How To: Setup and Use Agents
Table Of Contents
Introduction
Agents can be linked to customers or individual sales orders and can earn commission on sales. Commission rates are defined against Level 2 Stock Types, allowing different product categories to attract different commission percentages.
This article explains how to:
- Create agents.
- Configure commission percentages.
- Assign agents to customers.
- Assign agents to individual sales orders.
For an overview of agent setup, see Sales Order Processing | Agents.
Before You Begin
Setting up agents typically involves three stages:
- Creating the agents in System Data.
- Defining commission percentages against Level 2 Stock Types.
- Deciding whether agents should be assigned:
- To individual sales orders, or
- As the default agent for a customer.
Creating Agents
- Open a System Data screen (show me how).
- Open Sales Order Processing | Agents.
- Press Alt+E or click Edit to enter edit mode.
- Create an entry for each agent:
- Press F3 or click Add.
- Enter the agent's name in the Agent Name column.
- Use the Hide checkbox to determine whether the agent should appear in the Agent drop-down lists on sales orders and customer records.
- Press Ctrl+S or click Save to save your changes.
Setting Agent Commission Rates
Commission rates are controlled by Level 2 Stock Types.
- Open a System Data screen (show me how).
- Press Alt+E or click Edit to enter edit mode.
- Enter the required commission percentage in the Agent Commission % column for each Level 2 Stock Type.
- Press Ctrl+S or click Save.
Assigning an Agent to a Customer
If an agent should receive commission for all orders placed by a customer, assign them as the customer's default agent.
- Open the required customer record.
- Press Alt+E or click Edit to enter edit mode.
- Open the Customer | Detail | General tab.
- Select the required agent from the Default Agent drop-down list.
- Press Ctrl+S or click Save.
Bulk Assigning Agents
Agents can also be assigned to multiple customers at the same time using the Block Change Selected Items option within the Customer | List screen.
For more information, see Update Selected Items Dialog.
Assigning an Agent to a Sales Order
If commission needs to be tracked on an individual order basis, an agent can be assigned directly to a sales order.
- Create or open a sales order.
- Open the Sales Order | Additional tab.
- In the Additional Details area, select the required agent from the Agent drop-down list.
- Continue processing the sales order as normal.
Important Notes
Hidden Agents
An agent can be hidden from standard Agent drop-down lists by ticking the Hide checkbox in the Sales Order Processing | Agents screen.
When hidden:
- The agent will not appear in standard Agent selection lists.
- The agent can still be viewed by right-clicking the drop-down and selecting Show All.
- Historical records, reports and documents will continue to display the agent.
Agent Priority
If an agent is assigned directly to a sales order, that agent takes precedence over any default agent assigned to the customer.
Agent Reporting
Agent sales can be analysed using the following Sales Summary reports:
- Sales Summary | Sale Source | Agents (Type)
- Sales Summary | Sale Source | Agents (Detail)
These reports can be used to review sales performance and agent commission activity.
Additional Information
Agents provide a flexible way to track commission-based sales activity across your business. Whether agents are assigned to customers or individual sales orders, Khaos Control can record and report on agent performance, helping you monitor sales contributions and manage commission arrangements more effectively.