This feature allows a Hertz operation to use an application called "Seamless" to obtain rates directly from OKC (rather than using CARS+) when doing reservations or walk-up rentals.
Reservations: When seamless is enabled for reservations, entering a new reservation (or making a change to an existing seamless reservation) will use Seamless for rates (instead of CARS+). Depending on a setting the Seamless Control record, when the reservation is saved, it is either:
- booked with Seamless in OKC (with no record directly created in CARS+). Then, like other reservations booked through the OKC Res Center, it is transmitted to the Hertz operator via the Reservation Interface program; or
- saved directly in CARS+ without a reservation being made through Seamless.
Exclusions:Reservations for certain vehicle classes can be excluded from this logic and are, therefore, booked directly in CARS+.
Reservations for insurance replacement rentals are either included or excluded from the Seamless logic depending on how the insurance company is set up in the CARS+ Customer File.
Rate records can be marked to allow them to be used for local reservations. In Edit Rental Rules/Rates, the field "Allow Local" needs to be "Y" or blank to use locally. If set to "N", Seamless is called.
Edits to New Zealand multi-island transactions do not call Seamless.Walk-up Rental Agreements: If seamless for walkups is enabled, rates are quoted through Seamless rather than using rates in CARS+ when opening a walk-up RA.
Exclusions:
RAs for certain vehicle classes can be excluded from this logic and are, therefore, obtain their rates directly from CARS+.
RAs for insurance replacement rentals are either included or excluded from the Seamless logic depending on how the insurance company is set up in the CARS+ Customer File.
Changes to return date/time and/or location
When changes are made to existing transactions, certain factors influence what happens.
For reservations booked through Seamless, fields in the Seamless Control record and the Rate record define whether or not rates and drop charges should be requoted in Seamless when the return date/time and/or Location is changed on an open RA or at the time of Close.
When reservations simply obtain their rates from Seamless but are not booked through Seamless (and are booked directly in CARS+), requoting of rates and drop charges is not available through Seamless.
II. REQUIRED SET UP STEPS
A. Edit Seamless Controls
For each Location or Location Group involved, set up a record in Edit Seamless Controls (Hertz Control Files Submenu). Refer to the chapter titled Edit Seamless Controls for details.
B. Location Record
|
Page |
Name of Field |
Description |
|
4 |
Country Code |
Enter the appropriate code for the Country Code |
|
4 |
Upsell Delay |
Enter the number of minutes for Upsell Delay. An Upsell is not allowed on a RA unless the required number of minutes have elapsed since the Seamless reservation was created. |
|
4 |
Seamless Edit |
Used in the logic that controls the ability to edit the rate on Seamless transactions. Enter: 1 = Rates on Seamless Reservations may be edited 2 = Rates on Seamless RAs may be edited 3 = Rates on both Seamless Reservations and RAs may be edited. (In addition, the user's User Access record must be set up to allow editing.) |
|
4 |
Control Group |
In place of using the above field to set the level of Seamless rate editing for a location, enter a Group Code. (The level of editing for the Group is defined in the Edit Group Control File.) |
C. Edit Location Group Controls
Rather than defining the level for editing rates on Seamless transactions in the Location record, it can be defined for a Group (and the Group Code entered in the Location record.)
D. Edit Miscellaneous Control Fields
Page 3, Auto Apply Res: Indicate whether or not auto applied options and dependently applied options should be included in the Reservation estimate.
E. Edit Optional Items
Indicate if the Option should be sent to Seamless.
F. Edit Market Adjustment Reason Codes
Create reason codes that are used to define why a rate was edited when using Hertz Seamless logic for RAs. When a rate is edited, a prompt appears on the Open screen and a valid reason code (defined in this file) must be entered.
G. Edit Seamless Error Codes
Use this program to enter descriptions for Error Codes sent by OKC when a Seamless rate is requested. Furthermore, a CARS+ rate is defined as the alternative for use on the transaction when the Error Code is encountered. This is used to substitute a local rate when particular seamless errors occur.
H. Edit User Access File
|
Page |
Name of Field |
Description |
|
2 |
PMA Edit |
Indicate whether or not the user is allowed to do Pricing Market Adjustments (edit Seamless Rates) in Reservations, RA Open, or both. |
I. Edit Rental Rules and Rates
1. Indicate in the "Seamless Edits" field whether or not transactions using the rate can be requoted when the return date/time and/or location changes.
2. Some Hertz reservations are delivered with no rates in the normal rate field. Instead, the rates are in some of the remarks fields. When Seamless is used, the rental agent must have the ability to edit (enter) the rate from these reservations when opening a RA. This is the case even when the rental agent's User Access File record does not allow editing rates at the time of Open. Use the "Seam Edit Rate" field to indicate (with a "Y" for Yes) that reservations using this type of rate fall into this category.
3. For the Rate Set used by Quebec, the following government rates need to be set up:
Rate Code Max Days Max Days Change To GOVQD 4 GOVQW GOVQW 19 GOVQM GOVQM blank blank
4. Seamless rates in CARS+ operates by taking a local rate code, and editing the rates to that returned by Seamless. Therefore, CARS+ must have rates defined for CARS+ to use as a template. Seamless tries to find a CARS+ Edit Rules/Rates record to use in this order:
- OKC's internal rate plan code
- OKC's rate plan code after being converted using the Edit Conversion Records.
- Based on OKC's rate classification and if they include LDW in that rate:
Rate classification Does OKC include LDW? CARS+ rate product Daily Yes DLDWI Daily No REZ-D Weekly Yes WLDWI Weekly No REZ-W Monthly Yes MLDWI Monthly No REZ-M Weekend Yes ELDWI Weekend No REZ-E XX (I do not know what this is) Yes XLDWI XX No REZ-X
J. Customer File Update
Indicate on insurance company customer records (Cust type = INS) in the "Use Seamless" field (page 4) whether or not insurance replacement transactions involving this customer should use Seamless to obtain rates.
Film production crews set up as direct bill customers can be designated as exempt from Seamless by entering data in the "Bill Cycle" field (page 3) of their customer record. Local rates will be used on walk up RAs instead of using Seamless.
K. Edit Conversion Records
To strip the trailing numeric characters from Class Codes for certain locations, conversion records need to be set up for the following:
| Convert From |
Convert Type |
Convert To |
| C4 |
M |
C |
| E4 |
M |
E |
| E6 |
M |
E |
| F4 |
M |
F |
L. GVT Records
For reservations, if the renter's birthdate will not be required, set up "NORESDOB".
For Quebec City locations, a GVT record must be set up for the CDPID
number(s) for Canadian government agencies. The GVT code is the CDPID
number (without leading zeros). These GVT records are location
sensitive and the code "GOVQD" must be set up in the Alpha Value field
of the GVT record.
For locations that should not be subject to the class conversion codes (See Edit Conversion Records section above), set up a GVT record "CLSSEAM" for each of those locations. The conversion records are used for any location without the GVT record.
M. System Time
Seamless will return an error "SEAMLESS ERROR DE70 ARR- ARRIVAL TIME HAS LAPSED (1885)" if the supplied pickup date/time is even 1 second in the past from the Seamless server's point of view. Make sure you server's clock is correctly synchronized.
N. Edit Rules/Rate Records
III. COUNTER INSTRUCTIONS - RESERVATIONS
A. Creating a Reservation
When creating a reservation, Seamless Rates are accessed by pressing "F2" (or "F8") from the "OPTION" field of the Main Window after entering the minimum data required which is:
Pickup date/time/Location
Return date/time/Location
Rate Class
Once Seamless has been manually triggered by "F2" or "F8", it will be called automatically each time a rate dependent piece of data is changed such as the pick up date, return time, CDPID#, etc. This is true whether the change in made from the Reservation screen or from the RA Open program when using the Seamless reservation to open a RA.
If, by the time the user presses "F1" to save the reservation, a Seamless rate request has not been made, the save is canceled and the following message is displayed:
PRESS F2 TO REQUEST A RATE QUOTEA 5 minute rate hold is allowed when processing a reservation. If the 5 minute rate hold has expired when attempting to save the reservation, the save is canceled and rates will be checked anew. The following message is displayed:
RATE QUOTE EXPIRED, NEW RATES OBTAINED. CHECK RATES AND RESAVE.If the save is not successful, an error message is displayed at the bottom of the screen and the save is canceled.
When the reservation is successfully saved, a confirmation number is displayed a the bottom of the screen as follows:
YOUR CONFIRMATION NUMBER IS xxxxxxxxxxx. PRESS RET TO CONTINUERemember, You may have chosen to not save Seamless reservations directly to the CARS+ reservation file. Therefore, when you press (RET), the reservation will clear off the screen. Reservations that are booked successfully in this manner are transmitted to your operation via the normal Reservation Interface program.
When the reservation is received via the Res Interface program, if the Rate Code exists as a valid Rates/Rules record for the pickup location, it will be used. Otherwise, a template rate (such as REZ-D, REZ-W, DLDWI) is used.
B. Additional Changes to the Reservations program
C. Editing Reservations
NAME: The renter's name cannot be edited on a saved Seamless reservation. If an attempt is made to change the name, the following message displays:
NAME CANNOT BE EDITED, RES MUST BE CANCELLED AND RE-BOOKED.PICK-UP DATE: On a saved seamless reservation, the pickup date/time can be changed only if the date/time is later than the current date/time.
RATE DEPENDENT FIELD: When a rate dependent field is altered when editing a previously saved Reservation which was created through Seamless, the rate will be requoted in Seamless if the system is so configured. When the "F2" or "F8" key is pressed to obtain a rate quote, the user is prompted to enter their Employee Code and Password. This Employee Code (not the one originally on the Reservation) is used on the rate request. If a requote is attempted on a reservation that was not made through Seamless, the message CONFIRMATION MISSING will display.
BILL-TO PARTY: When a bill-to party is added and there is data in the billing cycle field of their customer record, the rate product is removed. Instead, a local rate will be used on the reservation. Conversely, if a bill-to party (with data in the billing cycle field of their customer record) is removed from a reservation, the local rate product is removed as well.
VOUCHERS: Reservations with a tour voucher, SVV, FVV or an OTTO cannot be edited. Changes to those reservations must be done in the OKC Reservation center.
Changes to the reservation will not be saved in CARS+. Instead, they are merged into your system via the normal Reservation Interface program.
IV. COUNTER INSTRUCTIONS - RENTAL AGREEMENTS
When creating a walk-up RA, Seamless Rates are accessed after entering the minimum data by pressing "F2" or "F8" from the "OPTION" field of the Main Window. (F2 can be used only when the "Swipe" feature is not turned on). The minimum data required to obtain a Seamless rate quote is:B. Opening RAs from Seamless Reservations
Last name/ First name
Opening date/time/Location
Return date/time/Location
Rate Class
Birth date
Once Seamless has been manually triggered by the F2 or F8 key, it will be called automatically each time a rate dependent piece of data is changed such as the return date or time, CDPID#, etc.
If, by the time the user presses "F1" to save the RA, a Seamless rate request has not been made, the save is canceled and the following message is displayed:
PRESS F2 TO REQUEST A RATE QUOTEIf you have enabled reservation booking for walk-up rentals, a 5 minute rate hold is allowed by Hertz. If the 5 minute rate hold has expired when attempting to save the RA, the save is canceled and rates will be checked anew. The following message is displayed:
RATE QUOTE EXPIRED, NEW RATES OBTAINED. CHECK RATES AND RESAVE.Otherwise, if the booking was successful, the following message is displayed at the bottom of the screen and the RA will be saved:
RATES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED. PRESS RET TO CONTINUE
When a rate dependent field is altered when using a Seamless Reservation to open a RA (such as the return date or time, CDPID#0, the rate is requoted in Seamless.C. Additional Changes to RA Open
With the "RASEAM" GVT record, the following additional changes are in effect for the RA Open program:D. Editing Rates
The CARS+ Rate Search program (normally accessed through the "F6" Search feature) is accessible only on insurance replacement rentals and on those RAs for vehicles with Pricing Code "T" in their Vehicle Class record. The first data that must be entered to begin a reservation is the Employee Code and password.
Additional fields are added to the D subwindow to display the OKC employee code and source.
A field in the R subwindow (Rate Rules) displays the rate field returned from Seamless.
Access to the discount fields is blocked.
With the GVT record for the Quebec government CDPID numbers (see Items II.A and II.I.2 above), prior to looking up the rate plan, there is a check made for a GVT record for the CDPID number and renting location. If one is found, the rate plan from the GVT record is loaded on the transaction.
In order to be competitive in the marketplace, rates may be edited on walk-up Seamless rentals. However, the following conditions must be met in order to edit the rate:E. Changing an Open Seamless RA
The RA is a walk-up rental (not based on a reservation)If the rate is edited, the only rate that can be edited is the one that corresponds to the base rate indicator. That is:
The RA is in the process of being opened (it is not as yet saved)
The rate supplied by Seamless is not a numeric corporate rate or a government rate
The rate supplied by Seamless cannot be rate codes: 'CR", "CRL" or "CRM".
The rental is not a one-way rental
The Seamless Control Record must allow edits.
The User's Access File record indicates that PMA (Pricing Market Adjustment) Edits are allowed.
The location is configured to allow Seamless edits. (Either in the Location record or in the Group Control record.)
If the indicator is "DY", only the daily rate can be editedWhen a rate is edited:
If the indicator is "WK", only the weekly rate can be edited
If the indicator is "MO", only the monthly rate can be edited
If the indicator is "WE", only the extra day (weekend) rate can be edited
A message appears on the screen prompting the user to enter a valid Reason Code. (Reason Codes must be previously set up in the Edit Market Adjustment Reasons program.)
A "Y" is entered in the "PMA" field of the Rate Rules subwindow of the Reservation or RA.
The edited rate along with the Reason Code are sent to OKC for approval. If approval is received, the edit is accepted and placed on the contract. All edits made to a seamless rate made through On-Line Open or Batch Open are sent to OKC for approval. Edit made to seamless rates while in the Edit Opening Fields mode of RA Open will cause the following question to appear:
SUBMIT TO SEAMLESS FOR CONFIRMATION? Y/N
If the user answers "Y", the change will be sent to OKC for approval as it is in On-Line Open or Batch Open.
If the user answers "N", the change is accepted without submitting it to OKC for approval.
When a rate dependent field is altered when editing a previously saved Seamless RA which was created from a Seamless reservation, the rate will be requoted in Seamless if the system is so configured. If it results in a rate change, an advisory message is displayed. However, Seamless is not called when there is a vehicle exchange or when the return date on a rental is extended.F. Batch Opening RAs
If a requote is attempted on a RA not created from a Seamless reservation, the message CONFIRMATION MISSING will display
The user is blocked from doing an upsell when editing a previously saved open RA.
When a RA is batch opened, Seamless rates are not used. Instead, the rates from CARS+ are used as it assumed the user is entering a manually written RA.G. Exempt Classes
The RA number must be entered when saving the RA; the system will not assign the next sequential RA number. The RA number entered must, of course, be unique and cannot fall within the RA number range assigned to the opening location.
Vehicle classes can be exempted from Seamless transactions.H. Insurance Replacement Rentals
Insurance replacement rentals are either included or excluded from the Seamless logic depending on how the insurance company is set up in the CARS+ Customer File. A field on page 4 of the Customer record for the insurance company is used to flag whether or not Seamless is used for transactions involving the company.I. Film Production Crew Rentals
Film production crews set up as direct bill customers can be designated as exempt from Seamless by entering data in the "Bill Cycle" field (page 3) of their customer record. Local rates will be used on walk up RAs instead of using Seamless when a so designated direct bill customer is placed on the RA. If the direct bill customer is later removed from the RA, the local rate is also removed, and Seamless is used to obtain a rate for the RA.J. Closing a Seamless RA
When a the closing date/time and or locatrate dependent field is altered when editing a previously saved Seamless RA which was created from a Seamless reservation, the rate will be requoted in Seamless if the system is so configured. I1.K. Log of Rate Changes
If the system is configured to requote seamless logic RAs at close, the requoting is done when any of the following conditions apply:
- The return location is different from the expected return location
- The return date/time is different from the expected return date//time by more than the time allowed in the grace period.
If a new rate quote is processed, a message displays announcing the rate change:
RA CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED, NEW RATES HAVE BEEN QUOTED.
When changes are made to an existing RA (such as the return location) in either RA Open or RA Close, Seamless may be used to change the rental rate. These changes are recorded in the file that logs changes to the RA Charge File under the employee code "SEAMLS". When a rate changes due to PMA edits by an employee, the edits are logged under the employee's user code (not "SEAMLS".)