How To Use Batch Processing

Collect! allows you to process hundreds of accounts quickly and automatically with batch processing.

Collect!'s batch processing feature can be used to automate many different types of processes: run contact plans, process your WIP list, group accounts, assign accounts to operators, prepare accounts for credit bureau reporting, undo completed contacts. Perform all of these procedures and more, with batch processing.

With batch processing you can do many functions automatically. You can post fees and charges, write notes, change account status, send letters, close accounts, reactivate accounts, schedule phone calls, file reviews, and more.

Batch processing can perform Contact events that are scheduled to run on specific dates.

Batch processes tax the system heavily, simulating the actions of one hundred users at a time! For fastest batch operations, use Exclusive mode.

To Use Batch Processing

The best way to get started using batch processing in Collect! is to examine the screens and dialogs that pertain to this feature. Experiment in the demonstration database to explore the possibilities.

1. Pull down the Tools menu and choose Batch Processing.

2. Press F1 for help on the options presented to you. Each one of these categories is a separate area where you can automate your account processing.

If you choose the option Run Contact Plans, you must have already created the contact plan to run.

3. When you press the Next button, you will be presented with more options, depending on the choices you made. Once again, the best way to understand the choices is to press F1 when you are on each form.

4. You will continue to receive additional instructions based on your choices. Each one of the dialogs that you are presented with is documented and pressing F1 will explain the options to you.

5. Finally, you will press Start to begin the batch process using the options you have chosen. When the process is completed, a summary screen will display showing the results of the batch, indicating events and accounts processed.

To Use Batch Processing With Contact Plans

The first thing to understand is that Contact plans can change and schedule large quantities of Contacts.

In fact, the individual events in a Contact plan determine what happens. Each event is one thing that happens. For example, an event may write a note into a Debtor's notes, and another event in the same plan may schedule a phone call for tomorrow. Not only that, but each event in a Contact plan may or may not be scheduled, based on some variable you choose.

A whole group of events make up a single Contact plan. Contact plans can call other Contact plans to set off complex chains of events.

To run contact plans in a batch:

1. Build a Contact plan that handles a process automatically.

2. Use the Batch Processing command in the Tools menu.

3. Make your choices in the screens that you are presented with and press the Next button to proceed.

4. Finally, press the Start button to batch process.

5. Open the affected accounts and verify the plan did what you wanted.

Batch Processing Log File

To view a list of all files processed during a batch routine:

1. Pull down the System menu.

2. Choose Preferences.

3. When the System Setup screen is displayed, Choose Options, Sounds and Colors.

4. When the Screen and Messages dialog is displayed, switch ON the Verbose Message Display option.

5. After you run your batch process routine, to view the log file, pull down the System menu and choose Diagnostics, Application Log. You will see a record of all processes in the batch and a list of all file numbers processed in the batch.

Verbose Message Display does slow down performance of Collect!. You may want to switch it OFF after you have documented your procedure, to speed up the program again.