Batch Payments
See all your invoices, credit and delivery notes from publishers and distributors 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. If you need paper copies, simply print them out. You can also make claims online giving you – and your suppliers – a permanent  record of all requests. All your invoices can be paid in a single monthly transaction, cutting admin costs and time wasted on  the phone. Batch can provide free EDI feeds for integration into stock control systems and other accounts packages.

“We pay the vast majority of our invoices via Batch, and I’ve introduced the approach of having my team check and authorise invoices for Batch payment at the time of receiving the goods, so that the whole process is completed in one hit and there is no major month end payment process to go through." Mel Griffin, Griffin Books, Penarth

Batch Returns is an easy-to-use web interface that takes the strain out of the returns process. Instead of waiting for a publisher’s rep to authorise returns, simply send a list electronically from the Batch Returns website and get an answer within hours. Then print out bar-coded labels and a picking list. The returns messages, just like everything that Batch does, can be provided in different electronic formats. The service is FREE to BA members.

"We’ve used the Batch payments scheme and Batch returns for a good number of years. Batch makes it easier and more efficient to clarify which invoices and credit note are relevant to which supplier in any given month and helps to reduce bank charges." Claire Grint, Cogito Books, Hexham

“Batch Returns is now the de facto system for submitting returns in the UK book trade.”  Matthew Hogg, Commercial Director, Macmillan Distribution (MDL)

Data Services
Batch provides a reliable, cost-effective service to translate data from any format into the format required by your suppliers. Our software can translate a single format to multiple formats and deliver to multiple recipients automatically. Contact us for details.
 

Linking to BIS, QuickBooks and Xero
The average bookseller is manually entering something in excess of 200 invoices each month, a task that can introduce errors that take time to sort out later. BIS (Batch Integration Software) is a program that allows invoices and credit notes to be downloaded from your Batch account to a PC. The transactions are then imported into Sage Line 50 Accounts or Instant Accounts and each transaction is applied to the appropriate supplier record in the purchase ledger. (Charges apply.) Similarly, linking Batch to Xero or QuickBooks gives booksellers more time to focus on the important business of selling books. The latter are free of charge.

 

BatchLine POS
BatchLine is the new name for the much-loved Bertline system, which was acquired for BA members by Batch at the demise of Bertrams. Bertline has long been the first choice for booksellers in the UK, and Batch is working hard to improve the service even further by – for example – offering the Gardners price and availability function. (Charges apply.)
 

 

E-commerce solutions
BatchLine POS offers two low-cost options for existing transactional websites:
 

1. The Web Exporter produces bibliographical data and images as XML and CSV files for you to manipulate and display on an existing website. Please note that the exporter does not work automatically.
2. The BatchLine BCS Plugin + Web Exporter package fully integrates with BatchLine POS and can automatically update a WooCommerce site as stock is sold or added.

 
BatchLine POS has also partnered with Broadband Cloud Solutions (BCS) to provide an option for those booksellers who do not yet have a website:
 

3. BCS offer an affordable package for a new transactional WordPress website with WooCommerce and the BatchLine BCS plugin. This includes full development of a customised website, monthly maintenance and hosting, plus your own .co.uk or .com domain. This contract will be directly with BCS.

 
If you would like more detail about any of these options and the costs, visit batch.co.uk/web/bertline-batchline/website-packages

Training videos and finding out more
Visit our YouTube Channels 'Batch For Booksellers' and 'BatchLine for Booksellers' to watch short, instructional videos. Go to www.batch.co.uk to discover more about all of our services, or register using the 'Contact Us' form.
 

The Batch team:
Martin Beach, BatchLine POS Support
Izzy Carlile, Head of Special Projects
Paul James, Administrative Assistant
Eileen Kelly, Administration Manager (US)
Lorraine Kelly, Administrative Assistant
Jonathan King, Head of Sales
Shane Mathers, BatchLine POS Support
Simon Parker, Business Development Manager
Janet Ravenscroft, Sales and Marketing
Roshni Sedani, Administration Manager
Abu-Sufian Shohid, Business Analyst
Fraser Tanner, Managing Director
 
Contacts for all Batch services:
mail@batch.co.uk
www.batch.co.uk
@batch_services