15 Installments

In Oracle Communications Billing Care, you can enable your customers to pay bills in installments.

To work with installments, see the following topics:

• Working with Installment Specifications

• Working with Installment Schedules

Working with Installment Specifications

Installment specifications provide the rules for installment payment schedules that you create. A specification includes the minimum value for installments, the maximum interval between non-equal installments, and the specification's validity period.

You can also add eligibility criteria to a specification. For example, you can have the specification be eligible only for a particular customer segment, category, or field.

Note:

You cannot modify an installment specification. However, you can change the end date.

To work with the installment specifications, see the following topics:

• Creating Installment Specifications
• Finding Installment Specifications
• Editing an Installment Specification

Creating Installment Specifications

To create an installment specification:

1. On the Billing Care landing page, click Installment Configuration.

   The Installment Specifications page appears.

2. Click Create.

   The Create Installment Specification dialog box appears.

3. Enter the following:

   • A unique name.
   • The minimum value for installment payments. Select Percentage or Amount (in Account currency) to specify the type of value you entered. Percentages must be less than 100.
   • The maximum number of days between non-equal installments.
   • The maximum number of non-equal installments.
   • Start and end dates for when the installment specification is valid. If you don't enter a start date, the specification is valid from the creation date. If you don't enter an end date, the specification never expires.
   • The G/L ID.

4. (Optional) In the Eligibility Criteria section, do the following:

   • Select the criteria class or subclass. For example, select Service.
   • Select a field from the criteria class, for example, Effective_T (the effective timestamp).
   • Select an operator. The list shows operators that apply to the field you selected, for example, =.

   • Enter a value for the eligibility criteria. The type of value is dependent on the selected field. For example, if you selected Effective_T, you enter a date.

5. Click the + icon, next to the row, to create another eligibility criteria. Click the – icon, to delete an eligibility criteria.

   Note:

   If you create multiple eligibility criteria, the installment specification is applicable only when all the criteria are met.

6. Click Finish.

Finding Installment Specifications

To search for existing installment specifications:

1. On the Installment Specifications page, click Search.

   The Search dialog box appears.

2. Filter the search by either name, status, or both. For name, enter all or part of a name. You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard for one or more characters. For status, select Active or Expired.

3. Click Search.

   The Installment Specifications page displays the specifications that match the filters you set.

   Note:

   You can sort the results using the up or down arrows next to each column.

Editing an Installment Specification

To edit an installment specification:

1. On the Installment Specifications page, find the specification you want to edit. See "Finding Installment Specifications".

2. Select the installment specification.

   The Edit Installment Specification page appears.

3. Make the edits you want. For more information on the fields and descriptions, see "Creating Installment Specifications".

4. Click Finish.

Working with Installment Schedules

Create an installment schedule for a customer's bills or bill items to enable the customer to pay the amount due in periodic installments.

You can select multiple bill units for an account, and divide the total bill amount into equal or unequal installment payments. For unequal installments, you can set up the amount for each payment.

You can cancel existing installments if the customer decides to pay the remaining amount all at once. You can also view the available installment payment schedules for an account.

Note:

• Installment schedules with a status of open can only be canceled. If you cancel a schedule, the status for individual installments that are charged, broken, or paid will be unchanged.

• When you cancel an installment schedule, the pending installment amount will be charged as a lump sum amount to the customer’s current bill in progress. Customers are still required to pay any remaining installments with a charged status, by the agreed-upon date.

To work with the installment payment schedule, see the following topics:

• Creating an Installment Schedule
• Viewing Installment Schedules
• Canceling an Installment Schedule

Creating an Installment Schedule

Note:

You can create an installment payment schedule while viewing the installment payment schedule.

You create an installment payment schedule for a customer’s bill.

To create an installment payment schedule:

1. From the Actions menu, select Installment Schedule, then select Create.

   The Create Installment Schedule dialog box appears.

   Note:

   You can also start creating a schedule from the View Installment Schedules page.

2. On the Select Specification page, select a specification.

   Specifications with eligibility criteria that apply to the current account are listed. Information about the selected specification appears.

3. Click Continue.

   The Select Bills page appears.

4. Select a bill unit, then click Show Bills.

   A list of bills appears.

5. Select any combination of bills and bill items.

6. Click Continue.

   The Details page appears.

7. Enter the number of installments, the start date, and whether you want to bill immediately or with the existing billing cycle.

   The total bill amount is divided equally by the number of installment payments and appears in the Installment Proposal section.

8. To manually change any dates or amounts, select Manual Entry of Installment Details. You can then edit the dates and amounts.

   If you create unequal amounts:

   • The maximum interval between installment dates is 20 days.
   • The amounts you enter must add up to the total amount.

9. Click Continue.

10. Review, then click Finish.

Viewing Installment Schedules

To view the installment payment schedules:

1. From the Actions menu, select Installment Schedule, then select View All.

   The Installment Schedule page appears and lists all the installment schedules for the account.

2. Select a schedule. The page displays the date, amount, and status of each payment.

3. To see the details of the installment schedule, click View Details.

   The Installment Schedule Details dialog box appears listing the bills and amounts.

4. Click OK.

Canceling an Installment Schedule

To cancel an installment schedule:

1. From the Actions menu, select Installment Schedule, then select View All.

   The Installment Schedule page appears and lists the installment schedules for the account.

2. Select an installment schedule and click Cancel Installment.

   A dialog box appears asking you to confirm.

3. Click Confirm.