--- title: How to Set Up and Use Source of Business in RentWorks+ description: This article explains how to set up sources, referral partners, and agents, record a referral on a reservation, and find that data in reports. --- [Skip to content](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb/how-to-set-up-and-use-source-of-business-in-rentworks#main-content) [Contact us](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) [Submit a request](https://help.rentworksplus.com/tickets-view?hsLang=en) [![rentworks-bluebird-ars-logo-light](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/rentworks-bluebird-ars-logo-light.png?width=249&height=60&name=rentworks-bluebird-ars-logo-light.png)](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb/kb-tickets/new) - [Submit a request](https://help.rentworksplus.com/tickets-view) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [RentWorks Plus](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb?hsLang=en) 2. [Settings & Administration](https://help.rentworksplus.com/kb/settings-administration?hsLang=en) # How to Set Up and Use Source of Business in RentWorks+ ## This article explains how to set up sources, referral partners, and agents, record a referral on a reservation, and find that data in reports. ### How Source of Business is organized Source of Business records where a rental came from, such as a hotel concierge, a travel agency, an online travel agent, or your own counter. It shows which partners bring you business and lets you pay commission to the people who earned it. There are three levels, and they nest: | Level | What it is | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | **Source of Business** | A broad channel. This is the list you report on. | Hotel Concierge Referrals | | **Source Referral** | A specific partner in that channel. Each referral belongs to one source of business. | Hilton Downtown Concierge | | **Agent** | A person at that partner. The commission rate is set here, not on the referral. | John Smith | On a booking, the field is called **Referral #**. A booking has no field named Source of Business. You choose a referral partner, and RentWorks+ records the source of business automatically because the referral already belongs to one. **Res Origin** is a different field. This small badge, such as Res Plugin or OTA partner, shows how the booking reached RentWorks+. The system sets it. It does not tell you which partner sent the customer. --- ### Create a Source of Business Set up sources first. You cannot create a referral until its source of business exists. **1.** Go to **Settings ▸ Business Setup ▸ Sources Management**. The **Source of Business** tab lists each source with its code, description, commissionable setting, referral required setting, and status. Use the search box and the **All Statuses** and **All Sources** filters to find a source. Click **Add Source**. ![sourceofbusiness-01](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-01.png?width=670&height=314&name=sourceofbusiness-01.png) **2.** In the **Create New Source of Business** dialog, complete the fields. ![sourceofbusiness-02](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-02.jpg?width=670&height=744&name=sourceofbusiness-02.jpg) | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | **Source Code** | Short code shown in reports, for example Hotel. Required. No spaces. Use 10 characters or fewer. Longer codes save here, but bookings that arrive from partners cannot carry them. You cannot change the code after you create the source. Codes must be unique, and HOTEL and hotel count as the same code. | | **Description** | What the channel is, for example Hotel Concierge Referrals. Required. Maximum 50 characters. This text appears on the dashboard and in report groupings. | | **Commissionable** | Turn on if partners in this channel earn commission. Agents can carry commission settings only under a commissionable source. You can turn this on later by editing the source. Non-commissionable sources still appear on the Source of Business Report with zero commission. | | **Referral Required** | Notes that bookings from this channel should name a referral partner. This setting is for your own reporting. It does not stop an agent from saving a booking without a referral. | | **Status** | Toggle between **Inactive** and **Active**. New sources start as Active. Active sources can be chosen on a booking. Inactive sources are hidden from selection lists. | | **Brand** | Appears on multi-brand accounts only. The default is **No brand, use the pickup location’s brand**. If you pick a brand, reservations and rental agreements from this source use that brand instead of the pickup location’s primary brand. | **3.** Click **Create Source**. The new source appears in the list. --- ### Edit a source You can change a source after you create it. You cannot change its code. **1.** In the **Actions** column of the source list, open the source for editing. \[CONFIRM: the control in the Actions column that opens the edit dialog\] **2.** Change the **Description**, **Commissionable**, **Referral Required**, or **Status** setting. On multi-brand accounts you can also change **Brand**. The **Source Code** field is read-only. **3.** Click **Update Source**. ![sourceofbusiness-03](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-03.png?width=642&height=810&name=sourceofbusiness-03.png) The **Change History** section at the bottom of the dialog lists every change to the source. Each entry shows the type of change, who made it, and the date and time. For example, turning **Commissionable** on adds a **Changed Commissionable** entry. Note: Do not delete a source you no longer use. Set **Status** to **Inactive**. Every rental that used the source keeps its history. --- ### Create a Source Referral and add agents **1.** Open the **Source Referrals** tab. This tab lists each referral with its code, name, source, agents, and status. Use the search box to find a referral by code, name, or agent. ![sourceofbusiness-04](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-04.jpg?width=670&height=355&name=sourceofbusiness-04.jpg) **2.** Click **Add Referral**. ![sourceofbusiness-05](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-05.jpg?width=670&height=208&name=sourceofbusiness-05.jpg) **3.** In the **Create New Source Referral** dialog, complete the referral fields. ![sourceofbusiness-06](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-06.jpg?width=670&height=515&name=sourceofbusiness-06.jpg) | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | **Source of Business** | The channel this partner belongs to. Required. Each choice shows the source code and description. | | **Referral Code** | Short code for the partner, for example HILTON-DT. Required. No spaces. | | **Name** | The partner’s full name, for example Hilton Downtown Concierge. Required. Maximum 200 characters. Counter agents see this name in the picker. | | **AP Vendor Code** | Where commission payouts for this partner go. This is a default for the referral. | | **Discount Reason Code** | Optional. Links bookings from this partner to a discount reason. Options are None, AAA, Coupon, and Senior. | **4.** Click **Add agent**. Complete one block for each person. Add at least one agent. The trash icon removes an agent block. ![sourceofbusiness-07](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-07.jpg?width=670&height=602&name=sourceofbusiness-07.jpg) | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | **Agent Name** | Required. Shown beside the **Referral #** box on a booking. | | **Agent ID** | The partner’s own identifier for this person, if they have one. | | **Phone Number** | Choose the country code, then enter the number. Used for commission questions. | | **Email** | Contact email for commission questions. | | **Commission Type** | Appears only when the source of business is commissionable. Required. **None**, **Percent of T&M** (a percentage of time and mileage only), **Percent of Total (excl. tax)**, or **Flat Amount** (a fixed sum per rental). | | **Commission Amount** | Appears only when the source of business is commissionable. The percentage or the fixed amount, depending on the type. Not available when the type is **None**. | | **Payee** | Appears only when the source of business is commissionable. Who gets paid, if it is not the agent. | If the source is not commissionable, the agent block shows this note instead of the commission fields: “Commission settings are available only when the selected source of business is commissionable.” To add commission settings, edit the source and turn on **Commissionable**. A referral can have several agents on different rates. This works well when a travel agency pays its senior staff more than the rest. **5.** Click **Create Referral**. --- ### Record the referral on a reservation **1.** Open the reservation. In the **Reservation Details** panel on the right, find the **Referral #** box. **2.** Click the **Referral #** box. The box is read-only. Clicking it opens the **Select Source Referral** picker. ![sourceofbusiness-08](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-08.jpg?width=670&height=373&name=sourceofbusiness-08.jpg) **3.** In the picker, choose the source of business on the left. The referral partners for that source appear on the right. Click the partner to expand it and see its agents. **4.** Choose the agent. If no individual earned the booking, choose **Use referral without an agent**. RentWorks+ records the partner and attributes no commission. ![sourceofbusiness-09](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-09.jpg?width=670&height=199&name=sourceofbusiness-09.jpg) **5.** A confirmation message appears. The **Referral #** box shows the referral code and the **Agent** box shows the agent’s name. ![sourceofbusiness-10](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-10.jpg?width=670&height=373&name=sourceofbusiness-10.jpg) **6.** Save the reservation. Note: The customer profile also has **Source Code** and **Referral Code** fields under **Preferences & Settings ▸ Account Info**. These stay on the customer record. Always choose the partner in the **Referral #** picker on the booking. --- ### Where the referral appears during a rental | Stage | What you see | | --- | --- | | **Reservation** | The **Referral #** box with the picker. Set it here if you know the partner when you book. | | **Check-out** | The **Referral #** box appears but starts empty, even when the reservation already has a partner. Open the picker and choose the partner again before you complete check-out. This records the commission on the contract. | | **Open contract (Edit Contract)** | The partner and agent recorded on the contract. Use this to confirm what the rental is attributed to. | | **Check-in** | The field does not appear. The referral on the contract stays. Check-in never removes it. | --- ### How commission rates are applied When you create a booking with an agent, RentWorks+ copies the agent’s commission method and rate onto the rental and freezes it there. A rate change applies to new bookings only. Rentals already taken keep the rate in force when they were booked. For example, a hotel’s rate moves from 8% to 10% on the 15th. Rentals booked before the 15th keep 8%. Rentals booked from the 15th get 10%. Nothing already owed changes. Correcting a rate does not fix historic rentals. Handle those as adjustments. --- ### Run the Source of Business Report The Source of Business Report shows business by referral and agent over a period. It gives per-agent subtotals, a grand total, and a drill-down into the rentals behind each total. It reads the referral recorded on each rental and covers completed (closed) rentals only. The date range applies to each rental’s Date In. Commission is captured at rental time. Non-commissionable sources appear on the report with zero commission. RentWorks+ does not hide them. **1.** In the left navigation, click **Reports** under **Reports & Statistics**. **2.** Click **Browse Report Catalog**. ![sourceofbusiness-11](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-11.jpg?width=670&height=373&name=sourceofbusiness-11.jpg) **3.** Search for **referral**. Open the **Source of Business Report**. The catalog tags it **Sales & Marketing**. ![sourceofbusiness-12](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-12.jpg?width=670&height=374&name=sourceofbusiness-12.jpg) **4.** Choose a **Date Range**. Optionally filter by **Referral**, **Location**, or **Source of Business**. Click **Update Fields View** to change the columns. Click **Run Report**. ![sourceofbusiness-13](https://help.rentworksplus.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KB%20Images/Source%20of%20Business%20Referrals/sourceofbusiness-13.jpg?width=670&height=373&name=sourceofbusiness-13.jpg) To run the report on a schedule, click **Schedule Report**. See How to Run and Schedule Reports for the steps. --- ### Other places Source of Business appears **Rental Agreements report.** This report has a **Source of Business** filter. The filter matches a code carried by bookings that arrive from partner, web, and online travel systems. Bookings taken at your counter do not carry that code, so the filter skips them. To report on counter business by partner, use the Source of Business Report. **Dashboard.** The **Where Reservations Came From** card splits the period two ways. **By Channel** shows how bookings reached you. **By Source** shows which partner sent them. The card also shows on how many reservations a source was recorded. **Printed documents.** **Source Code** and **Referral Code** are available as fields in the Form Builder. You can place them on rental agreements and other printed documents. --- ### Access rights Any counter agent can record a referral on a booking. | Access | What it allows | | --- | --- | | **Sources Management** | Create and maintain sources of business, referrals, and agents, including commission rates. | | **Reports** | Run the Source of Business Report. | If you cannot see an option, ask a manager or admin to grant the access right. --- ### Common Questions and Answers | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | Where is the Source of Business field on a reservation? | A reservation has none. Click **Referral #** and choose the partner. RentWorks+ records the source of business through it. | | The **Referral #** box is empty at check-out, but I set it on the reservation. | Open the picker and choose the partner again before you complete check-out. | | I opened a booking to edit it and **Referral #** looks blank. | Open the picker to confirm which partner is recorded. The Source of Business Report shows what is attributed to a partner. | | I cannot see commission fields on an agent. | Commission fields appear only when the source of business is commissionable. Edit the source, turn on **Commissionable**, and click **Update Source**. | | Can I change a source code? | No. The **Source Code** field is read-only after you create the source. Create a new source and set the old one to **Inactive**. | | My counter rentals are missing when I filter the Rental Agreements report by Source of Business. | That filter matches partner and online bookings only. Use the Source of Business Report. | | A partner is missing from the Source of Business Report. | The report covers completed rentals only. Check that the rentals are checked in and the date range covers them. | | Commission shows as zero for a partner. | Either the source is not commissionable, the agent’s commission type is **None**, or the booking was saved with **Use referral without an agent**. | | I changed an agent’s rate, but an old rental shows the old rate. | This is intended. The rate freezes when the booking is made, so earned commission cannot change. | | I turned on **Referral Required**, but agents can still save without a referral. | The setting records your intent for reporting. It does not block saving. Use the dashboard card to see how often a source is recorded. | | My source code was rejected. | Source codes cannot contain spaces and must be unique. The check ignores case, so hotel is rejected if HOTEL exists. | | Can I delete a source of business? | Set it to **Inactive** instead. 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