Adding Companions to an Order

Companion products are items that your customer may want to buy along with a certain product, such as spark plugs when your customer buys spark plug wires, or a chair mat when your customer buys an office chair.

If a product you enter on the Current Order screen or on the Product has one or more companion products in stock at the currently selected warehouse, Vision displays the companion icon (). If the product also has one or more alternates, Vision displays the alternate/companion icon ().

Depending on how you configured the Companion dialog, Vision lets you add companion products to the current order in one of three ways:

During Line Item Entry
During Order Acceptance
Through the Part <F5> screen

The part numbers shown in these examples are for demonstration purposes only. Activant Solutions Inc. makes no claim or warrant that these part numbers are viable companions for any application whatsoever.

During Line Item Entry

If Vision is configured to display the Companion dialog during line item entry, ordering companion parts looks like the example shown below.(See Enabling the Dialog for the Dealer.)

These steps assume that you started an order and that you know the part number your customer needs, so you entered it directly into the Part Number field on the Current Order screen.

Click Accept Line.

The system displays the Companion dialog.

The system displays the if the part has one or more companions but no alternates. The system displays the icon if the part has both companions and alternates.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Put a check mark in the box for the companion product you want.
Click Add to Order.

Vision returns to the Current Order screen and adds any companions you check to the current order as shown below right.

If you do not want to add any companions to the order, simply close the dialog.

If there are multiple companions in this dialog, you can check as many of the companions as you want.

The Companion dialog remains open in the background. If you prefer, you can either close the dialog or minimize it. Doing either does not alter its behavior.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Adjust companion product order quantities if necessary.
1. Select the companion part.
2. In the Order Qt field, type the quantity needed.
3. In the UOM drop-down list, select the appropriate unit of measure.
4. Click Accept Line to save your changes.

You may need to update the order quantity because the Companion dialog only provides the standard unit of measure. For example, with ACD748CC, a spark plug wiring harness for a V8 Chevrolet, you would need 8 spark plugs.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Click Accept Order.

Click the image to see a larger view.

If you add more parts to the order and they have companion products, the Companion dialog displays all previous companion products by line number. If you check these products they will be added again to the order as a separate line item.

When working from the Part <F5> screen, if you are viewing a part that has companions, clicking Add To Order will open the Companion dialog.

Click the image to see a larger view.

During Order Acceptance

If the Dealer is configured to display the Companion dialog during order acceptance, ordering companion parts looks like the example shown below.(See Enabling the Dialog for the Dealer.)

These steps assume that you started an order and that you know the part numbers your customer needs, so you entered them directly into the Part Number field on the Current Order screen. The order already has two line items accepted.

Click Accept Order.	Click the image to see a larger view.
Click Yes to review companion products associated with the items already on your order. If you click No, the system skips over the companion items review and lets you complete the order as usual.
Put a check mark in the box for each companion product you want. Click Add to Order. If there are multiple companions in this dialog, you can check as many of the companions as you want. Vision returns to the Current Order screen and adds any companions you check to the current order as shown below right.	Click the image to see a larger view.
Adjust companion product order quantities if necessary. Select the companion part. In the Order Qt field, type the quantity needed. In the UOM drop-down list, select the appropriate unit of measure. Click Accept Line to save your changes.	Click the image to see a larger view.
Click Accept Order.

Through the Part <F5> screen

If the companion dialog is turned off for the current order because of the setting for the dealer, the warehouse, or the customer, you can still add companion products to the current order in a manner similar to that for adding alternates.

The following steps assume that you have already started an order and you have input a part number that has companion products associated with it.

Click the or icon.
The system displays the if the part has one or more companions but no alternates. The system displays the icon if the part has both companions and alternates.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Click Add To Order to put the current part on the order.
Click on the Companions tab in the product details. (You might need to scroll horizontally to see it.)
Right-click on the companion product you want.
Click View Product Details in the shortcut menu.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Adjust quantity and unit of measure (UOM) as needed.
Click Add To Order.
Click Current Order.

If there are additional companion products that are associated with parts already on the order, follow the steps below to add any associated companions to the order.

Otherwise, skip to step 13.

Click the image to see a larger view.

Select the part.

The or icon reappears.

Click the or icon.
Repeat steps 3 through 8 for the desired companion part.
Repeat steps 9 through 11 as needed.
Complete the order as usual.

Click the image to see a larger view.