Handling Common Serialized Unit Inventory Problems
In this article I will be going over some common problems customers have with their Serialized (Major) Unit Inventory, and how to best handle those problems in the Lizzy Business Management System ( BMS ). Without further ado…
Help! I’ve sold the wrong unit!: This happens more than one might expect. A dealer will call in stating that a customer walked out the door with one unit, but another unit (of the same make/model) was linked to the invoice. This can be either very easy or a bit of a pain to fix, and it all depends on the answer to one question: Are the units Identical?
By “Identical” I don’t just mean the make and model. They both have to have had the same internal work, parts, etc (if any) added to them prior to the unit in question being added to the invoice. Any work, jobs, etc linked to the major unit sale itself aren’t relevant, though.
If the answer is yes, then this is a very easy fix. We just need to swap out the serial numbers. Locate the unit that should have been sold to the customer in Lizzy, copy the serial number, and paste it into Notepad or a similar program. Then locate the unit that was sold, and do the same. Then, click “Edit” on the customer owned unit and paste in the serial number from the in-stock unit into the appropriate field. Ignore the warning Lizzy will give you about duplicate serial numbers. Now, simply repeat the process for the in-stock unit, using the serial number from the customer-owned unit. And you’re done! Problem solved.
Now, looking back at our original question, what if the units aren’t identical? Unfortunately, if that is the case – whether because one unit had work on it when the other did not, or if the wrong unit type entirely was sold in Lizzy – the only recourse is to refund the invoice with the incorrect unit on it and then create a new invoice with the correct unit.
Help! I Received the wrong unit into inventory!: Much like the situation described above, the first question is; do you just have a unit with the wrong serial number entered in, or is it the wrong type of unit entirely? If the former, then just edit the serial number as described above and your problem is solved. If the latter (including situations where you received too many of a given unit), then things get a little more complicated.
If you have the wrong unit entirely, then our approach is determined by how the unit was brought into the system.
If the unit was brought into the system using the Add Unit tool and you’re not just getting started, then first go draw a circle on the wall and stick your nose in it for a while. You shouldn’t be bringing units in using the Add Unit tool unless you are entering in your initial paid unit inventory, or doing a consignment! Once you’ve learned your lesson, you can fix this problem by following these steps…
1. Locate the unit in question.
2. Click “Edit”, change the cost on the unit to zero, and then click “Save”.
3. Edit the unit again, uncheck “Active” in the top right of the edit screen, and click “Save” again.
By following the above steps, what you have done is clear out the cost of the unit from the General Ledger and remove the unit from your inventory. This unit will also not show up in any searches in Lizzy unless you specifically search for inactive units.
If the unit was brought in on a PO, as should normally be the case, you will need to do the following…
1. Return the unit to the manufacturer.
2. Pay out the refund as a credit memo.
3. Use the credit memo to pay off the payable for the unit.
If you are unsure how to do all that, don’t despair! My next blog will cover the process in detail.
Help! I entered in the wrong model information for my unit!: O.K., first of all, did you just associate the wrong model with the unit, or is the model information flat-out wrong? If the former, then you just need to get the unit out of the system (using one of the methods described conveniently above). If, however, the model information is actually incorrect, then follow these steps…
1. Locate the unit with the incorrect model information.
2. Click the “Edit Model Information” button.
3. Make the needed corrections and “Save”.
Now, one thing it is imperative you understand is that you are NOT just changing the model information for ONE unit by doing this! You are actually editing the model entry itself! So if you were to go into Settings → Serialized → Models and look up that model, it would appear along with the changes you just made. What this also means is that EVERY UNIT YOU HAVE that is associated with that model entry will reflect the changes you made.
This covers just a few of the most common mistakes we see our customers make, and hopefully it will help some of you to avoid them; or at least to know how to fix them in the future. The Lizzy Dealership Management System ( DMS ) is a very capable system, but you do need to pay attention to the instructions you give her. That way, you don’t end up with a mess you have to clean up later.