Configure Van Sales with Effort

Introduction

Van sales, also known as direct store delivery (DSD), is a distribution method used by companies to sell and distribute their products directly to retail stores or customers' locations using vans or other vehicles. This approach is commonly employed in the distribution of perishable goods, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), beverages, snacks, and other products that require frequent restocking.

In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of configuring and operating Van Sales from scratch using the Effort platform. By following the step-by-step instructions below, you will be able to set up a successful Van Sales operation with the Effort platform.

This tutorial provides all the activities that need to be performed by different roles involved in the Van Sales operation using the Effort platform. The roles include Admin, Manager, and Employee (Van Sales Representative). Here's the list of activities we will be configuring and executing in the Effort as part of Van sales.

Admin Activities (Configuration of Van Sales)

In this section, we will walk you through the admin-level activities involved in the configuration of the Van Sales. To perform the Admin activities, the users must have access to the App Builder module. Only the users that have App Builder access can create the list masters. Login to Effort as App Builder. Refer to the Sign-in To Effort topic for login.

Create Employees

The Van Sales operation involves various employees, each responsible for specific tasks like approving the load in/out requests, visiting customers, taking customer orders, and more. The employees involved in the van sales are:
  • Field Employees (Van Sales Executives)
  • Managers (Dispatch Managers)

To know more about the employees module, refer to Employees.

In this section, we will create employees who will be involved in the Van Sales activities. To create employees, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Web App > Employees > All Employees > Add Employee.
  2. Enter the employee details such as First Name, Last Name, Employee ID, Email, Mobile Number, and so on.
  3. Select the Access Type based on the employee you want to create.
    If you are creating a Field Employee or Field Manager, you can select the Access Types as Mobile App or Employee Web App & Mobile App. For the Admin or Manager employees, you can select the Employee Web App, Configurator & Mobile App option.
  4. Click Save.
    Note: If you want to create more employees, you can choose the Import feature to create in a single go. To import employees, refer to Import Employees.

Create Employee Groups

Employee groups allow you to categorize employees based on their function/role/department. In this tutorial, we will create the following employee groups. Using the employee groups, we can simplify approvals and work allocations.
  • Sales Executives Group
  • Managers Group

To know more about employee groups, refer to Employee Groups.

In this section, we will create employee groups involved in the Van Sales activities. To create employee groups, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Employees > Add Employee Group.
  2. Create a group for the Sales Executives as shown below:
    To create employee groups, refer to the Add Employee Group topic.
  3. Create one more employee group for Dispatch Managers as shown below.
    To create employee groups, refer to the Add Employee Group topic.

Create Approval Processes

In the van sales operation, we require an approval mechanism to handle requests from field executives regarding cash in hand, stock load in, stock load out, and other activities. This section will guide you through creating the following approval processes to manage the requests made by the field executives.

  • Cash In Hand Approval
  • Dispatch Approval

To learn more about approval processes, refer to Approval Process.

To create approval processes, follow the steps below:

  1. Create Cash In Hand Approval: We are creating this approval mechanism to handle the cash in hand requests of the field executives. To create this approval flow, follow the steps below:
    1. Go to App Builder > Processes > Approval Process > Create Approval Process.
    2. In the Title field, enter the title as Cash In Hand.
    3. Click the Add Approval Level button and configure as shown below.
      • Approval Level Name: Enter the name as Cash Approval.
      • Type: Select Hierarchy based.
    4. Click Next and then click Complete.
  2. Dispatch Approval: This is an employee group-based approval flow. We are creating this approval mechanism to handle the stock load-in and load-out requests submitted by the field executives. The employees in the configured group can approve the forms submitted by the field executives. To create this approval flow, follow the steps below:
    1. Go to App Builder > Processes > Approval Process > Create Approval Process.
    2. In the Title field, enter the title as Dispatch Approval.
    3. Click the Add Approval Level button and configure as shown below.
      • Approval Level Name: Enter the name as Dispatch Approval.
      • Type: Select Employee Group based.
      • Select the Dispatch Manager employee group that we created in the previous section and click the right arrow icon.
    4. Click Next and then click Complete.

Create List Masters

In this section, we will create the list masters. A list master is a collection of data that contains the data, such as factory inventory, cash in hand for sales executives, van inventory, customer outstanding amount, and reasons for customer returns. To know more about Lists, refer to Lists.

Create Product Category List

In this section, we will create a Product Category list. Product Category refers to the grouping of similar products based on their intended use, such as Tea, Coffee, Biscuits, Diary, and more. To create this list, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Lists > Create List.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title as Product Category Master.
  3. Click the Add Field button.
  4. Under the Identifier column, enable the checkbox.
  5. Under the Field Label column, enter the label as Product Name.
  6. Click Publish and then click OK in the confirmation pop-up.
  7. In the List Scope in Sync pop-up window, select the Sync all option and click OK to make all the list items available to the mobile app users.
  8. In the Warning pop-up window, click the Accept button.
    Your Product Category List is ready. Now you need to add items to it.
  9. To add product categories to the list master, click Add.
  10. In the List No and Product Name fields, enter product names as per your requirement, such as Coffee, Tea, etc.
    Note: To view the list items that you added, refer to View List Items.
    Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.
  11. Click Save to save your item. Otherwise, click Save & New to save the existing item and add one more new item.

Create Product Sub Category List

In this section, we will create a Product Sub Category list. Product Subcategories are specific groupings within a broader product category, such as Tea, Coffee, and more.

  1. Follow the same instructions in the previous section and create the Product Sub Category as shown below.
  2. As you can see, we have 4 fields in the above list. To add more fields, you need to click the Add Fields button again.
  3. For the second field labeled as Product Cat, you need to change the data type to List. To change the data type, select the List option from the dropdown under the Data Type column.
  4. You will see the second dropdown when you set the data type to List. Click the second dropdown and select the Product Category Master list that you created in the previous section. Here, we are mapping the sub-item to the main category.
  5. For the Price and Warehouse Quantity fields, change the data type to Number as we capture numerical values against these fields.
  6. Click Publish to save the List master and then select all in the List Scope in Sync pop-up window.
  7. The list master creation is completed. Now you need to add items to this list. As we have 4 fields in this list, it will take more time if we add items manually. Instead, you can add multiple items to the list in one go using the Import option. On the List Actions page, click Import.
  8. Click Download Template. An Excel file is downloaded.
  9. Open the downloaded Excel sheet and fill in the data in the fields. Once you fill in the data, save the Excel sheet.
    For the Product Cat field, we have configured the Product Category Master list. Under the Product Cat column, enter the List No to which product category you want to map the item. You can copy the list numbers from the View Items tab in the Product Category Master list.

  10. Go back to the Import List page, click Choose File, and select the filled Excel sheet.
  11. Click the Import button. Once the import is completed, refresh the page after a few seconds. You can check the import status at the bottom of the page.

  12. To view the imported list items, go to Lists > Sub Product Cat > View.
    Note: To view the list items that you added, refer to View List Items.
    Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.

Create Cash in Hand List

Till now, we have created Product Category and Product Sub Category list masters and added items to them. Now you are familiar with creating lists and adding items using import and manually.

In this section, we will create a list master that contains the details of each executive's cash in hand. The "cash in hand" of a van sales executive refers to the amount of physical currency ( or cash) that the salesperson has on their person at any given time while conducting sales activities. To create the Cash In Hand list, follow the steps below:

  1. Create the Cash In Hand list master as shown in the following screenshot.
  2. Note: Make sure to create employees (Van sales executives) before adding items to this list master as we are adding cash in hand for them. To create employees, refer to the Create Employee topic.
    Now add the items to the list. You can either use the Import option or follow the manual process to add the items at your convenience.
    Note: To add the list items, refer to Add an Item to List.
    Note: To import the list items, refer to Import List Items.
    Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.

Create Van Inventory List

Now, we will create a list master that contains the details of the van inventory such as item, category, price, available quantity, and so on. We need this list to effectively manage the inventory in the Van. With this list, we can know what items we have, what types they are, and how many of them we've got. To create the Van Inventory list, follow the steps below:

  1. Create the Van Inventory list master as shown in the following screenshot.
  2. Now add the items to the list. Since we are creating the list for the first time, make the available quantity of each item 0. The van inventory will be added when requested through the Load In form that we create later. You can either use the Import option or follow the manual process to add the items at your convenience.
    Note: To add the list items, refer to Add an Item to List.
    Note: To import the list items, refer to Import List Items.
    Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.

Create Customer Outstanding Amount List

The customer outstanding amount refers to the unpaid balances from customers. Now, we will create a list master that contains the details of the customer's outstanding amount. To create the Customer Outstanding Amount list, follow the steps below:

Create the Customer Outstanding list master as shown in the following screenshot.
Note: To add the list items, refer to Add an Item to List.
Note: To import the list items, refer to Import List Items.
Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.

Create Customer Return Reason List

Customer returns, also known as product returns, refer to the process where a customer returns a purchased product to the seller or retailer for various reasons. In our van sales process, there might be some situations where customers return the products. When the customers return the products, this list enables them to select a reason for the return. In this section, we will create a list master that contains the reasons for product returns. To create the Cash In Hand list, follow the steps below:

  1. Create the Customer Return Reason list master as shown in the following screenshot.
  2. Now add the items to the list. You can either use the Import option or follow the manual process to add the items at your convenience.
    Note: To add the list items, refer to Add an Item to List.
    Note: To import the list items, refer to Import List Items.
    Note: To edit the list items that you added, refer to Edit List Item.

Creation and Configuration of Forms

In this section, we will create the forms that are required for the operation of van sales. The forms include a cash request form, stock load in, stock load out, sales form, and customer returns. Here, we will walk you through the form creation steps, required fields, field-level configurations, and form-level configurations for all the forms. To know more about the forms, refer to Forms.

Cash Request Form

The Cash Request form is used by field employees to request a specific amount of cash for miscellaneous expenses. This form is part of the internal financial team and is used to track and manage cash disbursements. To create this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Forms > Create Form > Create On My Own.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title field as Cash Request Form.
  3. Drag and drop the following data types onto the field canvas and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Date Date of Request
    Employee Executive Name
    Pick List Current Cash In Hand
    Number Requested Amount
    To know more about all the data types, refer to the following topics.
  4. Click the Date of Request date field, and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown.

      To know more about Computed and Default options, refer to Field Properties.

    2. Click the grey box under the Computed/Default dropdown, and select today, and click Done.
  5. Click the Current Cash In Hand picklist field, and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Cash In Hand list that we created earlier from the List dropdown. We are mapping the Cash In Hand list master to the Cash Request form. We can manage the Cash In Hand of the field executive using this form.
    2. When a field executive tries to submit this form, this field must show the cash in hand of that field executive who is submitting this form. To configure this, click Define Conditions.
    3. On the Define Conditions pop-up window, click the Add Criteria button and define the configuration as shown below.

      In the picture shown above, the "Executive" field is the field of the "Cash In Hand" list, which we created earlier, and the "Executive Name" field is the field of the form we are creating now. We are defining a rule that compares both these fields. Only when these two fields match, the "Current Cash In Hand" field will show the amount of cash the executive currently has.

      Note: To know more about Define Conditions, refer to Define Conditions.
    4. Click OK.
  6. Now click Publish and then click OK to make it available to the field employees. You are done with your first form creation.
    Note: To know more about all the publishing options, refer to Publishing Options.
  7. Whenever the field executives submit the Cash Request form, the form has to go through the finance team for approval. To configure an approval flow for this form, click Assign Approval Flow.
  8. Click Assign Approval Process.
  9. From the Select Approval Process dropdown, select the Cash In Hand approval process that we created earlier, and click Save, and then click OK.
  10. We created a Cash Request form and configured an approval flow to it. Whenever the cash in hand request gets approved, that approved amount must be added to the field executive in the Cash In Hand list master that we created earlier to store the executive's cash in hand. To update the approved cash in hand amount in the Cash In Hand list master, follow the steps below:
    1. On the Cash Request Form Actions page, scroll down to the Utilities section and click Manage List Item Updates.
    2. Check Enable Passing of Data on Approval. When this checkbox is enabled, the data will be updated only after the form gets approved.
    3. Click the Add Item button and define the configuration as shown below:
      The requested amount will be added to the Cash In Hand list field. For example, let us assume the current cash in hand of the field executive is 10,000 rupees. Now the field executive requested an amount of another 10,000 rupees. If the cash request is approved, The amount in the Cash In Hand list field will be updated to 20,000 rupees.
    4. Click Save.

Load In Form

The Load In form is used by field employees to request the required inventory for sales. We are creating this form to capture essential information, such as the products and quantity of products needed. To create this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Forms > Create Form > Create On My Own.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title field as Cash Request Form.
  3. Drag and drop the following data types onto the field canvas and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Date Date of Load In
    Repeatable Section Date of Load In
    Signature Dispatch Manager Signature
    To know more about all the data types, refer to the following topics.
  4. Now drag and drop the following data types onto the repeatable section field and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Pick List Van Inventory
    Number Quantity
    Pick List Warehouse Inventory

    Using the Repeatable Section data type, you can create multiple instances. For instance, if you require 100 products, this section enables you to produce 100 separate instances. In each of these instances, you can replicate the fields and input the necessary data. To know more, refer to Data Types - Others.

  5. Click the Date of Load In field, and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown and select Today from the grey box.

      To know more, refer to Field Properties.

  6. Click the Load In Data field, then go to the Properties section and set the Minimum Entries to 1 and the Maximum Entries to 200, as shown below:

    This configuration allows you to make a request for a minimum of 1 item and a maximum of 200 items. To know more, refer to Field Properties.

  7. Now click the Van Inventory field in the Load In Data field and select the Van Inventory list template from the List dropdown.
  8. Click the Warehouse Inventory field and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Sub Product Cat list template from the List dropdown.
    2. Click the Define Conditions icon under the Properties section.
      Note: To know more about Define Conditions, refer to Define Conditions.
    3. Under the Filter Based on Values in Other Fields section, click the Add Criteria button and define the following condition.

      We added this field to manage inventory in both the Van and Warehouse. When inventory is added to the Van, it should automatically reduce the corresponding inventory in the Warehouse. The above condition serves as a filter for items listed in the Sub Product Category. Whenever you choose an item in the Van Inventory field, the corresponding item in the Sub Product Category list becomes visible. To learn more about filters, refer to Define Conditions.

    4. Click OK.
  9. Click the Dispatch Manager Signature field and select the unselect the Required Field under the Properties section.

    We are making this field as optional, as we want to capture the signature of the dispatch manager during the approval.

  10. Now click Publish and then click OK to make it available to the field employees.
    Note: To know more about all the publishing options, refer to Publishing Options.
  11. Whenever the field executives submit the Load In form, the form has to go through the dispatch manager for approval. To configure an approval flow for this form, click Assign Approval Flow.

    To learn more about approval processes, refer to Approval Process.

  12. Assign the Dispatch Approval process to this form.
  13. Upon form approval, there will be an increase in Van inventory and a corresponding decrease in Warehouse inventory. To configure this, follow the steps below:
    1. On the Load In page, scroll down to the Utilities section and click Manage List Item Updates.
    2. Define the configuration as shown below and click Save.
      In the above conditions, we have defined that the Warehouse Quantity in the Warehouse Inventory list will decrease by the Load in Quantity, while the Available Quantity in the Van Inventory list will increase by the same Load in Quantity.

Sales Form

The Sales Form is used by field employees for the sales activity when they visit the customer. This form is created to capture the necessary details including customer information, orders, invoices, outstanding amounts, and more. To create this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Forms > Create Form > Create On My Own.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title field as Sales Form.
  3. Drag and drop the following data types onto the field canvas and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Date Date of sales
    Customer Customer Name
    Pick List Outstanding Amount
    Repeatable Section Order Data
    Number Total Invoice
    Image Image of Receipt
    Dropdown Mode of Payment
    Number Amount Collected
    Number Amount Remaining
    Pick List Drivers Cash In hand
  4. Now drag and drop the following data types onto the repeatable section field and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Pick List Items in Van
    Number Price of the item
    Number Inventory In Van
    Number Order Quantity
    Number Sub Total

    Using the Repeatable Section data type, you can create multiple instances. For instance, if you want to sell 100 products, this section enables you to produce 100 separate instances. In each of these instances, you can replicate the fields and input the necessary data. To know more, refer to Data Types - Others.

  5. Click the Date of Sales field, and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown and select today from the grey box.

      To know more, refer to Field Properties.

  6. Now click the Outstanding Amount field and select the Customer Outstanding Amount list template from the List dropdown.
  7. Click the Order Data field, then go to the Properties section and set the Minimum Entries to 1 and the Maximum Entries to 100, as shown below:

    This configuration allows you to sell a minimum of 1 item and a maximum of 100 items. To know more about field properties, refer to Field Properties.

  8. Now click the Items in Van field in the Order Data field and select the Van Inventory list template from the List dropdown.
  9. Click the Price of the Item field and do the following:
    1. When an item is selected in the Items in Van field, the price of the selected item must populate automatically. To configure this, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown.
    2. Click the grey box below the Computed/Default dropdown.
    3. The Formula Editor pop-up window appears. You can see the fields that have the Number/Currency data type on the left side. You can see the formula field where you can populate the fields and define formulas using the arithmetic operators. Click the 2nd field (Items in Van_Price) to populate it on the formula box and then click Done.
      The above field belongs to the Van Inventory list master that we to the Items In Van picklist field. With this configuration, the price of the item will be automatically populated when the item is selected. To know more about the Computed/Default options, refer to Field Properties.
  10. When you select the item, you need to know how much quantity you have in your van to sell the items to the customer. To know this, click the Inventory in Van field and make it Computed.
  11. Now click the grey box and select the Available Quantity from the Items in Van list as shown below.
  12. We have another field as Sub Total in the Order Data section. We added this field to calculate the total amount when we select the item and quantity. To configure this, do the following:
    1. Click the Sub Total field and make it Computed.
    2. Click the grey box and add the price field to the formula field.
    3. Now click the multiply operator (X) and then click the Order Quantity field to populate it on the formula field.
    4. Click Done.
      This formula multiplies the item price with the quantity and shows the total amount.
  13. We added a field as Total Invoice to calculate all the sub-total amounts of all the items. This Total Invoice is the total amount of all the items that we are selling to the customer. To calculate the total invoice, do the following:
    1. Click the Total Invoice field and make it Computed.
    2. Click the grey box and define the formula as shown below. The below formula is the sum of all the sub-totals.
    3. Click Done.
  14. Click the Mode of Payment dropdown field and add the following dropdown values in the Add Values field under the Properties section.
    • Cash
    • Online
  15. We added a field as Amount Collected into our form to enter the amount we received from the customer. In cases where the customer opts for online payment, the field executive won't need to utilize this field. To hide the Amount Collected field when the customer chooses the online payment option, click Amount Collected field and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, click the Define Conditions icon.
      Note: To know more about Define Conditions, refer to Define Conditions.
    2. Click the Add Criteria button and define the condition as shown below.
    3. Click OK.
      This condition validates the value in the Mode of Payment field. If the value selected is Online, the Amount Collected field will be hidden.
  16. We've added an additional field labeled Amount Remaining to capture any outstanding balance yet to be collected from the customer. When a customer makes a payment of half the total amount, this field will automatically display the remaining half amount. To configure this, do the following:
    1. Click the Amount Remaining field and make it Computed.
    2. Click the grey box and define the formula as shown below.
      This formula deducts the total collected amount from the overall invoice and shows the remaining balance.

    3. Click Done.
  17. To display the field executive's existing cash in hand while performing sales activity, now click the Drivers Cash In Hand field and do the following.
    1. Under the List section, configure the Cash In Hand list master.
    2. Click the Define Conditions icon.
      Note: To know more about Define Conditions, refer to Define Conditions.
    3. Click the Add Criteria button and define the condition as shown below.
      The items in the Cash in Hand list master get filtered based on the employee who is filling the form and the cash in hand of that employee will be displayed in this field.
    4. Click OK.
  18. Now click Publish and then click OK to make it available to the field employees.
    Note: To know more about all the publishing options, refer to Publishing Options.
  19. After field executives conduct a sales activity with a customer using this sales form, the following actions should occur automatically and without any manual intervention:
    • The Van inventory must decrease by the quantity sold.
    • The cash in hand for the drivers must increase by the collected amount.
    • The outstanding amount from the customer must increase by the remaining balance that the customer is required to pay.

    To configure this, follow the steps below:

    1. On the Sales Form page, scroll down to the Utilities section and click Manage List Item Updates.
    2. Define the configuration as shown below and click Save.

Load Out Form

The Load Out form is used by the field employees to return the remaining inventory at the warehouse after performing all the sales activities. To create this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Forms > Create Form > Create On My Own.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title field as Load Out.
  3. Drag and drop the following data types onto the field canvas and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Date Date
    Repeatable Section Load Out Data
    Signature Dispatch Manager Signature
  4. Now drag and drop the following data types onto the repeatable section field and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Pick List Van Inventory
    Number Inventory Available for the products
    Pick List Warehouse Inventory
    Number Deviation

    Using the Repeatable Section data type, you can create multiple instances. For example, if you want to return 100 products, this section enables you to produce 100 separate instances. In each of these instances, you can replicate the fields and input the necessary data. To know more, refer to Data Types - Others.

  5. Click the Date field, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown, and select today from the grey box.

    To know more about Computed and Default options, refer to Field Properties.

  6. Click the Load Out Data field, then go to the Properties section and set the Minimum Entries to 1 and the Maximum Entries to 100, as shown below:

    This configuration allows you to return a minimum of 1 item and a maximum of 100 items. To know more, refer to Field Properties.

  7. Now click the Van Inventory field in the Load In Data section and select the Van Inventory list template from the List dropdown.
  8. Click the Inventory Available for the products field and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, make the field Computed and then click the grey box.
    2. Click the 2nd field (Van Inventory_Available Quantity (S1F0_F3)) option and click Done.
  9. Click the Warehouse Inventory field and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Sub Prod Cat list that we created earlier from the List dropdown.
    2. Click the Define Conditions button.
      Note: To know more about Define Conditions, refer to Define Conditions.
    3. Click the Add Criteria button and define the condition as shown below.
    4. Click OK.
  10. Click the Dispatch Manager Signature field and select the unselect the Required Field under the Properties section.

    We are making this field as optional, as we want to capture the signature of the dispatch manager during the approval.

  11. Now click Publish and then click OK to make it available to the field employees.
    Note: To know more about all the publishing options, refer to Publishing Options.
  12. Whenever the field executives submit the Load Out form, the form has to go through the dispatch manager for approval. To configure an approval flow for this form, click Assign Approval Flow.

    To learn more about approval processes, refer to Approval Process.

  13. Assign the Dispatch Approval process to this form.
  14. Upon form approval, there will be an increase in Warehouse inventory and a corresponding decrease in Van inventory. To configure this, follow the steps below:
    1. On the Load Out page, scroll down to the Utilities section and click Manage List Item Updates.
    2. Define the configuration as shown below and click Save:
      In the above conditions, we have defined that the Available Quantity in the Van Inventory list will decrease by the Load Out Quantity, while the Warehouse Quantity in the Warehouse Inventory list will increase by the same Load Out Quantity.

Customer Returns Form

The Customer Returns Form is used by field employees to capture the product details when customers initiate returns due to various reasons. This form is created to capture the necessary details including customers and products. To create this form, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to App Builder > Forms > Create Form > Create On My Own.
  2. In the Title field, enter the title field as Customer Returns.
  3. Drag and drop the following data types onto the field canvas and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Date Date of Return
    Customer Customer
    Repeatable Section Returns Data
  4. Now drag and drop the following data types onto the repeatable section field and label them as shown below.
    Data TypeLabel
    Pick List Van Inventory
    Number Returned Quantity
    Pick List Reason for Return

    Using the Repeatable Section data type, you can create multiple instances. For instance, if a customer is returning 100 products, this section enables you to produce 100 separate instances. In each of these instances, you can replicate the fields and input the necessary data. To know more, refer to Data Types - Others.

  5. Click the Date of Return field, and do the following:
    1. Under the Properties section, select the Computed option from the Computed/Default dropdown and select today from the grey box.

      To know more, refer to Field Properties.

  6. Click the Return Data field, then go to the Properties section and set the Minimum Entries to 1 and the Maximum Entries to 1000, as shown below:

    This configuration allows you to sell a minimum of 1 item and a maximum of 1000 items. To know more about field properties, refer to Field Properties.

  7. Now click the Items in Van field in the Return Data section and select the Van Inventory list template from the List dropdown.
  8. Now click the Reason for Return field in the Return Data section and select the Customer Return Reason list template from the List dropdown.
  9. Now click Publish and then click OK to make it available to the field employees.
    Note: To know more about all the publishing options, refer to Publishing Options.
  10. When a customer returns the products, the Van inventory must increase automatically without any manual intervention by the quantity returned. To configure this, follow the steps below:
    1. On the Customer Returns Form page, scroll down to the Utilities section and click Manage List Item Updates.
    2. Click the Add Item button and define the configuration as shown below.
    3. Click Save.

Configuration and Creation of Customers

The customers are essential for the Van sales business. In this section, we will define the customer configurations, which includes customizing fields to create customer, customer creation, and configuring outstanding amounts for customers.

Customize Customer Fields

In this section, we will customize the customer fields that we use to capture customer details such as Name, Contact Details, Address, and more. To know more about customer fields, refer to Customer Fields

To customize customer fields, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to App Builder > Customers > Manage Built in Fields.
  2. Disable all the fields except the following as shown in the screenshot and click Save.
  3. In addition to the built-in fields, if there's a need for additional customer information, custom fields can be used for this purpose. To define custom fields, go to App Builder > Customers > Manage Custom Fields.
  4. On this page, you can see some predefined fields on the field canvas and different data types which you can drag and drop on the left side. Here, we need only the customer outstanding amount field from the existing fields to capture the outstanding amount against a customer. Click on all the other fields except for customer outstanding and disable the visibility and searchable field under the Properties section.
  5. Once completed, click Save.

Create Customers

In this section, we will create customers from the web app. To create customers, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to Web App > Customers > Add Customer.
  2. Enter the customer details and click Save.
  3. You can also use the Import option to create more customers in a single go. For the instructions to import the customers, refer to the Import Customers topic.
    Note: In the Map to Employee column, enter the employee ID instead of the employee name.

  4. Once you import the customers, you can check the import status at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, you can check the Customers module in the Web App.

Add Items to Customer OutStanding Amount List

In this section, we will add items to the customer outstanding amount list that we created earlier. To add items, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to App Builder > Lists > Customer Outstanding Amount > View > Add Items.
  2. In the Outstanding Amount field, enter 0 as the customers are newly created.
  3. From the Customer Name dropdown, select a customer.
  4. Click Save or Save & New to add another item.

Manage Customer Outstanding Amount

The customer outstanding amount refers to the balance that a customer has yet to pay. Within the context of Van sales, some customers make complete payments, while others make partial payments. Due to this, effectively managing the customer's outstanding amount is crucial in the Van sales. In this section, we will define the customer's outstanding amount configuration. To define this configuration, follow the steps below.

  1. Go to App Builder > Customers > Manage Referenced Masters.
  2. On the Manage Referenced Masters pop-up window, click Manage List Reference.
  3. Under the Visible column, enable the checkbox.
  4. Click Save.
  5. When you enable this configuration, you can see the outstanding amount on the customer details page. You can add the outstanding amount from this page also.

Route Planning

Executing a Van sales requires visiting multiple customers in a particular area. Using Route Plans, you can effectively manage customer visits. It allows you to select multiple customers and find out the optimized routes to complete the customer visits quickly. You can create recurring routes like daily, weekly, and monthly. In this section, we will create a route plan and assign it to a field executive. To know more about routes, refer to Route Plans.

To create and assign a route plan, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Web App > Routes > Create Route Plan.
  2. Enter a name for the route plan, a unique ID for referring to it in subsequent operations, duration, and a minimum number of customers to visit.
  3. Click the Add Customer button to add customers that you want to visit in this route.
  4. Select customers and click OK.
  5. Click the OPTIMIZE ROUTE button to find out the shortest route that helps you to complete the route quickly.
  6. Select the customer you want to visit first and click OK.
  7. In the Min Customers to be completed, enter the minimum number of customers that must be visited by the field executive in this route and click Save.
  8. Under the Actions column, click the Assign icon.
  9. From the Employee dropdown, select the employee to which you want to assign the route.
  10. Select the route start date from the date field.
  11. Click the This is a recurring route assignment checkbox to make this route a recurring route.
  12. Set the recurring configuration as per your requirement and click Assign.

We have successfully configured the Van Sales activity in the Effort platform. Now we will execute the Van sales and see how it works.

Execute Van Sales

In this section, we will show you how to execute the Van sales activity in the Effort Platform. It provides the activities performed by the field executives and the dispatch managers, such as logging into the effort, requesting cash in hand, submitting load in/out requests, approving load in/out requests, performing sales at the customer, and so on. Let's get started.

Login to Effort NXT Mobile App

To begin with Van sales, we require an application through which we can log in, check available cash, generate load requests, and perform related tasks. This section provides instructions to get started with the Effort NXT mobile app.

  1. On your mobile phone, open either the Play Store or App Store and install the Effort NXT app.
    Note: To know more about how to install the app, refer to Install EFFORT NXT App
  2. Once the download is completed, grant all the required permissions.
  3. Login to the Effort app using your registered mobile number.
    Note: To register using your registered mobile number, refer to Log in to Mobile App Using Phone.
    Note: To register using your email and password, refer to Log in to Mobile App Using Email
  4. After you log in to the mobile app, tap Sign in to mark that you have started working.
  5. The mobile captures your face and your current location. On this screen, ensure your face and location are captured correctly, and then tap Sign In.
  6. Once you complete Sign In, tap Sync to sync the data with the server.
    Note: Make sure to Sync the mobile app every time you perform an activity to ensure that your data is updated on the server. If you fail to sync, your changes or work will not be captured in the server.

Request Cash In Hand

Once the sign-in activity is finished, the next task for the field executive involves requesting a cash allowance for daily miscellaneous expenses. To submit a cash in hand request through the mobile app, follow the steps below:

  1. Login to the Effort NXT app as a Field Executive.
  2. On the home screen, tap Cash Request Form.
  3. Tap the add form icon.
  4. You can see the form submission screen. As per the configuration, it displays today's date, the requester's name, and the current cash in hand. In the Requested Amount field, enter the amount of cash in hand you need for your expenses and then tap Save.
  5. On the confirmation pop-up, tap Save & Submit for Approval.
    Once the form is submitted, you will see the form submissions list screen. You can find the submitted form here. You can tap to view the submission details and edit if you want to make any changes to the submitted form.

  6. Go to the home screen and tap Sync.

    Upon successful completion of the Sync process, the submitted form will be sent for the manager's approval. To check the approval status, refer to Check Form Approval Status.

Approve Cash In Hand Request from Mobile App

This section applies to the reporting manager of the field executive, In this section, we will show you how a manager approves a submitted cash in hand request from the mobile app.

  1. Login to the Effort NXT app as a Manager.
  2. On the home screen, tap on either Actions Required or Cash In Hand Form.
    Note: If you don't find any submitted forms, make sure to sync the mobile app.
  3. Tap on the form submission you want to approve.
  4. Tap View Form to view form submission details.
  5. Verify the form submission details. Provide your comment in the Remarks field and tap Approve to approve the form submission.
    Note: After approving the form, make sure to sync the mobile app. Once the Cash In Hand is approved, it will be updated in the mobile app. The field executive can use that employee for his expenses.

Approve Cash In Hand Request from Web App

This section applies to the reporting manager of the field executive, In this section, we will show you how a manager approves a submitted cash in hand request from the web app.

  1. Go to Web App > Forms.
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see the form submissions waiting for your approval.
  3. Click on the form submission you want to approve.
  4. Verify the form submission details. To approve the form submission, click Approve.
  5. On the pop-up window, provide your comment in the Remarks field and click Approve to approve the form submission.

Assign Route Plan

After the cash in hand is approved, the manager will proceed to assign a route plan to the field executive. The route plan shows the list of customers that the field executive needs to visit for the day. We've already covered how to create and assign the route plan in the Route Planning topic.

Requesting Load

Once the route plan is assigned, the field executive will go to the warehouse loading bay and load in the SKUs into the Van. Once the stock is loaded, the executive will submit the Load In form. This form goes to the dispatch manager to get approved. After the approval, the Van Inventory list will be incremented for the same SKUs.

To submit the load-in request in the mobile app, follow the steps below:

  1. Login to the Effort NXT app as a Field Executive.
  2. On the home screen, tap Load In.
  3. Click the add form icon.
  4. As per the configuration, you can see the Date field shows the today's date by default.
  5. On the Load In Data section, tap the toggle icon if you want to switch to a horizontal view.
  6. Tap the Van Inventory field, and select a product, and then enter the quantity received in the Quantity field.
  7. Tap Add new item to create more instances to capture the items received.
  8. Once captured all the items, tap the Dispatch Manager Signature field and take the dispatch manager's approval.
  9. Once everything is completed, tap Save and then select Save & Submit For Approval.
    Note: After submitting the form, make sure to sync the mobile app.

    As configured, the form submission is now submitted for the dispatch manager's approval.

Approve Load In Request

As per the configuration, the empoyees in the dispatch manager's group will receive the request. In this section, we will approve the Load In Request that was submitted by the field executive in the previous section.

  1. Login to Effort NXT app as Dispatch Manager.
  2. On the home screen, tap Action Required or Load In.
    Note: If you don't find any submitted forms, make sure to sync the mobile app.
  3. Tap the form submission that you want to approve.
  4. Tap View Form.
  5. Review form submission details. If everything is fine, then enter your comments in the Remarks field and tap Approve.
    Note: After approving the form, make sure to sync the mobile app.

Execute Route Plan

After the Load In request is approved, the field executive starts visiting customers using the Routes module. In this section, we will show you how a field executive executes the route plan and completes all the customer visits.

  1. Login to the Effort NXT app as a Field Executive.
  2. On the home screen, tap More and then tap RoutePlan.
  3. Go to the Today tab and then tap the route you want to complete.
  4. You will see the list of customers you need to visit today. You can also sort the customers by nearness. Tap Sort and then select By nearness. It shows the customer who is near to your current location.
  5. Tap on the customer name you want to visit first.
  6. You will see the customer details. Tap View Map to see customer location on Google Maps.
  7. Tap the Get Driving Directions To option at the bottom to get directions to reach the customer location from your current location.
    When you tap on this option, you will be redirected to the Google Maps application and you can see the route to reach the customer from your location.

  8. When you reach the customer location, go back to the Effort NXT app and tap Check in.
  9. Now tap Add Activity.
  10. You can see the Sales form and Customer Returns form.
  11. Note: Ignore this step and refer to step 12 if you want to perform Customer Returns.
    To perform sales at the customer, tap Sales Form and follow the steps below.
    1. As per the configuration, you can see today's date, customer name, and outstanding amount populated automatically.
    2. On the Order Data section, select the item from the Items in Van field and enter the quantity in the Order Quantity field. Tap the refresh icon beside the Sub Total field to see the total amount for the selected amount.
    3. Tap Add new item to create more instances.
    4. After filling in the order data, tap the refresh icon located beside the Total invoice to see the total amount.
    5. Tap the Image of the Receipt field and upload the image of the receipt.
    6. Select the Mode of the Payment and then Enter the Amount Collected.
    7. Tap the refresh icon located beside the Amount Remaining to see the pending amount that the customer has yet to pay.
    8. After filling in all the details, tap Save and then select Save.
  12. Note: Ignore this step and refer to step 11 if you want to perform Sales at the customer location.
    In some cases, the customers might return the products which they previously purchased due to some reasons. To perform customer returns at the customer, tap Customer Returns and follow the steps below.
    1. As per the configuration, you can see today's date and customer name populated automatically.
    2. On the Returns Data section, select the item, enter the quantity, and reason for return.
    3. Tap Add new item to add more items.
    4. Once finished, tap Save, and then select Save.

  13. After completing the activity with the customer, tap Mark As Completed and then tap OK to mark the customer visit as completed.
  14. Now tap Check Out and then tap Yes to complete the visit.
  15. You can see the customer visit status on the customer card as Completed.
  16. Similarly, complete the remaining customer visits. Once all the customer visits are completed, then tap Complete Route to finish the day.
    After completing the route, sync the mobile app. After syncing the mobile app, the route status will be changed to Completed.

Submit Load Out Request

After completing the route plan, the executive will go to the warehouse and return the leftover stock. In this section, we will see how a field executive returns the leftover stock in the warehouse.

  1. Login to the Effort NXT app as a Field Executive.
  2. On the home screen, tap Load Out.
  3. Tap the add form icon.
  4. As configured, the date and leftover stock is displayed automatically.
  5. If any deviation is found while returning the items, enter the missed quantity in the Deviation field.
  6. Tap Save and then select Save & Submit for Approval.
    Note: After submitting the form, make sure to sync the mobile app.

Approve Load Out Request

The Load Out request will go to the dispatch manager for approval. In this section, we will approve the Load Out Request that was submitted by the field executive in the previous section.

  1. Login to Effort NXT app as Dispatch Manager.
  2. On the home screen, tap Action Required or Load Out.
    Note: If you don't find any submitted forms, make sure to sync the mobile app.
  3. Tap the form submission that you want to approve.
  4. Tap View Form.
  5. Review the form submission details. If everything is fine, then enter your comments in the Remarks field and tap Approve.
    Note: After approving the form, make sure to sync the mobile app.