Set Timezone

The Set Timezone report and control file enable you to automatically set the timezone for each of your debtors based on the area code found in the Debtor's phone fields. If there is no area code or it is invalid, Collect! simply displays "Local Time" for the Debtor's Timezone.

When you enter new debtors in your system, Collect! will update the Timezone field as soon as you leave any of the Debtor's phone fields. Changes to the area code will also update the debtor's Timezone field. If there is no phone number in the Debtor's Home field, Timezone is set from the remaining phone fields.

Collect! looks for a phone number in any of the phone fields. The priority for setting the Timezone is Home, POE#, Cell, Other.

Set Timezone Report

To update Debtors already in your system, you can run the Set Timezone report.

To use this feature, import the Set Timezone report into your database. You can copy it from your Demodb or download the Set Timezone package from the Collect! Member Center.

The control file that manages Debtor timezones is called "setzone.ctf" and is stored in your "\CV11\masterdb\control" folder.

As of version CV11.6.2.1, control files to set timezones for Cosigners/Other Parties and record items stored in the Phone tab are available for download from the Member Center. They are DCsetzone.ctf and PHsetzone.ctf, respectively. If you are not currently a Member, contact Administration at 250-391-0466 option 3 for pricing.

The Set Timezone report Starts On "Anywhere" and should be run when you are on the Main Menu. Select Print, Reports and Letters, and then select Set Timezone to run the report. This may take a short while depending on the number of debtors in your database.

When you run the Set Timezone report, Collect! automatically sets the timezone for each of your debtors based on the area code found in the Debtor's phone fields. Collect! looks for a phone number in any of the phone fields. The priority for setting the Timezone is Home, POE#, Cell, Other.

If there is no area code or it is invalid, Collect! simply displays "Local Time" for the Debtor's Timezone.

Set Timezone Control File

To update new debtors as they are entered into your system, you can use the Set Timezone control file. To use this feature, you will have to attach the setzone control file to each of the Debtor's phone fields.

To do this:

1. Copy the new setzone.ctf to your "CV11\masterdb\control" folder. You can find this in your CV11\demodb\control folder or download the Set Timezone package from the Collect! Member Center.

2. Sign into your masterdb database at user level 99 and open a debtor.

3. Right click on the Home field and select Properties. This will display the Access Rights for the field.

4. Click on the magnifying glass next to the Control File field and select setzone.ctf. You should now see the file name displayed in the Control File field.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each of the Debtor's phone fields.

6. If you wish to display the correct timezone on Cosigner and Phone tab records, ensure you have downloaded DCsetzone.ctf and PHsetzone.ctf from the Member Center and ensure these are selected for the Control File field in each field of interest.

You need to sign out of Collect! and back in as any other user level to see this control file at work. It does not work if you are user level 99!

When you enter new debtors in your system, Collect! will update the Timezone field as soon as you leave any of the Debtor's phone fields. Collect! looks for a phone number in any of the phone fields. The priority for setting the Timezone is Home, POE#, Cell, Other. Changes to the area code will also update the debtor's Timezone field.

Using Timezones To Manage Work

Once you have updated all of your debtors' timezones, you can manage your work queues by Timezone. Simply select the Timezone column when you are viewing a WIP List to sort the list by Timezone. Or, use the Reload Work In Progress List dialog to set a Time range to view when the WIP List is reloaded. Please refer to Help topic, Managing Work Queue By Timezone for more information.

You can also use this feature with the Timezone Alerts to change the color of the debtor's Home field based on the timezone. Please refer to that Help topic for a sample control file snippet that you can use to create the color setting criteria.

In version CV11.3 Build 8.1 and newer, when the timezone is not "Local Time," the Debtor screen's title bar displays the Debtor's local time.

Set Timezone For Cosigners

A cosigner report, Set Timezone DC, is shipped with the Collect! evaluation database to set the Timezone for all Cosigner records. A control file, DCsetzone.ctf, is also included to set Timezone as new phone numbers are entered or modified on the Cosigner record.

The Set Timezones for Debtor, Cosigner and Phone Records utility may be downloaded from the Collect! Member Center.

Set Timezone For Phone Records

A phone report, Set Timezone Phone Record, is shipped with the Collect! evaluation database to set the Timezone for all Phone records. A control file, PHsetzone.ctf, is also included to set Timezone as new phone numbers are entered or modified on the Phone record.