FAQ's - Customers
Customer Setup
- How do I add a new customer?
- How do I delete an account?
- How do I setup a customer with many locations?
- How do I setup a Parent-child account?
- How do I change a customer's password?
- How can I change a customer's status?
- How do I add an Alert or bring attention to an account?
- How do I setup a Corporate - Sub Account billing structure?
Customer Billing Information
- How do I view a customers invoice?
- How do I download call records (CDRs)?
- How do I set/change a customer's Billing Cycle?
- How do I start or stop a customer from receiving a paper bill?
- How do I sign up or remove a customer for email billing?
- How do I send a customer's invoice to more than one email address?
- How can I generate a sample invoice for a customer?
- How can I redo an already mailed invoice?
- How do I add a zipcode to the system if no information is provided when entering customer information?
Commissions
History / Viewing Changes
Payments and Transactions
- How do I accept a credit card or ACH payment for a customer?
- How do I give a customer a credit?
- How do I sign up a customer for autopay?
- How does a customer access or pay their invoice online?
- How do I delete a posted transaction?
- How do I view all charges and transactions for a customer?
- How do I determine why a customer's payment was declined?
Reports
Fees and Charges
- How do I apply/waive a Paper Bill Fee to a customer?
- How do I remove/change the Finance Charge on a customer?
Customer Portal
- How does a customer access the Customer Portal?
- How do I prevent a customer from logging into the customer portal?
- How do I search for a customer by ProductID?
- Can a Corporate account see billing info for its sub accounts through the customer portal?
- How can I search and find an account using just a payment amount or check number?
Customer Setup
- How do I add a new customer?
A new customer can be added using the Create button under the Customers navigation menu.
You will then be taken to the Customer Information screen. An account number will automatically be assigned on clicking Save. Admin users have the ability to change the account number. Note - This is not recommended once a customer has billed.
When the Save button is clicked, required fields are designated with a red asterisk.
TBS currently supports address verification. When a value is entered in the Zip field, on Tab a lookup will occur to provide the user with locations which correspond to the zip code.
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- How do I delete an account?
TBS does not support deleting of accounts.
This is for historical and legacy purposes. If an account no longer needs to be considered a valid account, the proper thing to do is Disconnect the customer.
Please see How do stop an account from billing?
In addition, a Comment should be added to the account as well from the Comments Tab to explain the reasoning for disconnecting this account.
An alternative method could use Status Actions where a status of "Deleted" could be applied to the account.
For either method, the account should be moved to a "No Bill" or "Disconnected" cycle so it is not picked for billing. This can be done from the Invoicing tab.
- How do I setup a customer with many locations?
Customers can have as many location entries as desired in TBS. There are two types of Location records in TBS. "BillTo" and "Physical". These are managed from the Locations tab.
For more information, see the Add New Location topic.
[Back to Top]- How do I setup a Parent-child account?
Using the steps outlined in the How do I add a new customer FAQ, you must set the new customer to be a Corporate Type customer which allows for a Corporate-Sub or Parent-Child account relationship to be setup.
Please be sure to review the Customer Information tab and the Billing Type data definition for more information on how to setup a Corporate-Sub account relationship.
[Back to Top]- How do I change a customer's password?
Please see the Set Customer Password help topic for more information on this FAQ.
[Back to Top]- How can I change a customer's status?
A customer's status can be changed by selecting the appropriate option from the Action drop down menu on the customer Information tab.
Different Actions result in different statuses. It is important to understand how Status Actions work in TBS to fully grasp which Actions drive which Statuses. These can be customized by the Client.
Please see Status & Workflow Action Overview for more information on statuses.
[Back to Top]- How do I add an Alert or bring attention to an account?
Alerts can be used in TBS to bring attention to an account. These show up across the top of the Customer module tabs.
Alerts can be setup by using the Customer Alerts tab or by flagging a Comment to "Show on Customer" Please see either topic for more information.
[Back to Top]- How do I setup a Corporate - Sub Account billing structure?
Set up the Corporate account first. Make the Billing Type = Corporate.
A "Linked Accounts" menu will also be available for Corporate parents. This will show a complete list of accounts in the Corporate / Sub structure.
OR
Customers -> create new accounts in the same manner making Billing Type = Corporate BUT make sure to set the Corporate Account Number the previous created corporate account.
[Back to Top]Customer Billing Information
- How do I view a customers invoice?
A customer’s PDF invoice can be viewed by selecting the Billing Information tab.
All invoices will be shown on the Invoices tab for each Bill Cycle date. The PDF invoice for a particular Bill Cycle can be downloaded by choosing thelink next to the corresponding Bill Cycle. This link will open the Invoice Viewer.TBS supports three types of invoice viewers depending upon how customer data was entered into the system.
-- PTT Invoice v2 Summary
--PTT Invoice v1 Summary
--Other Invoices Summary
Select the Download Invoice Tab (V2)or the PDF Invoice Tab (V1).
[Back to Top]- How do I download call records (CDRs)?
A customer’s CDRs can be viewed by selecting the Billing Information tab.
All invoices will be shown on the Invoices tab for each Bill Cycle date. The call records (CDRs) for a particular Bill Cycle can be downloaded by choosing the
-- PTT Invoice v2 Summary
--PTT Invoice v1 Summary
--Other Invoices Summary
Select the Call Records Tab (V2)or the CDR Viewer Tab (V1). CDRs are not available from the "Other Invoices Summary" viewer.
[Back to Top]- How do I set/change a customer's Billing Cycle?
The Customer's Bill Cycle determines WHEN the customer will be picked up for billing as a bill cycle can only be ran once per month unless designated as a weekly bill cycle.
Search for the desired account.
Select the Account Summary tab then the Invoicing tab. A customer’s billing cycle can be set by changing the Cycle drop down value.If changes in TBS are forced through orders, a new order will need to be initiated to edit the Invoicing options.
[Back to Top]- How do I start or stop a customer from receiving a paper bill?
Search for the desired account.
Select the Account Summary tab then the Invoicing tab.
A customer’s paper bill preference can be set by changing the Send Paper Bill drop down value.
Available Options include:
--Always - Always sends a paper invoice to the Bill To location
--Yes, If over Min - Will send a paper invoice if the current billing is greater than the Client Minimum Billing Amount (application setting determined at TBS setup time)
--Never - No paper invoice will be sent to the printer for mailing
[Back to Top]- How do I sign up or remove a customer for email billing?
Search for the desired account.
Select the Account Summary tab then the Invoicing tab.
To turn on email billing ensure that the "Billing Email" field is filled with a valid email address for the customer. The email can also be sent to multiple address by separating them with a semicolon "; ".
A customer’s email bill preference can be set by changing the Send Email Bill drop down value. Available Options include:
--No Email - never sends an email to the customer
--Email If over Minimum - will send an email with an attached PDF invoice if Total Current is greater than the Client's Minimum Billing Amount
--Always Email - will send an email with an attached PDF invoice Always
[Back to Top]- How do I send a customer's invoice to more than one email address?
Search for the desired account.
Select the Account Summary tab then the Invoicing tab.
The Billing Email" field should be filled with a valid email address for the customer. The email can also be sent to multiple address by separating them with a semicolon ";".
[Back to Top]- How can I generate a sample invoice for a customer?
Currently, the TBS system cannot generate an -on-the-fly invoice prior to the bill run.
However, TBS does support what is called, "preruns" where the upcoming bill cycle can be simulated and results in sample invoices for customers on that cycle.
To schedule a prerun, just be sure to work with your account manager to have it setup in the system.
[Back to Top]- How can I redo an already mailed invoice?
If an invoice is already posted in the TBS system and viewable from the Invoices tab, unfortunately, this invoice cannot be changed and regenerated.
However, debits or credits can be applied to the account using the Invoice Credits option or the Transaction Posting page to adjust any billing items that need altered.
These transactions would then be reflected on the next billing invoice.
**Also see Billing FAQs for questions like "Why did a product bill this way?", etc.**
[Back to Top]- How do I add a zipcode to the system if no information is provided when entering customer information?
The Zipcode is now required when creating a customer. If a customer has been entered without a zipcode however, the Use Address Finder tool can be used to find the most accurate location on that account.
[Back to Top]Commissions
- How do I tie an Agent to a customer?
Agents must first be setup in the TBS system using the Agents Admin tool.
They can then be tied to a customer from the Customer Information tab by selecting the Agent from the AgentID drop down.
Only one agent can be tied to a customer.
[Back to Top]History / Viewing Changes
- How can I see who changed something on a customer?
All changes in TBS are tracked in what is called "Metrics".
Almost every item in TBS has the ability to view any changes that have occurred within the module as well as the previous value, who changed the value and when.
Each module has access to a Metrics tab or link. For Customers, changes can be viewed from the Metrics tab on the Customer module.
[Back to Top]Payments and Transactions
- How do I accept a credit card or ACH payment for a customer?
Clients can accept credit card or ACH (eCheck) payments within TBS if the client has been configured to work with an outside payment processor.
If configured, options for payments can be found under the Billing Information tab of the Customer module. Options include the ability to add credit cards, add bank accounts, sign up for automatic payments as well as pay their bill.
The same options are available on the Customer portal via the Payments tab.
[Back to Top]- How do I give a customer a credit?
There are several ways in TBS to apply a credit to a customer.
To credit back a specific amount from an invoice or to credit specific CDRs that may have billed incorrectly, this can be done from the Invoice viewer using the Invoice Credits option.
Additionally, credits can be applied to customers using the Transaction Posting page to apply general credits, invoice credits, credits with taxes, etc.
[Back to Top]- How do I sign up a customer for autopay?
Clients can be configured to allow for simple Recurring options which means that all accounts signed up for recurring are hit on the day of billing or the Client can allow for the customer to select specific day that the recurring payment will be triggered
If configured, options for payments can be found under the Billing Information tab of the Customer module. Options include the ability to add credit cards, add bank accounts, sign up for automatic payments as well as pay their bill.
The same options are available on the Customer portal via the Payments tab.
[Back to Top]- How does a customer access or pay their invoice online?
Customers can view their current invoice from the Customer Portal using the Current Invoice tab. Additional historical invoices are available from the Previous Billing tab.
If payment processing is configured for the Client, then options for payments can be found under the Pay Bill tab. Options include the ability to add credit cards, add bank accounts, sign up for automatic payments as well as pay their bill.
[Back to Top]- How do I delete a posted transaction?
Once a transaction is posted to an account, there is a small window in which the transaction can be deleted.
Additionally, only Credits, Debits and Payments can be deleted. Charge transactions can never be deleted.
These transaction types can be deleted only if:
1 - The item has not billed on an invoice yet
2 - The item has not been reported to any tax authority if taxes were applied on the transaction
Transactions can be deleted from the Transactions tab under the Billing Information tab.
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- How do I view all charges and transactions for a customer?
All transactions including Charges, Payments, Debits and Credits can be viewed by going to the Billing Information tab and then selecting the Transactions tab.
[Back to Top]- How do I determine why a customer's payment was declined?
When a credit card or ACH payment is submitted, the final Payment Confirmation screen will show either a successful payment or indicate that there was an error processing the request.
For declines, the screen will indicate a Vendor Response stating "This transaction has been declined" as well as a Payment Tracking No. that can be used to find additional details of the payment.
Within TBS, Users can run the Payments Log flex report to find additional information. This report can be accessed via the Reports - Flex Reports - Billing report group. Parameters are available to find transactions by payment dates and status.
If no additional details have been provided by the Vendor outside of the Vendor Response, Clients should use the Vendor Response and the Payment Tracking No. to look up the details of the transaction in the external payment gateway system (i.e., EPX, Verisign, EPAY, etc.).
[Back to Top]Reports
- How can I view all customers in the system?
TBS is setup with standard reports but can also have custom reports added to the system.
One standard report that is provided is the Customer List report.
This report can be ran from the Reports menu - Flex Reports - Customer List. This will provide a list of all customers currently setup in TBS.
[Back to Top]Fees and Charges
- How do I apply/waive a Paper Bill Fee to a customer?
Paper Bill Fees are typically setup as Misc (miscellaneous) charges within TBS.
Miscellaneous charges ca be viewed from the Misc Charges tab under the Products tab.
These types of fees may be Automatically applied to the customer or they may be setup to be Manually applied to the customer.
For Automatically applied fees, the amounts may be overriden to 0.00 by selecting the Automatic charge from the Misc Charges tab and then editing the record overriding the Default Charge amount.
To Manually add the fee, click the Add Charge button and select the appropriate fee from the list. If there are none to choose from, then work with Precision to setup these types of charges in TBS. Once selected, to edit the charge or override the amount, select the charge from the Manually applied list and then edit the information.
[Back to Top]- How do I remove/change the Finance Charge on a customer?
TBS has a default Finance Charge percent of 1.5%.
This can be overriden at a Client level by working directly with Precision.
For an individual customer, to overwrite the Finance charge or to waive a Finance Charge, this can be done from the Invoicing tab under Account Settings.
To waive a Finance Charge - set the Finance Charge Percent=0 and the Finance Charge Calc=Percent Only
To change the Finance Charge amount, either set the Finance Charge Percent amount or the Finance Charge Minimum amount appropriately and be sure the corresponding Finance Charge Cal type is selected.
[Back to Top]Customer Portal
- How does a customer access the Customer Portal?
Customers use the same login page as regular TBS users.
Customers use their account number to login and their password.
New User and Forgot Password links are available on the login screen.
[Back to Top]- How do I prevent a customer from logging into the customer portal?
A customer can be prevented from logging onto the customer portal by going to that specific customer's account, clicking the Users tab and under the General tab, there is a Disabled field.
This field, when checked, disables the users ability to login, but all metrics are still kept in tact.
[Back to Top]- How do I search for a customer by ProductID?
There are multiple ways to search for a customer by ProductID.
The first takes advantage of the Smart Search Bar at the top of a screen. The Smart Search Bar can be found at the top right of the screen once logged into TBS. The Smart Search Bar can be used to find the following fields: Customers. Products, Quote Requests (additional module fee), and Trouble Tickets (additional module fee). Simply Type in the Account Number or Name of your choosing in the search bar and the smart search will do the work for you.
The next method uses the Products Tab that can be found on the home screen. Once the Products Inventory is opened, the user can use a filter found above the products inventory which enables the user to filter the inventory by Product ID which will then bring you to the customer tied to that individual product.
[Back to Top]- Can a Corporate account see billing info for its sub accounts through the customer portal?
The Customer portal supports both Standard and Corporate accounts.
For Corporate parents, the ability to view their sub account detail information is available from a "Currently Viewing" selection box that appears at the top right. This allows the corporate account to view the Entire Corporate View or select an individual sub account.
[Back to Top]- How can I search and find an account using just a payment amount or check number?
Customers -> Search -> Transactions Search Type -> Check Number OR Amount.
Simply enter in the Check Number or Payment Amount and click the Submit button.
The Records on Return can also be configured under the Options section depending on how many Records are Returned.
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