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About Accounts Receivable
The Accounts Receivable feature is available when the Cashiering > Accounts Receivables application function is set to Y.
Accounts Receivable offers unparalleled flexibility to manage your customers according to their individual preferences, maximize collection and increase customer satisfaction. With A/R you can utilize:
All the information you need about a customer, from credit availability and aging limits to contact names and ship-to locations, is stored within the system. Online inquiry tools give you instant access to summary and activity information, and let you quickly drill down through multiple levels of detail.
Manage national accounts and large conglomerates as a whole, while keeping track of each individual store or subsidiary. Improve cash flow and minimize financial exposure through customizable monitoring options and account controls, automatically generated dunning letters, and more. Automate transaction entry, process cash receipts quickly, make adjustments easily, even to prior periods, and tailor customer pricing, terms, aging and billing to your business needs.
No matter how unique your requirements, Accounts Receivable has the features and flexibility to improve the processes that help you generate revenue.
As a convenience, Accounts Receivable (AR) accounts (sometimes called direct bill accounts or city ledger accounts) can be set up for companies, travel agents, groups, sources, and individual guests so that charges can be accumulated and billed for payment on an agreed-upon schedule. The OPERA Accounts Receivable features provide tools for creating accounts, tracking account activity, preparing statements and reminder letters, and managing payments.
When the AR > Statement Numbering application parameter is set to Y, OPERA automatically assigns a unique (to the property) number to the AR statement at the time it is generated. This allows the property to see which invoices have been included in each generated statement and to search for invoices using the statement number. In addition, payments can be applied per statement.
Following is a list of some of the major OPERA AR features:
New AR Accounts. Create a new account from within the Profile options (using the Profile screen Statistics and Info tab) or from AR Account Search screen (AR > Account Maintenance). AR accounts are associated with a profile (company, travel agent, source, group, or individual guest).
Permanent Accounts. Accounts can be flagged as permanent to prevent deletion. (AR Account Search screen New or Edit button.)
Delete AR Accounts. Delete AR Accounts that are not designated as Permanent, and that have no outstanding balance. (AR Account Search screen Delete button.)
Transfer FO Data. During Night Audit, direct bill charges from Front Office are sent to a working queue where the details can be modified prior to transferring to an AR account. (AR > Transfer FO Data.)
Aging Periods. Monitor outstanding transactions using property-defined aging periods. (Aging button from AR Account screen Options menu.)
Traces. Record unlimited remarks and traces per account. (Traces button from AR Account screen Options menu.) AR Traces allow you to attach internal communications to an AR account.
Payments and Credits. Payments and credits can be applied to specific invoices, automatically distributed to the oldest outstanding balances, or left unallocated (to be allocated when and where necessary). (Pay button and Apply Cr button from AR Account screen.)
Direct AR Invoice. Postings can be made directly to AR invoices using either Front Office transaction codes or transaction codes specific to Accounts Receivable. (New button from Invoice Details screen). New invoices can be created and postings made directly to them (New button from AR Account screen).
Access to Complete Account, Invoice, and Payment Activity. Search for accounts then view invoice and payment activity per account. When viewing invoices, you can view all invoices or only those that are open. (AR > Account Maintenance. Search for and select the account from the AR Account Search screen.)
Invoice Editing. View and adjust invoices from within AR. (View button from the AR Account screen. Then select the Adjust button from the Invoice Details screen to adjust postings on an invoice.)
Close Invoices. You can close invoices so that they cannot be edited. (Close Inv button from the AR Account Search screen, or Close Inv button from the AR Account screen Options menu.) Once closed, an invoice cannot be re-opened.
Transfer Between Accounts. Transfer whole or partial invoices or payments between accounts. (Transfer button from AR Account screen Options menu; or use the right-click Quick Menu from the AR Account screen and select Transfer.)
Transfer Credit Card Transactions to AR. Display credit card transaction information including guest name, folio number, date, amount and credit card number. Search for records by credit card company or date. You can transfer balances from folios to A/R accounts selectively or all at once. (AR > Credit Cards.)
Old Balances. Pre-existing balances can be entered from a previous accounts receivable system, either as single-folio balances or per aging period (System Configuration > AR > Enter Old Balance).
Payment History. Payments that have been spread to cover different invoices can be traced by reviewing the payment history. (Pay History button from AR Account screen Options menu.)
Future Activity. View future reservation activity for the account. (Future Res button from AR Account Search options menu.)
Search for Invoices or Transactions. Invoices or individual transactions can be found using invoice number, posting date, amount or amount range, folio number, guest name, payment number, account name, or account number. (AR > Research.)
Year View. Display a month-by-month summary view of the last 12 months' of account activity (debits, credits and balance). (Year View button from the AR Account Search screen Options menu.)
Statements. Statements can be produced individually (on demand) or as a batch for quick, end- of-month mailing. (Statement button from the AR Account Search screen Options menu.)
Reminder Letters. The reminder letter history feature tracks exactly which reminder letters were created, and when they were generated. Any letter can be changed and/or reprinted from the history. (Reminders button from the AR Account Search screen Options menu.) Reminder letters can be automatically prepared based on a customized cycle. (System Configuration > AR > Account Types.)
Here are definitions of some accounts receivable terms as they are used in the online help.
Direct Bill - An AR account. Sometimes called a city ledger account.
Folio - The guest's bill.
Invoice - The folio, once it is transferred to AR.
Posting - Any account entry (transaction code, amount, etc.).
Transaction - a debit or credit posted to the guest's account (for example, a charge for a meal or a credit for a payment on the account).
See Also
