Entitlement
Uniform issue is controlled by entitlement, usually how many items are required each year.
We set up each wardrobe with unique entitlement controls by quantity, value or points, allowing full cost control and flexibility.
Entitlement
Uniform entitlement is an optional feature of uniform management. Entitlement controls the issue of uniform items in a given period.
It is the basis of cost control and the quality of your corporate image.
In its simplest form, entitlement can be used as a guide to how many items a member of staff is allowed. The portal will prompt the buyer if the staff member is 'under' entitlement - that too few items have been issued, or 'over', where too many items have been issued.
Reports of over and under-entitlement are available to help you manage your uniform issue.
Entitlement is a powerful feature of the portal and has many layers. If you'd like to take a deeper dive into this subject, please read below.
For full control of uniform issue, entitlement can be set to be mandatory.
If entitlement is mandatory for a uniform item on a wardrobe, then the buyer cannot exceed the entitlement quantity in a given period for that member of staff.
Orders that are over entitlement may be rejected, held in draft or escalated for approval.
Entitlement quantities and periods are set up for you against items on your wardrobes, allowing each wardrobe to have different entitlement options.
Entitlement cont..
Products in wardrobes can be grouped into entitlement groups.
This feature allows more control over uniform issue and gives your staff the option to select different items without exceeding their allocated entitlement.
For example, you may want to offer two different styles of shoes, but you only want to issue one pair. We create an entitlement group named FOOTWEAR and set the group entitlement quantity to 1. Although both styles of shoes show on the wardrobe, the buyer can only order one of the pairs of shoes for the member of staff, not both.
We recommend that your uniforms are set up with entitlement groups, but don't worry, we will do this for you.
Entitlement Groups
You have probably guessed by now that entitlement is a large subject. To add to this subject, in addition to entitlement 'QUANTITY', we have created two more methods - entitlement 'VALUE' and entitlement 'POINTS'.
Entitlement by value and points are very similar. Like the entitlement by quantity, method garments are put in groups, but a cost value is placed against the group.
For example, you may have two groups in your wardrobe - 'UNIFORM GROUP' and 'PPE GROUP'. Each group would usually be set to refresh every 365 days, but this can vary depending on your working environment. If you want to change the PPE every six months, the PPE group could be set to an entitlement period of 180 days. The entitlement budget for PPE would then automatically be re-set after 180 days. The member of staff would be flagged as 'under their entitlement', and the buyer would be advised to re-issue PPE after every 6 months.
Entitlement Method
Let's look a little deeper into the benefits of entitlement by 'VALUE'.
Entitlement by 'VALUE' is based upon the items in your wardrobe, the quantity you intend to issue and your price list. Entitlement groups are set up for you and an agreed total cost value is placed against them.
Each time you order the entitlement by 'VALUE', the total is reduced for that member of staff until it is exhausted.
The simplest form of entitlement by value is to put all the items in a wardrobe into one entitlement 'VALUE' group. This is effectively a single budget against the wardrobe and it prevents any member of staff from exceeding the entitlement group value for that wardrobe.
Once the entitlement period has passed, say after 1 year, the entitlement 'VALUE' is reset and you will be able to reorder more uniform for the member of staff.
Entitlement by Value
Entitlement by 'POINTS' is similar to entitlement by value, except that the cost price is replaced by a points system. Points are currency in a different form.
An item that costs say £50 may be allocated 50 entitlement points. However, a larger size of an item in the same entitlement group may cost £70 but would still be allocated 50 entitlement points.
So why do you need points? Points are a fairer system when issuing uniforms as they ensure that all your staff are receiving the same quantity. For example, if you issue uniform by entitlement 'VALUE' and a member staff is not a standard size and requires a more expensive garment, this increased cost would reduce the remaining budget value and unfairly decrease the number of items that can be issued.
Points entitlement solves this problem by allocating all the items in the group to the same points value. The uniform issue is calculated by the total points in the item entitlement group.
Entitlement by Points
Entitlement is a powerful but optional feature.
Most companies start with the straightforward option of entitlement by quantity, but simply as a guide.
As buyers become more familiar with the portal, new features can be turned on at any time, for example, mandatory entitlement control.
The entitlement method can be changed at any time.
Entitlement history is respected when changing entitlement methods and wardrobes, ensuring that budgets are calculated correctly.
Our portal experts will be happy to advise you about your entitlement options.