...

Overview

Products are the physical goods or services that a company offers the market.  Physical goods are tangible items, such as modems, decoders, antennas or magazines.  Services are intangible commodities such as telephony, TV channels, installations and startup fees. Products can be sold or rented to customers through business transactions such as subscriptions, jobs or activities and can also be awarded to reward participants.

Setting Up Products

Product Categories are used to provide a business classification to products and can be used for analysis purposes.

Product Brands are used to identify a specific product or product line by using a distinctive name, such as Samsung or Apple.

Product Families group products with similar physical or functional characteristics, such as decoders or modems.

Product types

Types are used to determine the operational characteristics of products. Through its type, a product can be:

• classified as a good or service
• classified as a bundle product which includes component products 
• designated for use in provisioning.   

This table describes product type characteristics and the qualities products inherit from their type.

...

Classification

...

Can be traced through a unique identifier (usually a serial number).

...

Provided upon customer request and are billed, based on their usage.

...

• A movie (VOD) added on a subscription that will be billed once.
• A telephone call logged on a subscription billed for a duration of 10 minutes.

...

Provided and billed once, based on duration.

...

Provided and billed once, for a fixed amount.

...

Available for the 'Service' classification.

...

Overview

Products are the physical goods or services that a company offers the market.  Physical goods are tangible items, such as modems, decoders, antennas or magazines.  Services are intangible commodities such as telephony, TV channels, installations, and startup fees. Products can be sold or rented to customers through business transactions such as subscriptions, jobs or activities and can also be awarded to reward participants.

Products features

• Products can be created and used across CRM.COM processes (such as billing, rewards, and taking orders)
• Products can have a flat structure or multiple components (product bundles) 
• In contrast to fixed product bundles, flexible bundle products allow customers to create a customized package by selecting from a pool of products
  
• Products from third-party systems can be easily and quickly imported (created and updated) in CRM.COM 
• The performance of each product can be monitored from its total earned revenue.

Setting Up Products

Product Categories are used to provide a business classification to products and can be used for analysis purposes.

Product Brands are used to identify a specific product or product line by using a distinctive name, such as Samsung or Apple.

Product Families group products with similar physical or functional characteristics, such as decoders or modems.

Meter reading types

Meters are used to measure the consumption of a device (such as its electricity or bandwidth consumption).  Types are used to define various kinds of meter readings, as well as the conversion rates that are used during billing.

Configure meter reading types and add them to physical good product types.

The table describes meter reading type characteristics and the qualities meter readings inherit from their type.

 Mandatory   Configurable

Product types

Types are used to determine the operational characteristics of products. Through its type, a product can be:

• Classified as a good or service
• Classified as a bundle product that includes component products 
• Designated for use in provisioning.   

This table describes product type characteristics and the qualities products inherit from their type.

 Mandatory   Configurable

Back to top

Related configuration areas

The following modules are related to products and may be configured for the products module to operate at its full capacity. Once configured, the modules can be selected from the Manage Products screen.

Using Products

Image Removed

Back to top 

Product fields

The table describes the sections of the Products Data Entry page and explains how the fields in the page are used.

...

For Classifications and Types

Code: A unique combination of alpahanumeric characters used to identify the product across the system

...

Alternative Code: Provide another code with which to identify the product.

...

Click CALCULATE for information on sales in the last 12 months

• Performance Calculation Period
• Total Revenue of this Product: Total amount billed (excluding VAT and other taxes)
• Number of Subscriptions in which the Service is Active: only for termed services first activated within the performance period

...

• Termed services
• Physical goods

...

Read-only section with product characteristics inherited from the selected type.

...

The period for which the product is available after which it expires.

Can be 'Always' or for a specific period (by setting the Valid From and To dates).

...

Components

Available for Flexible or Fixed Bundle Types.

...

Flexible Bundle product type:

Select products, product types or families to make them available to bundles added to subscriptions.
Provide the Minimum and Maximum Quantity that can be added from each product type or family.
If a specific product is defined, provide the Quantity to be added.

Refer to Setting up Flexible Product Bundles.

Fixed Bundle product type:

Define the products included in the bundles added to subscriptions or jobs. Provide the Quantity of the product added to the bundle.

Refer to Allowed Components for Fixed Product Bundles.

...

• Termed services
• Physical goods

...

Used to filter bundle components when creating a subscription. Restrict the number of product families and types used as components in the bundle. There are no restrictions if it is left empty.

Use Products from Only X Product Families: E.g., if the quantity is set to 1, the components must belong to the same product family.

Use Products from Only X Product Types: E.g., if the quantity is set to 2, components can be selected from up to two product types.

...

• Termed services
• Physical goods

...

Used for billing purposes and based on pre-configured rules.

...

Refer to Platform for more information.

...

Billing terms provide information on the billing of subscription products, such as whether a service should be billed before or after it is used.

Through this section, you can view billing term schemes in which the product is included or add products to schemes.

For termed services added to a normal billing term scheme, define whether the service is pre-bill or post bill (billed before or after it is used) and whether it should be excluded from deactivation runs (as in the case of free-to-air channels).

For termed services added to a prepaid billing term scheme, define whether the service is pre-paid or post-paid (paid before or after it is used). For pre-paid, designate the period that the customer has to pay in advance.

Refer to Subscriptions for more information.

...

• Termed services
• Expense services

...

Price plans are catalogs with billing rates for services and product.

Through this section, you can view price plans in which the product is included or add products to plans.  Price plans also include the rate model, base and tiered amount for the product, as well as whether the rate is applied to bundle components.

Refer to Price Plans for more information.

...

These are the available subscription packages.  When a product is created it must be added to a subscription type if it should be offered through it.

Through this section, you can view the subscription types that the product is available from and make the product available to a subscription type.

If a product is added to a subscription type associated with a billing term scheme in which the product is not included, then the product will be added to the scheme. The billing term scheme will be added in the respective tab (and the information can be updated).

...

• Termed services
• Expense services
• Physical goods

...

USCs contain rates for products that are charged based on their consumption. Through this section, you can view the USCs that include the product.

...

Additive discounts are applied after discounts provided through price plans or usage service catalogs.

From the section:

• View additive discounts applicable to the product in the current period (i.e., additive discount definitions that have the product in their 'Discounted Products' section).
• Add the product to existing discounts which are not applied automatically.
• Create new discounts for the product.

Refer to Additive Discounts for more information.

...

Third-party systems with which CRM.COM integrates to provide services to subscriber's TVs. Providers are defined when a product (e.g., a Roku box or TV channel) must be provisioned through them.

From the section:

• View the product's current provisioning providers.
• Add the product (with its unique ID) to providers for provisioning.
• Select (at least) one distributor for each provider, through which the product is distributed.
  The provider is available in the column on the left, and the distributor is selected by checking the Applied box.

Refer to Provisioning for more information.

...

• Termed services
• Physical goods

...

Determine the operational characteristics of a job.  Products are added to job types to be available for sale. 

From this section:

• View the job types that include the product.
• Add the product to job types.
• Define whether it is mandatory to add the specific product to a job type (by selecting the applicable classification).

Refer to Jobs for more information.

...

• Expense services
• Physical goods

...

Determine the operational characteristics of an activity.

One-time services, e.g., an installation, become available by being added to the activity type.

From this section:

• View activity types that include the product.
• Add the product to activity types.
• Specify the minimum time that can be spent delivering the service.
• Specify whether the time can be changed.
• Specify whether it is optional or mandatory to add the product to activities of this type.

Refer to Activities for more information.

...

Supply up to four images for the product and define one as the default. Also provide alternate text in case the image cannot be displayed.

Files & URL: The attachments associated with the Product.

...

Back to top 

Creating and processing products

Selecting and creating a product

Specify the criteria that match the product you are interested in or use NEW > Product classification from the Actions menu to create a new product. Provide the mandatory information in the products fields table before you SAVE the product.

Modifying a product

Use EDIT from the Actions menu to enter edit mode.  Update product fields or add the product to, or remove it from, other CRM.COM entities.

Copying an existing product

The configuration of an existing product can be copied and assigned to a new product in order to save time.  The following attributes are assigned to the copied product:

• Type
• Brand
• Family
• Description
• Product Validity
• Categories

Follow the steps below to create a new product by copying information from an existing one.

1. Click on NEW > COPY from the Actions menu 
2. Provide the remaining required values.

Back to top 

Back to top

Related configuration areas

The following modules are related to products and may be configured for the products module to operate at its full capacity. Once configured, the modules can be selected from the Manage Products screen.

Using Products

Image Added

Back to top 

Product fields

The table describes the sections of the Products Data Entry page and explains how the fields on the page are used.

 Mandatory   Configurable values.

Back to top 

Creating and processing products

Selecting and creating a product

...

Specify the criteria that match the product you are interested in or use NEW > Product classification from the Actions menu to create a new product. Provide the mandatory information in the products fields table before you SAVE the product.

Modifying a product

...

Use EDIT from the Actions menu to enter edit mode.  Update product fields or add the product to, or remove it from, other CRM.COM entities.

 <products>
    <product>
        <code></code>
        <alternative_code></alternative_code>
        <description></description>
        <type></type>
        <brand></brand>
        <family></family>
        <category></category>
        <valid_from></valid_from>
        <valid_to><valid_to>
        <vat_rate></vat_rate>
        <tax_rate></tax_rate>
        <udf_string_1></udf_string_1>
        <udf_string_2></udf_string_2>
        <udf_string_3></udf_string_3>
        <udf_string_4></udf_string_4>
        <udf_string_5></udf_string_5>
        <udf_string_6></udf_string_6>
        <udf_string_7></udf_string_7>
        <udf_string_8></udf_string_8>
        <udf_string_9></udf_string_9>
        <udf_string_10></udf_string_10>
        <udf_string_11></udf_string_11>
        <udf_string_12></udf_string_12>
        <udf_string_13></udf_string_13>
        <udf_string_14></udf_string_14>
        <udf_string_15></udf_string_15>
        <udf_string_16></udf_string_16>
        <udf_float_1></udf_float_1>
        <udf_float_2></udf_float_2>
        <udf_float_3></udf_float_3>
        <udf_float_4></udf_float_4>
        <udf_date_1></udf_date_1>
        <udf_date_2></udf_date_2>
        <udf_date_3></udf_date_3>
        <udf_date_4></udf_date_4>
        <error_message></error_message>
    </product>
</products>

...

...