Chapter 18: Releasing Orders from Time Hold

Purpose: Use the Release Orders on Time Hold (RSLTME) function to release prepaid orders from hold automatically when the number of days to hold the order (in the Hold days field in the Pay Type file) has passed, and to release orders held for credit card authorization.

Prepaid orders: When this job runs, the system checks all open prepaid orders (pay category #1 = cash/check) to see if the hold days have expired. The system holds prepaid orders automatically for a certain number of days to ensure that the checks clear (you define the hold days in the Pay Type file). The system places these orders on TM hold (Time Hold), which is a system-level hold. Once the checks have cleared, these orders are eligible for pick slip generation, unless they are on hold for some other reason. By running this program, you have the system release the eligible orders automatically, so you do not have to release them one-by-one.

See Accounts Payable Chapter 5: Working with Pay Types (WPAY) for information on setting up the Pay Type file.

Credit card orders: This job also evaluates orders placed on hold because of a declined credit card. You can specify a number of days to hold an order based on the response you receive from an authorization service; for example, if a credit card is declined because the customer is over a credit limit, it is unlikely that the customer's credit situation will change significantly in a single day. In this situation, you might set up this vendor response to hold such orders for five days before making these orders eligible for pick slips and attempting authorization again.

Orders that are on hold because of a declined credit card have an order hold reason of AT (failed authorization). See Customer Service Chapter 78: Working with Credit Card Cancellations (WCCC) for a discussion on managing declined authorizations using CWDirect.

In this chapter:

• Releasing Orders from Time Hold

• Orders Released from Time Hold Report

Define as periodic function: You must define RSLTME as a periodic function with Working with Periodic Functions (WPER).

Sample setup: Enter the following at the Create Periodic Function Screen:

• Function: RLSTIME

• Description: Release Orders on Time Hold

• Company parameter: Y

• Appl area: C/S

• Program name: CSR0557

Add to DAILY periodic process: Next, at the Work with Periodic Processes Screen, use option 7 to add this periodic function to your daily periodic process.

Released orders report: The system prints the Orders Released from Time Hold Report automatically when you execute the Daily Periodic Process, which includes the Release Orders from Time Hold job. If the order is still on user hold, the system displays the user hold reason on the report.

Order history for release: The system logs messages to the Order History file automatically for orders placed on and released from time hold. Press F18 from Order Inquiry to advance to the Display Order History screen.

7/14/97 H SYS HLD - FAILED AUTHORIZATION 38.50 ELISE_K 7/18/97 R ORDER RELEASED AUTO AUTHHOLD 38.50 ELISE_K

History messages: Two messages are logged for orders placed on Time Hold (TM type hold) or credit card hold (AT). The first message is logged automatically when the system places the order on hold.

The second message is logged automatically when the system releases the order after the hold days expire. This message contains:

• the date the order was released from TM or AT hold (although it may remain on hold for other reasons)

• the type of transaction, which is R for "release"

• a transaction note, which identifies the type of activity performed

• the dollar amount of the order

• the user ID of the person who started the periodic process