Configuring Contract Item Limits

You use contract item usage limits to limit the number of supply items a customer can acquire under a supplies-included contract without a charge. In order for you to limit the customer’s supplies, you first determine your usage expectations for the customer’s equipment during your contract period. Next, you identify how many supply items are needed for the contract or each equipment piece on the contract to meet your usage expectation. Finally, you limit the customer’s quantity allowance of supply items to meet your usage expectation. If the customer exceeds the allowed quantity of supply items identified on the contract, e-automate automatically charges the customer for limited supplies.

You can configure contract item usage limits at the contract level or at the individual equipment level. You use the Item Limit tab on the contract for contract level limits, and also for equipment level limits on the Contract Equipment window. Equipment-level contract item usage limits allow a more controlled method for tracking how many supply items each piece of equipment is allowed during the contract period. If you choose to handle contract item limits at the equipment level, when a customer orders supplies you will identify the specific equipment for which a supply is intended. If you track contract item usage limits at the contract level, the system allows a limit at the contract level and therefore it is not necessary to identify on the contract the specific equipment for which the supply is to be used.

In order to use contract item usage limits you must configure your system to meet the requirements outlined below.

Supply items you limit must be enabled for contract usage limits.

Supply items you limit must be associated as a related item to the equipment’s base inventory item profile.

You use the inventory item profile to define part items, supply items, equipment items, expense items and non-stock items. Equipment item profiles on your Item list are not only used in the purchasing and sales process, but are also used as a reference to your service equipment. You cannot create an equipment record in e-automate without basing the equipment on an existing inventory item (more specifically, an inventory item that has an equipment code). The inventory item that is linked to an equipment record is referred to as the equipment’s basis item because the equipment is based on the item. In order for you to use contract item usage limits, you must place supplies you intend to limit on the equipment’s basis item’s Related Items tab.

When you limit supply items on a service contract, e-automate only tracks supply usage for items that are configured to be tracked and are included under the contract based on the appropriate bill code.

 

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