Using NEOSYS Media System

Creating a Media Schedule

The Media Scheduling system is the heart of NEOSYS, it is the protagonist of the Media system. Confirmed plans become Schedule and contains all the important information regarding the advertisements to be booked like client information, vehicle data, cost to client and cost to the agency, dates, booking orders etc. and almost all the tasks like creating booking orders and creating client invoices can be executed from the schedule. The schedule contains all the precise information.

We will do a complete step by step tutorial of how a schedule is created.

Creating a Media Schedule

Rate Cards

A ratecard is a printed price list issued by a media vehicle supplier showing rates charged for placing advertisements of various sizes, issue dates, requirements etc. Based on the mode of business done in the Middle East the rate card can't exactly be regarded as a fixed price sheet because the actual rates mostly vary from the rates mentioned on the rate card. Mostly rates are pre-negotiated between suppliers and the agencies and a discounted ratecard is drawn which depends on clients the agency is handling, volume of spend, relationship etc.

NEOSYS enables the agency to enter various versions of a single ratecard in the system and pick up rates while creating a Plan or Schedule. This helps to reduce some amount of manual data entry.

Entering Vehicle rate cards into NEOSYS

Credit Notes

A credit note is exactly the opposite of an invoice. It is a document used to modify or correct errors made in the sales invoice which has already been sent to the client. For example if a client has already been invoiced and now we need to provide a credit for that invoice, the reason for which could be anything from the client asking for compensation or being overharged, we will send the client a credit note for the required amount. It can be regarded as a 'negative invoice'.

Issuing Credit Notes in Media

Issuing separate invoices or credit notes for selected discounts and charges

NEOSYS can optionally provide clients with a supplementary invoices/credit notes for certain discounts and charges. Without this option, all discounts and charges would have to show on a single invoice.

On media plans and schedules append the letter "X" (or "x") to the discount or charge(s) that are not to show on the initial invoice and should appear on a separate invoice/credit note.

For example, enter a discount as -5%X if it is to be shown on a separate credit note.

When creating invoices to clients, an option is provided on the invoice creation form to allow raising of either a) the initial invoice only, or b) the final invoice/credit note only or c) both at the same time.

You cannot raise the final invoice/credit note unless the initial invoice is actually raised. Note that this means that you cannot get proforma invoices for the "Both" option.

Booking without showing all discounts and charges from the supplier

NEOSYS can optionally issue media booking orders with certain discounts and charges omitted.

This allows the final net cost of media to be recorded in NEOSYS while not forcing the final net cost to be shown on booking orders.

On media plans and schedules append the letter "X" (or "x") to the discount or charge(s) that are not to show on the booking order.

For example, enter a discount as -5%X if it is not to be shown on the booking order.

Posting media supplier invoices before issuing schedules to the client

Assuming that you are accruing media costs by schedule and not by vehicle or supplier then the contra account of the supplier invoice posting will be the schedule code or, if the schedules codes are pure numbers then SCH9999 where 9999 is the number of the schedule.

Supplier invoices posted before issuing invoices to client are work in progress (assets) but, in NEOSYS common practice, we still post them into the Media Accruals Ledger which could more properly be called Media Accruals/WIP Ledger.

The accrual account for the schedule is created as soon as the schedule is approved and not only when the invoice is issued to the client. Schedule approval happens in practice automatically at the time of the first booking. Therefore unless you book a schedule (or specifically enter the approval date on the schedule file, there will be no accrual account created for you to post the supplier invoice into. This is logical since if you haven't booked or specifically approved a schedule then you should arguably not be able to post supplier invoices for that schedule.

Removing unnecessary items from List of Schedules Pending Invoices

Sometimes, schedules which don't need invoicing appear on the List of Schedules Pending Invoicing. This occurs if you do the following:

1. Invoice the schedule. NEOSYS removes it from the pending invoicing list.
2. Modify the schedule. NEOSYS puts it back onto the pending invoicing list.
3. Modify the schedule back to as it was invoiced in. NEOSYS *doesn't* remove it from the pending invoicing list.

The solution is to ask for a proforma invoice for the schedule. This will give you a "nothing to invoice" message and remove it from the list. Asking for a proforma instead of an invoice is a precaution to avoid accidentally raising an invoice if there really is something to invoice on the schedule that you didn't expect, and will show you exactly what is pending invoicing.