Customers may choose to include lab kit fees into the course/tuition fee in order to align with an inclusive access initiative or to reduce cost barriers for students. For more information, review the Course Fee and Inclusive Access Models article. When it comes to distribution of the lab kits under these course fee models, most schools opt for one of two distribution methods: Drop Ship or code distribution through a third party company. There are currently three third parties that we work with - Vital Source, Redshelf and Kortext. These companies partner with bookstores to auto-distribute voucher codes to students. This article outlines the internal processes required for these distribution methods.
All course fee or all-inclusive billing requests must be submitted through the Billing Exception Requests form prior to agreement by the sales rep. The finance team will review that all critical information is provided, approve payment terms, complete customer set-up in Business Central, and reply to rep with approval or denial of the request. The preferred customer card should be noted in Business Central to ensure all tax, billing, and contact information is properly setup.
Choosing a Distribution Method
| Method | Best For |
|---|---|
| Drop Ship | Schools without a bookstore partner or those preferring physical fulfillment control |
| Vital Source | US Schools with Akademos or Barnes & Noble bookstore partnerships |
| Kortext | UK/international schools; schools with strong accessibility or DEI requirements; schools already using the Kortext platform |
| Redshelf | This platform has been purchased by Vital Source and most, but not all, adoptions migrated to Vital Source |
When in doubt, confirm with the school which platform their bookstore already uses before recommending a third-party option.
Forecasting
- Update the 'Primary Order Method' field on opportunity record to Course Fee/Drop Ship
- Update the 'Order Drop Date' field on the class start at the same time as enrollment confirmation
- Use CRM tasks to schedule periodic (minimum monthly) check-ins with customer for enrollment updates leading up to the start date or add/drop date.
Fulfillment
- Kit production scheduled in advance of order drop date. Enrollment forecast and historical sales will be used to determine quantity to pre-build.
- On order drop date, sales support populates order file into appropriate format and imports into Business Central
- Orders are shipped within 3 business days of order drop date if forecasted enrollment is in alignment with actual quantities ordered. Orders in excess of forecast will be subject to standard processing times or potential delays considering the time of year.
- Students receive a tracking confirmation email if emails were provided in order file.
- Tracking can be provided by the rep from the Web Order Report emailed out daily
Billing
- A summary invoice is sent to customer based on the billing request submission.
Forecasting
- Update the 'Primary Order Method' field on opportunity record to Redemption/Voucher Code
- Update the 'Code Distributed Via' field to designate Vital Source or Redshelf as appropriate
- Confirm and review enrollment through normal process
Fulfillment
- Kit production may be scheduled in advance of orders. Enrollment forecast and historical sales will be used to determine quantity to pre-build.
- Sales support fully stocks Vital Source and Redshelf code banks for all adopted courses 30 days out from course start based on forecast +10-15% buffer for drops.
- Students redeem voucher codes like normal after distribution from Vital Source or Redshelf
- Orders are fulfilled within 5 business days, in line with normal SLA
Billing
- Redshelf & Vital Source send monthly usage reports and provide payment direct to Science Interactive.
Forecasting
- Update the 'Primary Order Method' field on opportunity record to Redemption/Voucher Code
- Update the 'Code Distributed Via' field to designate Kortext
- Confirm and review enrollment through normal process
Fulfillment
- Kit production may be scheduled in advance of orders. Enrollment forecast and historical sales will be used to determine quantity to pre-build.
- Sales support uploads codebank files to the Kortext SFTP server for all adopted courses 30 days out from course start, based on forecast +10-15% buffer for drops.
- Students access their voucher codes through their Kortext bookshelf (via LMS or kortext.com), reveal the code, and redeem it on the SI platform.
- Orders are fulfilled within 5 business days, in line with normal SLA.
Billing
- Kortext sends monthly usage reports and provides payment direct to Science Interactive.
Escalation: When Students Can't Access Codes
If a school reports that students cannot access or redeem codes after course start:
- Confirm with sales support that codes were loaded in the correct system and in sufficient quantity
- Check the CRM for any enrollment discrepancy that may have caused an under-load
- If additional codes are needed, contact sales support to load them immediately
- Direct the school's bookstore or IT contact to the relevant support channel:
- Vital Source: [email protected] / https://success.vitalsource.com/hc/en-us
- Kortext: [email protected]
0 Comments
Add your comment