Setting Up Billing Integration for the Communication and Energy Industries

This chapter provides an overview of billing systems integration and discusses how to define configuration parameters.

Understanding Billing Systems Integration

Integration with billing systems facilitates seamless data flow between PeopleSoft Enterprise CRM and third-party billing applications, enabling communication and energy service providers to provide superior customer service. Customer service representatives (CSRs) can access a complete, multidimensional view of all customer information (accounts, billings, installed services, and so on), as well as account and billing application functionality.

This integration is implemented by using enterprise integration points (EIPs). EIPs provide two-way communication with the billing system, and leverage the application functionality in account, billing and service management (for example, update account information, view bill details, and change service features) to support the entire customer lifecycle, from acquisition through support.

Note. The discussion on integration in this chapter focuses on the functional account and billing frameworks, workflow, and predefined inbound and outbound messages that are delivered with the application. Some degree of configuration is required during the implementation project to integrate specific industry solutions offered by PeopleSoft with third-party or legacy billing applications.

Enterprise Integration Points

The EIPs that are delivered with Bill Presentment and Account Management use the PeopleSoft Integration Broker to manage the integration with billing systems. Integration Broker is an industry-standard tool that enables open flow of information between systems, which is extremely critical for system-to-system integration. It accomplishes true internet system integration by leveraging internet technologies, such as XML and HTTP.

Request and reply messages for all EIPs are stored in Integration Broker. Configuration parameters provide the ability to activate all or a subset of prebuilt EIPs.

Most billing EIPs are initiated by a customer-facing event that occurs in a particular industry solution (for example, a new service order, service change order, viewing accounts, changing account information, viewing bills, and disputing bills). Some are driven by business projects (for example, creating accounts through the order management process). Several EIPs are built into components themselves (for example, account view or bill view).

See Also

Managing Accounts and Viewing Bills in the Communications and Energy Industries

Postpaid Account EIPs

This table lists the account-related EIPs for postpaid accounts:

Note. RBT_CHANGADDR_MSG is not triggered if the address is changed in the CDM component.

Prepaid Account EIPs

These EIPs relate specifically to prepaid accounts. In some cases, they will replace the functionality of the account EIPs listed above because the application will be communicating with a prepaid billing system where some postpaid concepts do not apply.

The application employs synchronous messaging to retrieve real-time data about prepaid accounts from the third-party prepaid billing system and format it for user display. This data is not stored locally.

Each of the synchronous prepaid EIPs is delivered in a test configuration where the application will message itself and return some sample data. Once the customer has established a relationship with a prepaid billing provider, the messages should be redirected to the Integration Broker node established to communicate with that provider.

In order to initiate a message, the user must have the indicated permission list in his user security profile.

The prepaid account EIPs are:

• Prepaid Balance Request EIP

• Prepaid Recurring Payment Details Request EIP

• Prepaid Usage History Request EIP

• Prepaid Payment History Request EIP

• Top-up Payment Submit EIP

• Update Recurring Payment EIP

• Voucher Payment Submit EIP

• Prepaid Bulk Load EIP

• Installed Product and Account Update EIP

Prepaid Balance Request EIP

Initiated from the Balance and Payments page, this message retrieves the current balance and statuses of the account and service, as well as any funds expiration date.

This table describes the Prepaid Balance Request EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Prepaid Recurring Payment Details Request EIP

Initiated from the Balance and Payments page, this message retrieves the details of any existing recurring payment on file with the prepaid billing system including type (Monthly or Threshold), credit card or bank account settings, top-up amount, and threshold amount if applicable.

This table describes the Prepaid Recurring Payment Details EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Prepaid Usage History Request EIP

Initiated from the Usage page, this message retrieves the details of phone usage as provided by the prepaid billing system. Activity is retrieved for the last 30 days by default. A drop-down list box on the page can be used to select 60 or 90 days of data at which time the message is repeated for the appropriate range.

This table describes the Prepaid Use History Request EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Prepaid Payment History Request EIP

Initiated from the Payment History page, this message retrieves the details of past payments as provided by the prepaid billing system. Activity is retrieved for the last 30 days by default. A drop-down list box on the page can be used to select 60 or 90 days of data at which time the message is repeated for the appropriate range.

This table describes the Prepaid Pay History Request EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Top-up Payment Submit EIP

Initiated from the Submit button in the Top-up group on the Balance and Payments page, this message sends one-time payment data to the prepaid billing system. The billing system performs any credit charging or bank drafts and returns a success or failure response. The response is formatted and displayed for the user.

This table describes the Top-up Payment Submit EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Update Recurring Payment EIP

Initiated from the Submit button in the Top-up group on the Balance and Payments page, this message sends recurring payment setting changes to the prepaid billing system. This includes updates to credit card or bank information and threshold or top-up amounts.

This message is also used to cancel an existing recurring payment. However the cancel version is initiated from the Cancel Recurring Payment link that appears below the Top-up group box when a recurring payment exists.

This table describes the Update Recurring Payment EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Voucher Payment Submit EIP

Initiated from the Submit button in the Top-up group on the Balance and Payments page, this message sends a voucher ID, typically purchased at retail, to the prepaid billing system for crediting to the account balance. The billing system will determine the monetary value attached to the voucher ID.

This table describes the Voucher Payment Submit EIP:

* This is a delivered test response message and should be removed for implementation.

Prepaid Bulk Load EIP

This inbound EIP is used to load large volumes of prepaid accounts into the application. Depending on the fields populated, each xml row will create a new prepaid account assigned to the anonymous prepaid consumer, and the related installed services such as prepaid wireless package, SIM card, and handset. The account and services are then ready to be activated once the corresponding package is sold at retail.

This table describes the Prepaid Bulk Load EIP:

Installed Product and Account Update EIP

This inbound EIP is used to update the application data to reflect changes that have occurred outside of the CRM system. Examples would be changes made directly to the prepaid billing system or customers activating service by keying vouchers directly to their phone.

The message can include updates to account and installed product statuses as well as change of phone number.

This table describes the Installed Product and Account Update EIP:

Bill-Related EIPs

The bill-related EIPs are:

• Get Bill List EIP

• View Bill Items EIP

• View Bill Events EIP

• Create Disputes and Adjustments EIP

• Change Bill Cycle EIP

Get Bill List EIP

PeopleSoft CRM industry solutions enable CSRs to get all bills that are associated with an account over a period of time. Billing data is retrieved from the billing system and viewable by CSRs as well as customers (using the self-service application).

To mitigate the dependencies on billing systems to access bill-related information, you can replicate bills on a monthly basis and force CRM industry solutions to access the local data store. The CRM system does not replicate billing information automatically.

This table describes the Get Bill List EIP:

View Bill Items EIP

A customer can contact a CSR and inquire about bill items that are associated with an account.

This table describes the View Bill Items EIP:

View Bill Events EIP

A customer can contact a CSR and inquire about bill events (within bill items) that are associated with an account.

This table describes the View Bill Events EIP:

Create Disputes and Adjustments EIP

As a bill dispute is saved in the CRM system, it needs to be reflected in the billing system accordingly so that proper adjustments can be made to customers’ accounts in a timely fashion. Customers can create bill disputes through CSRs, or by themselves using the self-service application. Disputes can be raised against bill items (for example, if the wrong rate plan is used to calculate long distance charges), bill events (for example, dropped calls), or account balance and usage (for example, an account is not credited accurately).

This table describes the Create Disputes and Adjustments EIP:

Change Bill Cycle EIP

A change to the billing cycle in CRM must be reflected in the billing system to ensure that invoices are generated on the correct dates.

This table describes the Change Bill Cycle EIP:

Defining Configuration Parameters

This section provides an overview of configuration parameters and discusses how to define configuration parameters for integration.

Understanding Configuration Parameters

You must complete two setups for the integration with billing systems to run properly:

• Integration Broker setup.

  • Set up integration gateway properties.

  • Set up local and remote nodes.

  • Define integration messages and corresponding channels.

• CRM setup.

  You can enable or disable messaging for EIPs and define threshold values for application rules (to handle disputes). These configuration options are the same for customers in the communications industry and the energy industry. The financial industry and the insurance industry share the same configuration parameters.

  The threshold rules that you define enable CSRs to address and settle complaints quickly by making instantaneous adjustments to disputes with insignificant disputing values—for example, less than 1.0 USD in a bill dispute or one minute in a usage dispute. For example, a customer in the communications industry files a bill event dispute on a long distance call that he did not make. According to the preceding configuration, if this dispute amount is less than (or equal to) 1.0 USD, the CRM system makes the adjustment automatically. The system credits the customer’s account with the amount in dispute and sends a message for an account update; the case is then closed.

Page Used to Define Configuration Parameters

Defining Configuration Parameters for Integration

Access the Communications Setup page (Set Up CRM, Product Related, Communications, Communications Setup, Communications Setup).

The following table lists configuration parameters that are used to integrate with billing systems. These parameters can be used to turn integration functionality on or off and to enable or disable integration messaging, at the message level, for each EIP:

See Also

Setting Up Configuration Tables for Energy and Communications