Inventory Suggestions and Suggestion Types

• Overview
• Adding Suggestions to an Inventory Model
• Choosing Suggestions on a Quote
• Removing Suggestions from an Inventory Model
• Suggestion Types Overview
• Creating a New Suggestion Type
• Applying a Suggestion Type to a Suggested Item
• Bulk Editing Suggestion Types
• Removing a Suggestion Type from a Suggested Item
• Deleting a Suggestion Type

Overview

Adding suggestions to an inventory model will allow you to conveniently add related items when you place the item into a Quote. For example, if you place a rental iPad into a Quote, you can configure Flex to automatically suggest cables and other accessories that often accompany an iPad. This makes the Quote building process much easier and intuitive.

Adding Suggestions to an Inventory Model

1. Open the inventory model that you want to add suggestions to.
2. Click on the Suggestions tab on the inventory information page.
3. Drag the items that you want want to add as suggestions from the inventory tree into the suggestions area.

Now, whenever you place the model into a Quote, the suggestions window will appear with the items that you added.

Choosing Suggestions on a Quote

If an inventory model has suggestions assigned to it, the suggestions window will open when you add the model to a Quote. Notice that the availability of each suggested item is shown in the column on the left.

Check the box next to the items that you want to add. The quantity will automatically calculate based on the amount of the original item that you placed on the Quote, but you can also manually adjust the quantity by clicking and typing the new quantity.

You can also change the "Relationship Type" and "Included In Price" options. The "Relationship Type" will determine how the suggested item is added to the Quote (as next sibling, as a child to the item, or using the default sort mode). The "Included In Price" check box will determine whether the suggested item is included in the price or not. Both of these options can default to certain settings by using Suggestion Types. See the Suggestion Types Overview section below for more information.

Click ACCEPT to add all checked items to the Quote.

Removing Suggestions from an Inventory Model

1. Open the item that you want to remove suggestions from.
2. Click the Suggestions tab.
3. Click the check box next to the item that you want to remove as a suggestion.
4. Click the  Delete icon located at the bottom.

Suggestion Types Overview

Suggestion types can be applied to each suggested item. For example, you might want a suggestion type that makes the suggested item not required, included in the price, and will be added as a child item to the main item.

Alternatively, you could create a suggestion type that sets the suggested item as required, not included in the price, and to be added as the next sibling to the main item.

Creating a New Suggestion Type

1. In the  Main Menu, go to  Inventory and click Suggestion Types.
2. Click the  Add New Suggestion Type icon located at the bottom.
3. Enter applicable information
   • Name: The name of the suggestion type (Cables, Lenses, Package Options, etc.).
   • Code: For tracking within your Flex system (optional).
   • Applicable Resource Class: This determines what type of resource can use this suggestion type. By default, Inventory is selected.
   • Required: Determines whether or not the suggested item is required to be chosen. For example, a lens might be a required suggestion for a projector.
   • Included in Price: When set to Yes, the price of the suggested item will not be included.
   • Association Type: How the suggested item will appear on a Quote in relation to the parent model (as a child, as the next line item/sibling, or using the default sort method).
   • Note: This note will appear in the notes field of a line item on a Quote when the suggestion type is used for the line item.
4. Click OK.

Applying a Suggestion Type to a Suggested Item

1. Click the Suggestions tab of an inventory model.
2. Click the  pencil icon on the line item that you want to apply a suggestion type to.
3. In the popup, check the box next to the suggestion type that you want to apply to the item.
4. Click UPDATE.

Bulk Editing Suggestion Types

You have the ability to bulk edit the Quantity, Auto Include, and Suggestion Type fields when in the Suggestions tab of an inventory model.

1. Click the box next to the suggestion types you would like to bulk edit. (click the top box to select all)
2. Click the  Edit Selected Lines icon located at the bottom. 
3. Enter the applicable information.
4. Click UPDATE

Removing a Suggestion Type from a Suggested Item

1. Click the  Pencil icon on the line item that you want to remove a suggestion type from.
2. Uncheck the box next to the suggestion type that you want to remove from the item.
3. Click UPDATE.

Deleting a Suggestion Type

1. In the  Main Menu, go to  Inventory and choose Suggestion Types.
2. Check the box(s) next to the suggestion type that you want to delete.
3. Click the  Delete icon located at the bottom.