Guest Statement Generation and Reconciliation (Auction Tracker)

Depending on how check-out was managed at the event, there may be guest statements to print or re-print. For guests with outstanding balances, use the Guest Statement as an invoice. Not only is it a detailed transaction document, it also contains complete payment history and balance due. Before printing, be sure the organization's logo has been added to the statements.

Generate Guest Statements (Reprint)         

To generate guest statements in quantity, follow these steps:

1. From the Application Toolbar drop-down menu, click Reporting.
2. Click Billings/Receipts then expand Guest Statements (Event Checkout).
3. Click Reprint Guest Statements
4. Next, select one option from each of the following groups:
   
   Generate Statements By - All Statements, Range of Bid Numbers, ExpressPay Statements, Non-ExpressPay Statements, Individual Table, Range of Tables or Outstanding Balances.
   
   Include - If the Generate Statements By option selected requires a range of values or a specific selection, the options automatically light up requesting input.
   
   Sort By - Select the output order by Bid Number, Guest Name, or Table Number.
5. With selections made, select an output option by clicking the appropriate button on the bottom of the Window. Click Close to close the Window and the selected invoices do not print.

The printed invoice(s) fit into a standard #10 double window invoice envelope. For convenience, there is a fold mark printed on the left side of the invoice.

Payment Reconciliation

A responsibility of the event coordinator and staff is to ensure all monies are collected and properly accounted for. Auction-Tracker provides functionality to post and manage payments for all receivables generated at the event.

Post Payments Received

Outstanding invoices have been sent to guests and payments are arriving which need to be posted in Auction-Tracker. Both full and partial payments can be posted to a guest's account. Follow these steps to post payments received:

1. From the Application Toolbar, click the Banking drop-down menu, then click Payments/Statements (Checkout). Users can also click the Banking icon on the toolbar to access Payments/Statements (Checkout).
2. Depending on how Auction-Tracker is configured, the staff/volunteer member may be prompted to enter their initials for audit purposes. If so, enter initials and press the ENTER key. Otherwise, continue to Step #3.
3. Auction-Tracker now prompts for a bid number. Enter a Bid Number in the field provided and press the ENTER key. A bid number can also be found by name. Click the Name List button located right of the bid number field to select by Name. With the bid number selected, account information and payment status appears in the window. If the successful bidder is participating in ExpressPay, an alert is provided in the window.
4. Click Payment at the bottom of the window. Enter the payment amount submitted by the bidder and click Continue.
5. Next, select the Payment Method, Check/Card #, Auth. Code, and Expiration Date if applicable.
6. With the details of the payment entered, click Continue to save the payment. Click Cancel to exit the payment entry process.
   
   Several options are available for managing payments from the Guest Statement Generation and Payments window. Here are general rules for modifying payments entered:
   
   
   1. If an incorrect Payment Method was selected, it can be edited from the Guest Statement Generation and Payments window. Identify the payment record in question, click the Payment Method drop-down menu under Payment History and select a new Payment Method.
   2. If an entire payment was accidentally entered incorrectly or a payment entered earlier just needs to be removed, the payment must be reversed. For security and audit reasons, payments may not be simply removed. Following the steps above for posting a payment, enter a payment amount with a minus sign - in front if it. This is posting a credit to the account to adjust the outstanding balance.
7. To apply payment for a different guest, do not close the Guest Statement Generation and Payments window. Just enter a new bid number and press ENTER. Information for the new bid number entered appears.
8. Click Close to close the window when finished.

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Reconciling Guest Payments

With the auction complete, it is important to reconcile the physical checks, cash, and credit/debit card transactions against the payments entered in Auction-Tracker. Auction-Tracker’s Payment Reconciler option allows for the verification of payments entered and designating the payment as being deposited. Additionally, the Payment Reconciler allows for editing of payment detail. (Less the Payment Amount)

To access the Payment Reconciler 8.9: Payment Reconciler follow these steps:

1. From the Application Toolbar, click the Banking drop-down menu.
2. Next, click Payment Reconciler.
3. With the payment reconciler window open, verify physical payments received (cash, checks, and credit/debit cards) against the data entered into Auction-Tracker. The grid is sorted by clicking on any of the column headers. Click the Sort/Select button located on the window's button bar at the top of the window to further define sort/select criteria by All or Individual Bid Number, All or Undeposited Transactions, and All or Specific Date.
4. Once the transactions are found, verify that the payment method information is correct. If not, use the drop-down menu to select the correct payment method. With the payment method verified, mark the record as “deposited” by changing the N to a Y for Yes. As the process is performed, the display can be filtered to undeposited making the process easier to perform. Some bidders will have more than one payment transaction. If this is the case, the checkout area should be physically in possession of the multiple credit card receipts, checks or cash for each of these transactions. If there is a new payment that needs to be applied or one that needs to be removed.

   As all transactions and payments are made by bid number, many users find it helpful to filter the list by Bid Number. This groups multiple payments making the process of conciliation easier to perform.

5. When finished, click Continue at the bottom of the window to save any edits and close the window.