9 Packages
A package consists of one or more bundles that you make available to customers for purchase.
You can also define the following in packages:
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Credit limits.
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How you want to track balances for the services you offer.
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Rules for upgrading and downgrading from one package to another.
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Rules for transitioning between services for different generations of wireless technology.
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You can restrict the discounts that can be used with the package.
To make a package available for purchase, you add it to a package list.
For overview information, see "Creating Packages and Package Lists" in PDC Creating Product Offerings.
Creating a Package
To create a package:
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In the Pricing section of the navigation pane, under Bundling, click Create Package.
The Create Package page appears.
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In the General Information section, enter a unique name for the package and a description.
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(Optional) Select Bill on Purchase to immediately generate a bill for the purchase fees upon purchase.
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(Optional) Select Activate all other offers in addition to first usage offer to activate all charge offers in the package upon first usage of any charge offer in the package.
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Expand the Product Specification Attributes subsection.
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If any product specification attributes were defined for packages in an XML template file, set their values.
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(Optional) In the Terms section, select the name of the subscription term that you want to add. If you do not want to add a term, select No Commitment.
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Add services and bundles. See "Adding Services and Bundles" for more information.
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Add balance tracking information. See "Adding Balance Tracking Information" for more information.
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Define rules for upgrading and downgrading the package. See "Defining Transition Rules" for more information.
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Define rules for transitioning to other packages for different generations of wireless technology. See "Defining Generation Change Rules" for more information.
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Specify the discount offers that cannot be used with the package. See "Defining Discount Restrictions" for more information.
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Click Finish.
The overview page for the package appears.
Related Topics
Adding Services and Bundles
You add bundles to a package by associating them either with a service or with the account.
Before adding a bundle to a package, you need to add a service or service group and then associate each service with a bundle. A service group allows you to group related services.
To add services and bundles:
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In the Manage Package Content section, click Add Service in the table.
The Add Service dialog box appears.
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Select the service that you want to associate the bundles within the package and click OK.
The table is updated with the new service.
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(Optional) Create a service group. See "Creating a Service Group" for more information.
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Select a service, service group, or Account, then click Add Bundle.
Note:
You cannot add more than one bundle to Account.
The Search for Bundles dialog box appears.
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Search for the bundles to add to the package. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
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In the Results table, select the bundles that you want to add to the package and click OK. Hold down the CTRL key to select more than one bundle.
The bundles appear under the service in the table.
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Select one of the following:
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Optional. Select this if the bundle can be optionally purchased with the service.
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Required—can be canceled on its own. Select this if the bundle is required but can be canceled without canceling the associated service.
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Required—must cancel service with bundle. Select this if the bundle is required but can be canceled only after canceling the associated service.
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Add more services and bundles as needed.
Creating a Service Group
You create a service group by adding member services to a subscription service.
To create a service group:
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In the Manage Package Content section, click Add Service in the table.
The Add Service dialog box appears.
Note:
A member service can be added to a top-level service only.
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Select a service that represents the subscription service and click OK.
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Click Add Member Service.
The Add Member Service dialog box appears.
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Select the service that represents the member service and click OK. Hold down the CTRL key to select more than one service.
The member service appears under the subscription service in the table.
Related Topics
Adding Balance Tracking Information
By default, balances for all services are tracked in the account balance group. To track balances for specific services in the package, you associate the services with their own balance groups.
For each balance group, you can specify credit limits, credit thresholds, loan thresholds, and consumption rules for balance elements used by the services in that group.
To assign services to balance groups and set credit limits, credit thresholds, and consumption rules, refer to the following topics:
Assigning Services to Balance Groups
To track any services in a separate balance group, first create a new balance group, then associate one or more services to the balance group.
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In the Balance Groups section, click the Add icon in the table for balance groups.
The new balance group is added to the table with a default name.
You can add as many balance groups as needed for the services in your package.
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In the table in Assign Services to Balance Groups section, select the service, then select a balance group in the Balance Group column.
If the service you have selected is a subscription service, all member services are assigned to the selected balance group. If the member services were assigned to different balance groups than the service group, the member services retain their original balance groups.
Related Topics
Deleting a Balance Group
A balance group continues to exist even when there are no services associated with it. You must explicitly delete unwanted balance groups.
To delete a balance group:
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In the table in Assign Services to Balance Group section, select the balance group from the Balance Group list.
Services assigned to the balance group appear in the table.
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In the Balance Group column, select a different balance group for each service.
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In the table in Balance Groups section, select the balance group to delete and click the Delete icon.
Setting Credit Limits
You can set credit limits for each balance element that the package uses. This limits the amount of a particular balance element that customers can use.
To set a credit limit for a balance element:
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group in which to set the credit limit.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section, click the Add icon in the table.
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From the Balance Element list, select a balance element.
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In the Credit Limit column, deselect None and enter a non-zero amount to specify the maximum amount of the balance element that a customer can use.
Related Topics
Setting Credit Thresholds
You can set credit thresholds to notify customers when their balance reaches a specified amount.
To set percentage thresholds, you need to set credit floor and credit limit. This applies to both currency and noncurrency balance elements.
To set fixed threshold, you don't need to set any credit limit. If you do set a credit limit and credit floor, then the fixed threshold must be between the credit floor and credit limit.
To set a credit threshold for a balance element:
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group in which to set the credit threshold.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section, in the Credit Floor column, deselect None and enter an amount that establishes the starting point for the credit threshold.
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Do one of the following:
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To specify the credit threshold as a percentage of the credit limit, click the link in the Percentage Threshold column.
The Percentage Threshold dialog box appears displaying the selected percentages.
Click the Clear button to deselect the selected percentages and then select the percentages at which you want notifications to occur.
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To enter a fixed threshold amount, click the link in the Fixed Threshold column.
The Fixed Threshold dialog box appears.
In the Amount field, enter the fixed threshold value at which you want notification to occur; click Add.
Add additional amounts as needed.
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Related Topics
Setting Loan Thresholds
You can set loan thresholds to offer loan to customers when their balance reaches a specified amount.
To set percentage thresholds, you need to set credit floor and credit limit. This applies to both currency and noncurrency balance elements.
To set fixed threshold, you don't need to set any credit limit. If you do set a credit limit and credit floor, then the fixed threshold must be between the credit floor and credit limit.
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group in which to set the loan threshold.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section, in the Credit Floor column, deselect None and enter an amount that establishes the starting point for the loan threshold.
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Do one of the following:
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To specify the loan threshold as a percentage of the credit limit, click the link in the Loan Percentage Threshold column.
The Percentage Threshold dialog box appears displaying the selected percentages.
Click the Clear button to deselect the selected percentages and then select the percentages at which you want notifications to occur.
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To enter a fixed threshold amount, click the link in the Loan Fixed Threshold column. The Fixed Threshold dialog box appears. In the Amount field, enter the fixed threshold value at which you want notification to occur; click Add.
Add additional amounts as needed.
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Related Topics
Deleting a Credit Limit
To delete a credit limit for a balance element:
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group from which to delete the credit limit.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section, in the Credit Limit column, select None for the balance element for which you want to remove the credit limit.
Setting Consumption Rules
Consumption rules specify the order in which sub-balances of a balance element are consumed.
To set consumption rules for balance elements:
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group for which to set the consumption rules.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section, from the Balance Element list, select the balance element for which you want to set the consumption rule.
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In the Consumption Rule column, select the consumption rule to apply.
Related Topics
Deleting a Consumption Rule
To delete a consumption rule for a balance element:
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In the Balance Groups section, select the balance group from which to delete the consumption rule.
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In the Credit Limits and Consumptions Rule section, in the Consumption Rules column, select NONE for the balance element for which you want to delete the consumption rule.
Defining Transition Rules
Transition rules are used to upgrade or downgrade a package to another package.
When you set up a transition rule, you include the following information:
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The allowable packages for upgrade or downgrade of the current package.
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The validity period when the transition rule becomes effective.
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Which fees to apply to the billing cycle in which the transition occurs: the original package's fees, the new package's fees, or prorated fees from both packages.
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Whether to waive any purchase and cancellation fees when the upgrade or downgrade occurs.
To define transition rules for a package:
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In the Transition Rules for Eligible Packages section, click the Add icon in the table.
The Search Packages for Transition dialog box appears.
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Search for packages to define the transition rules. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
When you define a transition, you must transition to a package that has at least one of the services that the current package contains. When searching for a package to add to a transition rule, you must specify the service that is required in both packages.
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In the Results table, select the packages allowed for transition and click OK.
The package is added to the table in the Transition Rules for Eligible Packages section.
The packages are added to the table with default values for transition type, validity period, and purchase and cancellation fees.
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In the Type column, select Upgrade or Downgrade.
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(Optional) To change the default validity period, click the link in Validity column. You can update start and end dates in the Edit Validity dialog box.
See "Setting Validity Periods".
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Deselect Immediately and Never to enter a new start and end date. You can also use the date selector to select new dates.
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Specify when to start the new package's cycle fees:
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This cycle, in full: Apply the new package's fee this cycle, and fully refund the original package's cycle fee.
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This cycle, prorated: Prorate the current and new packages' cycle fees.
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Next cycle: Apply the original package's fee to this cycle, and start the new package's fee in the next billing cycle.
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(Optional) In the Waive Fees column, deselect Purchase and Cancel to charge purchase and cancellation fees.
Defining Generation Change Rules
Generation change rules allow transitions between packages for different generations of wireless technology.
When you set up a generation change rule, you include the following information:
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The packages that can be used for the generation change.
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The validity period when the generation change rule becomes effective.
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Whether to waive the purchase and cancellation fees when the generation change occurs.
To define generation change rules:
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In the Generation Change Rules for Eligible Packages section, click the Add icon in the table.
The Search Packages for Generation Change dialog box appears.
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Search for packages to define the generation change rules. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
Note:
The same package cannot be used in both a transition rule and a generation change rule.
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In the Results table, select the packages allowed for generation change and click OK.
The packages are added to the table with default values for validity period and purchase and cancellation fees.
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(Optional) To change the default validity period, click the validity period.
The Edit Validity dialog box appears.
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Deselect Immediately and Never to enter a new start and end date. You can also use the date selector to select new dates.
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(Optional) In the Waive Fees column, deselect Purchase and Cancel to charge purchase and cancellation fees.
Defining Discount Restrictions
Discount restrictions specify the discount offers that cannot be used with the package.
To specify discount restrictions for a package:
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In the Manage Discount Restrictions section, click the Add icon the table.
The Search Discount Offers for Restriction dialog box appears.
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Search for the discount offers to add as a discount restrictions. See "Searching for Pricing Components" for more information.
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In the Results table, select the discount offers that cannot be used with the package and click OK.
The discount offers are added to the table.
Create Package Page Reference
Use the Create Package page to group one or more services and associated bundles into a package.
For a description of the fields, see:
General Information Section
Use the General Information section to provide general information for the package.
For a description of the Extended Attributes subsection, see "Product Specification Attributes Subsection".
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
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Name, Description |
Enter a unique name and a description for the package. |
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Bill on Purchase |
(Optional) Select to immediately generate a bill for any purchase fees when the customer purchases the package. Selecting Bill on Purchase does not generate a bill for any other charges, such as recurring, usage, or cancellation fees. |
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Activate all other offers in addition to first offer usage |
(Optional) Select to activate all charge offers in the package upon first usage of any charge offer in the package. For example, assume a package contains bundle 1 with charge offers A and B, and bundle 2 with charge offer C. If, on 15 May, a customer's first service usage is in charge offer B, all charge offers (A, B, and C) are activated on 15 May. |
Related Tasks
Product Specification Attributes Subsection
Use the Product Specification Attributes subsection to provide values for any product specification attributes configured in XML template files. The fields available in this subsection depend on what is configured in the XML template file.
See "About Extended Attributes for Pricing Components" in PDC Creating Product Offerings for more information.
Terms Section
Optionally, use the Terms section to add a subscription term to a package.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Select a subscription term. If you do not want to add a term, select No Commitment. |
Related Tasks
Manage Package Content Section
Use the Manage Package Content section to add services and bundles to the package.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Add Service |
Click to add services. |
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Add Bundle |
Click to add bundles for a service. |
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Add Member Service |
Click to add member services to a service group. |
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Services in Package |
Lists the services and associated bundles in the package. Included services can be either standalone services or service groups. |
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Purchase options |
The following options are supported:
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Related Tasks
Search for Bundles Dialog Box
Use the Search for Bundles dialog box to search for bundles you want to add to the package.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
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Pricing Component |
Specifies the type of pricing component to search for. This field displays Bundle. |
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Applicable To |
Select the service associated with the bundles you want to search for. This field displays the service currently selected in the Content table. |
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Name |
(Optional) Enter a full or partial name of the bundle to search for. Select an operator from the operator list and enter a value in the field next to the operator list. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Results Table
The Results table lists the bundles that meet the search criteria. Select the bundles you want to add to the package and click OK.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Lists the bundles that match the search criteria. |
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Description |
Displays a description for each bundle. |
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Phase |
Displays the status of the bundle.
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Applicable To |
Displays the service associated with the bundles where charges are applied. |
Related Tasks
Related Topics
Balance Groups Section
Use the Balance Groups section to assign services to balance groups and set credit limits and consumption rules.
To add a new balance group, click the Add icon in the table.
You can add as many balance groups as required for your services.
Assign Services to Balance Groups Section
Use the Assign Services to Balance Groups section to assign services to balance groups.
From the Balance Group list, you can select a specific balance group, which displays only the services assigned to that balance group, or you can select All, which displays all balance groups and all the services assigned to them.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Service |
Lists the services assigned to the balance group selected in the Balance Group list. |
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Balance Group |
Specifies the balance group for the corresponding service in the Service column. To assign the service to a different balance group, click in the Balance Group cell, then select a new balance group from the list. |
Credit Limits and Consumption Rules Section
Use the Credit Limits and Consumption Rules section to set credit limits and consumption rules for balance elements in a balance group.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Balance Element |
Select the balance element for which you want to set credit limit and consumption rule. |
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Credit Limit |
Specifies the maximum amount of the balance element that the customer can use. Deselect None to set a limit. In the text field, enter the maximum amount of the balance element a customer can use (must be greater than 0). |
|
Credit Floor |
Specifies the starting value for credit thresholds. Deselect None to set the starting value for the credit threshold. In the text field, enter the starting point for the credit threshold (must be greater than 0). |
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Percentage Threshold |
Specifies the percentage of the balance element used when the customer should be notified of the usage balance. To enter a percentage threshold, click the link in the Percentage Threshold column. This opens the Percentage Threshold dialog box. Deselect Percentage Threshold then select the percentages at which you want notifications to occur. For example, if you want notifications to occur when 50% of the balance element is used and again when 75% is used, select 50% and 75%. To set a percentage threshold for currency balance element, a credit limit must be specified; for noncurrency balance elements, both a credit limit and a credit floor must be specified. |
|
Fixed Threshold |
Specifies the balance element amount remaining when the customer should be notified of the remaining balance. To enter a fixed threshold, click the link in the Fixed Threshold column. This opens the Fixed Threshold dialog box. Deselect Fixed Threshold; in the Amount field, enter the fixed threshold values at which you want notifications to occur; click Add. For example, if you have a package that offers 3 hours of usage over a 24-hour period and you want notification to occur when 30 minutes of usage is remains and again when 5 minutes of usage remains, enter 30 and 5. |
|
Loan Percentage Threshold |
Specifies the percentage of the balance element used when the customer should be notified of the loan offer. To enter a percentage threshold, click the link in the Loan Percentage Threshold column. This opens the Percentage Threshold dialog box. Deselect Percentage Threshold then select the percentages at which you want loan offer notifications to occur. For example, if you want notifications to occur when 50% of the balance element is used and again when 75% is used, select 50 and 75. To set a percentage threshold for currency balance element, a credit limit must be specified; for noncurrency balance elements, both a credit limit and a credit floor must be specified. |
|
Loan Fixed Threshold |
Specifies the balance element amount remaining when the customer should be notified of the loan offer. To enter a fixed threshold, click the link in the Loan Fixed Threshold column. This opens the Fixed Threshold dialog box. In the Amount field, enter the fixed threshold values at which you want loan offer notifications to occur; click Add. For example, if you have a package that offers 3 hours of usage over a 24-hour period and you want notification to occur when 30 minutes of usage remains and again when 5 minutes of usage remains, enter 30 and 5. |
|
Consumption Rule |
Select one of the following consumption rules for the balance element.
|
Transition Rules for Eligible Packages Section
Use the Transition Rules for Eligible Packages section to define the rules for upgrading or downgrading the current package.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Package |
Lists the allowable packages for upgrade or downgrade of the current package. You can click on the package link to view the package summary. |
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For Service |
Displays the service in the current package allowed for the upgrade or downgrade. The service must exist in the current package as well as in the package it is transitioned to. |
|
Type |
Specifies whether the transition rule is for a package upgrade or package downgrade. |
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Validity |
Specifies the period when the transition of the current package to the allowable package is valid. The default validity period is Immediately to Never Ends. Click the link in this column to change the validity period. In the Edit Validity dialog box, set the new start and end dates. |
|
New package Cycle Fees Start |
Specify when the new package's cycle fees should start by selecting one of the following:
|
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Waive Fees |
Indicates to waive any purchase and cancellation fees when the transition occurs. Deselect Purchase and Cancel to charge purchase and cancellation fees when the transition occurs. |
Related Tasks
Search Packages for Transition Dialog Box
Use the Search Packages for Transition dialog box to search for allowable packages for upgrading or downgrading the current package.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Component |
Specifies the type of pricing component to search for. This field displays Package. |
|
Applicable To |
Select the service in the current package for which you want to define the transition rule. When you define a transition, you must transition to a package that has at least one of the services that the current package contains. When searching for a package to add to a transition rule, you must specify the service that is required in both packages. |
|
Name |
(Optional) Enter a full or partial name of the package to search for. Select an operator from the operator list and enter a value in the field next to the operator list. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Results Table
The Results table lists the packages that meet the search criteria. Select the packages to define the transition rules and click OK.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Lists the packages that match the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description for each package. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of the packages.
|
Related Tasks
Related Topics
Generation Change Rules for Eligible Packages Section
Use the Generation Change Rules for Eligible Packages section to specify packages for different generations of wireless technology that the current package can be transitioned to.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Package |
Lists the allowable packages the current package can transition to. You can click on the package link to view the package summary. |
|
Validity |
Specifies the period when the transition of the current package to the allowable package is valid. The default validity period is Immediately to Never Ends. Click the link in this column to change the validity period. In the Edit Validity dialog box, set the new start and end dates. |
|
Waive Fees |
Indicates to waive any purchase and cancellation fees when the generation change occurs. Deselect Purchase and Cancel to charge purchase and cancellation fees when the generation change occurs. |
Related Tasks
Search Packages for Generation Change Dialog Box
Use the Search Packages for Generation Change dialog box to search for allowable packages for transitioning the current package.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Component |
Specifies the type of pricing component to search for. This field displays Package. |
|
Applicable To |
Specifies the service associated with the packages you want to search for. For instance, to transition from a 2G to a 3G package, select a 3G service. |
|
Name |
(Optional) Enter a full or partial name of the package to search for. Select an operator from the operator list and enter a value in the field next to the operator list. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Results Table
The Results table lists the packages that meet the search criteria. Select the packages to define generation change rules and click OK.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Lists the packages that match the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description for each package. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of the packages.
|
Related Tasks
Related Topics
Manage Discount Restrictions Section
Use the Manage Discount Restrictions section to specify discount offers that cannot be used with the package.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Lists the discount offers that cannot be used with the package. |
|
Description |
Displays a description for each discount offer. |
Related Tasks
Search Discount Offers for Restriction Dialog Box
Use the Search Discount Offers for Restriction dialog box to search for discount offers that cannot to be used with the package.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Pricing Component |
Specifies the type of pricing component to search for. This field displays Discount Offer. |
|
Applicable To |
Select the service where charges for the discount offers are applied. |
|
Name |
(Optional) Enter a full or partial name of the discount offers to search for. Select an operator from the operator list and enter a value in the field next to the operator list. Leading and trailing whitespaces are removed from the search criteria. If embedded whitespaces need to be included in the search, use '% %' in place of the whitespace in your search criteria. |
Results Table
The Results table lists the discount offers that meet the search criteria. Select the discount offers to add as discount restrictions and click OK.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
Lists the discount offers that match the search criteria. |
|
Description |
Displays a description for each discount offer. |
|
Phase |
Displays the status of the discount offers.
|
|
Applicable To |
Displays the service where charges for the discount offers are applied. |
Related Tasks
Related Topics