Entering Orders

From FloristWiki

Current revision

On the most basic level, when you enter orders into FTD Mercury, you are collecting the following information:

• Customer information (who sent the order)
• Recipient information (who the order is going to)
• Delivery information (local delivery vs. pickup vs. wire/phone out, when it should be delivered)
• Product information (the products included in the order)
• Card information (what the card is going to say and how it is going to look)
• Filling florist information (for wire/phoned-out orders)
• Payment information

The exact information required is dictated by the order type (carry out, local delivery, wire out, etc.) and how the order is being placed (by another florist, via a Web site, by a customer in your shop, or someone phoning in the order).

See the following topics for several different scenarios involving order entry and receiving orders:

• Entering Carry Out Orders
• Entering Orders for Pickup
• Entering Orders for Local Delivery
• Entering Wire Out Orders
• Entering Phoned-Out Orders

Order Entry Anatomy

Most orders you enter follow a specific order entry pattern. Whether you perform each step depends on the order type.

1. Employee/store information. Depending on how your system is configured, you may have to select your employee name each time you enter an order. If you are in a multi-store environment, the Store list defaults to the store you are currently logged in to, but you can change this if necessary (press F2 as a shortcut to the list). The Employee list is at the top right of the Order Entry and Point of Sale window; the Store Name list is at the top left.
2. Customer information. Either enter an existing customer or a new customer. Existing customers have information autopopulated in the Customer area. If a customer does not exist, you have the opportunity to create the customer.
   Additionally, for some customers, you can select the person who ordered it. This is for the case where a customer may be a company and you want to specify the person at the company who placed the order.
3. Recipient information. Enter information about the order recipient, including their name, company name (if applicable), address, and phone number. If the recipient is in a hospital or nursing home, you can click the Facilities button to locate the facility’s address. You can also use the Funeral Log button to access any funerals you have entered into FTD Mercury.
4. Delivery information. Enter delivery information, including the date, time, and delivery zone. If you have configured your system to handle delivery zone charges, when you select a zone, the delivery fee assigned to the zone will be included in the product grid. If you have configured your system to assign relay fees to outgoing orders, these fees will be added automatically when you send a wire out order. You can also use this area to transfer an order to a different store (if you are in a multi-store environment).
5. Card information. Enter the card message. You can also send a card to multiple recipients. You also select the occasion for the order in this area.
6. Product information. The product grid allows you to enter information about the product or products the customer is ordering. Each row represents a single product. You can use product codes to quickly enter products that are already in your product database.
7. Florist information. If the order is a wire out or phoned-out order, you can select the wire service and filling florist information in this section.
8. Payment. Once you have entered all pertinent information, you need to collect payment information (or, if this will be paid for when delivered or picked up, mark the order for COD). Either click Payment to enter payment information, or click COD.

Filling out the Order Entry or Point of Sale Window

During day-to-day order taking, you spend a lot of time using the Order Entry and/or Point of Sale window. All order types require you to enter information; the information you need to enter depends on the order type. If you have a basic understanding of what to do in each area of these windows, you can easily handle any order type in an efficient manner.

Filling out the Header Area

To fill in the header area:

1. In Order Entry, if you are in a multi-store environment, select the store for the order from the Store Name list. In Point of Sale, you cannot change the store name.
2. From the Employee list, select your employee name. You can also use your bar code scanner to enter the employee name. Scan the employee ID, and the employee will be selected.

Filling out the Customer Area

To fill in the Customer area:

1. In the Customer field, enter the customer name, phone number, or credit card number. If you need to perform a Customer Search, click the Search button (…), search for the customer, and click Select. When you return to Order Entry or Point of Sale, the Customer field is already filled in. You can also scan the customer’s account from a statement using a bar code scanner.
2. By default, billing address from the Customer’s information is already displayed. However, if you need to specify an address only for this order, click Invoice Only and enter the address.

Filling out the Recipient Area

To fill in the Recipient area:

1. In the Name field, enter the recipient’s name. Alternatively, you can click the arrow at the right of the field to display a list of any recipients to whom this customer has previously sent orders. If you find the recipient you are looking for, select them. Information will automatically fill into the remaining Recipient area fields. If everything is correct, you can move on to filling in Delivery information.
   

   You can use abbreviation codes to fill in the recipient area. Additionally, if you enter Same, the customer will be used as the recipient.

2. If the order is for a funeral already entered in Funeral Log, click the Funeral Log button and select the funeral. When you return to Order Entry/Point of Sale, the rest of the recipient information is already filled in.
3. If the order is going to a facility (for example, hospital or nursing home), click the Facility Search button to locate the facility. When you return to Order Entry/Point of Sale, the rest of the recipient information is already filled in.
4. In the Company field, enter the recipient’s company (if this is going to a business).
5. In the Address field, enter the recipient’s street address.
6. In the City field, enter the recipient’s city.
7. From the State list, select the recipient’s state or province.
8. In the ZIP Code field, enter the recipient’s ZIP/postal code.
9. In the Phone field, enter the recipient’s phone number.

Filling out the Delivery Area

To fill in the Delivery area:

1. In the Date field, enter the date for the delivery. You can also click the arrow button a the right of the field to display a calendar, from which you can select the delivery date.
2. From the Time Detail field, enter or select the time detail for the order.
3. From the Zone field, select the zone for delivery. Depending on your system configuration, this may already be filled in based on the recipient’s address.
4. If you are in a multi-store environment and another store is going to fill this order, select the store from the Transfer To list.
5. If the customer wants email delivery confirmation, click the Delivery Confirmation button and enter the appropriate information.

Filling out the Card Area

To fill in the Card area:

1. In the Card field, enter the card message. Use the formatting buttons to change the font and alignment.
2. If there are going to be multiple, identical cards for this order, click the Add Recipients button and provide additional recipients. Additional cards with different recipient names will print.
3. From the Occasion list, select the occasion for the order.

Filling out the Florist Area

The Florist Area is enabled if you are wiring out an order, phoning out an order, or have received a phoned-in order from another florist.

Wire Out Orders

To fill out the Florist area for Wire Out orders:

1. From the Wire Service list, select the wire service for the florist to whom you are sending the order. Typically, this is FTD.
2. You can enter the florist’s shop code (if you know it) in the Wire Code field. You can also click the Search button (…) to perform a Florist Search, or click the Auto Select button to let FTD Mercury automatically select a florist for you. Information about the florist appears below the wire code field if you select an FTD florist.
3. If you do not want this order automatically forwarded if the filling florist is unavailable, select the No Auto Forwarding check box. (In the overwhelming majority of cases, you should not select this check box.)
4. Ensure the Phoned Out check box is cleared.

Phoned-Out Orders

To fill out this area for phoned-out orders, you must have a wire out zone selected.

To fill out the Florist area for phoned-out orders:

1. Select the Phoned Out check box.
2. From the Wire Service list, select the wire service you are using for the phoned-out message.
3. In the Wire Code field, enter the shop code of the florist you are calling. If it is an FTD wire code, information about the florist will appear in the field below the Wire Code field.
4. In the Florist Contact field, enter the name of the person you talked with at the filling florist’s shop.
5. The Amount field is automatically populated by the product amount and delivery fees on the order. If you are a Canadian shop and sending U.S. dollars, select the US check box.

Phoned-In Orders

To fill out this area for phoned-in orders, you cannot have a wire out zone selected.

To fill out the Florist area for phoned-in orders:

1. Select the Phoned In check box. The Florist area is not enabled until either you select this option or use FTD as the customer.
2. From the Wire Service list, select the florist’s wire service.
3. In the Wire Code field, enter the phoning florist’s wire code. If it is an FTD wire code, information about the florist will appear in the field below the Wire Code field. If the florist is not listed in the FTD Directory, you can enter florist contact information in this field.
4. In the Florist Contact field, enter the name of the person you talked with at the phoning florist’s shop.
5. In the Amount field, either enter the amount the phoning florist is providing you, or enter the amount from the product grid once you have entered product information. If you are a Canadian shop, select the US check box if the funds are in U.S. dollars. If the funds are in Canadian dollars, ensure the US check box is cleared.

Filling out the Product Area

To fill out the Product area:

1. In the Product Code column, enter the product code for the product. You can also scan the bar code for the product (if you have configured bar codes for that product). Alternatively, click the Search button (…) to open the Product Search window and search for products. By default, if you perform a Product Search from Order Entry or Point of Sale, Quick Picks are displayed.
2. In the Qty column, enter the number of this product that the customer is purchasing.
3. Depending on the customer and product configuration, the Amount and Discount columns may automatically populate. If they do not, or if you need to make changes, enter the correct values for the product amount and discount now. The Extension column (product subtotal) will automatically calculate based on the quantity, price, and discount on the product.
4. Repeat for any additional products.
5. If there is a second choice (typically used in Wire Out orders), enter the product code for it in the Second Choice field or enter a description of acceptable substitutions that can be used when filling the order. You can also click the Search button (…) to perform a Product Search.