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Auditing Data For Accuracy & Fraud - Daily Balancing Issues

The RDP system contains hundreds of powerful financial and statistical reports.   However, one of the oldest truisms in the computer industry is “garbage in - garbage out”.  If the data is input incorrectly, the reports are also incorrect.  This session covers the keys to balancing the RDP system and making sure that accurate information is entered.

• Night auditors

  • Run reports

  • Report any errors

• Reservations/Front Desk Managers

  • Review reservations made today and cancellations made today

• Accountants

  • Monitor 99999999 Account

• Marketing staff

  • Review revenue by SOB

   

• Who is doing what in RDP? 

• How are users logging into RDP?

  • Unique logins

  • Confidential passwords

• Do you have 1 front desk workstation and several people using it in the same shift?

  • Are they logging in and out?

    • Not very efficient

    • Better solution:  

      • Prompt for password when posting.  Setup in the PW table.  

      • Require input of entered by field.  Switch 219-08.

     

 

Transactions

Balancing Transactions to an OUTSIDE Source

• The best place to start accounting for your day's activity is to start with the 762 report.

• You should be able to account for every transaction to a source outside of RDP.

• Use the summary to balance to, but check the detail to see what adjustments are being made.  

• Payments
  • Cash - balance to cash in drawer
  • Checks - balance to checks in drawer
  • Credit Cards - balance to Pbadmin or Credit Card terminal.  Verify money is being deposited into your bank account. 
  • Other
    • Wire.  To change the description go to the C1 table, sub-record PAY5.  Only the first 6 characters are used.  To remove the Wire option, put the description "None" in the Pay5 sub-record.
    • Misc.  To change the description go to the C1 table, sub-record PAY6.  Only the first 6 characters are used.  To remove the Wire option, put the description "None" in the Pay6 sub-record.
    • Gift Certificates
  • Is the cash drawer correct?  Run a tape.  At the start of a shift have the person ending their shift count the drawer, run a tape and initial it.  The person coming on the shift should also count the drawer, and run a tape.  If they agree have the person coming on shift initial the tape of the person leaving and include it in the cash drop.

• Inventory items - i.e. Lift Tickets, Meal Tickets, Newspapers
  • If the 762 shows you sold 10 lift tickets then you should have 10 less tickets

• Phone calls
  • Balance transaction codes B281, B282 and B283 to a report from your call accounting device
  • Run the phone log.  Menu 17, 710, option 2.  Scan the "Message" column.  Look for Not Occupied and Invalid Ext.  
    • Not Occupied
      • Solution:  Check to see if bridge is in receive mode.  Is your auditor forgetting to put back into receive mode after the audit?
      • Solution:  Do you have staff making calls from unoccupied rooms?
    • Invalid Ext
      • Solution:  Check the CR table.

• POS charges
  • Balance your POS transactions to a report from your POS system.
  • Common errors if you don't have the POS interface:
    • Transpose numbers.  Restaurant ticket is for $52.00.  Front desk clerk enters it into RDP for $25.00.
      • Solution:  Balance to a POS report.
    • Lost tickets.  Charges are never entered into RDP.
      • Solution:  Balance to a POS report.
    • Wrong information.  Guest gives the wrong last name or room #.
      • Solution:  Have an in-house guest report at outlet to verify guest information.

• Movie charges
  • Balance your Movie transactions to a report from you Movie system.

 

Report 700 - Reservations made today

• Menu 1, Reports.

• What information is important to your property?

  • Complete address information?  

    • Confirmations

    • Future mailing labels

  • Source of business?

  • Market codes?

  • Rate plans? 

    • Overriding rates

    • Comps

  • Using guest name from guest history?

    • Frequency

    • # of nights

  • Consistency in data entry?

    • ALL CAPITALS, all lower case, Case Sensitive

    • How data is entered is how it appears on reports, confirmations, folios, reg cards.

     

• Menu 1, Reports.

• Why did the guest cancel?

• Require a cancellation reason.  Switch 423-16.

• Cancellation reminder text.  Table C1, sub-record CXLTXT.

  • Did you remember to cancel the tee times?

• Refunding advance deposits

  • Who is allowed to refund advance deposits?

  • Potential for fraud.....employee cancels a legitimate reservation and refunds his own credit card.  To compound the issue.....

    • If switch 109-10, keep res until departure date, is set to NO

    • And switch 219-14, transfer all cancelled res to non-active history, is set to NO

    • Then when the 910 is run during the night audit, the cancelled reservation is deleted from RDP.  There is no record of this reservation ever existing. 

 

Marketing

Track Source Codes to Advertising Cost

• How do you know if your marketing campaigns are working?

• Are you looking at your statistical reports?

• Revenue by Market Code Details and Totals

  • Table CF - stores market codes

  • New field to disable codes that are no longer in use

• Revenue by Source of Business Details and Totals

  • Table CD - stores source of business codes

  • New field to disable codes that are no longer in use

• Revenue by Rate Plan, Room Type, Group Master, Travel Agent

• Are you looking at your forecasting reports?

• 999999 Account vs the 99999999 Account

  • Both should have a zero balance

  • 999999 is the RDP clearing account

  • 99999999 should not technically exist

• How do figures ended up in the 99999999 Account?

  • Bugs

  • Altering price of components on packages

• Menu 3, Reports.

• Printed as part of the night audit.

• Dynamic report - cannot be reprinted for a prior date.

• Should be reviewed by controller.

• Table C1, sub-record BALREQ.  Password required to allow guest to check-out with a balance due.

• Menu 3, Reports.

• Printed as part of the night audit.

• Dynamic report - cannot be reprinted for a prior date.

• Should be reviewed by controller

• Allow guests to bill group master set on group master account field # 22.

• Switch 419-1, Default allow a reservation to bill a group master.

• Menu 3, Reports.

• Printed as part of the night audit.

• Cannot be reprinted.

• Night auditor should be reviewing (bucket check) before posting room and tax.

• Use housekeeping staff to verify room occupancy.

• Potential for fraud....walk-in guest makes a 1 night reservation and pays front desk clerk cash.  Clerk doesn't put reservation into RDP at all and pockets cash.

Now you know what needs to be done, so how do you go about accomplishing it?

• Review the night audit pack. 

• Were there any errors during the night?

  • Examples of some errors that need to be addressed immediately:

    • Error closing the day. 

    • Statistical reports show no revenue.

    • Room and tax did not post.

    • 370 reports have no revenue in the today column.

    • 370 reports <> corresponding 766, 768, or 516

• Are the bridge computers back in "receive" mode?

• Were their any no-shows or sleepers?

• Run the 709 report by shift and initials and balance payments

• Run the 764 report by shift and initials and balance transactions

• Run a tape and make sure the cash drawer is accurate

 

During Course of the Day

• Review reservations made today and cancelled today

• Review the 762, 769, 516 reports

• Review the 910 log

• Communicate with morning shift. 

• Report any errors