5 Subscriptions

You can manage the no-contract subscriptions and contracts owned by your customers by using the Subscriptions area of Oracle Communications Billing Care.

Note:

The Subscriptions area in Billing Care is available only if you have:

• Installed BRM 12.0.0.3.0 with Interim Patch 31426340 or later releases.

• Enabled deliverable-based revenue recognition. See "Enabling Deliverable-Based Revenue Recognition" in BRM Collecting General Ledger Data.

In all other cases, Billing Care displays the Assets area. See "Assets".

To manage your customers' subscriptions, see the following topics:

• About Account Subscriptions

• Viewing Subscriptions

• Transitioning Bundles and Packages

• Purchasing New Products and Services

• Purchasing Add-On Products

• Working with No-Contract Subscriptions

• Working with Contracts

About Account Subscriptions

Your customers can purchase two different types of subscriptions:

• Contracts: A contract is a subscription with terms that your customers agree to when they purchase it. The terms define the commitment periods and options for canceling and renewing the subscription. A contract's terms apply to all required bundles in the contract. Any optional bundles that are added have their own, independent terms.

• No-contract subscriptions: A no-contract subscription does not include terms. Your customers can use a no-contract subscription until they wish to cancel, without requiring them to renew or to incur early termination fees.

Each subscription that your customer owns is displayed in a subscription card, which displays details such as the purchase date and the services owned.

Viewing Subscriptions

Billing Care displays details about the subscriptions that a customer owns in the Subscriptions area. Each subscription has its own subscription card. The top of the card contains overview information, such as:

• The name of the package that the customer purchased

• The number of deferred actions, if any

• The date the package was purchased

The lower section contains information about the bundles, services, charge offers, and discount offers owned by the customer. For contracts, it also includes details about the terms, such as the end date and renewal settings.

You can select a card to expand it and show more details.

In case of service groups, the subscription cards for all the member services in the group are displayed under the parent service irrespective of their status. You can use the parent service to sort the services in the group. You cannot sort the services in the group individually.

Note:

In the detail view, customized charge offers are displayed with an asterisk.

To view a subscription:

1. On the account page, click the Home tab.

2. Select the Subscriptions area.

   Subscription cards appear on the page to the right. The cards are organized by purchase date with the most recent on top.

3. Select the subscription card that you want to work with.

Transitioning Bundles and Packages

Note:

When deliverable-based revenue recognition is enabled, you cannot transition bundles or packages.

Transitions enable you to limit the packages that customers can switch to while remaining fully provisioned. When transitioning to a designated package, your customers can retain their devices, such as phone numbers.

Few transition types appear by default, such as Upgrade and Downgrade. There could be more based on your system configuration.

• Upgrade to a package that is typically more expensive and has more features. For example, a customer might transition from a package that provides Internet and cable TV services to a package that provides Internet, cable TV, and VOIP services. In this case, the transition adds a service and a bundle, and changes the bundles for the existing services.

• Downgrade to a package that is typically less expensive and has fewer features.

You can perform the following tasks:

• Transitioning a Bundle for an Account

• Transitioning and Configuring a Package for an Account

• Mapping Services for an Account

Transitioning a Bundle for an Account

Note:

You cannot transition bundles that contain subscription terms.

To transition a bundle for an account:

1. Select an account. See "Finding an Account" for more information.

2. Click Purchase.

   The Purchase Catalogue screen appears.

3. Click Transitions.

4. Click Bundle.

5. Select a bundle from the From Bundle list.

6. Select a type of transition from the Transition Type list.

7. Select a Deal to transition to.

8. Select a reason for purchase.

9. (Optional) Enter a note.

10. Click Finish.

Transitioning and Configuring a Package for an Account

Note:

Only no-contract subscriptions can be transitioned. You cannot transition packages and bundles that contain subscription terms.

To transition and configure a package for an account:

1. Find the account. See "Finding an Account" for more information.

2. Click Purchase.

   The Purchase Catalogue screen appears.

3. Click Transitions.

4. Click Package.

5. Select a package from the From Package list.

6. Select a type of transition from the Transition Type list.

7. Select a package to transition to.

   The information about the package and any available options appears.

8. Click Continue.

   Based on the selected package The Map Services page of the Purchase Catalogue page appears. To map existing services to new services, see "Mapping Services for an Account".

9. To configure a service, in the Purchase Catalogue screen, click Configure

   The Service Configuration page of the Purchase Catalogue appears.

10. Configure the required fields in the Bundle, Purchase, Recurring (cycle), and Usage sections.

11. Select a reason for purchase.

12. (Optional) Enter a note.

13. Click Finish.

Mapping Services for an Account

The Map Services page displays existing bundles and services in the selected package. You can map existing services in a package, to new services. All existing services appear in one column and the new services appear in another column.

To map the existing services of an account to new services, do the following:

1. In the Map Services page of the Purchase Catologue page, select Map Services.

2. The first column lists all the existing services. Select a service.

3. The second column lists new services. Select a service to which the existing service needs to be mapped to.

4. Select a reason for purchase.

5. (Optional) Enter a note.

6. Click Finish.

Note:

If the mapping service is a new service, the service must be purchased before mapping and must have a service identifier (ID).

Purchasing New Products and Services

To purchase new products and services for an account:

1. Open an account.

2. Click Purchase at the top left.

   The Purchase Catalogue wizard appears.

3. Click New Service.

   The list of available packages are displayed. You can filter the list by service type, tag, and contract period.

4. Select the package that your customer wants to purchase.

5. Click Configure.

   The Configure page appears.

6. Under Service Configuration, enter a service identifier for each service.

7. (For no-contract subscriptions only) To schedule the package purchase to a date earlier than the current date, select Backdate package purchase to and click the calendar icon to set the date. By default, the current date is selected.

   Note:

   • If you purchase a service, you cannot select the backdate if the date selected is prior to the effective date of the account and last status change of the account.

   • If you purchase a bundle, you cannot select the backdate if the date selected is prior to the effective date of the account, last status change of the account or service, and effective date of the service.

8. Under Configure Bundle, click a bundle to configure the credit limit check. Select one of the following values:
   • Override credit limit: the credit limit will be overridden
   • Prorate based on credit limit: prorated until the credit limit is reached
   • Enforce credit limit: the transaction will fail if the credit limit check fails

   By default, Enforce credit limit is selected.

9. (Optional) Under Configure Purchase, click an offer to change the customer's purchase charges such as by:

   • Changing the purchase activation or deactivation dates.

   • Decreasing the customer's monthly fee through discounts or overrides.

   • Changing the length of the grace period. Customers can reactivate and extend their expired product if they repurchase it within the grace period.

10. Click Terms.

    The Terms screen appears with details about the contract's commitment period, early termination policy, and renewal behavior. No-contract subscriptions do not include terms.

11. Click Pay.

    The Pay screen appears.

12. Click Add Bill Unit to add Bill Units.

    The details of the existing bill units appear on the page. You can add new bill units from this page. The bill units that are added are available in the Pay screen.

    This page also displays the services from the selected plan. The services are grouped by the balance group and are identified by the service type.

    The newly selected services can be added to the bill unit that has a balance group for the account. You can drag and drop the balance groups, purchased for a new service, from one bill unit to another. For more information, see "Creating an Account".

    During account creation, you can add new bill units and configure payment methods. However, you can only configure the existing bill units or payment methods during purchasing new products and services.

13. Click Finish.

Purchasing Add-On Products

To purchase additional products for an account:

1. Find the account. See "Finding an Account" for more information.

2. Click Purchase.

   The Purchase Catalogue wizard appears.

3. Click Add to a service.

   The list of available packages are displayed. You can filter the list by tag and contract period.

4. Select a bundle and then click Configure.

   The Configure screen appears.

   Note:

   If you are adding to a telco service, see "Configuring SIM Cards".

5. (For no-contract subscriptions only) To schedule the package purchase to a date earlier than the current date, select Backdate package purchase to and click the calendar icon to set the date. By default, the current date is selected.

   Note:

   You cannot select the backdate if the date selected is prior to the effective date of the account, last status change date of the account or service, and effective date of the service.

6. (Optional) Under Configure Purchase, click an offer to change the customer's purchase charges, such as by decreasing the customer's monthly fee, to customize purchase options including activation, recurring fees, and usage dates.

7. Click Terms.

   The Terms screen appears with details about the bundle's commitment period, early termination policy, and renewal behavior. No-contract subscriptions do not include terms.

8. Click Finish.

Working with No-Contract Subscriptions

To perform an action on a no-contract subscription, such as inactivating, reactivating, or terminating a service:

1. View your customer's subscriptions. See "Viewing Subscriptions".

2. In a subscription card, select the row of the bundle that you want to change.

   A bundle window appears.

3. In the bundle row, click the Actions menu and then select one of the following:

   Note:

   For account subscriptions, the Actions menu service options are not applicable.

   Action	Description
   Cancel Products/Discounts	Displays a list of service charge offers and discounts which can be individually selected for termination.
   Inactivate Products/Discounts	Displays a list of service charge offers and discounts which can be individually selected for inactivation.
   Reactivate Products/Discounts	Displays a list of inactivated charge offers and discounts which can be individually selected for reactivation.
   Cancel Service	Terminates a service and applies any early termination fees if applicable. Terminating a parent service also terminates any child services.
   Inactivate Service	Temporarily inactivates a service. Inactivating a parent service also inactivates any child services.
   Reactivate Service	Reactivates a previously inactivated service. Reactivating a parent service also reactivates any child services.
   Custom Service Life Cycle State	Transitions the service to the selected custom service life cycle state. Custom service life cycle states are available on the action menu only if Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) is enabled in your BRM system and a custom service life cycle is configured for the service type. When those conditions are met, the action menu does not display the Terminate Service, Inactivate Service, and Reactivate Service options. Instead, it lists all the states in the specified service's custom life cycle to which the service can transition from its current state. For more information, see the discussion about SLM in BRM Managing Customers.
   Rate Customizations	You can modify product and discount related information after creating an account or purchasing a service. Click Edit in the Rate Customizations dialog box to modify the information. The expired products or services appear in the Cancelled or Expired section in a subscription card.
   Show Subscription Details	Displays additional details about a subscription including information on recurring monthly charges, rate customizations, and expired promotions. Click Edit to make changes to the subscription.

4. (Optional) Do one of the following:

   • Click Backdate to set a past date for the Terminate Products and Discounts and Inactivate Products and Discounts actions.

     Note:

     You cannot backdate a custom life cycle state transition.

   • To set the termination date, click Terminate Service and Termination Date.

   • To set the inactivation date, click Inactivate Service and Inactivation Date.

Working with Contracts

After your customers have purchased a contract, they can:

• View the subscription terms associated with their contract

• Modify the contract's auto-renewal options

• Purchase any optional bundles that are associated with their contract

• Cancel optional bundles in their contract, incurring any early termination fees for doing so

• Cancel their contract before the end of the commitment period, if allowed by the contract's terms, incurring any early termination fees for doing so

Viewing a Contract's Terms

To view the terms of a customer's contract:

1. On the account page, click the Home tab and then select the Subscriptions section.

   Subscription cards appear. Each card contains information about the subscription, including the services and related charge offers and discount offers owned by the customer.

   If the subscription card is for a contract, the Terms row includes the contract's end date and renewal settings. If it is for a no-contract subscription, the Terms row says No subscription terms.

2. In the contract's subscription card, select the Terms row.

   The Subscription Terms screen appears and lists the commitment period, what happens if the customer cancels early, and what happens when the commitment period ends.

Modifying a Contract's Auto-Renewal Preferences

To modify the auto-renewal preferences for a customer's contract:

1. On the account page, click the Home tab and then select the Subscriptions section.

   Subscription cards appear. Each card contains information about the subscription, including the services and related charge offers and discount offers owned by the customer.

   If the subscription card is for a contract, the Terms row includes the contract's end date and renewal settings. If it is for a no-contract subscription, the Terms row says No subscription terms.

2. Select the contract that you want to change.

3. To automatically renew the contract at the end of its commitment period, do this:

   1. Click the menu icon at the top right of the card and then select Enable auto-renew.

      A renew options window appears and shows when the terms will renew and end.

   2. If the renewal terms are correct, click Renew.

4. To prevent the contract from renewing at the end of its commitment period, do this:

   1. Click the menu icon at the top right of the card and then select Cancel Subscription.

      A cancel options window appears and shows options for canceling now or when the commitment period ends.

   2. Click Cancel on Date, where Date lists the day the contract's commitment period ends.

Modifying a Bundle's Auto-Renewal Preferences

You can modify the auto-renewal preferences for only optional bundles in a contract. Required bundles are governed by the contract's terms, so you cannot cancel a required bundle and still keep the contract. If you cancel a required bundle, the entire subscription is canceled.

To modify the auto-renewal preferences for an optional bundle:

1. On the account page, click the Home tab and then select the Subscriptions section.

   Subscription cards appear. Each card contains information about the subscription, including the services and related charge offers and discount offers owned by the customer.

   If the subscription card is for a contract, the Terms row includes the contract's end date and renewal settings. If it is for a no-contract subscription, the Terms row says No subscription terms.

2. Select the appropriate contract.

3. In the contract's card, select the row of the optional bundle that you want to change.

   A bundle window appears. The bundle's terms indicate whether it is an optional or required bundle.

4. To automatically renew the bundle's terms at the end its commitment period, do this:

   1. In the bundle window, click the Actions menu and then select Enable auto-renew.

      A renew options window appears and shows when the terms will renew and end.

   2. If the renewal terms are correct, click Renew.

5. To prevent the bundle from renewing at the end of its commitment period, do this:

   1. In the bundle window, click the Actions menu and then select Cancel Bundle.

      A cancel options window appears and shows options for canceling now or when the commitment period ends.

   2. Click Cancel on Date, where Date lists the day the bundle's commitment period ends.

Canceling a Customer's Contract

Your customers can cancel their contract early, if it is allowed by the contract's terms, or at the end of the commitment period. When contracts are canceled, BRM cancels all bundles, offers, and services in the contract.

1. On the account page, click the Home tab and then select the Subscriptions section.

   Subscription cards appear. Each card contains information about the subscription, including the services and related charge offers and discount offers owned by the customer.

   If the subscription card is for a contract, the Terms row includes the contract's end date and renewal settings. If it is for a no-contract subscription, the Terms row says No subscription terms.

2. Select the contract that you want to cancel.

3. Click the menu icon at the top right of the card and then select Cancel Subscription.

   A cancel options window appears and shows options for canceling now or when the commitment period ends.

4. To cancel the contract immediately, click Cancel Now.

   BRM automatically applies any early termination fees.

5. To cancel the contract at the end of the commitment period, click Cancel on Date where Date lists the day the contract's commitment period ends.