Substituting Products on Sales Orders

When products in your warehouse are unavailable, you can offer different options to your customer. If the customer wants the specific item you can backorder it. However, many times customers are willing to accept a substitute item and fill their need for an item sooner.

For example, you have a 40-gallon State water heater that you can use as a substitute for a 40-gallon AO Smith water heater, or you can use the 40-gallon AO Smith water heater as a substitute for the 40-gallon State water heater. You must indicate this reciprocal relationship in both product records.

Note: If you delete a parent product from the sales order, the system also deletes any required items for the product from the order.

To substitute a product on a sales order:

1. Display the order which requires a product substitution.

2. In the Qty/Unit field and Product Description field, enter the product information for the parent product you want to add to the order.

3. Do one the following:

• If a product reminder message displays indicating that the product has substitute items, then press Enter close the reminder message. Then, use the Subs hot key to display the Substitute Items screen.

• If no message displays, but the Subs hot key highlights to indicate that the product has substitute items, then use the Subs hot key to display the Substitute Items screen.

• If an item already listed on the order has become unavailable and you want to substitute that product, then place the cursor on the parent product's line and use the Subs hot key. Select Substitute Items to display the Substitute Items screen.

4. On the Substitute Items screen, select the substitute which the customer would like to use to replace the product which is unavailable.

5. Use the Substitute Item hot key to add the item to the order. The system adds the same quantity of the substitute item on the order as was requested of the parent product.

6. If prompted, indicate if you want to keep the original description on the order or use the one from the substitute product.

3. Yes –  The system uses the description from the parent product even though it is substituting a different product for it. This is the default.

4. No – The system uses the description from the substitute product and adds a note that reads "* Sub for <original product>" beneath the description.

If the item already on the order has related or required items on the order, you must delete the parent product and start the substitution process again.

Note: Use the Prompt For Original Description On Substitutes control maintenance record to make this selection automatic.

7. Use the Inquiry hot key to investigate product history or product file details, if needed.

8. Use the Notes hot key to check for details from the product file, as needed.

9. Press Esc to exit this screen.

If there are related or required items on this order, then the Related Products screen displays.

10. Add related or required items, as needed, and press Esc to exit the screen.

11. Save your changes and exit the order.