Extra Items and Item Tracking
Purpose:
Extra Items are the actual items that are provided in the vehicle when it is hired. Each item you add belongs to an Item Group that you can setup. You may have as many items as required.
Examples of such items would be GPS units, child seats, ski chains.... etc.
RCM then optionally allows for the the tracking of the extra items that are provided in the vehicle at the time of hire.
Whenever a vehicle is hired any additional items supplied must be identified by the unique item no# and correspondingly when the vehicle is returned the items status must be updated to show the item has been returned with the vehicle. If it is not returned with the vehicle it must be flagged as 'Lost or Damaged' allowing the operator to charge the customer accordingly.
The locations of individual items are tracked as vehicles are hired and returned to the same or a new location. Only items that are currently available in the hiring location will be available for selection. Using the item maintenance function you can update the items 'current' location at any time, otherwise it will always be set to the return location of the last hire.
Adding Extra Items and Item Groups
To track items you must first set up the inventory of item groups and the items belonging to these groups.
Adding the Item Group
Item Groups allow you to group items together, for example you may have two groups called "GPS Units" and "Baby Seats". You may have as many Item Groups as required.
- Access Vehicle Maintenance > Extra Items
- Select the Item Groups Tab and click on 'Add a New Item Group'
- Type in the name of the Item Group and click on the Submit button.
Adding the Extra Items
Extra Items are the actual items that are provided in the vehicle when it is hired. Each item you add belongs to an Item Group. You may have as many Items as required. For example if you have 3 Baby Seats, you would create 3 Items - one for each seat.
- Access Vehicle Maintenance > Extra Items
- Select the Extra Items tab and then click on 'Add Extra Item'.
The Item No can be a serial number or an alphanumeric description. It should uniquely identify this particular item. You may also optionally enter a description or a barcode and cost.
- Click on Submit to add the new Item record.
If you do not wish to track the item within RCM , you do not need to complete the setup outlined below. This means however, that you will not be able to allocate a particular item to a booking from within RCM.
Setting Up for Item Tracking
Once you have setup your Item Groups and Items, you are able to setup for Item Tracking.
When you hire out a vehicle with for example a GPS unit, you click on the Extra Fee to charge the customer for this service. To track this item, you must link the extra fee to an Item Group. This will force the operator to then select the appropriate item when the vehicle is checked out.
- Access System Setup > Extra Fees
- Select the Extra Fee for the item you wish to track.
- Set the 'Item Supplied' field to 'Yes'
- Select from the drop down list for the Trackable Item field the Item Group this fee belongs to and then click Submit to Update the fee.
Hiring out a Vehicle with a Track-able Extra Item
When the booking is made, the Baby Seat Option would be ticked on the Booking Fees Page
When the booking is then changed to 'Hired' the system will require and item no# to be selected at the time of hire.
The 'Select Item' drop down box will appear on the Booking Payments tab as below.
You cannot proceed past this screen if no item has been selected. Note that the drop down list will only show items that are available in the pick-up location.
Item Enquiry and Update
Once the vehicle is hired you can enquire on this item and booking from the Reservations>Reservation Enquiry and Update > Item Enquiry and Update tab.
From here you can click on the red Res number to view and update the item. You can also click on the View button to view the log - this will show any changes made to the item - who and when.
Returning a Booking with a Track-able Extra Item
When the vehicle is returned the operator must then set the status of the item to be 'Returned' to complete the vehicle return. If the item is not returned then the status must be set to 'Lost or Damaged'. 
Viewing Deleted Items
You are able to delete items that are damaged or lost during a hire and have been flagged as such when the vehicle was returned. Alternatively, an item may be deleted through the item maintenance screen.
To View Deleted Items - Vehicle Maintenance > Extra Items > Deleted Items tab
You can search by Item Group and Location.
Clicking on the View button for the deleted item will display a summary of the item that includes all hires and returns associated with the item.
Extra Item Reports
There are 2 reports available
Extra Items Report - this allows yo to view a listing of the bookings and the Extra Items assigned to these bookings that have either pickup or drop-off dates within the date range entered.
Extra Item Availability - this allows you to search for the availability of the Extra Items in the same manner that you can search for availability of vehicles.
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