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Overview
Products are core to business transactions within the system. They can be physical goods or services; services represent any intangible commodity which is provided to customers, such as telephony, TV channels, installations, start up fees, while physical goods represent any tangible commodity, such as modems, decoders, antennas or magazines. Products can be sold or rented to customers through various business transactions such as subscriptions jobs or activities.
Setting Up Products
Product Families
Product families are used to group products derived from a common product platform, using similar or identical production processes and having similar physical or behavioural characteristics, for example, decoders or modems.
Product Brands
Product Brands are used to define trademarks or distinctive names that serve to identify a specific product or a product line, for example Samsung or Apple.
Product Categories
Product Categories are used to provide a business classification to products which can be used at a later stage by business for analysis.
Product types
Product Types define and implement the behaviour of your products. Through the type, a product can be specified as a service or a physical good, whether it will be used for provisioning and whether it can have components of its own. Refer to the table below for a comprehensive description of product type characteristics and the qualities products inherit from their type, depending on selected characteristics.
Mandatory Configurable
Classifications Determines whether products of that type are Physical Goods or Services. | |||
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Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
Physical Good | A physical good is a tangible commodity which is provided to customers, such as cameras, decoders and magazines. In most cases, the customer has exclusive ownership of the purchased good. Physical Goods can be traceable or not traceable. | Modem or Remote Control | Unconditional |
Service | A Service is an intangible commodity which is provided to customers, such as telephony, TV channels, repairs, installations and deliveries. In most cases the customer does not have exclusive ownership of the purchased Service rather benefits from the Service's outcome. Services can be one-off or recurring. | TV Channel, VOD, Installation Service (Fee) | Unconditional |
Physical Good Type | |||
Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
Traceable | Physical goods that can be traced through a unique identifier which is usually a serial number. | Modem with a serial number | Only available if classification is defined as 'Physical Good'. |
Non-Traceable | Physical goods which are not traced to a single instance and are measured based on their quantity. | Remote Control | Only available if classification is defined as 'Physical Good'. |
Service Type | |||
Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
Usage | Services that are provided upon customer request and are billed, based on their usage. | A VOD (Movie) ordered and added on a subscription that will be billed once. A telephone call logged on a subscription with a duration of 10 minutes that will be billed based on its usage. | Only available if classification is defined as 'Service'. |
Termed | Services that are provided continuously and billed on a recurring basis, regardless of their usage. | A TV Channel that will be added to a subscription and will be billed on a recurring basis. | Only available if classification is defined as 'Service'. |
One Time | Services that are provided just once, usually upon customer request, and are billed just once by the Billing Engine based on their duration. | An installation service which will be added to an activity and will be billed according to how long it took the installed to complete. | Only available if classification is defined as 'Service'. |
Expense | Services that are provided and billed just once and for a fixed amount of money. | An installation fee which can be added to a job or a subscription and will be billed once for a fixed amount. | Only available if classification is defined as 'service'. |
Composition Method Determines the composition of the Product, which can be a flat, a flexible bundle product or a fixed bundle product. | |||
Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
Flat | Single Service or Physical Good. | Single channel, installation service, modem. | Unconditional |
Flexible Bundle | A bundle of Products with one or more Product components. | A channel bouquet that allows customers to select the channels they want to add to their bouquet. | Only available if classification is defined as 'service' and type is set to 'termed'. |
Fixed Bundle | A bundle of Product components which are predefined and cannot be specified individually. | A channel bouquet with predefined channels. An installation hardware kid that includes all equipment required to set up a new triple play subscription. i.e. a Roku box and a Modem. | Available if classification is defined as 'service' and type is 'termed' or classification is 'physical good.' |
Can be Provisioned | |||
Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
Enabled | Products of that type are used for provisioning purposes by third-party providers who are integrated with the CRM.COM Software. | TV channel, VOD, PPV, Decoder, Modem | Unconditional |
Disabled | Products of this type are not used for provisioning | Antenna, Start up fee | Unconditional |
UDR Type | |||
Values | Definition | Examples | Usage Conditions |
All the available values of UDR types | Determines the type of the UDR that will be created once a usage service of this type is provided. | VOD, PETROL, PHONECALL | Available if classification is defined as 'service' and type is 'usage' |
Related configuration areas
The following modules are related to Products and may be configured for the Products module to operate at its full capacity. If If already setup in the system, they can be selected from the product screen
Module Name | Manual | Description |
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Tax Rates | Tax rates provide all the applicable tax and VAT rates for the product. | |
Price Plans | Price plans are the price catalogs that provide the rates by which is product will be sold applicable to all types of services except from usage services. | |
Usage Service Catalogs | Usage service catalogs provide a list of usage services available to customers along with their rates. | |
Subscription Types | Subscription offerings available to be added to a subscription | |
Billing Term Schemes | Defines the billing rules by which the product will be billed. | |
Activity Types | Activity types provide the overall behaviour rules of an activity. Products added to the activity type are one-time services, such as Installation service which will be added to activities of the type | |
Job Types | Job types provide the overall behaviour rules of a job. Products added to the job type are expenses such as installation service or physical goods either traceable or not traceable such as a roku box or an antenna |
Using Products
Finance > Product & Pricing > Products > Manage Products
Product fields
This table contains an explanation of the sections of the Products Data Entry page, a description of the usage of its fields and additional information.
Mandatory Configurable values.
Main Information | Available for products of classification | |
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Code: A unique code used to identify the product across the system Type: The type of the product will determine its overall behaviour. Once type is selected, the characteristics tab is populated with information related to the characteristics that will be inherited by the selected Product Type. Click on ' Create New Product Type' to create a new one directly through the product's screen. Brand & Family: Add brand and family to products to categorise them accordingly. Alternative Code: Provide an alternative code which can be used as an alternative to identifying the product across the system. Description: Use the description field to provide a marketing description for your product which can differ from the code. | All | |
Product Performance | By clicking CALCULATE , view valuable financial information related to the sales of the product in the last 12 months
| Termed Services & Physical Goods |
Type Characteristics | The characteristics of the product based on the selected type. | All |
Categories | The categories that the product is part of based on specific shared attributes. | All |
Product Validity | Defines the period for which the product is available to be used for new business transactions and which can be always, for a user defined period or from a date onward. | All |
Components Available only if the selected Type has a composition set to Flexible or Fixed Bundle. | ||
Bundle Components | For Flexible Bundle product type: Define products or product types and/or families from which products can be selected to be added to the bundle by the user on adding the bundle to a subscription. Refer to Setting up Flexible Product Bundles
For Fixed Bundle product type: Define products that are added when the bundle is added to either a subscription or job. Refer to Allowed Components for Fixed Product Bundles. Quantity: Provide the quantity of the product added to the fixed bundle. (Available for Fixed Bundles only.) | Termed services and physical goods |
Bundle Restrictions | Only available for products of Flexible Bundle type Define restrictions on the number of different families or types of the components of the product source; Use Products from only X Product Families: Specify the number of families that can be used. For example, if this is set to 1, then all the products that can be selected as components must belong to the same product family. Use Products from only X Product Types: Specify the number of types that can be used. For example, if this is set to 1, then all the products that can be selected as components must belong to the same product type. | Termed services and physical goods |
Pricing and Billing | ||
Tax Rates | The tax and VAT rates applicable for the product which will be used during billing, to decide which one to apply based on pre-configured rules location rules. Refer to Platform for more information | All |
Billing Term Schemes | Billing terms are directly related to subscriptions and provide information on how a product added to a subscription should be billed, for example, before or after its usage. Through this section you can see the billing term schemes that already include the specific product and add the product to the ones that don't include it. Refer to Subscriptions for more information. | Termed services and expenses |
Subscription Types | Subscription types define your subscription offerings, thus once products are created they must be added to the subscription type. Through this section you can see the types that the product already belongs to and add to the ones that it doesn't. If you add to a subscription type, that includes billing term schemes that do not have the product, then those billing term schemes will be automatically added. | Termed services, expenses and physical goods |
Price Plans | Through price plans you provide the rates with which the product is billed. Through this section you can see all the price plans the product is included and add it to ones that is not included along with information required by the price plan such as the rate model the rate and whether the defined rate should be applied to product of it is a component of a product bundle. Refer to Price Plans for more information | All product classification except usage services |
Usage Service Catalogs | Usage service catalogs include information and rates for usage service products. Through this section you can see all the usage service catalogs the usage service is included. | Usage services |
Discounts | The additive discounts are used to apply discounts to products after any discounts applied through price plans or usage service catalogs. Through this section you can see the additive discounts applicable to the product (i.e. the discounts that have the products in its Discounted Products section) for the current period, add to new discounts that it doesn't already belong to or create new discounts through which the product will be discounted. | All |
Providers | Providers are third party systems which CRM integrates with and are needed in case that a product must be provisioned through them, i.e. a roku box or a tv channel. Through this section you can see the providers the product already is provisioned for and add it to ones that it is not yet provisioned along with a unique id used by the provider to identify the product. | Termed services and Physical goods |
Job Types | The job types provide the overall behaviour of jobs. Products added to the job type can be sold or given through jobs of that type. Through this section you can see the jobs that include the product and add it to the ones that is not and define whether it is mandatory to add the product to jobs of the type or not by selecting the applicable classification. | Expenses and physical goods |
Activity Types | Activity types provide the overall behaviour of activities. One time services added to the activity type can be used by activities of that type. Through this section you can see all activity types that already include the product and add it to the ones that don't along with the minimum time allowed to be spent for delivering the service whether the time can be changed or is fixed and well as whether it is optional or mandatory to add this service to activities of this type. | One off |
Stock Balance | ||
View the stock balance of the product across all the warehouses along with analytic view of stock per warehouse. If the product is also a part of a product bundle then the number of bundles it belongs to are also available. | Physical goods | |
Images & Attachments | ||
Product Image: You can add up to 4 images for the product and define one as a default along with a product alt text available in case the image is not shown. Files & URL: The attachments associated with the Product. | All |
Creating and processing products
Selecting and creating a product
Navigate to products and specify the criteria that match the product you are interested in, or click on NEW > Product classification from the Actions Menu to create a new product. Proceed by providing the mandatory information as defined in the attributes table above before you SUBMIT the request.
Modifying a product
Use EDIT from the Actions Menu to enter edit mode and either update product attributes or add and remove the product from other CRM.COM entities.
Copying an existing product
The configuration of an existing Product can be reused and assigned to a new Product, to save time through the NEW > COPY action. When copying a Product the following attributes are carried over:
- Type
- Brand
- Family
- Description
- Product Validity
- Categories
Follow the steps below to create a new Product by copying information from an existing one.
- From the Actions Menu click on NEW > COPY
The information is carried over. - Proceed with providing the rest of the values as required.
Applying business flows on products
Offering product bundles
Product bundles provide the user with the option to offer multiple products packaged in a single product. Customers benefit from the additional flexibility, offered through flexible product bundles, of customising their package by adding wanted services.
Bundles vary from very restricted to very flexible, depending on the variety of Products that can be added by customers.
Four types of product bundles can be created:
- Flexible Termed Services Bundle: A product where the user defines a pool of available services (e.g. channels) that the customers will choose from to add to their subscription.
- Fixed Termed Services Bundle: A product where all of the components (e.g. the available channels) are pre-defined. This is particularly helpful for provisioning, where a single request would be sent to the provider.
- Fixed Traceable Physical Goods Bundle: A product of type physical good with a traceable serial number where all of its components are predefined. For example, an installation kit can be created including a modem and a decoder, that will be provided to the customers as a set. The agent would only have to be aware and use the serial number of the bundle, instead of the two different serial numbers of the bundle and its components.
- Fixed Non-Traceable Physical Goods Bundle: A product of type physical good for which serial number is not kept and where all of its components are predefined. For example, an installation kit that includes a satellite dish and a remote control.
Allowed components for product bundles
When setting up product bundles in the system there are a few more steps to define their constituent components along with restrictions that may be imposed. Depending on the type of the product, i.e. service or physical good, the components that can be added to the bundle will differ. See the corresponding table below:
Bundle Product Type | Allowed Products to be added |
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Termed Service |
|
Traceable Physical Good |
|
Non-Traceable Physical Good |
|
Setting up fixed product bundles
When setting up fixed product bundles keep in mind that the agent or customer that will choose the product to add to their subscription, will have no choice over the products or number of products that will be added along with the selected product. Define a fixed product bundle by providing the exact products to be included in the product along with the quantity.
Setting up flexible product bundles
Flexible product bundles allow the agent/customer to select the constituent products of the product selected to subscribe for or buy. However, restrictions may be applicable which are defined at the time of creating the product bundle.
Through the Components tab of the product you can define products, product types and product families that constituent products can be selected from at the time that the bundle is added on the subscription. For each of the 3 categories (products, families and types) you can define a minimum and maximum quantity to be added from each.
It is important that the rules you set up do not cancel each other out. See the example configuration below:
Product | Product Type | Product Family | Min Quantity | Max Quantity |
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Gold (Type = Subscription Package) (Family = Local) | 1 | 1 | ||
Silver (Type = Subscription Package) (Family = Local) | 1 | 1 | ||
Subscription Package | 1 | 1 | ||
Local | 1 | 1 |
If both products are selected and added to the subscription, all added records will be validated:
The above configuration creates a conflict as, while the system validates the products were added (due to the minimum quantity set to 1), they cannot be added as the max quantity of the specific product type and family is set to 1.
It is recommended to select a single option when making component configurations, or exercise care that the rules are not conflicting.
Products Business Examples
Scenario 1.
Company ZX has introduced a new series of products through its new Streaming TV campaign. Subscribers require to have a streaming device which is offered by Company ZX, for streaming content. Subscribers that wish to switch to streaming will be charged with a switch fee and if they require installation an extra charge is imposed .
Solution
Assuming that you already have set up in the system your subscription type, billing term schemes, price plans, disoucnts, provisioning provider you can proceed with directly creating your new products.
Products
- For each of the new products create a respective product type (if it doesn't already exist) directly from the products screen by clicking on New Product Type. Check the table below for instruction on how to set up each product type
- Once the product type is created for each of the products, and the basic information of the product defined proceed by adding the product to the following entities through the Pricing & Billing tab
Termed Services (Channels) and Expenses (Switch Fee)- Define tax rates applicable to the product which are not already selected
- Select the billing term schemes the product will be billed through and define whether it will be excluded from deactivation (only if its a free to air channel) as well whether it will be billed or paid before or after its usage
- Select the price plans it should be billed from, and provide a rate for the product
- If the product should be discounted then add the product to any existing discounts or create new ones to be applied for this product
- Select and add the products to subscription types which define the offerings provided to the subscribers
- Select and add the termed service products to the provisioning provider responsible for provisioning them along with their provisioning id
- Define tax rates applicable to the product which are not already selected
- If the product should be discounted then add the product to any existing discounts or create new ones to be applied for this product
- Select and add the products to the provisioning provider responsible for provisioning them along with their provisioning id
- Unlike the rest of the product classifications, usage services must then be added in the Usage Service Catalogs they will be available from through the respective screen
- One time Service (Installation service)
- Define tax rates applicable to the product which are not already selected
- Select the price plans it should be billed from, and provide a rate for the product
- If the product should be discounted then add the product to any existing discounts or create new ones to be applied for this product
- Select and add the products to the activity types which activities for installation will be created for and the installation service charged
- Define tax rates applicable to the product which are not already selected
- Select the price plans it should be billed from, and provide a rate for the product
- If the product should be discounted then add the product to any existing discounts or create new ones to be applied for this product
- Select and add the product to subscription types which define the offerings provided to the subscribers
- Select and add the product to the provisioning provider responsible for provisioning it
- For each of the termed services and usage services provide an image which will be available for customers through the Images & Attachments tab
Product Type | Classification | Physical Good Types | Service Type | Composition Method | Used For Provisioning | Products | Product Example |
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PPV & VOD | Service | Usage | Flat | Yes | Create all the VOD and PPV events that you will be offering | Mad Max, Seven, Game of Thrones, Champions League | |
Subscription channels | Service | Termed | Flat | Yes | Create all the channels that will be available for selection | Euronews, CNN, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Russia TV, FOX News | |
Streaming Players | Physical Good | Traceable | Flat | Yes | Create all the streaming players that you will have available | Roku Box | |
One time Charges | Service | Expense | Flat | No | Create the switch fee that the subscribers will be charged with when switching to stream tv | Switch fee | |
Hourly Charges | Service | One Time | Flat | No | Create the installation fee that subscribers will be charged with when they request installation | Installation service |
Notes
- If you are using a previous release, view CRM.COM Release Changes.
- Use the Products WEB API to view available products from an external system, such as a customer portal. View the Products WEB API for a complete list of actions available through the WEB API.
Glossary
CRM.COM Term | Definition |
---|---|
Job | Small project initiated by the operator for customers, involving the delivery and billing of services and products, as well as activities. Customer requests and orders, such as that for a new subscription, can be initiated and registered through a job. |
Subscription | A collection of services which is provided to customers and billed on a recurring, usage or One-Time basis. |
Activity | Small task or action that is either stand-alone or must be completed as part of a larger project. |
Communication | Used to log bidirectional interaction between customers and agents conducted through email, SMS, telephony, letters or face to face interaction. |
Provisioning Distributor | Distributors are used to relate subscription services and subscription associated devices to a specific Provisioning Provider as well as define what services will be available from each device, if more than one device is available on a single subscription. CRM.COM offers integration with several providers. |