Topics - Quick User's Guide

This page links to topics covered in the Quick User's Guide that ships with Collect!

These are introductory pages to introduce you to the software. More in-depth and comprehensive coverage may be found via Help Contents, Help Index and the Search function on our homepage at www.collect.org.

Welcome

Benefits of using Collect! for Credit and Collection.

New features in this latest version of Collect!

Setting up Collect! - the comprehensive guide to all aspects of this most important topic.

Quitting Collect!

New User Basics - Finding Help, controlling Collect! with keys and the mouse, lists, printing and more.

Basics

Opening a Database in Collect! - tips for opening different databases.

The Main Menu shows your login ID, the database you opened and is the gateway to all features and operations that Collect! can perform, organized into categorical menus.

Entering Clients and Debtors

New Business includes creation of new client and debtor records.

How To Enter A New Client describes how to enter a new client.

How To Enter A New Debtor describes how to enter a new debtor.

How To Schedule Contacts describes scheduling basic contacts for working your accounts.

Posting Transactions

How To Post a Transaction describes financial management for recording debtor payments.

Printing Reports

After entering new clients and debtors, you can print relevant reports and letters.

Daily Reports lists reports you can print on a daily basis.

The Daily Cash Report will print a summary of transactions posted.

Working with Client Information

How To Make Client Payments describes posting payments from clients.

How To Generate and Print Statements describes the preparation of client invoice/ statements and checks.

Beyond The Basics

Explore the features and functions of Collect! in more depth. See how the system can work with you to simplify such things as managing contacts, creating and using contact plans from basic to sophisticated levels, print batch letters and running other operations.

How To Manage Contacts introduces the concept of "Contacts" versus " Contact Plans". The former being a single event or view of a list of single events, while the latter is a compilation of events that define an automated strategy. Example: a letter to be sent, phone call to be made and status to be changed is 3 individual events on a single debtor. The same 3 events combined in an automated Contact Plan which schedules all 3 simultaneously on multiple debtor accounts of choice, WITH the ability to utilize conditional logic, is a Contact Plan.

How To Use the WIP List describes the easy and comprehensive way to display and work pending contacts.

The Print Menu.

How To Print Statements - Reports - Letters.

Scheduled Batch Letters describes how to maximize your time by printing letters/ reports in criteria controlled batches.

If you utilize a letter service to produce and mail your debtor correspondence, the system can be configured to generate your Letter Service data file in industry standard formats.

Credit Reporting

How To Report Credit describes the processes configuring the system, setting up clients to allow reporting, initializing new debtors for reporting, managing update records and exporting your file to send to the credit bureau(s) of your preference in METRO2 standard format.

Account Matching And Grouping

Accounts can be grouped together automatically and manually to allow 1 debtor with multiple debts to be consolidated in your system. Matching Criteria is user defined and can be updated to accommodate different client directives. Example: one client has no rules about what kind of accounts their accounts can be linked to while another client's inventory management requirements include complete segregation from other creditor accounts in your company. Collect! can accommodate both.

How To Group Debtors explains how to group debtors manually.

How To Setup Account Matching describes how to group accounts automatically whenever a new account is entered.

Other Features And Functions

How To Use Batch Processing shows how to select and run any of 9 separate procedures which may be applied to targeted accounts in volume batches.

How To Use Macros describes the efficiency tool the system possesses that will allow you to create and use macros to perform unchanging/repetitive keyboarding tasks that mirror a user's manual steps.

How To Design Reports and Letters takes you through topics relating to learning how to use the ad hoc report generator.

Import/Export Module introduces the capability of bringing in data from outside of your system and having it be electronically incorporated into your database automatically. Example: New Business your client assigns by way of batches of accounts in csv file format. Covered as well is how to transfer select information out of your system in formats and layouts that may be required by third party systems outside of Collect!. Example: Your client requires a payment file, address updates or closeout reports by csv file that matches their column order of fields in a spreadsheet, or perhaps you send out accounts to a skip locate provider who returns to you a data file of results that you import into your system.

TCN Module covers how to utilize this add-on module to create call lists and incorporate campaign call results from TCN back into Collect!.

How To Use Pick Lists demonstrates how simple it is to create and modify user defined drop-down choice lists that allows you to categorize and display important details about your accounts on a per account basis.

How To Set Field Or Screen Properties introduces how you can customize the system to conform to how you want to do business. A field or screen label can be modified to become what is meaningful to you and how you operate. These system control screens allow you to define defaults of who has what access rights on a per screen AND per field level BY per user level.

Now that you have gotten started, use the Contents, Help Index and Hyperlinks to explore other areas and details.

Shipping defaults in configurations and preference settings may not be the same as your company's requirements. Remember the importance of decisioning your system operational and feature preferences before going live with your data.

Setting up Collect!