Total amount of agency and check fees

collected.

Miscellaneous Fees: Total amount of miscellaneous fees collected.

Legal Fees: Total amount of legal fees collected.

Attorney Fees: Total attorney fees collected.


Table 2-4. Client Activity Information

FIELD DESCRIPTION


Principal: Total account principal collected.

Agency Earned: Total agency earnings.

Paid In Full: Number of paid-in-full accounts.

Number Returned: Total number of accounts returned to the client.

Amount Returned: Total amount of accounts returned to the client.

e NOTE: Do not modify the information entered into these fields.Debt$Net™ automatically updates them for you!

The “Payment” button at the top of the Client Inquire/ChangeForm displays the Client Payment List Form, a list of all clientpayments. Browse the list to monitor and respond todelinquent clients. The Client Payment List Form displays

payment number, date, payment amount, remarks regarding the payment,and the date of the statement period.

Figure 2-9. Client Payment List Form.

The “Notes” button on the Client Inquire/Change Formprovides a free-form text box to enter additional informationabout the client. Client Notes are date/time stamped andinclude the initials of the user making the entry.



Figure 2-10. Client Notes Form.

Clicking the “Delete” button at the top of the screen deletesthe client currently displayed on the Client Inquire/ChangeForm. When youclick the “Delete”

button, Debt$Net™ cautions youthat the record is about to bed e l e t e d , a n d r e q u e s t sconfirmation to proceed.Responding with “Yes” promptsDebt$Net™ to check the accountfile to ensure there are noaccounts on file for the client.Responding with “No” cancelsthe deletion process.

If any active accountsexist for this client, thefollowing on-screenmessage displays:

To delete all accounts for the client, click “Yes.” Debt$Net™ deletes theclient, as well as active accounts associated with the client. Debt$Net™



does not delete accounts transferred to history. Once Debt$Net™ deletesthe client, a message box displays with the option to print a report of allof the client’s deletedaccounts. Clicking“Yes” prints the report,and “No” exits thewindow without printing.For safety, all deletedaccounts are saved to afile and the deleted clientis saved in the deletionlog. For safety, all deleted accounts are saved to a file and the deletedclient is saved in the deletion log.

Upon reviewing or updating the client information on the ClientInquire/Change Form, select “Save” to accept the changes or “Quit” toexit the screen without saving. The Client Selection Form redisplays andyou may select another client.

2.3.1 Check Guarantees

The Check Guarantee feature allows you to mark a check guaranteed,then reimburse the client before you collect the amount on the check. Toset up a check guarantee for a particular client, select the Check

Guarantee Tab on the Client Inquire/Change Form and flag the “CheckGuarantee” box. Enter the amount to reimburse the client above whatyou will collect on the face value of the check in the “Front Fee” field.For example, you may agree to pay the Client the face value, plus a flatfront fee of $3 per check turned over.

The next step in the check guarantee process is to set upthe criteria under which you will accept a check from



this client and guarantee the prepayment. The criteria will vary fromclient to client, and negotiated with each of them individually. To set thecriteria, hit the “Chk Guar” button at the top of the ClientInquire/Change Form.

Upon clicking the “Chk Guar” button, the Check Guarantee CriteriaForm displays (Figure 2-11). On the top of the form are fields to setamount and date ranges, as well as check boxes for flagging whether thespecified data must be present (or not) for the check to be guaranteed.

Figure 2-11. Check Guarantee Criteria Form.

Immediately below the check boxes is a place to enter acceptable reasonsfor guaranteeing an NSF check. For example, you may want to guaranteechecks when the bank indicates the check was returned due to uncollectedfunds, but not when the bank indicates the account was closed. Enter theacceptable reasons, separated by commas, in the NSF Reason List.



e NOTE: NSF Reasons are determined by the agency. They are used in theWork Scoring process (Section 9.6.6) and also under the NSF Tab on thedebtor Account Maintenance screen (Section 3.2.3). Be sure that NSFreasons are spelled accurately and consistently by your users, otherwise,Debt$Net™ will not recognize a match.

When the data for the check guarantee has been entered, hitthe “Expres” button on the top of the form. At that point,Debt$Net™ will convert the criteria and reasons intoprogramming code and display it in the Criteria Expression

display area. To make changes to the criteria, edit the information in thecheck boxes and/or NSF Reason List, and hit the “Expres” button again.The expressions will be changed to match the new criteria. Theexpressions in the Criteria Expression area can also be modified foragencies with more complex guarantee criteria by editing them within theCriteria Expression display area. However, it is recommended that youcontact TCM for assistance in modifying this code.

e NOTE: You can enter either Check Guarantee Criteria or NSF Reasons,

or both. All data entered will be converted to the Criteria Expressionwhen the “Expres” button is hit.

Another method for setting check guarantee criteria is to evaluate theaccount at the time it is entered into the system. Use the flag “OtherCriteria” to set up this method. In the display area below the check box,create a message describing the requirements for guaranteeing the check.These will display in a text message box during the add account process.

The “Save” button saves new criteria information. The “Clear All”button deletes all text entered in the Other Criteria field. The “Quit”button lets you exit the form without saving changes, and returns you tothe Client Inquire/Change Form.

The final two buttons on the Client Inquire/Change Form are “QkNotice” and “Audit Log.” The “Qk Notice” button allows you to sendout a quick letter to the client. For this button to beactive, a sales person code must be entered on the clientscreen. This places the client in the sales managementfile, and allows access to notices created for managingclients and potential clients.



The “Audit Log” button accesses the Change Audit Logscreen. The audit log is a report of all the changes made to theclient record, including the date of the change, the fieldchanged, the old and new information, and the user that made

the change. The Audit Log can be printed, displayed on screen, or sent toa file.

2.4 PRINT CLIENT LIST SUBMENU

Selecting “Print Client List” from the “Clients” Menu provides optionsfor printing the client list alphabetically or numerically (Figure 2-12).

To print the list, flag “Print by Name” to print alphabetically, or “Print byNumber” to print numerically. To print only client name, point ofcontact, and telephone/fax numbers, flag the “Brief Report” field. If leftblank, your report includes billing address, age dating amounts andactivity statistics, in addition to the client name, point of contact, andtelephone/fax numbers.

Figure 2-12. Client List Print Form.

Enter the starting and ending client numbers you’d like to include on thereport in the “Starting Number” and “Ending Number” fields. To include



only one client, enter that client number in both fields. To print the listfor all clients, leave the fields blank.

To include or exclude specific groups of clients, enter the statement codein the “Statement Code” field. Flag “Include” to include only clients withthis statement code, flag “Exclude” to print all clients except those withthis statement code, or flag “Exclude Non-Blank” to print a list of clientswith any statement code.

Once you make your printing selections, click the “Finish” button to printthe report (Figure 2-13).

Figure 2- 13. Sample Client List Report.

2.5 CLIENT STATEMENT PREVIEW SUBMENU

Selecting “Client Statement Preview” from the “Clients” Menu allowsagencies to obtain an on-screen or printed preview of the debtortransactions entered during the current statement period. This allows youto preview a client statement prior to generating the statements andclosing the period. The preview ( fields explained in Table 2-5) displaysall debtor transactions for a particular client.



To print the Statement Preview for a client, enter the client number in the“Client” field or right click the field to select a client from the ClientSelection list. To print the preview for all clients, flag the “All” field.Flag the “Master Client” field to print statements for each client in theMaster Client Group, with a duplicate copy for the master client. Next,enter the date you expect to print actual statements in the“Period Ending”field.

Figure 2-14. Print Client Statement Preview.

When flagging “All” to print the Statement Preview for all clients, youmay enter a statement code in the “Include Statement Code” field toinclude only with that statement code. A particular group of clients maybe excluded from the report if you enter a statement code into the“Exclude Statement Code” field. Enter into the “Exclude StatementCode” field to print previews for clients with any statement code. Clickthe “Alpha Sort” flag to alphabetically sort the clients. You may alsochoose from “None”, “Paid Agency”, or “Paid Client” under the “Restrictto:” option for printing statement previews.

Click the “Finish” button to print the Statement Preview. Note thatreports that print to the screen may take more

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