Outdoor Advertising Software

CSA's Outdoor Advertising software is designed to manage and control the unique business operations of an Outdoor Advertising company. The system offers a full compliment of features that address the specific needs of Sales, Accounting, Operations and Management, and provides a comprehensive business management solution for an Outdoor Advertising company.

 

LOCATION TRACKING

  • Tracks information regarding each display location.
  • Supports multiple media types (bulletins, 8 sheets, painted boards, bus shelters, etc.).
  • Supports multiple markets and sub-markets.
  • Tracks line of sight information.
  • Tracks License and License Expiration information.
  • Allows an unlimited number of user-defined location characteristics (near school, inbound to vacation attraction, etc.) to be assigned to each location.
  • Allows an unlimited number of product restrictions to be identified for each location.
  • Allows for an unlimited number of image files (pictures,maps,drawings, etc.) to be associated with a location.
  • Allows a map for a location to be automatically created and stored as a GIF file using Microsoft MapPoint.
  • Allows for the creation of a new location by copying data from an existing location.
  • Prints a detailed listing of all locations.
  • Prints a summarized inventory count by market and sub-market, with separate counts for each media type and ethnic area.
  • Prints a Location Listing By Locale Code Report.
  • Prints file labels for each location.
  • Prints a Location Billing Analysis Report, listing the sales generated from each location.
  • Prints a Location Payments Analysis Report, listing the payments received for each location.
  • Prints the Forecasted Revenue Report by Location, listing forecasted revenue for each location and advertiser.
  • Prints a Utilities Cost Analysis Report, analyzing by meter the illumination costs that have been processed through CSA's Accounts Payable system.
  • Prints a Location Direct Expense Report, listing direct expenses that have been charged to each location via CSA's Accounts Payable system.
  • Allows TAB audit circulation figures to be imported into the system, and produces exception reports for unauthorized locations.

LEASING

  • Tracks leased property and payment schedules.
  • Allows up to 30 lease rate changes to be scheduled over the life of the lease.
  • Supports firm and projected lease rate changes.
  • Supports percent of revenue lease payments.
  • Allows percent of revenue payments to be based on either customer billing or payments received.
  • Supports lease payments to multiple payees on either a rotating or split payment basis.
  • Identifies each location covered by the lease.
  • Tracks notations relating to a lease, and stores the next contact date for follow-up with the lessor.
  • Tracks information regarding the source of the lease, who booked it and who is managing the lease.
  • Tracks computer files that are associated with the lease, and allows the files to be viewed.
  • Provides options to automatically generate Reminders for Lease Expirations, Next Lessor Contacts and Lease Rate Changes.
  • Prints the Lease Master File Print-Out with options to print only those leases due to expire, or with lease rate changes scheduled to occur, or with next contract dates specified, over a user specified time period.
  • Automatically produces regularly scheduled lease checks.
  • Allows lease expenses to either be taken when the lease payment is made or amoritzed over the payment period.
  • Produces the Percent of Revenue Lease Payment Register, and provides the option to automatically generate percent of revenue lease checks.
  • Allows ad-hoc lease checks to be processed through the system.
  • Provides separate options for automatically printing company information, bank information, MICR coding and authorized signature on lease checks.
  • Allows void and manual check payments to be entered into the computer.
  • Stores a complete history of all lease payments and in-trade lease compensation.
  • Prints the Lease Payment History Report.
  • Provides an inquiry into the detailed lease payment information by either lease number, vendor name, location description, location number or vendor number.
  • Automatically creates accruals and reversals to lease pre-payment and expense general ledger accounts. Prints the Projected Liability Report in detail or summary form.
  • Prints the Lease Pre-Payment & Liability Analysis Report, listing the current pre-payment/liability status of each lease.
  • Prints the Lease Sales Analysis Report by Source & Booked By, analyzing direct sales for a lease against lease expenses.

CONTRACTS & BILLING

  • Tracks customer contracts.
  • Multiple media types, markets and display periods can be entered as line items on a single contract.
  • Revenue for each contract line can be distributed to as many as eight Revenue Classes.
  • Supports agency discounts and other discounts.
  • Allows for processing of advance payments, and automatically applies advances to later invoices.
  • Allows sales and commission for a contract to be split between as many as three salesreps.
  • Salesrep commission rates can be assigned for either the entire contract, each line item on the contract, or each revenue distribution on the contract line.
  • Each revenue distrbution on a contract line can be flagged to indicate whether it is subject to commission.
  • Allows contracts to be assigned to an Advertising Class.
  • Tracks revenue to the General Ledger by Advertising Class, Market, Panel Type and Revenue Class.
  • Tracks information regarding the product displayed.
  • Allows display periods and billing periods to be entered in months or days.
  • Supports the processing of "In-Trade" contracts.
  • Allows the user to specify a Preempt Date, indicating a date at which the contract can be unilaterally cancelled.
  • Tracks the booking and renewal status of the contract.
  • Allows locations to be charted as contracts are entered.
  • Tracks computer files that are associated with the Contract, and allows the files to be viewed.
  • Allows invoices for a contract to be sent to alternate customer sites, and addressed to specific contacts.
  • For each contract, provides the option of printing Circulation and Posting Dates on the invoice.
  • Provides an option for consolidating all line items on an invoice into a single line item for invoicing.
  • Provides the option of printing the revenue distribution for each contract line on the invoice.
  • Provides the option to generate and process and invoice for a contact, without printing the invoice.
  • Provide options to automatically generate Reminders for Contract Expirations.
  • Produces Pre-Billing reports, listing contracts scheduled to be billed, and contract billing exceptions.
  • Prints invoices, and optionally prints each charted location on the invoice.
  • Provides the ability to use computer generated form overlays when generating invoices and credit memos. (Printer restrictions apply.)
  • Provides the option of aging invoices in the A/R system using either the invoice date or the starting date of the billing period.
  • Stores and prints the advertiser name and product description as reference information in the A/R system.
  • Automatically allocates and tracks revenue for each location.
  • Provides a separate routine through which salesreps can update the renewal status of each contract line item.
  • Prints a Billing Status Report, summarizing the amount billed and amount remaining to be billed for each contract.
  • Prints a Billing Change Report By Sales Rep, listing the net change in billing for a period by Sales Rep.
  • Prints a Contract Schedule Spreadsheet, summarizing the posting schedule for each Contract by month and printing occupancy statistics based on contracts.
  • Prints the Forecasted Revenue Report by salesrep, media type, or combined for the entire company.
  • Prints the Forecasted & Actual Sales By Panel Class report, in Detail or Summary format, listing projected and actual sales for a specified period.
  • Prints acknowledgment letters.
  • Prints a Signed Contracts Report, listing the value of contracts booked with a period by Sales Rep.
  • Prints a Contract Expiration Report, listing contracts due to expire by Sales Rep.
  • Prints a Contract Expirations & Renewal Analysis Report by Sales Rep, analyzing expiring contracts and their Renewal/Continuation value.
  • Prints Contract Renewal Letters, automatically performing a mail merge on expiring contracts to produce customer renewal letters.
  • Provides a commercial invoice routine that allows invoices to be created for goods and services other than rental display contracts.
  • Allows for the processing of credit memos, with optional adjustment to the customer's sales history.
  • Provides an Application Programming Interface (API) that allows third party applications to add, change and delete information in the Contract and Commercial Invoicing files.
  • Tracks information on Advertiser Designs, including who will provide the design, the current status, relevant dates, approval information and the name of the graphic file.
  • Produces the Advertiser Design Code Print-Out with selection criteria for eight dates related to Advertiser Designs.

PROPOSALS

  • Tracks customer proposals and their current status.
  • Supports multiple media types, markets and display periods on a single contract.
  • Produces a Proposals File Print-Out, listing all proposals at a user-specified status.
  • Automatically generates formal customer proposals through MS Word.
  • Provides a set of MS Word template documents for proposal generation.
  • Allows standard template documents to be modified, and new template documents to be created, through MS Word.
  • Formal proposals can include image files, such as pictures and spotted maps. Spotted maps can be for each individual location, or an aggregate of all locations being proposed.
  • Formal proposals can be sent elecronically as a PDF file by adding other third-party software, such as Adobe Distiller.

CHARTING

  • Maintains a complete posting schedule for each location.
  • Provides a Charting Maintenance routine that allows locations to be quickly charted to a contract or proposal.
  • Allows locations to be assigned to a contract or proposal by selecting from a list of available locations that meet the user's selection criteria, including Location Characteristics and Product Restrictions.
  • Allows a Hold Thru date to be specified for proposed charting.
  • While viewing and selecting available locations, the user can view location details, locale codes and image files.
  • While viewing and selecting available locations, the user can view a spotted map of a single available location or all available locations.
  • Allows up to 999 lines of notes to be associated with each charted location.
  • Provides a separate Availability Inquiry, which allows users to query for available locations.
  • Allows charting to be viewed by Location, Contract or Proposal.
  • Allows charting to be entered in days or months.
  • Supports regular reposting cycles.
  • Supports rotations.
  • Tracks the advertiser's design copy for each location and display period.
  • Tracks actual display start and end dates for each location and contract.
  • Optionally warns of overlaps in the posting schedule.
  • Optionally warns of line of sight conflicts based on Product Class and Product Sub-Class.
  • Optionally warns or prevents the charting of locations to contracts and proposals which advertise products that are restricted for the location.
  • Allows the user to pop-up a map for a charted location.
  • Allows the user to pop-up a map of all locations for a Contract or Proposal that are scheduled to be up as of a user-spepcified date.
  • Allows charted locations to be easily copied between proposals and/or contracts.
  • Provides options to automatically generate Reminders for Postings and Takedowns.
  • Keeps scheduling information on file for historical inquiries and reports.
  • Prints a Panel Availability Report, listing each available location within the specified period.
  • Prints a Location Schedule Spreadsheet, summarizing the posting schedule for each location by month, listing contracted rental rates and printing occupancy statistics based on charting.
  • Prints the Charting Report By Panel Number, providing a detail list of all scheduled and available dates for each location.
  • Provides detailed availability reporting.
  • All availability reports and inquiries include:
    • Optional selections and exclusions by location characteristics.
    • Optional exclusions by product restrictions.
    • Options to treat Preemptable space as available.
    • Options to honor Hold Thru dates on proposed locations.
  • Prints the Charting Report By Date, showing the planned posting schedule.
  • Prints the Location Report which provides a listing of charted locations for specific Markets, Advertisers, Products and/or Designs.
  • Prints a Locations To Post Report summarizing the current advertiser and next two scheduled postings for each location.
  • Prints a Starting Contracts Report, listing contracts that are scheduled to start within a user-defined period.
  • Prints the Forecasted Occupancy Report by market and media type.
  • Produces an Automatic Client Ride List for scheduled contrats and proposals.
  • Produces a Manual Client Ride List for the creation of partial ride lists relating to contracts and proposals.
  • Provides the option of including a Poster Showing Profile or Media Delivery summary on the Automatic and Manual Client Ride Lists.

POSTING

  • Automatically produces posting orders to initiate posting. Posting orders may be produced in Posting Card or Worksheet or Work Order format.
  • Automatically produces posting orders for regularly scheduled repostings.
  • Allows for the manual selection of individual locations for posting order printing.
  • Posting information is recorded back into the system for proper updating of starting and ending dates.
  • Tracks last scraped date and scraper's initials for each location.

SALES REPORTING

  • Produces the Activity Report By Market for filing Leading National Advertiser reports.
  • Prints the Activity Report By Product Type for filing Competitive Advertiser Reports.
  • Prints the Panel Sales Analysis, showing sales volume by market and media type with prior year comparisons.
  • Prints the Outdoor Sales Summary, listing gross and net sales by media type.
  • Prints the Percent Occupancy Report, showing actual occupancy percentages by market and media type.
  • Prints the Advertiser Occupancy Report, showing locations displayed for each advertiser by market and media type, with prior year comparisons.
  • Prints an Outdoor Sales Analysis By Sales Rep, listing sales by Sales Rep for up to 13 accounting periods.
  • Prints a Top Advertisers Report, ranking advertisers based on gross sales volume.

LEASE PROFITABILITY REPORTING

  • Produces the Detail Lease Profitability Report, providing a miniature "profit and loss statement" for each lease, including prior period comparatives.
  • Produces the Summary Lease Profitability Report, printing a single line per lease.
  • Requires no special general ledger chart of accounts or profit center structure to track lease profitability.
  • Automatically tracks lease payments as expenses to lease profitability.
  • Allows labor posting time to be entered and posted as a lease expense during posting card entry.
  • Tracks direct charges to a location through Accounts Payable. (Voucher line items may be charged directly to a lease or a location number).
  • Tracks other direct labor and material cost processed through CSA Labor Performance and CSA Inventory Management Systems.
  • Allows any other cost entries to be processed directly through CSA Job Costing.
  • Allows detailed cost entries to be reviewed and reported through CSA Job Costing.

GENERAL

  • Protects against posting to closed accounting periods by allowing the user to indicate which periods are open for Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable purposes.
  • Allows selective printing by Profit Center.
  • Allows previewing of reports prior to printing.
  • Provides online look-ups on validated fields.
  • Provides widespread "on the fly" processing, allowing the user to start up a related application from an existing application.
  • Restricts user access through the use of CSA’s Application Security package.
  • Allows data access from third party Windows products through the use of the Synergy ODBC Driver. (Not available with the "Proposals Only" license).

INTERFACES

  • CSA Outdoor Advertising interfaces with CSA Accounts Receivable, CSA Accounts Payable, and CSA Job Costing.
  • CSA Accounts Payable and CSA Accounts Receivable are required for CSA Outdoor Advertising.
  • CSA Job Costing is optional, but necessary for Lease Profitability Reporting.

OTHER SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

  • Proposal generation requires MS Word.
  • Online map generation requires Microsoft MapPoint. (However, storing maps as image files and including those files in a proposal can be done using any mapping sosftware that allows maps to be stored as image files.)
  • E-mailing proposals requires a software product, such as Adobe Distiller, that acts as a PDF Virtual Printer.
  • Use of the CSA API functions (for third party software development using CSA's API routines) requires licensing additional client/server software.

"PROPOSALS ONLY"
LICENSING OPTION

As an alternative to licensing the full Outdoor Advertising system, CSA provides a "Proposals Only" license. This license restricts your use of the Outdoor Advertising system to only those functions that relate to the generation and tracking of proposals.

SUPPORTED HARDWARE

CSA's software operates on the following Windows platforms: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003.

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