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Overview

Rated Billing Items billing items (RBIRBIs) are billing records generated by the billing run and contain information which represents a set of containing information on the services and /or physical goods that were provided to customers, accompanied by their applicable rates including the rates that were applied and how those they were calculated

Major features

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. RBIs are generated by the system during the rating process of the billing run.

Rated Billing Item features

  • Provide information on products to be billed, including the billing period (in case of for termed serviceservices), the rate of charge, applicable discounts, and anything else other factors that might can affect the final price of a product.

  • They are created by the rating process, either during billing or by user intervention.
  • They are converted

    Converted by the billing run into invoices and credit notes

    which will comprise the bill of the customer

    Through RBI classification you can identify if the .

  • Can be cancelled, excluded from billing, billed individually or adjusted (to bill a different period or amount).
  • Classification indicates whether an RBI is used for billing , subscription,  usage detail record, or a job
  • RBIs can be adjusted so that a different period is billed or a different amount, can be cancelled or defined as excluded from billing so that they are not billed, or can be billed individually
  • .

 

Using Rated Billing Items

Info

Billing Application > Billing > Manage Rated Billing Items

Rated Billing Items billing items (RBIs) cannot be created manually but can only be generated are created by the system; primarily from the billing run but may also be generated through user intervention; for example, billing run.  Users cannot create RBIs.  RBIs can be created as a result of a user action.  For example, if a user cancels an existing RBI and , the system generates a new one with the opposite sign so that the billing is balanced. You can view and manage (adjust and cancel) at the Rated Billing Items will create an RBI of opposite value to balance billing.

RBIs can be viewed, adjusted and cancelled from the rated billing items Data Entry page.

Rated Billing Item for a Normal subscriptionImage RemovedImage Added

Rated Billing

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Item fields

The table describes the sections of of Rated Billing Items Data Entry page , and explains how the fields in the page are used.

A list of discounts that have been automatically applied on the rated billing item
Main Information

Number:An autoAuto-generated number which uniquely identifies each RBIunique identifier.

Accounts Receivable: The account which the RBIs will the RBI was generated to debit or credit.

Type: Whether the RBI is debit or credit'Debit' or 'Credit'

Billing Directive: The billing state of the RBi which also provides instructions of RBI, which determines how it should is to be handled by the next billing run.

  • Not Billed (to be billed by next billing run)
  • Billed (already billed and ignored by next billing run)
  • Not To Be Billed (not to be billed by next billing run)
  • Cancelled (not to be billed by next billing run).

Product: The rated service or physical Goodgood.

Invoice Reference NumberorCredit Note Reference Number or Wallet Transaction: The financial or wallet transaction resulting from the billing of the RBI in Normal Billing
OR
Wallet Transaction: The wallet transaction resulting from the billing of the Rated Billing Item in Prepaid Billing

Subscription OR Job : The related subscription or job

Penalty Type: In case that the RBI is for a penalty and not a service or physical good, the type of applied penalty is provided: which can take one of the following values

  • Not Penalty
  • Minimum Effective Period
  • normal billing or prepaid billing, respectively.

    Subscription or Job (whose service or physical good is rated by the RBI)

    Penalty Type:

    • Not Penalty (generated for a service or physical good)
    • Cancellation In Binding
    • Cancellation Out of Binding
    Initiated By: The entity that initiated the creation of the RBI, which can be one of the following. 

    All RBIs fall under one of the types above (even if not generated for a penalty).

    The creation of an RBI can be Initiated By the following entities:

    • Normal Billing Run
    • Prepaid Billing Run
    • Subscription Bill Action
    • Job Bill Action

    Cancellation Reason: The reason in the case of cancelling a RBICancellation Reason (available if the billing directive is 'Cancelled')

    Billing Term Instance: Information on the billing term scheme whose rules were used to create the RBI.

    Rated Billing Item Summary

    From Date AND and To Date: The date from which a service or product rating starts and endsIndicates the start and end of the rating period.

    Billing Effective Date: The date from which the RBI is included in the billing run (for subscription subscriptions only).

    Quantity: The total quantity of the physical good being rated (for job physical goods used on jobs only)

    Concurrent Usage : Defines the concurrent usage of the rated serviceRate Percentage: Defines the rate percentage that was applied on the rated serviceand Rate Percentage (used on normal subscriptions, if applicable)

    Price Plan information

    Available

    (for

    : For

    all product classifications

    apart from

    other than usage service

    Usage Service Catalogue information

    Available for: Usage service classification products

    ):

    • Price Plan Base Amount
    : The related price plan base amount.
    • Price Plan Discount Amount
    : The amount of discount
    • (calculated using tiered rate available in the
    related price plan in case that the amount is taken from tiered rates
    • plan)
    • Price
    Plan
    • Plan Amount: The
    price plan
    • final amount
    applied for the product. i.e. Based on available and applicable tiered rates of the price plan. If no tiered rates are applicable for the product, for the rated period, then the 'Price Plan Amount' is equal to the 'Price Plan Base Amount.'Usage Service Catalog Base Amount: The Usage Service Catalog Base amount.
    • after the tiered rate discount.

    Usage Service Catalog information (only for usage service):

    • Usage Service Catalog Base Amount
    • Usage Service Catalog Discount Amount
    : The amount of discount calculated using the related Usage Service Catalog.
    • (Calculated using tiered rate available in the catalog)

    Auto-Applied Discounts and Applied Ad Hoc Discounts

    Total Rated Amount: The rated amount of the product calculated Calculated based on usage and including VAT, other taxes, tax and discount amounts.

    Auto-Applied Discounts

    .

    Applied Ad Hoc Discounts
    A list of Ad hoc discounts that have been applied on the rated billing item.


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    Creating and processing Rated processing Rated Billing Items

    Note

    Actions are subject to validations which Validations take place before an action is initiated (prerequisite) or after it is submitted (postcondition).

    Selecting and creating

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    an RBI

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    RBIs are generated by the system, either during billing or from cancellation and adjustment of existing items. Navigate to Rated Billing Items Summary page to search and manage  (adjust, cancel, bill, exclude from billing) already generated rated billing items

    Adjusting rated billing items

    When a specific service or physical good was rated incorrectly and needs to manually be fixed so that it will be rated correctly by the next billing run the dates and the amounts on the rated billing item can be adjusted. Click on Actions > when existing RBIs are cancelled or adjusted. Users can search and manage existing RBIs from the rated billing items Summary page.  The actions users can perform on RBIs are described below.

    Adjusting RBIs

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    Services and physical goods that were incorrectly rated can be adjusted manually before the next billing run is performed.

    Click on Adjust from the Actions menu, provide the new information and the new dates and amount and SAVE the change.

    Additional Information

    Prerequisites

    Billing Directive of the rated billing item is not 'Cancelled.'The billing directive of the RBI must not be 'Cancelled'.

    System Processing

    Billing Directive of existing Item The billing directive of the existing item is updated to 'Cancelled'.'

    A new Rated Billing Item similar RBI is created which replicates the previous one but with the specified adjusted information adjusted.

    If the Rated Billing Item which RBI that is being adjusted is already billed then a reverse Rated Billing Item , then an identical RBI of opposite value is also created, having the same attributes but an opposite sign.


    Cancelling

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    RBIs

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    If there is an error in the rating of goods or services, the rating can be cancelled and corrected in the next billing run. Both

    It is possible to cancel both billed and un-billed rated billing items can be cancelled and the . The system handles each case accordingly , with and the corrections reflected on the accounts are reflected in the accounts receivable or the wallet by in the next billing run. Click

    Click on Actions > Cancel from the Actions menu, provide the reason of the cancellation before you that the item was cancelled and SAVE.

    Additional Information

    PostconditionsNo other rated billing items exists

    There are no other RBIs for the same service for a period

    of time which is after the period of time covered by the rated billing item

    after that of the RBI to be cancelled.

    System Processing

     Depending on whether the cancelled item is billed or not, the result will differ:

    If Not Billed

    Billing Directive of existing Item is

    The billing directive of the existing item is updated to 'Cancelled'.

    'On the next billing run the period for which

    • If the item was cancelled will be re-billed

    If Billed

    • Billing Directive of existing item is updated to 'Cancelled.'
    • New identical rated billing item is created but with an opposite sign
    • On the next billing run :
      • the new rated billing item will be included to
      • the period for which the item was cancelled will be re-billed

     

    Billing rated billing items

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    • before being billed, a new RBI will be created for the same period in the next billing run.  
    • If the cancelled item was already billed:
      • A new identical RBI is created of opposite value and included in the next billing run.
      • A new RBI will be created for the same period in the next billing run.

     

     

    Billing RBIs

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    The normal and prepaid billing runs are responsible for billing all RBIs in one flow. The manual billing of individual Rated Billing Items RBIs is also possible through the respective action, available in the Rated Billing Items from the rated billing items Data Entry page. Click on Actions > Bill from the Actions menu and SAVE.

    Additional Information

    Prerequisites

    The

    Billing Directive is

    billing directive must be 'Not Billed'

     

    .

    System Processing
    • Billing Directive The billing directive is updated to 'Billed'.
    • An invoice or a credit not note is created.

     

    Excluding

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    RBIs from billing 

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    If necessary, an RBI created for a specific period can be excluded from billing.  This can be used to settle a complaint about a technical issue (by not charging the service for the period in question) or to cancel a bill generated by mistake.

    Click on Set as Not to be Billed from the Actions menu and SAVE.  The action   It is possible to perform the action whether the item has been billed or not and the and the system will handle each case accordingly.  Follow the steps below to exclude Rated Billing Items RBIs from billing.

     

    Additional Information

    Depending on whether the updated item is billed or not, the result will differ:

    If Not BilledBilling Directive of rated billing item is
    PrerequisitesThe Billing Directive is not billing directive must not be 'Cancelled'.

    System Proocessing

    Processing

    The billing directive of the RBI is updated to 'Not To Be

    billed and the next billing run will ignore it and the period for which the item was updated it won't be billedIf Billed
  • Billing Directive of rated billing item is updated to 'Not To Be billed
  • New identical rated billing item is created with an opposite sign and included in the billing run

    Billed'.

    • If the item was set as 'Not to be Billed', it will be ignored by consecutive billing runs and the period covered by the item will never be billed.
    • If the item was already billed, a new identical RBI is created of opposite value and included in the next billing run.

     

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    Rated Billing Items Business

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    Example

    Previewing

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    RBIs after the execution of a billing run 

    Panel
    nameblue
    titleCompany ZX Billing Preview

    Scenario 1.

    Company ZX invoices its subscribers once a month. Due to Because of the high volume of bills created each month, the management requires a pre-billing step where subscriptions to be billed and the amount with which each one is billed should be investigated before the actual wants to introduce a step in the process that investigates subscriptions and their corresponding billed amount, before the bills are issued.
    When issues are identified, billing of the individual subscription should be either corrected or halted till until a decision is taken on how to proceed is taken.


    Solution

    1. Configure and execute a normal billing run up to the 'Rating State'.
      Once the billing run is completed, predefined queries can be used on the database can be queried by predefined queries that aim to find irregularities.
    2. Identified irregularities can be handled via through the rated billing items screen of the CRM.COM user interface, Rated Billing Items screen by using one of the following actions,:
      1. Adjust Rated Billing Item
      2. Cancel Rated Billing ItemExclude Rated Billing Item
      3. Set as 'Not to Be Billed'
    3. Once the changes are executed on the Rated Billing ItemsRBI, the normal billing run should be progressed accordingly.
    Note
    titleNotes

    If you are using a previous release, view CRM.COM Release Changes.

     

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    Glossary  

    CRM.COM TermDefinition
    Billing Run

    A process used to bill customers for

    purchased

    services and physical goods purchased over a period of time. 

    SubscriptionA collection selection of customer services billed on a recurring, usage or one-time basis.
    JobA small project initiated by the operator for customers, involving the delivery and billing of services, products, and activities. Customer requests and orders, such as that for a new subscription, can be initiated and registered through a job.
    Usage Detail RecordInformation describing the use of usage subscription services.

     

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