Creating Customer-Specific Prompts

Improve customer service and order accuracy by creating custom prompts for Sales Order Entry.

Here are some benefits of using custom prompts:

Provide an extra level of customer service. You can prompt for preferences when a customer places their first order, then display those preferences on future orders.
Improve order entry speed and efficiency. Prompt order writers to ask customers for frequently needed information. For example, if a customer often requires special freight or handling, you can create a prompt to ask for this information.
Enter and save customer information that is unique to your business. Once you know how to create custom prompts, you can use them to store customer information that is not already included in the system.

Creating Prompts

Follow the steps below to create a custom prompt for a customer.

Note: The first two steps below must be completed in the character-based system, as they are not available in a Solar Eclipse interface. The third step can be completed in Solar Eclipse.

Create or use a user-defined file on the File Definition Maintenance screen. A user-defined file lets you store the response to a custom prompt. You can use an existing user-defined file, or create a new one to store the response from a new prompt.
Create or use a dictionary item on the Eclipse Dictionary Maintenance screen. A dictionary item defines the prompt's field characteristics, such as the field size and whether a response is required. This is also where you specify whether the response is a date, number, yes or no, and so forth.
Specify when and how the prompts are displayed. This is done in the customer's user-defined Order Entry Prompt Maintenance window. You can display a prompt when exiting the order's Body tab, for example.

Note: The Body screen in the character-based system interface offers a hidden hot key for those with SUPERUSER authorization. Pressing Alt-plus (+) displays a screen with all the prompts created for the order, and their current response values. You can edit any of the response values on the screen.

Setting Prompt Placement and Timing

When you create an order entry prompt, you have considerable control over how the prompt is used. You can display the prompt for a line item, or when you enter or exit an order's Body, Header, Status, or Totals tab. For example, you specify:

Where the prompt is used, perhaps on the order's Body tab.
When the prompt displays, perhaps when exiting the tab.
How the response information is stored, perhaps stored with the customer's ship to information.