Follett ACCESS Adjustments
ACCESS adjustments are changes or corrections that have been requested by the store or campus for the purpose of modifying the balance due on ACCESS issued invoices. Adjustments are usually requested after the campus receives the initial invoice and contacts the store manager about selected transactions (charges) deemed incorrect.
ACCESS adjustments can add charges and/or remove charges on the invoice and ACCESS major account. In most cases, adjustment requests remove charges due to additional course drops, accounts set up in error, discrepancies/disputes, residual uncollected funds, and other reasons.
Note: The request to process ACCESS adjustments should be for EXCEPTIONS ONLY.
If an adjustment is needed, it means an error has been made. Find out what caused the incorrect/incomplete data or error that required an adjustment to the campus invoice, to avoid issues next term.
Option: See ACCESS Store Set-up to reference procedures.
Ways to Avoid ACCESS Adjustments
Review the SAM Import Errors Report.This report generates the errors received from campus enrollment data files transmitted via the interfacing SAM/flat file or errors received when the SIS was pinged by ConnectOnce.
The SAM Import Errors Report runs twice daily and should be reviewed to identify and resolve errors. To eliminate the need for future adjustments, it is critically important to understand why an error occurred or why incorrect/incomplete data was transmitted.
For assistance with resolving SAM Import Errors, contact ACCESS Operations AccessOperations@follett.com or create an incident in the Follett ACCESS Portal.
Align Last Day to Process Drops Date with CourseTracks and Campus AdministrationThe majority of invoice errors and adjustments are due to missed course drops submitted by the campus AFTER the last day to process drops date (LDTPD). And sometimes an error is caused by the store. For instance, a unanticipated change to the LDTPD date occured at the campus level (e.g., Covid-19) — but the change didn't get entered into CourseTracks by the store.
It is critical to partner with your campus to set up and maintain accurate dates. If there is a change, update CourseTracks immediately to ensure the campus dates align with the ACCESS dates entered in CourseTracks — especially the LDTPD.
To account for course drops that happen the day of the agreed upon LDTPD date, the LDTPD date the store enters into CourseTracks is the last day that the campus can send student drops through the SAM/Flat File or ConnectOnce— PLUS one day.
For example:
- In July, the campus says,The last day we will process drops for Fall is September 15.
- To align with the campus, the store enters a LDTPD date of September 16 (15 +1 day) into CourseTracks for the Fall Term.
- An invoice is generated in Follett ACCESS self-service based on the student drops sent through the SAM/Flat File or ConnectOnce - as of September 16.
- If the campus sends 8 additional drops through the system on September 17, the invoice generated will not reflect the credit the campus is expecting.
The outcome, when a campus does not realize the consequences of sending drops after the LDTPD date or chooses not to follow the process, can cause significant issues: with invoicing, manual adjustments for the store and accounting, and delayed payment to Follett. The result increases the A/R balance and reduces cash flow.
To avoid access adjustments due to late LDTPD's, take these actions prior to each term:
- Pull a list of your upcoming Terms & Nested Terms from SAM.
- Set up a meeting with the campus. Take the Terms & Nested Terms to get approval on all dates, especially the LDTPD date.
Your objective for this meeting is to receive, at minimum, a verbal commitment from administration to send all student drops through the SAM/Flat File or ConnectOnce by the LDTPD date. And, to remind the administration to contact the campus store as soon as possible, if the LDTPD for the campus is going to change. - If a date change is needed, go into CourseTracks and update the date immediately. See:Create a Term in CourseTracks
If there are no changes to any dates, no further action is needed.
Effects of ACCESS Adjustments
ACCESS adjustments impact both the amount due from the campus and the store’s financials. Depending on the term, dollar amount, or reason for the adjustment, the adjustment has an effect on store profitability.
ACCESS Adjustment Types/Templates
Choose a template based on the type of adjustment that is required.
| Template | Purpose |
| ACCESS Adjustment ($2,500 or Less) Request Template | To request adjustment/s totaling $2,500 or less on a selected term/major account. |
| ACCESS Adjustment (Greater than $2,500) Request Template | To request adjustment/s totaling $2,501 or greater on a selected term/major account. |
| ACCESS Adjustment Non-Return Request Template | To request adjustment/s for any dollar amount on a selected term/major account. |
Note: The store must remember to adjust for physical materials returned to the store and process inventory adjustments when applicable.
Filling out the ACCESS Adjustment Templates
The adjustment template must be filled out in its entirety and the approval email must be attached to the incident. If any information is missing, the incident will be closed and it will be necessary to resubmit the data by creating and submitting a new incident.
Note: Only one term for one major account # can be submitted per template.
ACCESS Adjustment ($2,500 or Less) Request Template
| Column Title | Data Required |
| Store # | Bookstore # |
| Date | Enter the request date of adjustment (day the adjustment/incident is submitted in the Follett ACCESS Portal) |
| Major Acct # | Enter the major account # (exactly it is displayed in SAM/CARRR) |
| Student ID | Enter student ID, must include leading zeros (if any) |
| ACCESS Adjustment Amount (Adjust Charge By) | Enter dollar amount of adjustment
|
| Reason | Select a reason for the adjustment from the drop down box. |
| Additional Explanation / Comment | Add comments with further details if:
|
ACCESS Adjustment (Greater than $2,500) Request Template
Column Headers in Blue
Log into SAM and download the SAM Reconciliation Report:
- Select each SKU for each course requiring the adjustment.
- Copy the filtered lines from the report and paste into the columns with blue headers on the adjustment request template. ONLY include fulfilled SKUs related to the course requiring adjustments. Do NOT include students that do not require an adjustment.
- Verify if remaining blue header information is available from the SAM report and manually enter if information is missing (e.g., Department Code, Publisher, and ISBN).
Column Headers in Orange
Fill out the columns with orange headers separately, as they pertain to the requested adjustment, but the information is not on the SAM Reconciliation Report.
| Column Title | Data Required |
| Refund Total Charge | Select Yes or No to flag students that should be refunded. |
| Add New Charge | Select Yes or No to flag students. |
| Partially Adjust Current Charge | Select Yes or No to flag students that should be partially adjusted. |
| Adjustment Amount (Adjust Charge By) | Enter dollar amount of adjustment
|
| Date of Request | Enter request date of adjustment (day the adjustment/incident is submitted in the Follett ACCESS Portal) |
| Reason | Select a reason for the adjustment from the drop down box. |
| Additional Explanation / Comment | Add comments with further details if:
Add comments with further details and attach correspondence/email from the publisher approving the adjustment if:
|
ACCESS Adjustment Non Return Request Template
| Column Title | Data Required |
| Store # | Bookstore # |
| Date | Enter the request date of adjustment (day the adjustment/incident is submitted in the Follett ACCESS Portal) |
| Major Acct # | Enter the major account # (exactly it is displayed in SAM/CARRR) |
| Student ID | Enter the student ID, must include leading zeros (if any) |
| ACCESS Adjustment Amount | Enter the dollar amount of adjustment
|
| Reason | Select a reason for the adjustment from the drop down box. |
| Additional Explanation / Comment | Add comments with further details if:
|
Attaching Approvals Per ACCESS Adjustment Request
Each ACCESS adjustment request must be approved in accordance to the Follett Approval Matrix.
The store manager requesting the ACCESS adjustment will be required to gain the applicable approvals via email prior to submitting the ACCESS adjustment in the Follett ACCESS Portal. Below are the recommended steps:
- Fill out and save the applicable ACCESS Adjustment Template.
- Send an email with the subject line that includes the
major account # and total dollar amount to your Regional Manager and /or Group VP (if applicable) and attach the ACCESS Adjustment template. - Once the email approval is gained, save the email to your desktop/other location.
- When submitting the ACCESS Adjustment in the Follett ACCESS Portal, click on the paperclip icon at the top of the incident screen to attach a copy of the approval email to the incident.
ACCESS submitted adjustments/incidents without the appropriate approvals will be closed. Consequently, it will be necessary to resubmit the adjustment request by creating a new incident.
