Specifying Related Products

Related products are considered additional products that can be connected to another product through a product relationship type. Unlike kit products, related products are optional and do not have to be purchased along with other products.

For instance, an organization may offer a magazine storage binder that customers can use to store the organization's monthly magazine. The storage binder is a separate product that has its own pricing records and inventory. Since it is sold as a separate product, by creating a related Products record on the product, when the product is ordered, the order taker is prompted to offer the buyer the related product. The customer can either add the product to the order or decline the related product.

See Adding an Order Line for more information on the Related Products prompt.

Follow these steps to specify a related product:

1. Open the Products record, if not already opened.
2. Click the Details > Related Products tab.
3. Click the New icon to open a new Related Products sub-type record.
4. In the Related Product field, enter the name of the related product.
5. Enter the relationship type in the Product Relationship Type field, such as Accessory.
   • This field links to the Product Relationship Types service. See About the Product Relationship Types Form.
     
     
6. Select the Active option if the relationship is currently active.
7. In the Start Date and End Date fields, enter the dates that represent the duration of this product relationship. If the duration is open ended, then leave the End Date field blank.
8. Select the Auto Prompt Operator option to display a dialog box every time this product is added to an order. This dialog box informs the service representative of any related products that the customer may have overlooked.
9. In the Prompt Text field, enter any information that should be included in the dialog box. The prompt text here can be used as a cue for the service representative to let the customer know that this accessory or other similar product is available.
10. If the organization makes this product and its related products available on an e-Business website, select the Web Prompt option to display related product information to the customer when he or she orders the product on-line.
11. If you selected the Web Prompt option, in the Web Prompt Text, provide the text for the message that will appear to customers concerning available related products when they order this product on-line.
    
    
12. Select OK to save the Related Products record and return to the Products record.