Getting Started

Created: 2/2/2015

 

Unit Trac is designed to be flexible and allow you to manage your business the way that you want. Since you're just jumping in, follow these few steps to get started successfully. If you prefer, our team is available to help create your account.

  • Facility name/address
  • Facility lay out - this can just be sketched on a sheet of paper - nothing fancy (don't worry...we see it all)
  • Sizes - also note if any units have special features (i.e. electricity, etc.)
  • Standard pricing per size

Let us know about your business practices:

  • Deposit
  • Late Fees
  • Prorate or anniversary billing
  • Taxes 

Whether you choose to create your account or have our team help, please note that if you have your customer list in Excel, please email our team and we can upload the information into your account.

Step 1Business Settings

Required Business Settings:   Review and create your business settings by going to Business > Settings.
     a. Business - This information was entered when your Unit Trac account was created, but you’ll want to review for accuracy. If you don’t have a website yet - we can help you create your website.
     b. Facilities - If you have multiple facilities, you can select 'Add Facility' in the Facilities settings. We suggest adding multiple facilities after you’ve created your first facility.
     c. Accounting & Invoicing - The accounting settings allow you to establish taxes (if applicable), create your late fee schedule, prorating (if applicable), initial lease invoice template (establish your deposit and/or any fees that are charged when starting a lease) and recurring lease invoice (establish fees that are charged when a lease comes due - i.e. if you charge for electricity).

Customization and additional options in Business Settings: The settings below are customizations and features that you can choose to enable with your Unit Trac account.   

     d. Leases – The lease settings allow you to add customer and lease fields for additional information that you would like to capture. If you are interested in using the eLease feature, please contact the Unit Trac team.
     e. Documents - Customize the look of your invoices and receipts by adding a logo or notes to your documents. 
     f. Notifications - Elect to send payment receipts automatically to customers and/or the business or simply receive payment notifications when a customer make a payment online. Please note that all communications are recorded for each customer too. 
     f. Public Website - A website is included with your Unit Trac account. Don’t worry – it’s simple to create one that is maintenance free. Click here for directions or contact the team for help.   
     g. Customer Portal - The Customer Portal is included with your account. Please contact the Unit Trac service team to enable the functionality and help you with set-up. Enabling the Customer Portal allows you to utilize the eSignature Lease Application, Online Rentals and/or Online Payments to make it easier for customers to do business with you.
     h. Users - Add employees, family members or anyone who helps you run your business. An invitation will be email will be sent to this person with an acceptance link.  Once they click this link, they can sign in and begin helping.

Step 2 - Site Map

Create your site map by going to Business > Site Map and click   
     a. Click 'Add a Size' to create your standard size, description, price and associated “Start a Lease” template (go to Business > Settings > Accounting & Invoicing if you haven’t created your deposit and/or admin fees) and “Late Fee” (go to Business > Settings > Accounting & Invoicing if you haven’t created your late fee schedule) and choose an icon to represent this size. Repeat this step for each of the sizes that you offer.
     b. Select 'Add a Unit' to create the units for each size. The identifier is the unit name and you can add more than one unit per size at a time (01, 02, 03, etc.). You’ll then see the newly created units on the left side of the screen and can drag them over to the map. If needed, you can rotate the orientation of the unit after placing the unit on the map by clicking on the unit and then enter the rotation (i.e. 90 degrees). Repeat this step until you have created a replica of your facility.

Tips:

    • Start by adding your units in the upper left corner of your facility.
    • When adding units to your site map that are currently rented, leave the status as "Rentable" rather than changing to "Unrentable."  In step #3, you will create the lease for the unit and the status of the unit will be changed to "Leased" and your site map overlay will be updated accordingly. If you change the status to "Unrentable," you will not be able to create the lease for the unit.
    • If there are any units that the business uses for business purposes (i.e. storing the lawnmower and other supplies), we suggest changing the status of the unit to “Unrentable” to take it out of your availability. You can do this by clicking on the unit on the site map and changing the status drop-down to “Unrentable.”
    • After creating your site map, go to the homepage to confirm your availability is correct. You’ll notice that each size has a number listed to the left of it to show the total number of units available per size.

If your availability numbers are not accurate, go back to your site map and determine which units are missing or are listed as the wrong size. You can also go to Reports > Unit Listing and select the status “All” to get a viewable/downloadable report of the units that have been created.

Note: If you have multiple facilities, we suggest adding the next facility after completing the site map for your first facility. You can add the additional facilities at Business > Settings > Facilities.

Step 3 - Start adding leases.

Note: If you have your customer list in Excel, please email our team and we can upload the information and save you some data entry time. Otherwise, you can start a lease from a couple of places:

    • From the Homepage, you can select 'Start a Lease'
    • Go to the Leases > Start a Lease
    • From the Site Map, click on a unit and then 'Start a Lease'

     a. Enter Customer Details. Note: if there are custom fields that you would like to capture (alternate contact info, birthdate, etc.) go to Business > Settings > Leases to create the customer fields.
     b. Enter Lease Details. Enter the start date to the date that you want to begin invoicing the customer  in Unit Trac NOT the actual start date (i.e. if signing up in January - you may adjust the start date to February 1).  If a customer has a discounted rental rate, you’ll want to adjust their rate to reflect the amount that the customer is currently paying. Adjust the 'Charged Every' or 'Invoiced Every' fields as needed. Typically, most customers are charged monthly and invoiced monthly. If you are adjusting the 'Charged Every' field, be sure to adjust the rate accordingly (i.e. charged $150 every quarter and invoiced quarterly rather than charge $50 each month and invoiced quarterly). You should not use the customer's original start date as this will negatively impact the invoicing.
     c. Confirm Lease Details. If you would like to adjust an invoice item, please select 'Edit Item'. If applicable, this will allow you to adjust the deposit amount. You may also select 'Add Rent' to enter any past due rent to ensure the customer's balance is accurate.
     d. Record Payment. We suggest recording the customer’s most recent payment to get their lease created. If needed adjust the payment amount, payment date and paid through date accordingly and click 'Finish'. If the customer has not paid yet, you can select 'Record Payment Later'.

Note:

    • If a customer is past due, select the Lease Start Date as the month that they fell behind.  If the customer is past due, click "Add Rent" on the confirmation screen to add the number of months they are past due. Also, add any late fees.  You can also modify the deposit amount on record.
    • If a customer is renting multiple units, when starting the additional leases, select “Existing Customer.” This will ensure that all units are listed on the invoice for the customer. 

Repeat step 3 until all leases have been created.

It’s time to explore Unit Trac: 

  • To review your finances, go to Accounting > Overview.
  • To view your site map, choose Home then any of the 'Map' buttons.
  • Try Unit Trac from your phone, tablet, and laptop - Unit Trac is designed to work on all your devices. Click here for directions to create shortcuts on your devices.
  • Your account comes with a no-maintenance website. Click here for directions to get started. 
  • Interested in the eLease, online rentals or online payments? Contact us to help you get any of those features setup. 

When you need help - our team is here to help you. As a new Unit Trac client, our support team will work with you to establish your facility map, settings, arrange payment processing and integrate with your existing website. 

Operating your business is about to become more efficiently than ever!

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