The Business Master (4th Edition)

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____________________________________________________________ P O N Y E X P R E S S The Pony Express program was developed just two miles from the residence of Alexander Majors, founder of the original Pony Express mail service. In that same spirit we have developed a precision tool for all businesses to improve their efficiency. Bruce Montgomery PONY EXPRESS(R) Copyright (C) 1987, 1991 by Melisco Marketing, Inc. All Rights Reserved Melisco Marketing, Inc. 9719 Ensley Lane Leawood, KS 66206-2246 version 1.50 ____________________________________________________________ NOTICE ____________________________________________________________ The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor. The documentation and software described in this document are furnished under a license agreement. The documentation and software may be copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement. No part of this document may otherwise be photocopied, reproduced or translated into any language or computer language without the prior written consent of Melisco Marketing, Inc. Copyright (C) 1987, 1991 by Melisco Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication is provided as a supplement to the Pony Express program. It is not intended to be used as an in- depth reference of the services described herein. For more information about these services, you should contact your local customer service representative of the provider of the service. A registration and order form has been provided on page i-v. For quantity, site license or dealer pricing you can write or call Melisco Marketing, Inc. TELEPHONE AND ADDRESS INFORMATION Melisco Marketing, Inc. 9719 Ensley Lane Leawood, KS 66206-2246 Business Office (913)642-5005 9:00 - 5:00 CST Orders Only (800)642-5045 9:00 - 5:00 CST FAX (913)642-5466 24 Hours/Daily Melisco BBS (913)642-9895 24 Hours/Daily ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS ____________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS _________________ PROGRAM LICENSE AGREEMENT...............i-iii REGISTRATION AND ORDER FORM...............i-v INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW..................................1-1 RATES AND OPTIONS SUPPORTED...............1-5 OTHER APPLICATION AREAS...................1-6 GETTING STARTED INSTALLING PONY EXPRESS...................2-3 INSTALLATION QUESTIONS....................2-4 USING PONY EXPRESS PROGRAM INITIALIZATION....................3-1 ACTIVATE PONY EXPRESS (applies to program modes R, E, S)............................3-1 MOVING BETWEEN SCREENS....................3-2 ADJUSTING THE SCREEN......................3-2 CHANGING SCREEN COLORS....................3-2 DATA ENTRY SCREEN DATA ENTRY FIELDS.........................4-1 OPTION KEY STATUS.........................4-2 FUNCTION KEYS ACTIVE......................4-2 RATE SCREEN OPTION KEY MATRIX.........................5-1 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i-i TABLE OF CONTENTS ____________________________________________________________ SHIPPING INFORMATION WINDOW...............5-2 FUNCTION KEYS ACTIVE......................5-4 ESTIMATED ARRIVAL SCREEN ESTIMATED ARRIVAL- THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW....................6-1 SCREEN LAYOUT.............................6-2 THE SYMBOLS...............................6-2 VARYING THE SHIP DATE.....................6-3 APPENDIX A - ERROR MESSAGES DURING INSTALLATION.......................A-1 DURING INITIALIZATION.....................A-1 APPENDIX B - PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY SIDEKICK USERS............................B-1 LOTUS USERS...............................B-1 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i-ii LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY ____________________________________________________________ LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY This software is not and never has been public domain software. Pony Express is a copyrighted software product developed and owned by Melisco Marketing, Inc. ("Melisco"). Copyright (C) 1987, 1991 by Melisco Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Melisco retains ownership of this copy of software. Private individuals and computer clubs are granted permission by the author to freely copy the Pony Express disks for evaluation by others as long as the disks are not modified in any way. However, you may not sell the disks for profit. Exceptions to these rules must be received in writing from Melisco. Use of this software product for any period of time constitutes your acceptance of this agreement and subjects you to all of its contents. Non-registered users are granted a non-exclusive limited license to use this software on a single computer workstation solely on a trial basis. The purpose of this free trial access to the software is to determine if the package is suitable for your computer needs. Use of this product, except for the limited purpose of determining if it satisfies your current business or other productive use requires registration. To register this copy for continued usage return the enclosed registration form with proper payment to: Melisco Marketing, Inc. 9719 Ensley Lane Leawood, KS 66206-2246 (913)642-5005 Each license granted to you or any subsequent licensee is subject to the following terms and conditions: Registration permits the user a license to use this software on a single computer. You may not adapt, alter, modify or translate this software or accompanying manual. Restrictions include, but are not limited to, creating derivitative works, reverse engineering, decompiling or disassembling. You may not lease, sub-license, rent or distribute either this software or its documentation. You may make copies of this software only for backup and archival purposes. No more than two (2) copies may be in existence at any time. You must include the copyright notice on the copy. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i- iii LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY- continued ____________________________________________________________ EXCEPT AS NOTED BELOW, THIS SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU. IF THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION IS DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. Melisco may offer from time to time, updated versions of this software. At its option, Melisco will make such updates available to the licensees who have paid the update fee and returned the Registration form to Melisco. LIMITED WARRANTY Melisco Marketing, Inc. warrants the magnetic media and physical documentation to be free of defect in materials and workmanship for a period of 30 days from date of purchase. Melisco's entire liability and your sole remedy shall be the replacement of the material not meeting this "Limited Warranty" IN NO EVENT WILL MELISCO BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM OR ITS DOCUMENTATION. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, the above limitation may not apply to you. This agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Kansas. This agreement supersedes any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written relative to the subject matter of this agreement. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i-iv REGISTRATION AND ORDER FORM ____________________________________________________________ To order Pony Express or to register for continued usage complete the form below and enclose the proper payment. You can also order by telephone (800)642-5045 (orders only) or (913)642-5005. Our FAX number is (913)642-5466. Contact Name:_______________________________________________ Title:________________________________ Company Name:_______________________________________________ Street Address:_____________________________________________ City:_________________________ St:______ Zip:_______________ Telephone:____________________ Alternate:___________________ Quantity ________ Pony Express registration and @ $50.00 ea _______ product update notification. ________ Pony Express registration plus @ $80.00 ea _______ professionally printed user's guide, one year voice tech support, product update notification. (includes shipping) Diskette Format: [ ] 3.5" [ ] 5.25" Kansas residents add 5.85% sales tax _______ Total _________ Method of Payment: [ ] Check with Order [ ] Money Order [ ] Mastercard [ ] Visa Card #:__________________________________ Exp. Date:___ /___ Signature:______________________________________ Cardholder's Name:______________________________ Remit To: Melisco Marketing, Inc. 9719 Ensley Lane Leawood, KS 66206-2246 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i-v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ____________________________________________________________ Pony Express is a registered trademark of Melisco Marketing, Inc. IBM, IBM PC-DOS, IBM-PC, IBM-XT, IBM-AT, IBM-PS/2 are registered trademarks of International Business Machine Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Sidekick is a trademark of Borland International Inc. Lotus and 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. Metro is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems. U.S. Mail emblem, Express Mail, First-Class Mail, Priority Mail and United States Postal Service are among the registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of the U.S. Postal Service. UPS logotype, Next Day Air and 2nd Day Air are registered trademarks of United Parcel Service. Federal Express is a registered trademark of Federal Express Corporation. MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS IBM-PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or a true compatible with a minimum of 256K, 1 floppy disk drive and a monochrome or color monitor. IBM PC-DOS or MS-DOS version 2.0 or greater is also required. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE i-vi INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________________ Pony Express applies to all businesses especially smaller ones. This overview will help you relate it to yours. We realize that the subject matter is a rather dry one so as a reward for reading this intro, we have included several important tips that everyone can use. Let's face it, as businesses and individuals we all use the Postal Service. Privatize it; they need more competition, you say? Well I don't know how many telephone bills you get each month but who wants more complexity in their life. Let's digress for a moment. Many years ago the H&R Block company was founded here in Kansas City by two brothers who realized that people might pay money to get their taxes done rather than stand in long lines at the IRS offices. Several years ago, we had a similar thought while standing in line at the Post Office. After all, the Postal Service needs just one thing from you, the correct postage for the service you want performed. Pony Express does just that. For individuals or small businesses, it will get you out of the lines and back in your office. For large businesses, it can streamline your mail and shipping rooms. Pony Express is a sophisticated program that knows what the window clerk knows. We call it "A Civil Servant in a box" Tm. Before we go on let's look at the Postal Service for what it really is. Forget about the bills and junk mail they bring you. It's not their fault, they were hired to do that. The U.S. Postal Service is the largest delivery system in the world. The system works well and it works hard. Even on holidays when you don't see your letter carrier, internal processing continues and it never stops. Every day the system moves over 450 million pieces of mail thru 29,000 domestic Post Offices. They are at every address in the nation almost every day. And U.S. Postal rates are the lowest in the world. The junk mail is analogous to a commercial on television in that it helps keep rates lower. No system is perfect but if you agree that for us to make the changes we may want is a feat similar to changing the rotation of the earth then it just makes good sense to learn more about how the system really works. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-1 CHAPTER 1 ____________________________________________________________ First let's take a minute to take the mystery out of the Postal rate types. FOR IMPORTANT STUFF FIRST CLASS- Letters PRIORITY MAIL- Packages (*first class-zone rated) FOR UNIMPORTANT STUFF THIRD CLASS- Letters FOURTH CLASS- Packages (*parcel post) *Notice that we have bracketed the old names for these services because you will still hear some people refer to them this way. The above example is an easy way to mentally keep the services straight but it is somewhat oversimplified. While you and I may think in terms of letters and packages, the Postal Service really just looks at weight. Don't worry, Pony Express thinks the same way. In our example, we use the term "Letters" because First and Third Class rates refer to small weights. There are also options that you can use with these rate types. "Special Delivery" gets delivered to you immediately upon receipt at your local Post Office. "Registry" (that's how the Fed moves the nation's gold supply) means that the item is signed for and secured every step of the way. A "Return Receipt" can be returned to you showing when, where, and to whom the item was delivered. "Certified Mail" gives you proof of mailing and of course there are others. The beauty of this system is that you pay only for the options you need. In addition, the rate structures are based on the distance the item travels rather than a single fee to send anywhere. This is referred to as "Zone-Rated". ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-2 INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________________ The bad news is that not all options apply to all rate types. Some options feed on others and some are exclusive. When you use the Pony Express program, it watches every keystroke and applies the rules so you can think in terms of: "Deliver it Sunday" "It's worth $400.00 - Insure it!" "I want a receipt" Pony Express figures zones, rates, option fees, and automatically applies discounts. It also blocks out services that don't apply to your objective. Remember, all you need to do is to affix the proper postage amount to pay for this transaction. Maybe now you can see why Pony Express helps sell a lot of postage machines. If you don't have one, stamps work just fine. Before we talk about other Pony Express features, here are some useful tips that can help anyone using mail services. 1. The unsung hero of the Postal Service is Priority Mail. Priority Mail gets delivered to major cities within two days and outlying locations in three. One of our customers saves $35,000 a year by doing this instead of expressing weekly sales reports to field salesmen. For example, two pounds sent by Priority Mail is only $2.90. You can even use it for letters and remember it also delivers on Saturday. Priority Mail stickers are available free from your Post Office. Your item MUST display THIS STICKER (nothing else counts). With this sticker and the proper postage, your item will receive expeditious delivery. If you're hesitant about using this service, I suggest you conduct your own test using Priority Mail with a Return Receipt so you can monitor the actual delivery date. Many large companies are already doing this. 2. Don't give your outgoing mail to the letter carrier when they deliver yours. They have a whole day ahead of them before they get back to the Post Office. You can easily add a day to the delivery by making this mistake. 3. Drop off mail at a drop box but only one with a posted schedule. Pay attention to the schedule because they are strictly adhered to. Different boxes have different schedules so either shop the neighborhood or call the Post Office for schedules if you need flexibility. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-3 CHAPTER 1 ____________________________________________________________ 4. Do NOT use the mail receptacles inside the Post Office. These do not have posted schedules so they are emptied as time allows. Use the drop box outside. 5. Use the morning mail for important items. Most drop boxes have a morning schedule so you might consider batching morning mail and sending it out with someone from your office (early lunch, delivery person, etc.) Here's why: Mail processing occurs in Networks (cycles), morning and afternoon. After mail is collected it must be faced, cancelled and sorted; then it's got a plane to catch. Many of the planes are commercial aircraft so your letter is working with the same schedule that you as a passenger do. Keep that in mind on your next plane trip when you hear the "Thud" up front. Yep, you guessed it, the U.S. Mail is on- board! Remember, if it's important get it to the boxes on time (close doesn't count). To get the most from the Pony Express program we recommend that you try different transactions and experiment with different options on the Rate Screen. For options or services that are new to you, just use the help screens. It's really easy and you'll see not just how smart the program is but also how much more you know. Next, decide which services and options you want to use. Write down any questions you have and contact your local Postal Customer Service Representative to get them resolved. From then on use the Pony Express program to figure the postage. Apply the postage, make sure items are properly marked and use the drop box or the caller window at the Post Office. Stay out of the lines, save time, and save money; it's that simple! And of course when you do have to go to the Post Office try not to giggle at the people in line, it's not polite. Basing rates on the distance moved (Zone Rating) and paying only for the options you need gives you both flexibility and the lowest cost. We already know that from the Postal calculations. One company in the private sector also uses a similar structure for it's services. Because of this similarity we have included support for the United Parcel Service. If your company uses UPS then the Pony Express program will save you even more time. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-4 CHAPTER 1 ____________________________________________________________ You probably also use and will continue to use Federal Express or other overnight delivery service. Unlike Zone Rating, rate structures are pretty much based on a one price ships anywhere philosophy. They have few rules and some options are built into the rate. As a result, you get a rate card that is easy for anyone to understand and quick to use. There's not much a computer can do to simplify that. What we have done is to help you where you needed help and by making better use of the Postal system you use every day, you can save both time and frustration. Just another way to make money with the PC you already own. RATES AND OPTIONS The Pony Express program provides complete support for the following rate types and options. United States Postal Service (USPS) RATES Express Mail-Post Office to Addressee First Class Priority Mail Third Class Fourth Class OPTIONS Insurance to $600.00 (Registry to $25,000.00) COD Fees Automatically includes Intra BMC Discounts Oversize Package Fees Return Receipt Special Delivery Special Handling Certified Mail Registered Mail United Parcel Service (UPS) RATES Next Day Air Letter Next Day Air 2nd Day Air (except to Alaska) Ground Service (commercial and residential) ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-5 INTRODUCTION ____________________________________________________________ United Parcel Service (UPS) continued OPTIONS Insurance to $25,000.00 COD Fees Oversize Package Fees Acknowledgement of Delivery OTHER APPLICATION AREAS A lot of careful planning went into the design of the Pony Express program. We took much of the knowledge of corporate mailing and shipping rooms and joined that with an intuitive program interface that anyone can easily learn and use. After you try Pony Express you may quickly see that there are other people in your company that should also be using it. Let's look at a couple of fictional situations to illustrate where Pony Express can really pay off. Scenario A: Dan Smith is a marketing manager for a small manufacturing company. He needs to send a 16 pound display kit to another city 140 miles away. Dan tells his secretary to make sure it arrives in time for the business show which is in a couple of days. She quickly ships it using overnight air. With Pony Express, Dan's secretary interrupts the word processing application on her PC and activates Pony Express. Not only does she get competitive overnight air rates, but by using the Estimated Arrival screen, she sees that the shipment could arrive in one day using Fourth Class or UPS ground service. The cost savings from this one example could justify the total purchase price of the Pony Express Program. Dan's secretary is then able to exit Pony Express and return to her letter, right where she left off. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-6 CHAPTER 1 ____________________________________________________________ Scenario B: Jim Stokes is an account representative for a company that sells micro-computer hardware by mail order. Most of his sales are made over the phone. His current customer wants to know the total order charges so he can prepare his check to cover the COD amount. Jim tells his customer that he will check with the shipping department and call him right back. With Pony Express, Jim could have finished the order, saved a long distance phone call and prevented the interruption to the shipping department. Transactions also work in reverse, so if Jim's customer was a Pony Express user, he could have figured the total charges by himself. With Pony Express you can: Quickly quote shipping charges, options and delivery dates internally or to customers. Calculate inbound charges and lead times. Set shipping charge standards for your own products. Charge back user departments for mail and shipping services. Maintain UPS log books. Audit UPS billing. Eliminate unnecessary expediting. As you learn more about Pony Express, you will be able to apply it to your own situations, so let's get started. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1-7 GETTING STARTED ____________________________________________________________ The program distribution diskette you received already contains everything you need to get started. Thanks to a proprietary zone compression system developed by Melisco Marketing, the installation program will automatically configure the proper zone information that is unique to your area. So don't worry about zone charts or rate schedules, just answer a few simple questions. Prior to installing Pony Express for the first time, you will need to make a copy of the Pony Express program distribution diskette. You should always work from the copy and store the original in a safe place. If you need assistance in making the copy, you should refer to the DOS FORMAT and DISKCOPY commands in your DOS reference manual. To make the proper rate calculations, Pony Express needs to know the ORIGIN SECTION that you ship from. The origin section consists of the first three digits of the zip code. Keep in mind that if you move your business to a different origin section, you will need to re-install Pony Express. NOTE- If you're in a hurry to get started, then you will be happy to know that during installation, the origin section (question 1) is the only response that does not have a default answer. You can always use the installation program to modify your responses at a later time. The default answers are adequate for most users. Even in our compressed format, the various zone information files take over 130K of diskette storage. However, after installation, the run-time data file ("PECONFIG.DTA") that supports your section will take-up slightly more than 2K of diskette storage. This smaller data file is the one that Pony Express will use during program execution. During installation you will be asked to choose the PROGRAM MODE. The mode that you choose should be based on your frequency of use and the hardware/software configuration of your computer. When the Pony Express program is active (doing work for you), it requires approximately 135K of your computer's main memory. To help you get the most from both the program and your machine's resources, we have included four different program modes to give you maximum flexibility. ___________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2-1 CHAPTER 2 ____________________________________________________________ Mode A allows you to use Pony Express as a stand-alone program. It will use main memory only when active. When you exit the program, all of your computer's main memory is returned to you. It must be loaded each time it is used, the same way as most word processors, spreadsheet programs, etc.. This should be your choice if you plan to use Pony Express within an "operating environment" such as Microsoft Windows or DESQview. Mode R will keep the program memory resident. After it is loaded the first time (after power-up) you can activate it by pressing the "Hot Keys" (discussed later in this chapter). Unlike the other three modes, mode R does not return memory to you, even when the program is not active. This is the default mode. Mode S is similar to mode R but allows you to use extended memory (beyond 640K) or a hard disk as a swapping media. When the program is not active, most of the program is swapped (stored) on the swapping media. All but approximately 9K of main memory is returned to you. If your computer does have extended memory, then using part of it as a VDISK (see your DOS manual) and specifying program mode S is an ideal choice. If you do not have extended memory, you can also use a hard disk. Although swapping to a hard disk results in a somewhat longer time to activate, it is still very acceptable for most users. Mode E can be used by users that have a LIM (Lotus, Intel, Microsoft) EMS memory option installed. Operationally, it works like mode S. Program modes R, E, S, of the Pony Express can be unloaded to free-up DOS memory for use by other applications without re-booting the system. You can unload the Pony Express program by pressing ALT+U when the program is in use. **IMPORTANT** BE SURE IF YOU ATTEMPT TO UNLOAD PONY EXPRESS, THAT IT WAS INVOKED FROM THE DOS PROMPT AND NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF ANOTHER PROGRAM. ALSO, IF YOU USE OTHER MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAMS BE SURE TO UNLOAD THEM IN A LAST LOADED/FIRST UNLOADED SEQUENCE. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2-2 GETTING STARTED ____________________________________________________________ INSTALLING PONY EXPRESS Put the program diskette in drive A. Type: A: Press: RETURN For users with a hard disk. Type: PEINST C: NOTE- If your hard disk is not drive C then substitute that drive letter. The install utility will create/use a directory called \PONY on the drive that you specify. Press: RETURN For users without a hard disk. Type: PEINST Press: RETURN ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2-3 CHAPTER 2 ____________________________________________________________ INSTALLATION QUESTIONS Much of the following information is also provided in the help line at the bottom of the installation screen. 1. Origin section- Enter the first three digits of the zip code that you will be shipping from. 2. Program mode (R, A, E, S)- Enter R if you want to use as a memory resident program. Enter A if you want to use as a stand-alone program. Enter E if you have Lotus/Intel/Microsoft EMS memory. Enter S if you want to swap the Pony Express program from and to your hard disk or to a VDISK (virtual disk, also known as a Ram disk). Note- If you choose E or S you must be using DOS 3.0 or a later version. 3. Monitor default color- If you are installing for the first time we recommend that you use the default values. This is discussed in more detail in Chapter 3. 4. Monitor snow check- Some color adapters (IBM color graphics for example) flicker during direct screens writes. If you encounter this problem then you should respond Y to this question. 5. Show first- When you use the Pony Express rate screen and you press the F1 key, the shipment configuration details will be shown for UPS or USPS. This response determines which one you see first. For instance, if most of the rate information that you need is for UPS then you would use 1. 6. Return receipt type- This field is used to determine which rate to use for the kind of return receipt you will use for USPS shipments. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2-4 GETTING STARTED ____________________________________________________________ 7. Commercial Insurance- If you are a frequent shipper, then you may have your own insurance to cover loss or damage to the items that you ship. If you do, then answer Y. If you plan to use only the insurance available from UPS or USPS then respond N. 8. Deductible to insure- You will be asked this question only if you responded Y to question number 7. If you have a deductible amount that you would like to insure using UPS or USPS insurance, then enter that amount. Whole dollars are assumed, so use the decimal point for fractional dollars. After you have completed the above questions, you will be asked if you have any changes. Any response other than N will take you back to question number 1. SELECTING THE "HOT KEYS" If you selected R, E, or S as your program mode then you will be asked to select a hot key. This is the combination of keys that you will press to activate (call up) the Pony Express program. Your Hot Key selection should be one of the following. Alt- A thru Z (except U or C) Alt- 0 thru 9 or - or = Alt- F1 thru F10 Shift- F1 thru F10 Also make sure that you use keys that do not conflict with other memory resident programs that you own. NOTE- You will be asked this question twice in succession to verify that you are satisfied with your selection. DISK SWAPPING INFORMATION If you selected S as your program mode, then you will be asked for the drive and directory to use for disk swapping. Just press enter if you want to use the default. If you have a VDISK with space available, it would be an ideal choice. It is also possible to use diskette storage but this will result in poor performance. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2-5 USING PONY EXPRESS ____________________________________________________________ USING PONY EXPRESS Each time you power-up or re-boot your PC, you will need to load the Pony Express program into main memory prior to using it. PROGRAM INITIALIZATION In order to load (initialize) the program: NOTE- If you just finished installation, you may skip the next paragraph. The installed drive should be the default drive. If you installed Pony Express on the diskette make sure that it is in the default drive. Hard disk users should make sure that they are in the root directory. If you are not sure then type CD\ and press the Return key. Type: PE Press: RETURN It will take a few seconds for the program to load and structure its configuration data. If you selected mode A (stand-alone) as the program mode, then you will already see the Data Entry screen. If you selected a mode other than mode A, then pay particular attention to the box at the bottom of your screen. Any errors encountered during initialization will show-up there. If you have error messages you can refer to appendix A. ACTIVATE PONY EXPRESS (applies to program modes R, E, S) Once you have initialized the program, you may call it up anytime (provided enough memory is available) by pressing the "Hot Keys" that you specified during installation. If you just finished installation you should press them now. Keep in mind that the "Hot Keys" also act as a toggle to take you immediately back to your previous application from any Pony Express screen. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 3-1 CHAPTER 3 ____________________________________________________________ MOVING BETWEEN SCREENS There are three layers of screens that support the Pony Express program. By pressing F2 (function key 2), you can move forward from the Data Entry screen to the Rate screen. Press F2 again and you will move to the Estimated Arrival screen. To go back to a previous screen, just press ESC (Escape key). NOTE- By pressing the ESC key when you are at the Data Entry screen, you will exit from Pony Express and return to your previous task. ADJUSTING THE SCREEN The screen may be adjusted to display in one of three different vertical positions. This can be useful if you need to see information from a background screen. Example- You've called up Pony Express from an order entry application and you need to see the ship-to zip code. You can make this adjustment by pressing CTRL+PAGE UP or CTRL+PAGE DOWN. This can be done at anytime as long as you are not in help mode. CHANGING SCREEN COLORS To change the screen background and text colors you must: Be at the Data Entry screen. All data entry fields should be cleared. You can press F3 to do this. Press ALT+C. The cursor will disappear indicating that you are in color change mode. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 3-2 USING PONY EXPRESS ____________________________________________________________ Use the CURSOR UP/CURSOR DOWN keys to change the text color. Then, use the PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN keys to change the background color. NOTE- Most monochrome monitors will not change with each key press so a little experimentation is necessary. NOTE- The color number that you have selected will show at the bottom of the Data Entry screen. If you want to make this change permanently, then write this number down and use it as the monitor default color in the installation program. The change that you just made will stay in effect as long as the program resides in memory. Press the ESC key to select the color. The cursor will then return to normal. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 3-3 DATA ENTRY SCREEN ____________________________________________________________ DATA ENTRY FIELDS The left side of the Data Entry screen contains the following fields: To Section- (always required) You should enter the first three digits of the zip code that you are shipping to. Sections are always checked for validity. Weights- Lbs or Ozs (always required) Enter the shipping weight in pounds or ounces or both (example 5 lbs, 2 ozs). Valid pounds are between 0 and 70 and valid ounces are between 0 and 16. The maximum total weight for a shipment must not exceed 70 pounds. Declared Value- (optional) Used for insurance fees and Registered Mail fees. This should be the market value or replacement cost of the shipment. The program uses this field to determine the fee for the amount of UPS and USPS insurance that you require. If during installation you responded Y to the commercial insurance question, then it will calculate the fees based on the Deductible to Insure, instead of the entire Declared Value. Values up to $25,000.00 are supported. Whole dollars are assumed. Use the decimal point for fractional values. Note- In order to use Registered Mail, the Declared Value field must contain a value greater than zero. COD amount- (optional) This is the amount to be collected from the recipient at the time the shipment is delivered. This amount should exclude freight. The Rate Screen provides a separate column (Total COD) which totals this amount plus any shipping fees. Values up to $25,000.00 are supported. Whole dollars are assumed. Use the decimal point for fractional values. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 4-1 CHAPTER 4 ____________________________________________________________ OPTION KEY STATUS The right side of the Data Entry screen shows the current status (Off or On) of the Option keys, these keys are explained in detail later in the chapter 5 section titled "Rate Screen". FUNCTION KEYS ACTIVE F5 - F10 are discussed in the "Rate Screen" chapter. F1- The help mode, shows a brief description of each data entry field. Once you are in the help mode you may use the PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN keys to scroll information. To exit help mode press the ESC key. F2- May be pressed anytime after a valid Section and Weight have been entered. This performs the rate calculations and displays the Rate Screen. F3- Will reset all data entry fields to zero and return the status of any active option keys (F5 - F10) to Off. F4- Displays the current version number, registration and technical support information. Remember- To exit the Pony Express program and return to your previous task just press the ESC key. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 4-2 RATE SCREEN ____________________________________________________________ RATE SCREEN Note- To access the Rate screen you must have already entered a valid section and weight on the Data Entry screen, then pressed F2. Pony Express will have already performed automatic zone lookup and rate calculations. It will also have considered weight and optional insurance or COD requirements of your transaction. For services that don't meet your objective, the rates will be flagged as -n/a- (not available). If you choose additional options on this screen, Pony Express will continue to apply the rules, blocking inappropriate rates and determining the correct rates and fees. The chargeable amount for each service is shown in the Basic Cost column. The Rate Screen also shows zone information (ZN) which is a real timesaver for anyone responsible for keeping a UPS log book. To the right of the Basic Cost column is the Total COD column. This is the total of the COD amount that you entered on the Data Entry screen, plus the shipping charges that have been calculated for that service. This column will also be flagged -n/a- if a particular shipping rate no longer applies. OPTION KEY MATRIX The right half of the Rate Screen is a matrix showing the Option keys available, not available, and in-use for each of the services. Three different characters are used in the matrix: . means that the option does not apply to this type of service. - means that the option does apply to this service but it is not currently being used. + means that the option does apply to this service and it is currently in use. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 5-1 CHAPTER 5 ____________________________________________________________ You can toggle the options On or Off by pressing the Option keys (F5-F10). They are labeled above the column heading. When an option is toggled On, two things happen: The Basic Cost and Total COD columns will now include the fee for this service. The + will be shown in the appropriate Option column. Any service that does not support an option that you have selected will be flagged as -n/a-. By setting the Option keys, you are letting Pony Express guide you to the rates that are valid for your shipment. This helps take the guesswork out of what rate to use and when to use it. SHIPPING INFORMATION WINDOW This important feature shows all of the details of the current shipment. The Shipping Information Window is the first thing you see when you press the help (F1) key. There are actually two windows, one for UPS and the other is used for USPS information. Once you are in help mode you can: Press F1 again to see the second Shipping Information Window. NOTE- If rates for both USPS and UPS are available, the first one that you see (when you press F1 the first time) is determined by your response to the "Show First" question during installation. Example- A user who ships mostly with UPS would have responded with a 1 to the "Show First" question during installation. As long as a UPS rate is available, the UPS Shipping Information Window would always appear first when F1 is pressed. Press keys 1-9, F4-F10. Since you are in help mode you can use these keys to display help information about a service or option. To exit the help mode, press the ESC key. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 5-2 RATE SCREEN ____________________________________________________________ OPTION KEY - COLUMN HEADINGS Lg/P (Oversize Package) When you choose this option, you should have a specific rate in mind. Examples of oversize packages are: First Class- Mail weighing one ounce or less that is longer than 11-1/2 inches or higher than 6-1/8 inches or thickness greater than 1/4 inch. Priority Mail- A parcel weighing less than 15 pounds and measuring over 84" in length and girth. Fourth Class- A parcel weighing more than 35 pounds or more than 34" in length or more than 17" in width or height. You should also use this option if you are shipping an item that is high in density (a paint can etc.), using Fourth Class mail. All UPS Rates- A parcel weighing less than 25 pounds and over 84" in length and girth. Rr/Ak (Return Receipt/Acknowledgment of delivery) This will add in the fee for a proof of delivery document that is to be returned to you when your shipment has been delivered to the recipient. The USPS Return Receipt is available in two types. Both of them show to whom and when delivered, but only one shows the actual address where delivered. The fee that Pony Express includes in the basic cost depends on which type (Return Receipt Type) that you specified during installation. The UPS Acknowledgment of Delivery (AOD) fee will be added into the applicable UPS Basic Cost when this option is selected. Sp-D (Special Delivery) The USPS special delivery fee will be included in the Basic Cost for rates that support this option. Sp-Hd (Special Handling) The USPS special handling fee will be included in the Basic Cost for rates that support this option. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 5-3 CHAPTER 5 ____________________________________________________________ Cert (Certified Mail) The USPS certified mail fee will be included in the Basic Cost for rates that support this option. Certified Mail provides the mailer with a receipt when the item is mailed. Regr (Registered Mail) The USPS registered mail fee will be included in the Basic Cost for rates that support this option. Registered mail provides tracking for a shipment from acceptance to delivery. To calculate the registered mail fee, Pony Express uses the entire Declared Value of the shipment. The USPS insurance requirement is based on that same value unless you responded Y to the commercial insurance questions during installation. If you did, then the insurance requirement is based on an amount up to the Deductible to Insure that you specified. FUNCTION KEYS ACTIVE F1- Pressing this key will put you in the help mode. When you initially enter help mode, the first thing shown is the the Shipping Information Window. F2- Allows you to move to the next screen (Estimated Arrival). F3- Clears (turns off) any of the Option keys that are currently selected (toggled on). This works the same way as toggling off the individual option. NOTE- Any fees associated with the Option keys are backed out of the Basic Cost and Total COD fields. Also, any rates that were flagged -n/a- because of these options will be restored to their normal state. F4- Toggles between standard rates and "flat rate envelope" rates. FRE rates include Express Mail, Priority Mail and UPS Next Day Air Letter. Special envelopes must be ordered from the carrier. Standard rates are the default. When FRE is toggled on "FRE" will show in the service description. Pony Express assumes a practical weight maximum of 5 pounds when FRE is on. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 5-4 ESTIMATED ARRIVAL SCREEN ____________________________________________________________ ESTIMATED ARRIVAL SCREEN This screen was developed to help you estimate how long your shipment will be in transit. This can be very useful for zone-rated services such as UPS ground or USPS Priority Mail or Fourth Class. There is a tendency sometimes to use an expedited service rather than taking the time to make our own estimations. Frequent shippers usually make some quick mental calculations, but allowing for such variables as week-ends or the fact that the shipment may not go out for a couple of days, can make this a very difficult task. Zone rated services give you the most for your shipping dollar because the rates are structured around the actual distance moved. When you are working with very tight delivery dates then you will probably want to use services such as USPS Express Mail or UPS Next Day Air or UPS 2nd Day Air. These services are built around expedited delivery requirements. Certainly, this costs more but if you're currently using these services then you already know how competitive they are with the rest of the industry. REMEMBER- YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF: How much delivery flexibility do I have? How far is the shipment going to travel? If you do that, you're in for some pleasant surprises. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL - THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW It may seem at first that estimating delivery is similar to predicting the weather. To a certain extent that is true, otherwise there wouldn't be as much of a market for expedited services. However, there are consistencies in work schedules, flight schedules, and truck routes that provide stability to our calculations. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 6-1 CHAPTER 6 ____________________________________________________________ Pony Express goes way beyond rough distance calculations. It makes allowances for such things as week-end pick- ups, delivery, and movement. It is also Option key sensitive, so things like special delivery will improve the schedule. There are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, the Estimated Arrival Screen makes no allowances for holidays. Secondly, it will let you use Sunday as a shipping day for USPS, unless you have chosen Option keys, COD or insurance that would require some mailers to go to the post office. Since the postal window is not open, we move your shipping day to Monday. Without these exceptions, we assume the item is small and can be put in a collection box. Sure it's common sense, but we thought you should know. As long as you don't get "analysis paralysis" and use some common sense, we believe you will find that the Estimated Arrival Screen is a great tool to help you get more from your shipping dollars. SCREEN LAYOUT You can get to the Estimated Arrival Screen by pressing F2 at the Rate Screen. Looking at the Estimated Arrival Screen, you will notice that the left-most portion of the screen shows the same Basic Cost information as the Rate Screen. To the right of the Basic Cost column there are eleven column headings showing both the day of the week and the date. The first column is always assumed to be the day that the shipment is ready to leave. THE SYMBOLS There are three different types of symbols used to show the estimated arrival: | Used to show the day the shipment is able to leave your location. Normally this will show under the left-most day/date column unless it must be moved forward to allow for Sat/Sun etc. > This symbol always represents the most probable delivery day. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 6-2 ESTIMATED ARRIVAL SCREEN ____________________________________________________________ [ ] Used to show a range of delivery days with equal probability. The left bracket means "from" and the right indicates "to". Dashes are used to connect these symbols along the horizontal line. VARYING THE SHIP DATE When you use the Pony Express program the first time (after loading the program into memory) the left-most day/date column will show today's day/date (providing the system date has been properly set). Since the left-most column is always assumed to be the day available for shipment, this would indicate that it is ready for shipment today. Many times, this will not be the case. It could be too late in the day or you may need a day or two to process an order. By using the CURSOR RIGHT key, you can move the ship date forward up to 10 days. Once you have advanced the ship date, you can backup 1 day at a time by using the CURSOR LEFT key or use F3 to immediately get back to today. Once you move the ship date forward it will stay there unless you specifically change it. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 6-3 ERROR MESSAGES ____________________________________________________________ APPENDIX A - ERROR MESSAGES DURING INSTALLATION Files are missing from the program disk- One or more files on the program disk has been corrupted. You should use the distribution copy of the program disk to make a new working-copy and then restart the installation procedure. Invalid drive spec- The drive letter that has been entered on the DOS command line is invalid. DURING INITIALIZATION Configuration file not available- The configuration file ("PECONFIG.DTA") must be located in the default directory. If the file has been accidentally erased, you can re-run the installation program to create a new one. Error in SWAP file creation- You have selected S as your program mode and the drive that you specified as your swap drive doesn't have enough available space. You should select a different drive, program mode or you should free-up space on the current swap drive. There should be approximately 259K available on the swap drive. Not enough EMS memory available- You will probably want to select a different program mode. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE A-1 ERROR MESSAGES ____________________________________________________________ EMS support requires DOS 3.0 or later- Either upgrade to a later version of DOS or select a different program mode. SWAP support requires DOS 3.0 or later- Either upgrade to a later version of DOS or select a different program mode. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE A-2 PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY ____________________________________________________________ APPENDIX B - PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY These considerations apply when you are using Pony Express in program modes R, E, S. SIDEKICK USERS- You should always load (initialize) the Pony Express program before you load Sidekick. As with any memory resident program, you should make sure that there is no "Hot Key" conflict between the programs. LOTUS USERS- Lotus 1-2-3 release 1A does not use the BIOS to set the video mode. This causes a problem for any memory resident program (including Lotus Metro) that attempts to save the Lotus screen. Pony Express will operate correctly; however, it will not be able to properly restore the Lotus screen. This situation does not occur in newer versions of Lotus 1- 2-3. ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE B-1 INDEX ____________________________________________________________ INDEX (A) Acknowledgement of Delivery 1-6, 5-3 Acknowledgements i-vi Activate Pony Express 3-1 Adjusting the screen 3-2 AOD See Acknowledgement of Delivery (B) Basic cost 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 6-2 BMC See Intra BMC (C) Certified Mail 1-5, 5-4 Changing screen colors 3-2 Color number 3-3 COD 1-5, 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 5-4 Commercial Insurance 2-5, 5-4 (D) Data Entry Fields 4-1 Screen layout 4-1 Declared value 4-1, 5-4 Delivery 6-1 Directory usage 2-3, 2-5, 3-1 Disk swapping 2-5 Storage required A-1 Distribution diskettes 2-1 DOS versions i-vi, 2-4 (E) EMS memory 2-2, 2-4 Error messages A-1, 3-1 Estimated Arrival Screen Layout 6-2 Symbols 6-2 Varying the ship date 6-3 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 1 INDEX ____________________________________________________________ Exit Pony Express 4-2 Express Mail 1-5, 6-1 Extended memory 2-2 (F) First Class Mail 1-2, 1-5 Fourth Class Mail 1-2, 1-5, 5-3 Frequency of use 2-1 FRE (flat rate envelopes) 5-4 Function keys 4-2, 5-2, 5-4 (G) Ground Service 1-5, 6-1 (H) Hardware requirements i-vi Hard disk 2-2, 2-3, 3-1 Help Data Entry screen 4-2 Rate screen 5-2 Holidays 6-2 Hot keys 2-2, 2-5, 3-1 (I) Installation 2-1 On diskette 2-3 On hard disk 2-3 Installation questions 2-4 Installation screen 2-4 Insurance 1-5, 2-5, 4-1, 5-4 Insurance deductible amt 2-5 Intra BMC 1-5 (L) Large Package See Oversize Package License Agreement i-iii Loading Pony Express See Program initialization Lotus See Program compatibility ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 2 INDEX ____________________________________________________________ (M) Main memory 2-1 Maximum field sizes 4-1 Memory resident unload 2-2 Memory Req. 2-1 Memory resident See Program modes Minimum hardware req i-vi Modes See Program modes Monitor default color 2-4 Monitor snow check 2-4 Monochrome monitor 3-3 Moving (your business) See Origin (changes) Moving between screens 3-2 (N) Next Day Air 1-5, 6-1 Next Day Air Letter 1-5 Not available 5-1, 5-4 (O) Operator guidance 5-2 Option key Column headings 5-3 Option key matrix 5-1 Option keys 4-2, 5-1, 5-4, 6-2 Clearing 5-4 Status 4-2 Options supported UPS 1-6 USPS 1-5 Origin (changing) 2-1 Origin section 2-1, 2-4 Oversize Package 1-5, 5-3 (P) Parcel Post See Fourth Class Mail PECONFIG.DTA A-1, 2-1 Priority Mail 1-2, 1-5, 5-3, 6-1 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 3 INDEX ____________________________________________________________ Program compatibility Lotus B-1 Sidekick B-1 Program initialization 3-1 Program modes 2-2 Mode A 2-2, 2-5 Mode E B-1, 2-2, 2-5 Mode R 2-1, 2-2, 2-5 Mode S B-1, 2-2, 2-5 Program swapping 2-2, 2-5 Proof of delivery See Acknowledgement of Delivery See also Return Receipt (Q) Quick install 2-1 (R) Ram disk See VDISK Rate not available See Not available Rate Screen Screen layout 5-1 Rates Supported UPS 1-5 USPS 1-5 Registered Mail 1-2, 1-5, 4-1, 5-4 Registration information i-v, 4-2 Return Receipt 1-2, 1-3, 1-5, 2-4, 2-5, 5-4 (S) 2nd Day Air 1-5, 6-1 Screen layers 3-2 Shipping charges See Basic cost Shipping criteria 5-1 Shipping information window 5-2 Show first 2-4, 5-2 Show FRE 4-2 Sidekick See Program compatibility Special Delivery 1-2, 1-5, 5-3, 6-2 Special Handling 1-5, 5-3 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 4 INDEX ____________________________________________________________ (T) Technical support 4-2 Third Class Mail 1-2, 1-5 To section 4-1 (U) Unloading Pony Express 2-2 UPS defined 1-5 Usage example Scenario A 1-6 Scenario B 1-7 Usage with DESQview 2-2 Microsoft windows 2-2 USPS defined 1-5 (V) VDISK 2-2, 2-5 (W) Weight 4-1 Working copy 2-1 (Z) Zip code See Origin section Zone information (ZN) 5-1 Zone-rated services 1-2, 6-1 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE 5 COMMENT FORM ____________________________________________________________ We welcome your comments regarding Pony Express software and documentation. Contact Name:_______________________________________________ Title:________________________________ Company Name:_______________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________ City:_________________________ St:______ Zip:_______________ Telephone:____________________ How do you rate Pony Express? (1=poor, 10=excellent) Ease of: Quality: Installation ______ Documentation ______ Learning ______ Product Support ______ Use ______ Speed ______ Function ______ General Comments: ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Send To: Melisco Marketing, Inc. 9719 Ensley Lane Leawood, KS 66206-2246 ____________________________________________________________ PONY EXPRESS USER'S GUIDE