Managing Accounts and Viewing Bills in the Communications and Energy Industries

This chapter provides an overview of account creation and management in the communications and energy industries and discusses how to:

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Account Creation and Management

The account framework enables communication service providers (CSPs) and energy companies to manage the services and products that customers purchase or subscribe to. All requests and orders, whether for new services or changes to existing services, are managed at the account level. Invoices are generated at the account level. Accounts contain billing information such as bill payment type, invoice frequency, and bill payment information, including credit card numbers.

Accounts can have a single or multiple users, and more than one person can use a particular service. For example, a residential DSL customer might have four family members who access the service. Each family member has an individual email ID. Out of these four, the head of the household is the both the account manager and the billing administrator and can add subordinate accounts, make changes to payment details, add, modify, or delete services, and so on. The bills for the service go to the head of household. The other three members of the family are account members and can only view account details and details of their individual usage.

Account Creation

Accounts are created in three ways:

Regardless of which method is used to create accounts, integration with the postpaid and/or prepaid billing system ensures that the information in CRM and the billing system are in sync.

Account Management

Users with the proper permissions can manage accounts, including:

There are database triggers on Account that audit the changes made to an account.

Note. Database triggers are not supported on DB2/UNIX platform. Changes to Billing Account cannot be audited on DB2 LUM platform because DB2 LUM does not support database auditing with PeopleTools 8.50.

Refer to PeopleTools 8.52: Data Management PeopleBook for more information on database triggers.

See Also

Setting Up Application Security for Billing Accounts

Setting Up Billing Integration for the Communication and Energy Industries

PeopleTools 8.52: Data Management PeopleBook

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Prepaid Account Management

This section discusses:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPrepaid Account Information

You can view the account information retrieved synchronously from the prepaid billing system. The information displayed includes:

Note. You can create a prepaid account directly in the Account Details page.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPrepaid Account Management Process

The prepaid account management process enables you to:

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Accounts

This section discusses how to:

Note. This section discusses managing postpaid accounts. These are accounts of types — Sponsoring, Sponsored, Parent, Subordinate, and Individual..

Prepaid Accounts are discussed in the Prepaid Account chapters in this PeopleBook.

See Understanding Prepaid Accounts for Communication Service Providers, Setting Up Prepaid Account Management.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Manage Accounts

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Account Details

RBT_ACCOUNT_PG

  • Customer Accounts, Search Account, Account Details

  • Customer Accounts, Add Account, Account Details

Maintain account details, information generated by the billing system, payment information, and address information.

Change Account Details

RBT_CHGACTDTL_SEC

Click the Change Account Details button on the Account Details page.

Update the account information, such as account name and other accounts that are associated to it.

Change Billing Cycle

RBT_CHGBILCYC_SEC

Click the Change Billing Cycle button on the Account Details page.

Modify billing cycle interval and day.

Change Payment Details

RBT_CHNGPAY_PG

Click the Change Payment Details button on the Account Details page.

Modify payment method information.

Add Address

RBT_CHGACTADR_SEC

Click the Add New Address button on the Account Details page.

Add a new billing address.

Change Access Question

RBT_CHGACTACS_SEC

Click the Change Billing Cycle button on the Account Details page.

Modify the security question that callers must answer to obtain account access.

Members

RBT_ACCT_PERSON

  • Customer Accounts, Search Account, Members

  • Customer Accounts, Add Account, Members

Maintain the membership list for an account.

Balance

RBT_ACCT_BAL_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Balance

View current and opening balances and dispute balances.

Usage

RBT_ACCT_USAGE_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Usage

View and dispute account usage.

Bill History

RBT_ACTBILL_REL_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Bill History

View a summary of billing history for the account.

Dispute History

RBT_ACCTCASE_VW_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Dispute History

View a list of disputes that were entered on the account.

Installed Products

RBT_ACCTPROD_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Installed Product

View all installed products associated with the customer and the account.

Audit

RBT_ACCT_AUDIT

Customer Accounts, Search Account, Audit

View the audit trail of account activity.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicMaintaining Account Details

Access the Account Details page (Customer Accounts, Search Account, Account Details).

When adding an account, the CSR must verify that the caller is an account manager or billing administrator through the 360–Degree View pages before the information on this page becomes enterable. Subsequently, the information is updateable either by authorized persons through self-service pages or when a CSR clicks one of the buttons to access secondary pages. If the account is still in status Pending Activation, the information on this page is read-only and the buttons that access secondary pages where you can update information do not appear.

When billing account information is entered on this page or updated on secondary pages, the system both updates the data in CRM and publishes a message to the financial system to update the billing account in that system.

See Setting Up Billing Integration for the Communication and Energy Industries.

Account Details

Account Status

Displays Active, Closed, On Hold, or Pending Activation. Change account status in the Service Management component.

Account Type

Select an account type to associate with the account.

Valid values are Individual, Parent, Prepaid, Sponsored, Sponsoring, and Subordinate.

When you select the Prepaid account type, the Account Details page automatically adjusts to hide the Current Billing Summary, Billing Details, and Payment Method group boxes.

Note. PeopleSoft does not support the prepaid to postpaid conversion process for multilevel product bundles. Therefore, the conversion link is hidden when the account is associated with multilevel product bundles. Conversions can be performed for multilevel product bundles accounts using the convergent order functionality.

For more information on setting up prepaid accounts, see the Prepaid Account chapters in this PeopleBook.

See Setting Up Prepaid Account Management.

Parent Account

Enter the account number of the parent account, if this is a subordinate account.

Sponsoring Account

Enter the account number of the sponsoring account, if this is a sponsored account.

Start Date and End Date

Enter the date service is to begin and end for the account.

Change Account Details

Click to access the Change Account Details page where you can modify account information (Click the Change Account Details button on the Account Details page).

Service Numbers

Displays the service numbers that are directly paid by the account.

This field does not appear if it is not applicable to the account.

Current Billing Summary

These fields are all generated and returned by the billing system.

Last Bill ID

Displays the last bill ID returned by the billing system. This information is updated when the bill is generated in the billing system and the account is updated with the latest bill.

Last Bill Date

Displays the date that the last bill was generated. This information is returned by the billing system and is updated when the bill is generated in the billing system.

Current Bill ID

Displays the current bill ID returned by the billing system. This information is updated when the bill is generated in the billing system.

Current Bill Date

Displays the date that the current bill was generated. This information is returned by the billing system and is updated when the bill is generated.

Bill Start Date and Bill End Date

Displays the start and end date for the current billing period.

Next Bill Date

Displays the date that the next bill will be generated in the billing system.

Billing Details

These fields display details on the billing cycle.

Billing Cycle

Displays the billing cycle, usually monthly, which is generated and returned by the billing system.

Cycle Day

Displays an integer from 1 to 28. The cycle date is generated and returned by the billing system.

Change Billing Cycle

Click to access the Change Billing Cycle page to update the billing cycle or cycle day (Click the Change Billing Cycle button on the Account Details page).

Payment Method

Invoice

Select if the customer elects to be invoiced for this account.

Automatic Payment

Select if the customer elects payment to be automatically withdrawn from a bank account.

Account Number

Displays the number of the account designated for the automatic payment. This field is blank if automatic payment is not selected.

Bank Name

Displays the name of the bank. This field is blank if automatic payment is not selected.

Routing Number

Displays the bank routing number. This field is blank if automatic payment is not selected.

Credit Card

Select if the customer elects payment by credit card.

Credit Card Type

Displays the credit card type (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or Diners Club/Carte Blanche). This field is blank if credit card payment is not selected.

Credit Card Number, Expiration Month, Expiration Year, First Name on Card, and Last Name on Card

Displays the number, expiration month, expiration year, and customer name on the credit card. These fields are blank if credit card payment is not selected.

Change Payment Method

Click to access the Change Payment Method page (Click the Change Payment Details button on the Account Details page).

See Setting Up Credit Card Integration.

Address Information

These fields display the address or addresses associated with the account. You can edit current addresses or add new addresses.

Primary

Select if this is the primary address for the account.

Start Date and End Date

Displays the effective dates for the address.

Edit

Click to access the Edit Address page. This button appears only for current or future effective-dated addresses.

Add New Address

Click to access the Add New Address page (Click the Add New Address button on the Account Details page).

See Defining Name and Address Information for Business Objects.

Account Access Question

These fields verify the authenticity of the customer.

Access Question

Displays a question used by the CSR to authenticate the customer. This data is not sent to the billing system.

Access Answer

Displays the answer to the access question. This data is not sent to the billing system.

Change Access Question

Click to access the Change Access Question page (Click the Change Billing Cycle button on the Account Details page).

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicMaintaining Account Membership

Access the Members page (Customer Accounts, Search Account, Members).

First Name and Last Name

Enter this information and click the Add button to initiate a search for matching names.

Primary Manager

Select this check box to designate the person as the primary manager for the account. You can have multiple account managers but only one primary account manager.

Role

Select the role of the account member. Roles are either Account Manager or Account Member.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicManaging Account Balances

Access the Balance page (Customer Accounts, Search Account, Balance).

Current Balance

Displays the balance current as of the last call to the billing system.

Opening Balance

Displays the balance at the start of the billing cycle.

Dispute Balance

Click to open a case with a case type of Bill Dispute. The dispute type is Balance Dispute.

The system creates a case if the threshold value for the number of dispute cases (RBTMAXDISP) is not reached.

The system adjusts the dispute amount immediately if the threshold value for the maximum dispute amount (RBTMAXBALUSD) is not reached.

Important! An error occurs when you click this button without first launching the 360-degree view, and selecting the customer. When you have selected the customer, return to the Account Details page and click the Dispute Balance button to create the dispute case.

Get Balance

Click to retrieve the current balance from the billing system.

The system sends a request to the billing system to retrieve the latest account balance.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicManaging Account Usage

Access the Usage page (Customer Accounts, Search Account, Usage).

Current Balance

Displays the balance current as of the last call to the billing system.

Opening Balance

Displays the balance at the start of the billing cycle.

Resource

Displays the unit of measure, such as minutes.

Dispute Usage

Click to open a case with a case type of Bill Dispute. The dispute type is Usage Dispute.

The system creates a case if the threshold value for the number of dispute cases (RBTMAXDISP) is not reached.

The system adjusts the dispute amount immediately if the threshold value for the maximum dispute amount in usage (RBTMAXUSAGEMINS) is not reached.

Get Usage

Click to retrieve the current usage numbers from the billing system.

The system sends a request to the billing system to retrieve the latest account usage information.

Prepaid Accounts

The following fields are only available for the Prepaid account type.

Service Number

Select a service number to review information related to its usage.

Note. Usage information cannot display for service numbers that are indirectly paid by either non-primary split billing accounts or accounts owning the group offers.

Date Range to Retrieve

Select a period of time to view usage information for the selected account and service number.

When you select a service number and date range, the fields in the Account Usage Summary group box automatically populate with usage information related to that service number.

Note. If the account is associated only with a single service number, the usage information displays automatically with a default date range of 30 days.

Date Time Stamp

Displays the date and time associated with the usage line item.

Usage Type

Displays the type of usage associated with the usage line item.

Description

Displays a description of the service associated with the usage line item.

Quantity

Displays the number of services associated with the usage line item.

Units

Displays the number of units associated with the service in the usage line item.

Unit Price

Displays the unit price associated with the service in the usage line item.

Charge Amount

Displays the total amount charged for the service.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicManaging Bill History

Access the Bill History page (Customer Accounts, Search Account, Bill History).

Bill Number

Click to access details of the bill number returned by the billing system.

Amount

Displays the bill amount returned by the billing system.

Start Date and End Date

Displays the start and end date for the bill returned by the billing system.

Bill Due Date

Displays the bill due date returned by the billing system.

Get All Bills

Click to display all bills for this account.

The system sends a request to the billing system to retrieve the latest billing data.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Installed Products

Access the Installed Products page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Installed Products).

The system displays all installed products that are associated to the account.

Description

Displays the description of an installed product that is associated to the account. Click the link to transfer to the corresponding installed product record.

Top-Level Package

Displays the description of the top-level service which contains the installed product that is paid by the account. This field is applicable to installed products that are created for multilevel product bundles.

See Understanding Multilevel Installed Products.

Split Billing

Indicates, when selected, that the corresponding installed product is created for a split billing product and the account pays for its charges partially.

See Orders and Service Management.

See Also

Tracking Installed Products

Click to jump to parent topicViewing Bills

The Account and Billing Framework enables CSPs to tightly integrate their external billing systems with PeopleSoft CRM and display account and billing information in one application desktop. In the CRM system, account and billing information is viewable using both the Account and View Bills components.

This section discusses how to:

See Also

Setting Up Billing Integration for the Communication and Energy Industries

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to View Billing Information

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Bill Details

RBT_BILL_PG

Customer Accounts, View Bills, Bill Details

Click View Bill Details on the Bill History page

Use this page to view account information, bill summary, and current charges.

Bill Items Summary

RBT_BILLITEMS_PG

Customer Accounts, View Bills, Bill Details, Bill Items Summary

Click the View Bill Details button on the Bill History page, and select the Bill Items Summary page.

Use this page to view the list of items in the bill.

Bill Item Details

RBT_ITEMDETAILS_PG

Click Fetch Bills on the Bill Items Summary page

Use this page to view the selected bill item in detail and create bill disputes.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Bill Details

Access the Bill Details page (Customer Accounts, View Bills, Bill Details).

The Bill Details page provides information about the selected bill. Fields in the Account Details section are populated from the CRM system, whereas the rest are retrieved from the billing application.

Account Number

The account number with which this bill is associated.

Account Name

The name of the owner of the account.

Bill Number

A unique bill identifier that is generated in the billing system. Note that the bill number is not the same as the account number.

Bill Status

The current status of this bill.

Start Date

The first day of the billing cycle.

Parent Bill ID

The billing ID of the parent account, which is generated in the CRM system.

End Date

The last day of the billing cycle.

Bill Due Date

The date by when this bill should be paid.

Previous Total

The total payment due from the last bill.

Currency

The currency used for the Previous Total and Total Due fields.

Total Due

The account balance due.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Bill Items Summary

Access the Bill Items Summary page (Customer Accounts, View Bills, Bill Details, Bill Items Summary).

Bill Number

The unique bill identifier that is generated in the billing application.

Fetch Bills

Click to view the associated bill item in detail.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Bill Item Details and Bill Events

Access the Bill Item Details page (Click Fetch Bills on the Bill Items Summary page).

Fields in the Bill Item Details section provide detailed information about a selected bill item. You can create bill disputes based on the item itself or its bill events (for example, phone call).

Item Status

The status of the bill item.

Total Received

The total amount received for the bill item.

Disputed Amount

The amount in the bill item that is in dispute.

Amount Adjusted

The adjusted amount.

Date Opened

The start date of the dispute.

Date Closed

The end date of the dispute.

Dispute Item

Click to dispute the individual bill item.

The system creates a case if the threshold value for the number of dispute cases (RBTMAXDISP) is not reached.

The system adjusts the dispute amount immediately if the threshold value for maximum dispute amount in bill event (RBTMAXEVENTUSD) is not reached.

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Disputes

This section provides an overview of dispute creation and discusses how to view dispute history.

Note. Dispute management is not applicable to prepaid accounts.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Dispute Creation

You must enter a case to dispute a bill amount or usage. On the case, if the amount in dispute is below a configured threshold, the dispute is resolved immediately, otherwise the CRM system captures and passes the following data elements from the case to the billing system:

Data Elements

Description

CASE_ID

The dispute case ID.

BUSINESS_UNIT

The business unit for which the case is opened.

RBTBILLID

The bill identification number internal to the CRM system.

RBTACCTID

The account ID internal to the CRM system.

RBTBILLSYSACCTID

The corresponding account ID internal to the billing system.

RBTBILLSYSTEM

The external billing system name.

RBTBILLSYSID

The bill ID internal to the billing system.

RBTBILLITEMID

The bill item ID internal to the CRM system.

RBTBILLSYSITEMID

The bill item ID internal to the billing system.

RBTEVENTID

The bill event ID internal to the CRM system.

RBTBILLSYSEVENTID

The bill event ID internal to the billing system.

RBTDISPTYPE

The dispute type. Valid values are Balance, Usage, Event, and Item Dispute.

RBTADJTYPE

The dispute adjustment type. Valid values are Credit or Debit.

RBTAMTADJ

The adjusted amount.

RBTRESOURCETYPE

The type of resource adjusted. Valid values are Dollars or Minutes.

RBTDISPREASON

The reason for the dispute.

RBTDISPUTEAMT

The disputed amount.

RBTDISPSTATUS

The status of the dispute. Valid values are Approved, Denied, Hold, or Pending.

DESR254

The dispute note.

Note. The same logic applies to all disputes. The only difference is that in each type of dispute, the use of configuration threshold values is different.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPage Used to View Dispute History

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Dispute History

RBT_ACCTCASE_VW_PG

Customer Accounts, Account, Dispute History

View dispute history, both billing and usage.

Disputes can be generated in the self-service component or the Account component.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Dispute History

Access the Dispute History page (Customer Accounts, Account, Dispute History).

Number

Displays the number assigned to the dispute. Click the link to access the dispute details.

Status

Displays Approved, Denied, Hold, or Pending.

Date Created and Date Closed

Displays when the dispute was created and resolved.

Dispute Type

Displays Bal Dispute (balance dispute), Usage Dispute, or Event.

Adjustment Type

Displays Credit or Debit.

Resource Type

Displays the unit of measure for the dispute: Dollars or Minutes.

Disputed Amount

Displays the amount of the dispute.

Click to jump to parent topicManaging Prepaid Accounts

This section discusses how to manage prepaid accounts.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Manage Prepaid Accounts

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Account Details

RBT_ACCOUNT_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Account Details

Maintain the overall details of the account.

Note. You cannot use Add Account to add or create a prepaid account or to navigate to any prepaid account functionality. Prepaid accounts can only be created through the order process or imported.

Members

RBT_ACCT_PERSON

Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Members

Maintain the membership list for an account.

Balance and Payments

RBT_ACCT_BAL_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Balance and Payments

View the account balance available to spend and top-up the account.

Usage

RBT_ACCT_USAGE_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Usage

View the usage and charges for all phone calls.

Payment History

RBT_ACTBILL_REL_PG

Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Payment History

View payment amounts, dates, and methods.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicAdding or Maintaining Prepaid Account Details

Access the Account Details page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Account Details).

Company and Contact

Displays the name of the contact or consumer who is associated with the prepaid account. Click the link to transfer to the Person component.

The system displays Prepaid Consumer if the customer is not yet determined and theAuto Load option is selected on the Communications page of business unit definition.

By default, the auto load option takes the PREPAIDFIRST (delivered value: PREPAID) and PREPAIDLAST (delivered value: CONSUMER) configuration settings that are defined on the Communications Setup page as the first and last name of the prepaid consumer. When this option is enabled, the order process will use the prepaid consumer when a prepaid account order is placed and the customer is not identified.

Create Consumer

Click to open the Quick Create search page. This link appears if the customer is not yet identified. Here you can search for an existing consumer or create a new one to associate to the account when the customer decides not to remain anonymous, or enough information is gathered to create a known consumer. Many prepaid accounts will not have an associated consumer, only the default prepaid consumer is used, which is Prepaid Consumer.

Change Account Details

Click to change the account details. For prepaid accounts, only the account name may be updated here.

Convert to Postpaid Account

Click to open the Conversion Order page to initiate a Prepaid to Postpaid Service conversion. This moves the consumer from a prepaid billing account where services are paid for prior to usage, to a postpaid billing account where services are paid for after usage. The prepaid account is closed but the two accounts are linked so that the history is preserved.

Note. If the account is associated with a conversion order that is currently in progress, this link is hidden so that no duplicate conversion orders can be created for that account. Instead, a link named Conversion Order <order number> In Progress appears, clicking the link transfers you to the conversion order.

Change Access Question

Click to change the access question and answer.

See Also

Maintaining Account Details

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Account Members

Access the Members page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Members).

See Maintaining Account Membership.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicManaging Account Balance and Payments

Access the Balance and Payments page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Balance and Payments).

Navigating to the Balance and Payments page initiates the synchronous call to the billing system to retrieve the current balance, balance expiration date, top-up settings, and statuses for the account and service. If the statuses differ from what the application has on record, the statuses will be updated accordingly.

Top-Up Settings

Payment Type

Indicate the type of top up being made.

Selecting One Time Payment displays the Top-Up Amount field. The Bank Draft and Credit Card details are available for entry. A one time payment can be made even if a recurring payment is already set up.

Selecting Recurring Monthly Top-Up displays the Top-Up Amount field. Use this setting if the customer wants to set up a monthly top-up payment. The Bank Draft and Credit Card details are available for entry.

Selecting Recurring Threshold Top-Up displays the Top-Up Amount field and Threshold Amount. Us this setting if the customer wants to set up a threshold recurring top-up, meaning when the balance of the account gets down to the Threshold Amount, top-up the Top-Up Amount. The Bank Draft and Credit Card fields are available for entry.

Selecting Voucher displays the Voucher Number field. The Bank Draft and Credit Card details are not available for entry.

Threshold Amount

This field is displayed only if Recurring Threshold Top-Up is selected as the payment type. Once the balance falls to this amount, a new top-up payment is automatically triggered.

Top-Up Amount

Enter the amount to be charged to increase the account balance.

Bank Draft

Select to use bank draft as the payment method. Enter the relevant information as related fields are available for edit when this option is selected.

Select the Save Bank Account field if you wish to save the entered information for future use.

Credit Card

Select to use credit card as the payment method. Enter the relevant information as related fields are available for edit when this option is selected.

Select the Save Credit Card field if you wish to save the entered information for future use.

See Submitting Credit Card Information for Authorization.

Modify

Click to update the saved credit card information that is currently displayed. To save the change for future use, select the Save Credit Card field prior to submitting the payment.

Voucher Number

Enter a voucher number if the selected payment type is Voucher.

Submit

Click to submit the payment.

Cancel Recurring Payment

Click this link to cancel an existing recurring payment. This link is available only if a recurrent payment is currently in effect.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Account Usage

Access the Usage page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Usage).

Navigating to the Usage page initiates a synchronous call to the billing system, which by default retrieves usage data of the past 30 days for display.

The Date Range to Retrieve drop-down list box can be used to increase or reduce the time increment, with the synchronous call being repeated for the appropriate span.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicViewing Payment History

Access the Payment History page (Customer Accounts, Search Accounts, Payment History).

Navigating to the Payment History tab initiates a synchronous call to the billing system, which by default retrieves payment data of the past 30 days for display.

The drop-down list box above the grid can be used to increase or reduce the time increment, with the synchronous call being repeated for the appropriate span upon selection.

Click to jump to parent topicCreating an Order or Quote for a Prepaid Account

This section provides an overview of the prepaid order process and discusses how to create an order or quote for a prepaid service.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Prepaid Order Creation Scenarios

There are a couple of scenarios for creating an order with a prepaid account. The source of the order determines how the order is created and what information is required.

In the storefront scenario, the customer goes to a storefront and picks a pre-provisioned phone and service. The agent takes the order and submits with the appropriate information. In this scenario the customer name and information is not required by either the account or the order. A new installed product is created. An external prepaid billing account is created and the network is notified about the new account, plan, and information. The customer leaves the storefront with an activated service.

In a call center scenario, the customer calls in to order phone, SIM, and service. The agent takes the order and submits with the appropriate information. In this scenario the customer will be known and the consumer created. The fulfillment system will fulfill the phone and SIM and ship to the customer. The customer calls in once the order is received to activate the service. The installed services and accounts are activated during the customer call. This additional activation step is necessary when the order is placed through the call center to avoid possible theft. A third scenario when the customer purchases a shrink wrapped phone/service combination from a department store. The customer will need to call in to activate the service and possibly obtain the phone number. The customer name and information is not required by either the account or the order. The installed product and account are already created in the CRM system through the Bulk import of Prepaid Accounts.

In any of these scenarios, funds may or may not be available on the account. If funds are available the activated service status will be Activated. If funds are not available, the service status with be Pending Top-up.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding the Prepaid Order Process

These steps illustrate a typical process for creating a prepaid order.

  1. The agent goes to the 360-degree search page and uses the User Link drop-down list box to Add Prepaid Service.

  2. The agent is transferred to the order.

    Depending on the business unit setting for Default Prepaid Customer, the prepaid consumer may be loaded in the Customer group box. The agent can choose to manually load the prepaid consumer, load an existing customer, or use Quick Create to create a new consumer.

  3. The Source field determines whether or not a customer is required and whether or not fulfillment is involved. If the Source is Storefront – meaning that the order does not need to ship, the customer does not need to be identified, and the prepaid consumer can be used on the order.

    If this is a call center operation, the customer is required. The prepaid consumer cannot be used, because the order needs to be shipped. The customer may request to have the Privacy or Do Not Contact flag set to prohibit further contact by the call center. The default for this flag can be set in the business unit setup.

  4. The Accounts sub page enables the agent to create a new prepaid account. The Prepaid Account radio button is automatically selected. When the order is created from the 360–degree view using Add Prepaid Service, the Existing Account and Account Number fields in the Recurring Billing Summary are hidden.

  5. The agent initializes the prepaid account. The default setup for the account is a Payment Type of Voucher. The Access Question defaults from the Business Unit Order Communications Setup page.

    The Payment Types can be one-time, monthly recurring, and threshold recurring. The Threshold Amount is displayed only when threshold recurring is selected.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Create an Order or Quote for a Prepaid Account

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Search for Customer

RB_TD_AGT_SRCH_COM

Click the Customer 360–Degree View link.

Start the prepaid order process.

Order

RO_FORM

Select Add Prepaid Service in the Action drop-down list box on the Customer Search page and click Go.

Set up the prepaid account.

Prepaid Account Setup

RO_PP_ACCT_SEC

Click the Prepaid Account Details link on the Order page.

Add payment details for the prepaid account.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicAdding a Prepaid Consumer

Access the Search for Customer page (Click the Customer 360–Degree View link).

Use the Customer 360–Degree View Search page to add a prepaid service.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicCreating an Order or Quote for a Prepaid Account

Access the Order page (select Add Prepaid Service in the Action drop-down list box on the Search for Customer page and click Go).

Use the Order page to enter details for the prepaid account purchase.

Holds are available to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSetting Up the Prepaid Account

Access the Prepaid Account Setup page (click the Prepaid Account Details link on the Order page).

Information entered will be used when creating the prepaid account and will be handed off to the prepaid billing system.

Note. The Prepaid Account Setup page changes depending on the Payment Type selection.

Payment Type

Values for payment type are One Time Payment, Recurring Monthly Top-Up, Recurring Threshold Top-Up, and Voucher.

Top-Up Amount

Enter the top-up amount.

Click to jump to parent topicActivating Prepaid and Postpaid Services

This section provides an overview and discusses how to activate prepaid and postpaid services.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Service Activation

Refer to the Service Management Activate Service Process Flow section for details and flowchart diagrams that illustrate the process for activating prepaid and postpaid wireless services.

See Service Management Activate Service Process Flow.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Activate Prepaid and Postpaid Services

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Search for Customer

RB_TD_AGT_SRCH_COM

Click the Customer 360–Degree View link.

Search for accounts in status of Pending Activation.

Manage Service

RO_ORDER_CAPTURE

Service Management, Maintain Service

View and maintain activated services.

See Also

Working with PeopleSoft Service Management

Click to jump to parent topicConverting a Prepaid Account to a Postpaid Account

At times it is beneficial for a customer to convert a prepaid account to a postpaid account. To convert a prepaid account to a regular postpaid account:

  1. From the 360-degree Search, type in the customer’s phone number.

    If the customer is the special prepaid customer, the CSR is automatically transferred to the accounts page for the phone number. If the customer is known to the system, the CSR will need to select the prepaid account for the customer.

  2. Select the Convert Account link. Transfer to the order form with the consumer information filled in and the new account request.

  3. If a consumer has not yet been created for the customer, customer data is required. Use Quick Create on the Prepaid Account page to create the consumer. The system will modify the consumer on the existing prepaid account and installed products to this new customer.

    If you are using Quick Create on the Conversion Order page, then the Prepaid account does not get updated to the new consumer. This does not affect the conversion and the prepaid account will still be closed, however it will continue to say Prepaid Consumer.

    After using Quick Create on a Prepaid account to create a new Consumer, you must set the consumer's BillTo/SoldTo/ShipTo preferences before submitting a conversion order. To set the preferences:

    1. Click the Consumer Name link on the Prepaid Account to open Consumer Details in new window.

    2. In the new window select the Details link.

    3. Select the BillTo/SoldTo/ShipTo check boxes.

    4. Click Save. You will get a message to select a single sold to address.

    5. Click tab to return to the main page and click the More... link above the address.

    6. Select the Sold to check box and Save. Close that window.

    7. Return to the Prepaid Account window and click the Convert to Postpaid link

      These steps will also resolve the holds if you have already submitted your order.

  4. Select the new plan for the customer. Optionally a new MISISDN, a new SIM, or phone may be entered.

  5. Fill in the new account information.

  6. Submit order.

  7. Run holds, especially the credit check hold and the customer hold.

  8. After holds complete successfully, the Telco New Order BPEL process is run with a special command to convert the accounts and create the new installed products.

Within the Telco New Order BPEL process, the Postpaid Conversion sub-BPEL process is run, which coordinates the shutdown of the old account and installed services and the activation of the new account and installed services. Refer to the Prepaid to Postpaid Account Conversion Process Flow section for details and a flowchart diagram that illustrates the process for converting prepaid accounts to postpaid accounts.

See Prepaid to Postpaid Account Conversion Process Flow.

The BPEL process performs these actions:

  1. Creates account in external Postpaid billing System.

  2. Creates a new account in CRM and links it to both the external postpaid account and to the old prepaid account.

  3. Creates the new installed services for the postpaid services and links them to the new CRM account.

  4. Notifies HLR about the new service.

  5. Notifies HLR about the shutdown of the old service.

  6. Shuts down the prepaid account in the external billing system.

  7. Disconnects the old installed services in CRM.

  8. Moves equipment (SIM, handset) from the old CRM account to new CRM account.

  9. Flags SIM and MSISDN in the SIM Management and Number Management systems from prepaid to postpaid.

  10. Transfers the balance from external prepaid billing system to the external postpaid billing system.

  11. Activates the new services.