Media AP Approval and Reconciliation Users Guide

Transcription

1 Media AP Approval and Reconciliation Users Guide Page 1 of 11

2 Media AP Approval & Media Reconciliation Media AP Approval and Reconciliation are two independent programs designed to automate these key processes. The programs can work together or independently of each other. Both programs are optional. Media AP Approval automates the process of screening invoices received against media orders (non broadcast only) and routing them for approval. This program eliminates paper routing and processing. Scanned copies of the actual AP invoices can be attached and associated with the order through the Webvantage Document Manager. Approval details and instructions along with a copy of the invoice can be viewed by the media staff and approved online. Later, accounting staff members can make changes or approve the bills for payment. Media Reconciliation automates the process of comparing invoices received against media orders (non broadcast) and creating order revisions for the variance amount. This program eliminates the need to manually revise orders when they don t match the AP invoice(s) received. If using this application in conjunction with Media AP Approval, the approval status can be viewed on the reconciliation grid and if any pending approvals exist that have not been accepted, reconciliation is not permitted. This allows for a controlled reconciliation process that forces an approval on variant records prior to reconciliation. However, Media Reconciliation can be used without using the AP Approval program. Both programs include period or date range selections, filter, sort, and other selection options that allow you to customize the results for various scenarios. Both programs also include drill down screens to media order and AP invoice details along with a copy of the actual invoice if uploaded through the Document Manager. All approval and reconciliation notes and actions are stored permanently for future reference. Security options are available to block access to the entire Media Approval and Reconciliation menu or to the individual applications within. Record locking is enforced between the two applications. If a media order is open or selected in either application, the other will not allow access. Page 2 of 11

3 The chart below describes a typical workflow process using Advantage: Role Process Procedure Media Media orders are created. Newspaper, Magazine, Out of Home, and Internet orders in Advantage or media buying program. Media Media orders are integrated into Advantage if needed. Orders may be advance billed (pre-billed). Publisher or vendor sends bill to agency. The invoice is processed so that it can be reviewed for accuracy and tracked for aging and payment. Identify variances between the buy and the invoice received. Put a payment hold on invoices with variances. Route variances to the media department. OR, route all invoices for approval, even if there are no discrepancies. nfusion or Strata Connect Billing in Advantage Mail or electronic invoice (PDF) Enter the invoice into Accounts Payable. Upon entry, record the invoice date and other details needed for payment. Apply the invoice to media orders. Upon applying the invoice to media orders, variances will be identified automatically (based on Agency settings). Make notes to the media buyer and change the approval status to pending. The invoice is put on payment hold at the same time. This is done automatically when the record is saved. The record and related invoices (see below) will appear automatically in the Media AP Approval application that the media staff will use. Non-discrepant invoices can also be put into pending approval status. File a copy of the invoice. Upload an electronic copy of the invoice for routing or tracking and file the original away. Upload the electronic invoice sent by the vendor or scan the original to PDF or other format. This is done through the Webvantage Document Manager AP Invoice option. Media Media staff members review variances and resolve issues. receives approvals from media and pays bills as they are due. Completed media orders are compared to Invoices for reconciliation and billing. Use the Media AP Approval application to view all invoices that are in a pending approval status and approve them on line. Includes notes from accounting and the actual invoice copy. Resolve issues and communicate electronically (and permanently) with accounting on the results. Use Accounts Payable to review all invoices based on their payment status (hold or not) and their approval status (pending or approved). Address action items based on the status. Take approved invoices off hold with one step. Process checks as usual based on the date-to-pay. Use Media Order Reconciliation to select any range of orders that may be completed and set criteria to include orders with AP, or just orders with AP variance. Reconciliation creates revisions automatically and everything flows to billing. Page 3 of 11

4 Media AP Approval Setup The setup involved to start using AP Approvals is minimal. In Agency Maintenance on the Options 2 tab, click on the Activate Approvals check box. This enables the approval process in the Accounts Payable application. Use the A/P Prompt Options to determine when to prompt for an approval as invoices are entered for each media type. Enter a percentage to trigger the prompt based on a percentage over. For example, if you don t want to be prompted unless the AP invoice is over the amount of the order by 5%, enter 5.00 here. Entering a percentage will allow you to prompt on overages only. Entering 0.00 percent to trigger the prompt if the AP invoice is over or under the amount of the order (regardless of the percentage). Use this option (which is the default) if you would like all variant invoices to prompt an approval. Leave the field blank to deactivate the prompt altogether. The prompt is not triggered off of the quantity field if the amounts are in balance, but even if you are not prompted in AP, you can always choose to place an AP Invoice item in approval status manually. Page 4 of 11

5 Accounts Payable Invoices are applied to media order/lines and when the system detects a variance between the order/line amounts and the disbursed amounts, it opens the approval window based on Agency Maintenance settings. Each entry to an order/line creates an individual approval record. Any order/line may be placed in Pending Approval status, even if it is in balance. This is done by double clicking on the line or highlighting the line and clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the toolbar. o Note that the quantity field does not trigger the prompt, only amount fields trigger the prompt. Approval status and notes may be entered if desired. If multiple approval entries are made to the same order/line by either accounting or media, a complete history is available for review in this window. It includes the source, approval status, date, user and comments. The current status is listed first and identified with an asterisk. The invoice may be placed on Payment Hold automatically (as an option) when order/lines are placed in pending approval status. The place A/P on hold check box defaults to checked but can be unchecked as desired. Documents may be filed electronically by uploading and attaching them to the AP record. This is done through the Webvantage Document Manager. An unlimited number of documents may be uploaded for each AP record. o Upload an electronic copy of the invoice supplied by the vendor or a scan created from the original document. o The document is uploaded into the Document Manager repository and becomes available in various areas of the system (both Advantage and Webvantage) and is stored along with other agency documents. The Custom Search feature found on the AP main screen toolbar provides a way to search for invoices in any status including Pending Approval, Approved, Changes Required, and Payment Hold. This is the final stage of processing after the media staff have approved invoices and sent instructions back to accounting electronically. Use this tool to find approved invoices: o If approved as is: Remove the Payment Hold status from multiple invoices at once from this screen. o If approved with Changes Required : Select individual invoices that require changes and modify them as needed. Page 5 of 11

6 Media AP Approval From the Media Approval/Reconciliation application, click on the Approval option. The Media Approval application displays orders and matching AP invoices to approve based on criteria entered including Media Type and Period. Use options and filters to narrow records to approve. Media Type Select from Internet, Newspaper, Magazine and Out of Home. From and To Period Select the Posting Period range for which AP invoices should be included. This is the posting period used when the AP invoices where entered. Show Pending Approval or All Statuses - Narrow the list to the invoices that are still pending approval or show all invoices that have been processed for approval within the periods selected. Show Qty Toggles the Quantity fields in the grid on and off. For order types such as Internet and Newspaper, it may be important to view the quantity of things like clicks, impressions or inserts to make a decision. Search Click on the Search icon to gather records based on the criteria entered. Filter Use the filter button on the toolbar to further narrow the records in the application. Filter by any of the following: o Client o Division o Product o Vendor o Campaign o Client Purchase Order Sort Use the sort button on the toolbar to sort rows on the grid by any field. Save Saves all changes. Undo Use this option to undo any edits made before saving. The grid includes order and invoice summary data, totals and variances: Page 6 of 11

7 Media Approval - continued The approval grid includes the following information: Client Division Product Vendor Order Line Invoice Number Invoice Date Order Quantity This is the quantity from the media order/line. Available for Newspaper and Internet only. Order Net Amount This amount includes only the net amounts entered for the media order/line. Depending on the media type used, different net options are available. AP Quantity This is the quantity entered in accounts payable for the order/line. Available for Newspaper and Internet only. AP Net Amount - This amount includes only the net amounts entered for the accounts payable. Depending on the media type used, different net options are available. Posted Net Amount This is the amount of any other posted AP invoices against the same order and line. This amount is important for decision-making. Variance Net This is the variance based on the AP Net Amount plus the Posted Net Amount deducted from the Order Net Amount. Approval Status Select from the following statuses: o Pending Approval (to leave in Pending Approval Status) o Approved (to Approve the invoice as is ) o Approved with Changes (to Approve the invoice with a note for changes) o Approval not Required (places the invoice s approval status back to none ) Approval Notes Enter notes that give instructions to the accounting department here. Research may be done directly from this application to determine which action to take for each pending approval. Use the Order Detail and AP Detail tabs to see information without going to those applications. If a scanned or electronic copy of the invoice was uploaded through the Document Manager, it will be available for review as well through the Attachments tab. After research has been completed, select the proper status and enter notes which are transmitted directly to the accounting staff. o A permanent record of all communication is stored for reference. Page 7 of 11

8 Media Approval - continued Uploading AP invoices through the Document Manager AP Invoice documents of any type may be uploaded by accessing the Document Manager application in Webvantage and selecting the AP Invoice level. This is a special option that stores the AP invoice and automatically links it to any level of disbursement including media order/lines, jobs, etc. The Document Manager window can be opened while still in Accounts Payable or can be opened independently. Media or any type of invoices may be uploaded by following the steps below: From the Document Manager window, select Level: AP Invoice Select or enter the Vendor Code Select or enter the Invoice Number for the vendor. o The invoice number, description and date will be displayed to aid in selection. Click on Apply Click on the Upload button from the toolbar. Use the Browse button to search for the electronic copy of the invoice on your computer. o Upon selection, the Description field will be automatically populated with the vendor code, vendor description and invoice number formatted like the example below. No key words will be entered by default. bobbin Bobbin Magazine, Invoice Number Click Upload to complete the process. Click Cancel to start over. The invoice will be available for viewing along with the order details in the Media Approval and Reconciliation applications. Page 8 of 11

9 Media Order Reconciliation From the Media Approval/Reconciliation application, click on the Reconciliation option. Reconciliation can occur monthly or as often as needed to match the final/approved AP invoices to orders for the purpose or processing revisions. The Media Reconciliation application displays orders to reconcile based on criteria entered including Media Type and Date Range. When orders are in use in this application, they cannot be edited manually in Media Orders (they are locked). When the same media order records are open in the Media Orders application, they cannot be reconciled from this application. Use options and filters to narrow records to reconcile. Media Type Select from Internet, Newspaper, Magazine and Out of Home. Beginning and Ending Date Select the Date range for which Media Orders should be included. This is the insertion date for each order/line. Show Orders with AP or Orders with AP Variances - Narrow the list to the orders with AP invoices entered or just the ones with variances within the date range selected. Search Click on the Search icon to gather records based on the criteria entered. Filter Use the filter button on the toolbar to further narrow the records in the application. Filter by any of the following: o Client o Division o Product o Vendor o Campaign o Client Purchase Order Sort Use the sort button on the toolbar to sort rows on the grid by any field. Save Saves all changes. Undo Use this option to undo any edits made before saving. The grid includes order and invoice summary data, totals and variances: Page 9 of 11

10 Media Order Reconciliation continued The reconciliation grid includes the following information: Client Division Product Campaign Vendor Client PO Order Line Order Net Amount This amount includes only the net amounts entered for the media order/line. Depending on the media type used, different net options are available. Order Billing Amount This amount includes the order billing amount entered for the media order/line. This amount includes all net amounts plus commission (less rebate) or markup, additional amount (which is fee only) and resale tax. AP Net Amount - This amount includes only the net amounts entered for all the accounts payable invoice entered against this order/line. Depending on the media type used, different net options are available. AP Billing Amount This amount includes the AP invoice billing amount based on all invoices entered for the order/line. The billing amount is calculated by taking the net AP invoice amounts entered in Accounts Payable and (using the current media order percentages on the order active revision) adding commission (less rebate) or markup, additional amount (which is fee only) and resale tax. This provides a calculated AP Billing Amount so that a comparison can be made to the Order s Billing Amount. Variance Net This is the variance based on the Order Net Amount less the AP Net Amount. Variance Billing Amount This is the variance based on the Order Billing Amount less the AP Billing Amount. Unbilled Order Amount - This is the amount of the Order that is unbilled. It is displayed for informational purposes and does not affect the reconciliation revision made. Approval Status - Orders containing any unapproved AP invoices display a red dot. Orders that are either approved or were never sent for approval display a greed dot. Only rows with a green dot (indicating they are approved or no approval is needed) may be reconciled. Reconcile Check this box to process a reconciliation on the order/line. Reconciliation Comment Optionally add a comment that stays with the order Research may be done directly from this application. Use the Order Detail and AP Detail tabs to see information without going to those applications. If a scanned or electronic copy of the invoice was uploaded through the Document Manager, it will be available for review as well through the Attachments tab. Variant orders are displayed with the AP Net does not match the Order Net. Only records with an AP Net Variance are available to reconcile. To reconcile: Check the Reconcile check box for orders to reconcile. Click on the Save button. Page 10 of 11

11 What does reconciliation do? For each order and line, the combined AP invoices entered are summarized and compared. A revised order/line amount is calculated by using NET AMOUNTS entered for all the AP invoices entered through Accounts Payable then calculating BILLING AMOUNTS based on the Order s percentages and settings. Amounts used from related AP Invoices: Net Rate (Newspaper and Internet Only) Net Amount Quantity (Newspaper and Internet Only) o if QTY is entered, the Rate is calculated by taking the Amount divided by the QTY) Net Bleed (Magazine Only) Net Position (Magazine Only) Net Premium (Magazine Only) Net Charges Net Color (Newspaper and Magazine Only is a Rate charge) Net Discount (Line Net Discount and Net Charge Discount combined) Vendor Tax Amounts calculated based on the media order s active revision percentages and settings: Commission or Markup (based on the Order Type) Rebate Resale Tax Additional Amount (this is a fee that is not passed through to the vendor that is included in the billing amount). When the SAVE button is clicked, the rows marked reconcile are revised. Revisions reverse the original row and add a new row with the NEW values based in the calculations above. The two new transactions are naturally unbilled and will be combined with any other unbilled lines at the time of billing. Bill the orders as usual to process billing to the client for either the additional amounts or credits. Page 11 of 11