Working With Your Loaners

You can get to this part of the system by clicking on POS > Register in the blue Admin Toolbar. Click on Loaners in the menu.

Creating Loaner Records

If you need to give your customers temporary use of a product, either while theirs is being serviced by your company or for whatever reason, the Loaner tool will allow you to create the records you need to manage that process.

Please note that the Loaner items you use need to be in your regular product inventory, and the Loaner tool can work with both serialized inventory and standard. It may be best to put those items in their own category and set them to not be for sale online, if that's the best way to work for you. Also please note that any items that go out on loan are put into a Reserved status; so they will show as inventory, but won't be available to sell or rent.

To start, go to the Loaner module under the POS menu in the blue Admin Toolbar, and click the +Create New Loaner button. You will first need to search for the Customer so their name will be attached to the loaner. You can also set a Due Date, which will be the end date they need to return the item. If you don't change the listed date, it will enter whatever today's date is, so the item will quickly become overdue.

Next you will want to search for Items on Loaner, and you can search through your database of all inventory in your system for anything that might apply. If the item is serialized, you can choose which serial number will be the Loaner, as pictured above. If it is not serialized, it will just reduce the item's inventory by whatever Loan Quantity is being loaned (see non-serialized Loaner creation example below). Once you have the serial number(s) / quantity selected, click Submit to add it to the Loaner record.

You can enter a Note about the loaner, which is a convenient place to list a Work Order ticket number, or Layaway, or just whatever reason the Loaner is being given out. Notes do print out on the Loaner ticket.

If you like, you can make Notes a required field by clicking on the gear-shaped button on the far right of the blue Admin Toolbar and going to Settings > POS Settings > Products, and you'll find that option near the bottom of the tab. Be sure to Save the setting change once you're finished.

You can click Print Loaner to make printed copies for yourself and the customer, if needed. Once you click to Save the loaner, it will be added as a line-item in your main Loaners list, and it will be Active until it either goes late or is completed.

At any time you can also click the Loaner ID to open it and view the Activity Log, which will show you everything you've done with the Loaner, as pictured below.

Completing a Loaner

The Loaner tool does not require or process any fees, so if you want to charge a fee, you'll need to create an item (we recommend creating it under Products > Services and just title it something like Loaner Fee) and do a Register transaction for the fee separately from this module.

In the list of your Loaners, you'll see a Return Date in addition to other information about each Loaner. That date is when the customer returns the item, so it will display after the Loaner has been completed.

To complete a Loaner, when the customer returns the item, go to the Loaner module and click the Loaner ID number to open it. In the Edit Loaner panel, you will see a field for Return Quantity, and you can enter the number of each item(s) being returned. When you do so and then click to Save the Loaner, it will be Completed. If the Loaner is not completed on the Due Date, it will automatically go into an Overdue status.