Linking Manual Purchase Orders to Repair Orders

[AVENUEAUTOMOTIVE]

As much as we would like to think that the linked/integrated vendors offer every part we need at the price and in the timeframe we need...it simply isn't reality. Whether it be availability, turn around time, pricing or quality...there will always be reasons for using vendors outside of the usual integrated partners. When that happens manual purchase orders have to be entered, received and closed. However, I was told today by the Mitchell team that unless we are using one of the integrated partners we are not provided the same software benefit, flow and efficiency. I pray this is an oversight and not an attempt to force us to purchase only through integrated vendors. Here is the quick list of limitations the system puts on shops that have to use manual PO's:
1. Duplicate entry and tracking of parts (PO & RO) - for a busy shop this is a huge drag on time and steels time away that could be better spent on customers or other business development items.
2. No quick glance knowledge of parts ordered and parts filled on an RO. One of the great updates recently was having a part highlight blue once ordered and green once filled - this almost eliminates the added feature because we still have to comb the RO for manually put in parts as to whether they have been ordered, received, etc.
3. If a shop is using a QuickBooks integration, we now have to deal with making things matchup because there is no connection in Mitchell, therefore, no connection into QuickBooks - this adds time, which adds cost to the shop to pay the person doing the accounting.
4. ALL of this creates enormous increase risk of mistakes being made, tracking being lost and more time being on things this software should be doing.

Overall, this isn't a "capability" problem, as the software handles all these things beautifully with the integrated vendors. I sincerely request that Mitchell open up the means for us to link manual PO's to RO's and receive the same benefits from doing that as we get from our integrated partners.

[ricmorin]

You can link manually created PO's now. Once parts are on an approved repair order, click on Options>Pick List to make the PO. It will be linked to the RO.

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[timbre4]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for your posts.

You CAN link manual POs to your Repair Orders, it's been available in the software since 1998.

By using the Order Options -> Pick List -> PO workflow the resulting Purchase Order is linked to the RO you started from. Pick List will display outstanding parts needs (subtracting parts on hand) and then the Pick List is converted to PO and transmitted to the vendor by phone, fax, email, IM, whatever. When you click on View POs for the order it will be listed there just as if you had ordered from an electronically connected vendor.

NOTE: Your system should be set to Mark All ROS as Approved / Printed (Setup - Shop Data - Screen View tab checkbox) or you are manually marking the RO as printed to make the parts need visible to Pick List process.

[AVENUEAUTOMOTIVE]

Why can't your help team not lead me down the wrong path? They were very clear that it couldn't be done. Thank you for showing me this...I will work with it over the next few days and update on how it goes.

[timbre4]

Tech support does their best to think inside the box; IE "this is the way the program is supposed to work."

Either you talked to a first level agent that was perhaps unfamiliar with manual POs or the way you phrased the question to them verbally was something different than what it was when you sat down and wrote it out here?

[murraymotive]

You can link manually created PO's now. Once parts are on an approved repair order, click on Options>Pick List to make the PO. It will be linked to the RO.

option.png

picklist.png

Will this mark the parts blue/green as well?

[ricmorin]

I believe so.

[murraymotive]

I believe so.

Hmmm maybe my process is slightly flawed. I will post my findings.

[ricmorin]

On second thought, I believe it's the ordering part that triggers the highlighting. Since there is no order command on a manual PO, there may not be highlighting. On a manual PO, it's creation is proof of ordering. (an internal discipline)

[murraymotive]

On second thought, I believe it's the ordering part that triggers the highlighting. Since there is no order command on a manual PO, there may not be highlighting. On a manual PO, it's creation is proof of ordering. (an internal discipline)

You are correct.

Manual POs do not flag the highlights. I think this would be a helpful feature since the part is being "ordered" even if in a round-a-bout way. Maybe an on/off option within Setup?

[ricmorin]

The more I think about it, the more I agree. I was just looking at an RO left over from Weds and we were waiting on parts, lots of parts. Some came from our electronic vendors but the majority came from the dealer. The electronic vendors had a visible indication of ordering but the dealer parts did not. I got nervous and opened the PO button. They were ordered.

Perhaps an 'order confirmed' button within the PO? Click on it when you order the parts. The button could enable the same code that the 'order' button does with electronic vendors. I'd make that an enhancement request.

[timbre4]

The flag in the Inventory table is triggered by electronic ordering activity (used most of the time). It would be necessary to first measure feasibility. I agree it would be nice, I'll inquire as to the potential.