Item management

Sterling Call Center includes a range of features that enable you to manage the items used in your system.

Create an item in Sterling Business Center
In Sterling Business Center a pricing administrator can create many different items, such as Regular or Bundle item.
Modify the configuration of a preconfigured item
You can modify the configuration of a preconfigured item. For example, if a home theater system is available with 1000 W speakers, and you want to change the configuration to 2000 W speakers, you can modify the configuration of the speakers.
Delete an item in Sterling Business Center
You can delete an existing item that is no longer required. However, you can delete an item only if it is in Held status.
Create a regular item in Sterling Business Center
You can create an item of type, regular, for all the basic product items that make up your catalog. For example, a washing machine.
Create a bundle item in Sterling Business Center
You can create the item type, bundle, when you want to logically group items together and maintain the inventory for these items individually.
Create a physical kit item in Sterling Business Center
You can create a physical kit item when you want to logically group items together, while maintaining the inventory only for a parent item.
Create a dynamic physical kit item in Sterling Business Center
A dynamic physical kit is a set of various components that are not predefined as a kit.
Creating an Item With Variations in IBM Sterling Business Center
IBM® Sterling Call Center enables you to create an item with variations.
Create a logical kit item in Sterling Business Center
You can create and manage a logical kit item in Sterling Business Center only if a system administrator has configured the Enable Logical Kit Functionality installation rule in the Applications Manager. By default, the value of this rule is set to N.
Searching for an item in Sterling Business Center
You can search for an item and view its details using either a Basic or an Advanced search.
Managing a variation item
Managing a variation item involves adding an Existing Item as a Child Item to a Variation Item, modifying a Child Item of a Variation Item, and removing a Child Item from a Variation Item.
Add an existing item as a child item to a variation item
You can define child items for a variation item. Child items are items that share common attributes with the parent item, but have an additional set of unique properties. For example, if the parent item is a short-sleeved shirt, the possible child items are small red short-sleeved shirt and medium red short-sleeved shirt.
Modify a child item of a variation item
You can modify the details of a child item that share common attributes with the parent item, but have an additional set of unique properties.
Remove a child item from a variation item
You can remove a child item from a variation item if you do not want to maintain the child item with an additional set of unique properties.
Managing primary information of an item
Managing Primary Information of an item involves defining the Primary Information of an Item, Localizing the Fields in Sterling Business Center, and deleting an Item in Sterling Business Center.
Define primary information of an item in Sterling Business Center
After you have created an item, you can define the details for the newly created item. Also, if you have already defined the item details, you can modify the item details.
Managing an item’s units of measure
Managing an item’s unit of measure involves defining an Item’s Units of Measure, defining a Pricing Unit of Measure if Different from Inventory Unit of Measure, adding an Alternative Unit of Measure, modifying an Alternative Unit of Measure, and removing an Alternative Unit of Measure.
Define an item's units of measure
You can define a unit of measure (UOM) that can be used when defining unique identifier for an item.
Define a pricing unit of measure if different from inventory unit of measure
You can define a pricing unit of measure (UOM) that can be used when a product item's pricing is based on a different unit of measure than its inventory unit of measure.
Add an alternative unit of measure
You may have to create an item whose unique item ID and unit of measure combination can be packaged in more multiple ways. In such a scenario, you can create alternative ordering units of measure that can be used in the selling environment.
Modify an alternative unit of measure
You can modify an alternative unit of measure (UOM) for an item so that it can be used in the selling environment in a new way.
Remove an alternative unit of measure
You can remove an alternative unit of measure if you do not want to create an item whose unique item ID and unit of measure combination can be packaged in more multiple ways.
Managing instructions for items
Managing instructions for items involves manually adding an Instruction to an Item, adding an Instruction from Existing Instruction Codes to an Item, modifying an Item’s Instruction, modifying the Sequence of Item’s Instruction, and modifying the Sequence of Item’s Instruction.
Add an instruction from existing instruction codes to an item
You can choose to use the predefined set of instruction codes for an item. For example, you may have a preexisting Handle With Care item instruction code that you can associate with fragile items.
Manually add an instruction to an item
You can provide instructions pertaining to shipping and storage for an item.
Modify an item's instruction
You can choose to modify an instruction description, or modify the instruction type from either manual text to a predefined set of instruction or from a predefined set of instruction to a manual text.
Modify the sequence of item's instruction
After all the instructions are created for an item, you can rearrange the sequence of the instructions. For example, from a set of instructions for an item you may want the Make sure that the item is double bubble wrapped instruction to be the first instruction.
Delete an instruction from an item
You can delete instructions that were added manually and instructions that were added from the existing instruction codes.
Define the fulfillment details for sourcing and transporting an item
For an item, you can the define fulfillment details such as sourcing information, transportation information, fulfillment methods, node notification time, shipment consolidation window, release time before the shipment, whether freezing is required, whether shipping by air is required, and so on.
Managing the return fulfillment details for an item
Managing the return fulfillment details for an item involves defining the Return Fulfillment Details to Accept and Decline Item Returns.
Define the return fulfillment details to accept item returns
You can manage the item returns by defining the return fulfillment details such as the number of days within which the item can be returned from the date of purchase (called the Return Window), information about the return shipping label, whether credit without receipt is allowed for the item, and so on.
Define the return fulfillment details to decline item returns
You can manage the item returns by defining the return fulfillment details such as the number of days within which the item can be returned from the date of purchase (called the Return Window), information about the return shipping label, whether credit without receipt is allowed for the item, and so on.
Assign values to the extended fields for an item
You can specify the values for all the extended fields from the Extended Fields screen.
Managing the inventory for an item
Managing the inventory for an item involves configuring the Inventory for a Tagged and a Nontagged Item.
Configure the Inventory for a Tagged Item
IBM Sterling Call Center enables you to configure the inventory for a tagged item.
Configure inventory for a nontagged item
You can manage the nontagged item's inventory from the inventory fields. The overall inventory picture provides a customer with information about an item's availability and demand.
Managing the cross-sell associations for an item
Managing the cross-sell associations for an item involves associating a Cross-Sell Item to an Item, modifying the Cross-Sell Item's Details, associating a Category to an Item for a Cross-Sell Association, modifying the Effective Date Range of a Category for a Cross-Sell Association, disassociating a Cross-Sell Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for a Cross-Sell Association.
Associate a cross-sell item to an item
You can associate a cross-sell item to an existing item to promote an optional component or accessory item, which when combined with the original item makes a better package. For example, for a Television item you an associate a DVD player as a cross-sell item. A DVD player along with a Television provides a better package for the customer.
Modify the cross-sell item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate a cross-sell item from an item
You can dissociate a cross-sell item from an existing item if you do not want this association in order to promote an optional component or accessory item, which when combined with the original item makes a better package.
Associate a category to an item for a cross-sell association
You can associate a category to an item so that all the items in the category are associated to the item as cross-sell items.
Modify the effective date range of a category for a cross-sell association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in a cross-sell association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as cross-sell items.
Dissociate a category from an item for a cross-sell association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item as cross-sell items.
Managing the up-sell associations for an item
Managing the up-sell associations involves associating an Up-Sell Item to an Item, modifying the Up-Sell Item's Details, associating a Category to an Item for an Up-Sell Association, modifying the Effective Date Range of a Category for an Up-Sell Association, disassociating an Up-Sell Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for an Up-Sell Association.
Associate an up-sell item to an item
You can assign an alternative item that is of a higher value as compared to the original item. Such an alternative item is called an up-sell item.
Modify the up-sell item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate an up-sell item from an item
You can dissociate an up-sell item from an item if you do not want to associate all items as up-sell items.
Associate a category to an item for an up-sell association
You can associate a category to an item so that all the items in the category are associated to the item as up-sell items.
Modify the effective date range of a category for an up-sell association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in an up-sell association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as up-sell items.
Dissociate a category from an item for an up-sell association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item as up-sell items.
Managing the supersession associations for an item
Managing a supersession association for an item involves associating a Supersession Item to an Item, modifying the Supersession Item's Details, associating a Category to an Item for a Supersession Association, modifying the Effective Date Range of a Category for a Supersession Association, disassociating a Supersession Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for a Supersession Association.
Associate a supersession item to an item
You can set up a supersession association for an item to indicate that the item can be superseded by one or more items.
Modify the supersession item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate a supersession item from an item
You can dissociate a supersession item from an item if you do not want to associate it with supersession item.
Associate a category to an item for a supersession association
You can associate a category to an item so that all the items in the assigned category are associated to the existing item, which can supersede the original item when its effective date becomes obsolete.
Modify the effective date range of a category for a supersession association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in a supersession association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as supersession items.
Dissociate a category from an item for a supersession association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item for a suppression association.
Managing a preferred substitution association for an item
Managing a preferred substitution association for an item involves, associating a Preferred Substitution Item to an Item, modifying the Preferred Substitution Item's Details, associating a Category to an Item for a Preferred Substitution Association, modifying the Effective Date Range of a Category for a Preferred Substitution Association, disassociating a Preferred Substitution Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for a Preferred Substitution Association
Associate a preferred substitution item to an item
A preferred substitute is an item that must be fulfilled prior to fulfilling the original item, in an order.
Modify the preferred substitution item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate a preferred substitution item from an item
You can dissociate a preferred substitution from an item if you do not want to associate the item with a preferred substitution item.
Associate a category to an item for a preferred substitution association
You can associate a category to an item so that all the items in the assigned category are associated to the existing item as preferred substitutes.
Modify the effective date range of a category for a preferred substitution association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in a preferred substitution association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as preferred substitution items.
Dissociate a category from an item for a preferred substitution association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item for a preferred substitution association.
Managing an alternative association for an item
Managing an alternative association for an item involves, associating an Alternative Item to an Item, modifying the Alternative Item’s Details, associating a Category to an Item for an Alternative Association, Modify the Effective Date Range of a Category for an Alternative Association, disassociating an Alternative Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for an Alternative Association.
Associate an alternative item to an item
.For an item, you can set up an alternative item so that you have the option of selecting an item that is very similar to the original as an alternative. When a customer places an order for the original item and the original item is not in stock, then the customer is provided an option to select an alternative item and place an order.
Modify the alternative item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate an alternative item from an item
You can dissociate a alternative item from an item if you do not want to associate that item with an alternative item.
Associate a category to an item for an alternative association
You can assign a category to an item so that all the items in the assigned category are associated to the existing item as alternative items.
Modify the effective date range of a category for an alternative association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in an alternative association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as alternative items.
Dissociate a category from an item for an alternative association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item for an alternative association.
Managing a competitive association for an item
Managing a competitive association for an item involves associating a Competitive Item to an Item, Modify the Competitive Item's Details, associating a Category to an Item for a Competitive Association, modifying the Effective Date Range of a Category for a Competitive Association, disassociating a Competitive Item from an Item, and disassociating a Category from an Item for a Competitive Association.
Associate a competitive item to an item
A competitive association allows you to associate two competing brands of an item. For example, an enterprise may sell a computer of brand Y and a computer of brand X. You can associate these two items together so that a customer can compare the brands when viewing the computers.
Modify the competitive item's details
You can modify the date range in which the association is active. You can also modify the associated quantity and the priority of the associated item.
Dissociate a competitive item from an item
You can dissociate a competitive item from an item if you do not want to associate that item with a competitive item.
Associate a category to an item for a competitive association
You can assign a category to an item so that all the items in the assigned category are associated to the existing item as competitive items.
Modify the effective date range of a category for a competitive association
You can modify the effective date range of a category associated to an item in a competitive association. The effective date range indicates the duration for which the items in a category will be considered as competitive items.
Dissociate a category from an item for a competitive association
You can dissociate a category from an item if you do not want to associate all the items in the category to the item for a competitive association.
Managing an asset for an item
Managing an asset for an item involves, adding an Asset to an Item, modifying Asset Details, localizing the Fields in Sterling Business Center, and deleting an Asset from an Item.
Add an asset to an item
Assets are electronic media objects that you associate with items, categories, attributes, and attribute values. Asset types include images, video, audio, and text files.
Modify asset details
You can choose to modify the short description and description of an asset. You can also modify the location of the server, asset type, and the name of the file in which the asset is created.
Delete an asset from an item
You can delete an asset from an item if you do not want any of the electronic media objects to be associated with an item.
Managing a keyword, alias, and an exclusion code for an item
You can associate and dissociate a keyword, alias, and an exclusion code for an item.
Associate a keyword to an item
Keywords are the words that you want to associate to an item. These keywords can be used by a customer as a search criteria when searching for an item. For example, keywords for the item LCD TV are Flat screen, LCD TV, Television, TV, and so on.
Dissociate a keyword from an item
You can dissociate a keyword from an item if you do not want the keyword to act as an alternative identifier for the item. If you have associated multiple keywords to an item, you can dissociate specific keywords and retain the required keywords.
Associate an alias to an item
An alias acts as an alternate identifier for an item. You can configure one or more alias for an item. Examples for aliases include, SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), Alternate Item Id, UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN (European Article Number), and so on.
Dissociate an alias from an item
You can dissociate an alias from an item if you do not want an alternate identifier for an item.
Associate an exclusion code to an item
You can assign an exclusion code to an item if your business practices involve the regulation of item shipments for certain countries and regions. For example, if there are certain countries and regions that you ship-to that do not allow the shipment of certain hazardous materials, you can assign an exclusion code to the items that may contain the hazardous material.
Dissociate an exclusion code from an item
You can dissociate an exclusion code from an item if your business practices do not involve the regulation of item shipments for certain countries and regions.
Managing a node of an item
Managing the node for the item involves, adding a Node and Define the Node Details of an Item, modifying Node Details, and removing a Node from an Item.
Add a node and define the node details of an item
You can add a node to an item, and then define the node-specific details for the item. The details you assign at the node level override any of the associated attributes that may have been defined for an item when an order containing that item is released to the node.
Modify node details
You can choose to modify the node details that override any of the associated attributes that may have been defined for an item when an order containing that item is released to the node.
Remove a node from an item
You can remove a node from an item if you do not want to associate a node with that item.
Managing a provided service for an item
Managing a provided service for an item involves, associating a Provided Service to an Item, modifying a Provided Service Associated to an Item, and dissociating a Provided Service from an Item.
Associate a provided service to an item
You can associate a provided service to an item to indicate a relationship between the service and the item. For example, you can assign Television installation as a provided service for the item, Television. For the associated provided service, you can define details such as the service quantity required for a specified quantity of the item, the skill sets required for the service, and so on.
Modify a provided service associated to an item
You can modify the details of the associated provided service such as the service quantity required for a specified quantity of the item, the skill sets required for the service, and so on.
Dissociate a provided service from an item
When you dissociate a provided service from an item, the associated service skills are also dissociated from the item.
Managing a delivery service of an item
Managing a delivery service of an item involves, associating a Delivery Service to an Item, modifying a Delivery Service Associated to an Item, and disassociating a Delivery Service from an Item.
Associate a delivery service to an item
You can associate a delivery service to an item to indicate a relationship between the service and the item. For example, you can assign Washing Machine delivery as a delivery service for an item Washing Machine. For the associated delivery service, you can define details such as the service quantity required for a specified quantity of the item, the skill sets required for the service, and so on.
Modify a delivery service associated to an item
You can modify the details of the associated delivery service such as the service quantity required for a specified quantity of the item, the skill sets required for the service, and so on.
Dissociate a delivery service from an item
You can dissociate a delivery service from an item if you do not want to associate a delivery service with that item.
Managing a special service for an item
Managing a special service for an item involves, associating a Special Service to an Item, modifying a Special Service Associated to an Item, and dissociating a Special Service from an Item.
Associate a special service to an item
You can associate a special service to an item to indicate a relationship between the service and the item.
Modify a special service associated to an item
You can modify the details of the associated special service such as the effective start date and end date, the association quantity for the service, and so on.
Dissociate a special service from an item
You can dissociate a special service from an item if you do not want to associate that item with a special service.
Managing a return pickup service for an item
Managing a return pickup service for an item involves, associating a Return Pickup Service to an Item, modifying a Return Pickup Service Associated to an Item, and disassociating a Return Pickup Service from an Item.
Associate a return pickup service to an item
You can associate a return pickup service to an item to indicate if the item can be picked up from the customer's location in case the customer wants to return the item.
Modify a return pickup service associated to an item
You can modify the details of the associated return pick up service such as the service quantity required for a specified quantity of the item, the skill sets required for the service, and so on.
Dissociate a return pickup service from an item
You can dissociate a return pickup service from an item if you do not want that item to be associated with a return pickup service.
Managing a kitting service and dekitting service of a physical kit item or a dynamic physical kit item
Managing a Kitting Service and Dekitting Service of a Physical Kit Item or a Dynamic Physical Kit Item involves, associating and disassociating a Kitting and Dekitting Service to a Physical Kit or a Dynamic Physical Kit Item.
Associate a kitting and dekitting service to a physical kit or a dynamic physical kit item
You can associate a kitting service and a dekitting service only for an item type of physical kit or a dynamic physical kit from the Other Service Associations screen.
Dissociate a kitting and dekitting service from a physical kit or a dynamic physical kit item
You can dissociate a kitting and dekitting service from a physical kit or a dynamic physical kit item if you do not want the physical kit or a dynamic physical kit item to be associated with the kitting and dekitting service.
Managing components for a physical kit item
You can manage components for a physical kit item in Sterling Business Center.
Managing components for a bundle item
You can manage components for a bundle item in Sterling Business Center.
Manually assign an item and define the item quantity for a physical kit or bundle item
In order to assemble a physical kit or bundle item, you can manually assign an item and define the quantity of the item that should be a part of the physical kit or bundle item.
Manually assign a service item and define the service quantity for a physical kit or bundle item
Manually remove an existing item or a service from a physical kit or bundle item
You can manually remove an existing item or service from a physical kit or bundle item.
Creating a configurable item in Sterling Business Center
You can create a configurable item by associating a model to it. A model represents all the possible valid configurations for that item.
Creating a preconfigured item in Sterling Business Center
After you have created a configurable item, you can create various preconfigurations for this item. A customer in the Web channel application can select from these preconfigurations and can modify the preconfiguration for which an order has been placed.
Change the configuration model of a configurable or preconfigured item
You can change the configuration model of a configurable or preconfigured item.

Parent topic: Sterling Business Center item administration