Usage Billing Configuration

Summary

This article describes how usage billing occurs in EngageIP and how to setup usage billing frequencies which can be configured on accounts.

Usage can be billed at the same time user-packages are billed or if desired usage can be billed independently of packages. For instance you can configure usage to be billed on a specific day of the month or billed on a set a recurring frequency (e.g. every 2 days, 7 days, etc.). These configuration instructions are found below in this article.

Usage Billing Requirements

The following EngageIP Windows Services need to be running for usage billing operations to function:

• EngageIP Event Service

• EngageIP Job Service

• EngageIP Rating Service

• Using 'Bill Account' to bill usage:

  • User account with usage assigned in UDRBiller record

  • An associated package to bill along with the usage which is active

  • UDRBiller record "periodend" must be equal to or less than the end date on the selected bill run range

• Using a bill run to bill usage:

  • User account with usage assigned in UDRBiller record

  • UDRBiller record "periodend" must be equal to or less than the end date on the selected bill run range

  • 'Bill Usage' must be checked on the bill run  NOTE: An active package is NOT required to allow usage to bill out here

  • Account must be ACTIVE - Canceled accounts will not be picked up by the bill run except where Owner type is 'Bill Owner'.  If you want not to bill cancelled User Usage (once the account is canceled), then that user’s Owner must have OwnerParentAccountBillingType = Bill Accounts OR Bill Accounts Using Invoicer Taxes OR Owner of that user must be in Cancelled State

• Usage Bills out on Package Cancel

  • Cancelling the LAST package (with full transaction or prorated) on a Users account will trigger usage to bill out that exist at time of cancelation (all unbilled UDRBillers will be billed out, back dated or future dated). Also, if a package is canceled on a users account where more packages are active but the ‘Invoicer’ of the account has NO PACKAGES, it will also trigger usage to bill out. Not the reference to Invoicer, not ‘Usage Invoicer’. Changes to the logic will come in 9.3.8 where it will require ALL packages on the user or the invoicer to be canceled prior to triggering usage to bill out

  • Cancelling the user account (with full transaction or prorated) which has an active package on it will bill out the existing usage (if periodend less than NOW, future dated UDRBillers will not bill out)

Importing and Rating Usage Data

Usage data is imported and rated before it is billed. The flow below outlines how usage is processed in EngageIP.

Open

• Usage files are imported to a folder similar to this location: c:\Program Files x86\EngageIP\UsageData\xxxx. The xxxx portion is named according to the specific feed the data is coming from
  Note: the usage files may be imported to another path in your EngageIP implementation, the path above is the typical location

• Usage is rated 24/7. Any time a usage file is delivered into the usage directory the rating service will pick it up, rate it and move the file to a 'processed' sub-directory

Usage Billing Methods

Usage billing prior to EngageIP 8.6.0 used one of two methods:

1. A synchronized usage billing approach where usage was billed at the same time that user-packages were billed via a bill run

2. A periodic usage billing approach where usage was billed on a set schedule (e.g. every 5 days, on the 15th of the month, etc.). An Account component called 'Usage Billing Type' dictated how frequently usage would be billed and a bill usage only bill run was used to bill usage on the set frequency
   
   

Open

The usage billing frequency component is shown on every account under the account components section. The usage billing frequency configuration is pulled from the usage invoicer's setup on the account. If an account is its own usage invoicer then the component will be editable, if an account is configured to have its usage invoiced to another account then the component will appear as read only (i.e. the component shown is actually the usage invoicers usage billing frequency component). By default the usage billing frequency component has a usage billing configuration of 'OnMyBillDay', resulting in usage billing occurring when packages are billed. Like the previous 'Usage Billing Type' component the usage billing frequency component can be modified to bill on a specific day or interval of days.

How to configure bill runs and usage billing components on accounts is covered below in this article.

Usage Billing Process Flow

When the Usage Billing Type/Usage Billing Frequency component is present on an account usage billing will occur as follows:

1. Usage billing is triggered (via a bill run or the Tools > 'Bill Account' option)

2. Billing will check the 'Usage Next Bill Date' value on the usage billing component. If that date matches a date within the billing range usage that has not been billed to date will be billed
   Note: when billing via Tools > Bill Account usage will not be billed if the user-package the usage relates to is not also billed

3. If an invoice doesn't exist a new invoice will be created with the usage charges on it

4. The usage billing component -> usage next bill date will be updated according to the usage billing frequency it is configured to follow (e.g. if set to bill usage every '5' days the date will be incremented by five days)
   Note: when billing via Tools > Bill Account the usage next bill date will not be updated if no usage charges are applied

When billing is fired again the usage next bill date or the account bill day (whichever comes first) will be evaluated and any un-billed usage will again be billed as the steps above have outlined.

Configuration

Creating Usage Billing Frequencies

The steps below detail how to configure usage billing frequencies under an owner in EngageIP (or usage billing types for older EngageIP versions). The frequencies you setup are selectable when editing a usage billing frequency/type account component on an account (i.e. at an account/user level you can only set an account to bill every 10 days if you have setup a '10 days' usage billing frequency on the setup page). To add a new usage billing frequency:

1. Go to the Setup page on your owner

2. Click Usage Billing Frequency (or 'Usage Billing Type' for older versions of EngageIP)

3. Click Add

4. Enter a Name to describe the usage billing frequency you are setting up ('every 5 days', 'on the 21st', etc.)

5. Enter the Number of days the billing frequency will occur on or the day of the month you would like to bill usage on (how the number value is used depends on the Usage Billing Frequency Type you select below)

6. Select the Usage Billing Frequency Type (works with the 'Number' field value above):

   • Days - set usage billing to occur every X number of days

   • OnBillDay - set usage billing to occur on the account's bill day

   • OnDate - set usage billing to occur on a specific day of the month

7. Click Save

Setting a Usage Billing Frequency on a Bill Group

This option allows you to define a default usage billing configuration for all accounts that are added to a bill group. When a new account is setup the system will automatically add a usage billing component on the account according to usage component you have specified in the bill group configuration. The usage billing component configuration can still be edited on the account if needed, it is not locked/synced to the bill group configuration.

1. Load the Setup page

2. Click Bill Groups

3. Click on the Name of the Bill Group you wish to configure

4. Click on the Usage Billing Frequency dropdown field (or Usage Billing Type in older versions) and select the type you created as per the instructions above. Any new users setup with this bill group will now inherit the usage billing type you have configured

Usage Billing Frequency Account Configuration (EngageIP 8.6.0+)

As of EngageIP 8.6.0 a usage billing frequency component will apply to all accounts. Typically the component that dictates when usage should be billed will be present directly on the account and configurable, however sometimes the usage billing frequency component will be read-only. A greyed out usage billing frequency component indicates that another account (specifically the usage invoicer) is actually determining when usage should be billed.

To look up who the usage invoice is on an account click on Tools > Invoicer. For more information on invoicers see the Account Invoicer Configuration article.

To change the usage next date or recurring usage billing frequency on an account:

1. Load the account you would like to configure

2. In the upper right under Components click on the Usage Billing Frequency text

3. To change the date when usage is next billed simply edit the Usage Next Bill Date

4. To modify the frequency which usage is billed on going forward select another option in the Usage Billing Frequency field

5. Click Save

Updates to the usage billing frequency setting will be handled by a job in EngageIP. The following message will appear to let you know the change will occur after the job completes.

Usage Billing Type Account Configuration (pre-EngageIP 8.6.0)

This option allows you to specify at the user level how to bill usage.

1. Load the account you would like to configure

2. On the Overview page under Components click Add

3. Select Usage Billing Type

4. Specify the Usage Next Bill Date that usage should start billing on (likely the same as bill day)

5. Select the Usage Billing Type that you created as per the instructions above

6. Click Save

Usage Bill Run Configuration

For pre-8.6.0 instances of EngageIP the 'Bill Usage Only' option must be enabled on the bill run for usage to be billed for accounts setup with the 'Usage Billing Type' component. To bill usage for accounts that do not have the component you would need to select the 'Billing' option on the bill run instead (which bills both package and usage charges).

For EngageIP 8.6.0+ the functionality is simpler, simply enable the 'Bill Usage' option on the bill run and usage will be billed based on the date set on the 'Usage Billing Frequency' component that every account in the system references.

Performing a usage only bill run:

1. Note the 'Usage Next Bill Date' on the usage billing account component and determine the period range of usage that you would like to bill for (e.g. Nov 15th to Nov 30th. The UDR History report for the user can be of use in determining the period)

2. Load the Setup page

3. Click on Bill Runs

4. Click on the existing Bill Run or the Usage Bill Run if one exists

   • Set the Start billing at this / time date to less than now (i.e. yesterday)

   • Set the next dates (range) to encompass the 'usage next bill date'

   • EngageIP 8.6.0+

     • Uncheck all options except for Enabled and Bill Usage

   • Older EngageIP versions

     • Uncheck all other boxes except for Enabled and Bill Usage Only (you do NOT want 'Billing', Render Invoice or any of the other options selected)

   • Click Save on bill run

5. Ensure that the 'EngageIP Billing Service' is enabled on the webserver

Invoice Rendering, Closure and Delivery on Usage Bill Runs

When a bill run is executed with the 'Bill Usage Only' / 'Bill Usage' option enabled invoices will remain open. This means invoices will render each time you try to view them. When full monthly billing is run, the invoices will be rendered and closed in order to be sent to the customer.

If you want an invoice closed and sent weekly or according to your schedule, you can switch the invoice close type on the bill group to be 'Every Bill Run' and it will close any open ones even if monthly billing has not run.

Usage Bill Runs For Non-Usage Billing Type Accounts

When running the bill run with the 'Billing' option checked, usage will be billed if the UDR PeriodEnd is dated prior to the bill run end date in the range that you've selected. If it is, it will bill that usage only.

Example:

If the range in the bill run is February (1) to February (10):

• Usage in a usage billing period (UDRBiller) where the period end is earlier than February 10^th will get billed out

• User-packages where the next bill date falls within that range will get billed

Usage billing does not require a user-package to be billed (however the UDR logic may require particular packages or statuses to be set in order to import and rate the usage).

Notes:

• UDR date range does not necessarily equal the UDR record date or other associated dates

• Some older versions (8.5.8.x versions for example) of EngageIP DO require at least one package to be billed as billing will first look up all billable packages and bill usage along with the billing package. If there is no package to bill, the account doesn't get flagged to bill usage. Example, if UDRBiller periodend is 6/21/2014 and package next bill date is 6/25/2014, the bill run date range would need to be 6/21 - 6/25 so that both are 'seen' within the range and then the usage will bill. Usage is triggered to bill when the package is billed in the same range.

Verifying Usage is Billing

1. Load the AdminPortal

2. Load the Reports page

3. Click the Event Log for billing activities

4. Check the users invoice to confirm that usage was billed out (or check for usage transactions on the Transactions page)

Usage Credits

For instructions on how to issue credits for usage (UDR Records) see the Managing Transactions article.

Troubleshooting

What happens if a bill run is run prematurely prior to close of UDRBiller period?