When your customers subscribe to a print product, ADvance generates entitlement details. This determines which issues a customer should receive an issue in order to fulfil their order.
The IFRA process to manage the distribution of print based products section allows you to manage the distribution of print based products to your subscribing customers.
Note: The distribution of digital issues and individual items such as back issues and other sundry items is managed in the Fulfilment Management page.
Issue fulfilment runs are based on single issues of a print product. You can include insert instructions in the IFR. You can also create multiple distribution files to deliver bulk copies or via separate distribution methods. For example; hand delivery, Royal Mail.
Overview of the issue fulfilment run process
Issue fulfilment runs are created and saved with a draft status. This allows you to redefine the IFR and edit any details. When the print run is ready for distribution, the IFR should be completed. Once complete, the delivery files can be generated for distribution. The delivery files contain all the information in the IFR and can be used to define how the issue is distributed.
The party record shows every issue of a product the customer is entitled to. This is displayed in the entitlements tab on the Orders page of the party record:
Party records are updated when an issue fulfilment run is completed. Entitlement to an issue is marked as fulfilled in a party record when the customer is named as a recipient in a completed IFR.
The customer cannot be included in any further IFRs for the same issue, if their entitlement has already been fulfilled.
Details of every issue within a product are displayed in the Issues List page of the product:
This record is updated when the IFR process has been completed.
The purpose of IFR is to:
- Ensure a customer receives every issue they are entitled to
- Provide a record of when and how an issue was distributed
- Ensure an issue of a product is distributed to every customer entitled to receive it
Rolling back an IFR
A completed IFR can be rolled back to allow it to be edited. This does not return the IFR to draft status. The IFR is made active and marked as rolled back. Customer records are also updated to show that their entitlement to the issue has not been fulfilled and has been rolled back.
Take care when rolling back an IFR to avoid any additional problems with the distribution of an issue. If an issue of the physical product was distributed when the IFR was marked as completed, rolling an IFR back to edit it and resend it to the distribution team may result in duplicate issues being sent to your customers.
Applying the same IFRs to the next issue
An IFR can only apply to one issue. However, the selection criteria, inserts and splits will be carried over to the next IFR. If your criteria is similar for each issue of the product, this simplifies the process for the next IFR. The criteria and splits or inserts can be edited for each subsequent IFR, as required.
The IFR page
The IFR page displays all issue fulfilment runs. The IFRs are displayed in two tabs:
- Click the Active tab to view IFRs that are open for editing. This includes IFRs that are in draft or completed IFRs that have been rolled back.
- Click the Inactive tab to view IFRs that are complete.
IFRs are displayed in a table view.
- Use the Select data range filter to only show IFRs created within a time period
- Use the Brand drop down menu to show only the IFRs for a brand
- Each IFR is linked to a product. Click on a product type above the table to only show IFRs for that type
- Click on a column heading to sort the table
- Click on the title of an IFR to view it
How to create an IFR
IFRs are created in the IFR page.
- Click New Fulfilment Run. The new fulfilment run form is displayed
- Type a Title for the IFR.
- Type the No. of fulfilments for the IFR. This is for reference only, to indicate the expected print run. The actual number of fulfilments can be more or less than this figure.
- Click Add. The IFR is created and the edit issue fulfilment run page is displayed.
- Edit the IFR as required. There are three sections which define the IFR
- Basic Details
- Recipients Filters
- Batch Splits
- Changes are automatically saved.
- Select a status for the IFR:
- Select Draft to keep the IFR open for editing.
- Select Complete to close the IFR to further editing. This allows you to generate the delivery files when ready. Please refer to How to generate delivery files for an IFR for guidance.
How to edit an IFR
All IFRs are available in the IFR page. IFRs in the active table can be edited.
You can edit the following IFRs:
- IFRs still in draft status
- IFRs that have been rolled back. When an IFR is complete it cannot be edited. This ensures that the distribution of the physical product and the fulfilment details held in ADvance are consistent. A complete IFR must be rolled back if it needs to be edited before the print run is distributed. Please refer to How to roll back an IFR for guidance.
- Click an IFR title to edit it. The edit issue fulfilment run page is displayed:
- Edit the IFR as required. There are three sections which define the IFR:
- Basic Details
- Recipients Filters
- Batch Splits
Changes are automatically saved
- Select a status for the IFR:
- Select Draft to keep the IFR open for editing
- Select Complete to close the IFR to further editing. This allows you to generate the delivery files when ready. Please refer to How to Generate Delivery Files for an IFR for guidance
- Click Close
How to generate delivery files for an IFR
Delivery files are generate for completed IFRs and can be exported in csv format and viewed in Excel. One delivery file is generated for each split, as defined in the IFR process. A delivery file contains:
- Details of the issue which is being distributed
- Delivery details for each customer receiving the issue
- Details of any inserts to be included with the issues
An IFR must be complete before generating the delivery files. Note: Completed IFRs are found in the inactive tab.
The details of an IFR cannot be edited when it is marked as complete. This ensures that the distribution of the physical product and the fulfilment details held in ADvance are consistent. A complete IFR must be rolled back if it needs to be edited before the print run is distributed. Please refer to How to roll back an IFR for guidance.
All IFRs are available in the IFR page. You can generate delivery files for IFRs in the inactive table:
- Click an IFR title to generate its delivery files. The edit issue fulfilment run page is displayed:
- Click Delivery Files. The delivery files section is displayed:
- Click a delivery file to download it. The file is saved in your downloads folder
- Select a galley file to generate a file with full demographic details for audit and click Go. The file is downloaded and saved in your downloads folder.
- Click Close
How to roll back an IFR
An IFR is marked complete to generate the delivery files and update customer records. The details of an IFR cannot be edited when it is marked as complete. This ensures that the distribution of the physical product and the fulfilment details held in ADvance are consistent.
The IFR can be rolled back to allow it to be edited. When rolling back an IFR, take care to ensure the distribution of the issue matches the new distribution details.
All IFRs are available in the IFR page. You can roll back IFRs in the Inactive table:
- Tick the IFR you want to roll back
- Select Rollback in the action list at the bottom of the table:
The IFR is rolled back. The records of every customer in the IFR are updated to show that the issue has been rolled back and their entitlement has not been fulfilled. The IFR is moved to the active tab.
How to copy an IFR
You can copy an IFR to create a new IFR based on the same details. This allows you to duplicate IFRs for future issues of a product.
All IFRs are available in the IFR page:
- Tick the IFR you want to copy
- Select Copy in the action list at the bottom of the table:
The IFR is copied and saved with a draft status. The IFR can be edited as required. Please refer to How to edit an IFR for guidance.
How to delete an IFR
All IFRs are available in the IFR page:
Note: Take care when deleting an IFR. If the IFR has been completed, the records of every customer it includes will be updated to show that their entitlement to that issue has not been fulfilled.
- Tick the IFR you want to delete
- Select Delete in the action list at the bottom of the table:
The IFR is deleted.
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