Summary

The Account Master Maintenance window is the primary window used to update and/or view any information on a Utility Billing customer account. The Account Master Maintenance window can be used to view the balance of a customer account, change the billing address, attach a service rate, view the meter readings, create a service request, view the transaction history on the account or attach a comment to the customer account.

Step by Step

1     View the Utility Billing customer accounts. 

• Open the Account Master Search window (UB> Maintenance> Account).
• Enter information in the Search Criteria fields and click the Refresh icon   to filter the customer accounts that display in the window.
  • Each tab displays a different set of search criteria fields.
  • The orange Incomplete icon   will display in the bottom right corner of the window if customer accounts that meet the search criteria have not been displayed in the window. Click the orange Incomplete icon if you would like all of the customer accounts that meet the search criteria to display in the window. If the search criteria are very broad or no search criteria have been entered the window may take a while to load.
  • The green Complete icon will display in the bottom right corner of the window if all customer accounts included in the search criteria have been displayed in the window.
    • Springbrook Cloud users will need to refine their search criteria in order to display all applicable accounts. However, Springbrook Cloud users can generate a .csv file that includes all the records in the database that meet the specified filter criteria via a data grid export. 
• The Account Master Search window allows you to launch the New Accounts Wizard, Final Account Wizard and modify existing customer accounts.
• Press INSERT or click the Create icon to launch the New Account Wizard. The New Account Wizard is used to create and set up new Utility Billing customer accounts.
• Highlight a customer account and press DELETE or click the Delete icon to launch the Final Account Wizard. The Final Account Wizard is used final a Utility billing customer account.
• Highlight a customer account and press ENTER or click the Modify icon to open the selected customer account. This will open the Account Master Maintenance window.
  • Click the Expand button next to the customer number to view all sequences attached to the customer account.
  • If you press ENTER on a customer record without selecting a customer sequence, the lowest sequence number will open.
  • If the account is part of an open batch, you may be limited in the fields that you can modify until the batch has been committed.

2     Transmit Customer or Lot data to a web site.

• Click the Launch URL icon   drop-down menu and select a URL type code to transmit data from the customer or lot records associated with the account to the web site attached to the URL type code.
  • This icon is accessible from any tab on the Account Maintenance window.
• If your organization uses third-party web sites for tasks such as lot mapping or utility billing background checks, URL type codes can help improve efficiency by reducing data entry.
  • For example, Springbrook offers an interface between the UB account and the bad-debt management tool from Online Utility Exchange (OUE). This interface allows Springbrook users to log into the OUE tool and immediately populate the tool with the relevant UB data, directly from the UB Account Maintenance window. Please contact Springbrook Support for more information on this premium feature.
• URL type codes are created and maintained on the URL Setup window (SS> Maintenance> URL Setup).

3     Complete the Overview tab. 

• The Overview tab displays the account balance by service, the service rates attached to an account and the Credit History on the account.
• The Account Balance section will display the balances on the services on the account. Services will only display in the Account Balance section if there has been activity on that service. Use the Service Rates tab if you would like to view all of the services attached to the customer account.
  • All of the columns that display in the Account Balance section are required, so you cannot change any of the columns that display in this section.
  • The Beginning balance will be the balance on the service before the current billing. If there is not a current billing on the account, it will display the balance on the service before the last billing.
  • The Adjustments column will display adjustment transactions.
    • Adjustment transactions are created by the redistribute credit process and the Adjustment Input Wizard (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Input).
  • The Payments column will display payments made on the account.
    • Payments can be entered in the Cash Receipts step (CR> Cash Receipts).
  • The Billing column will display billing generated in UB> New Billing or UB> Final Billing. If there is a deposit on the customer account, the billing line item that creates the deposit amount will be included in the Billing column.
  • The End Balance column will display the ending balance of a service.
    • If there are deposits on the customer account, the deposit amount will not be included in the End Balance column. The billing and payment line items will display in the Billing and Payments columns, but the deposit balance will not be included in the End Balance column.
• The Service Rates section of the Overview tab will display the service rates attached to the account.
• The Credit History section will display adjustment transactions processed using an adjustment type that is attached to credit history information. This section is an optional feature that allows you to create a credit score for customer accounts based on the type of activity on the account. For example, customer accounts processed in the Past Dues or Collections process can be assessed credit values and those values can be reviewed to assess the credit risk of a customer.
  • Any adjustment that is created using an adjustment type code that has credit information attached (credit value and credit history days) will display in this section. Credit information is attached to an adjustment type using the Adjustment Type Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type> Select an adjustment type> Credit History Days and Credit Value fields).
  • For example, if the Collections adjustment type code (UB> Utilities> Setup> General tab> Collections Adjustment Type field) has a credit value of 100 (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type> Credit Value field), any customer account processed in a Collections batch will have a credit score of 100.
  • The credit transaction line item will be removed from the customer account when the credit history day limit is exceeded. For example, if the customer account was processed in a Past Dues batch 121 days ago and the credit history limit on the transaction (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type> Credit History Days field) is 120 days, the credit transaction will be removed from the account. This will lower the credit score on the customer account.
  • Right click on the Credit History section and select Export to MS Excel to create a spreadsheet of a customer’s credit history.
• The Create Letter icon is used to generate a form letter from the Account Maintenance window. This icon will launch the Word Merge Form Selection window.
  • When a merge form is generated, it will automatically be saved as an attachment on the account.
  • Word merge forms are created and maintained on the Forms Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Forms).

4     Generate a billing preview. 

• The Preview Billing icon is used to open the Billing Preview window. This icon is only accessible from the Overview tab.
  • The Billing Preview window provides a detailed preview of the customer’s billing based on the current meter readings. This window provides a forecast of what the next billing generated for the customer might be and does not update or modify the account. The services attached to the account are listed and totaled in the Preview section of the window.
  • Select a date from the Period End Date drop-down menu to modify the period end date used on the billing preview. The default date in this field is determined by the period begin date on the attached billing cycle and the number of days in the period.
    • Change the date and click the Refresh icon to generate the preview.
    • Click the Expand button next to a service to display the service billing details.
  • The Exceptions section will display any errors that could prevent the preview from being accurately generated.
  • Click the Print icon to generate a Statement of Account report.
    • The Statement Date field will appear on the report but will not affect the data displayed. This field will default to today's date.
    • The report will display the customer information and the account activity, including the Beginning Balance, Current Activity and Estimated Balance.

5     Complete the Account tab. 

• The Account tab will display the general information on an account such as account status, billing cycle and ACH information.
• The Account tab has Account, ACH Info and Payment Plan sub-tabs. The Account sub-tab will display the general information on the account. The ACH Info sub-tab is used to enter the bank information if the customer is using the Direct Debit process to pay for billings.
• Open the Account tab.
  • The Account Number field will display the customer account number and sequence number, but you will not be able to edit the value in this field.
  • The Reference Number field is generally used to store the account number of customer accounts that have been converted from a different software application.
    • You can filter customer accounts by the Reference number in all customer account search windows.
    • The format of the reference number is set up in the UB setup process (UB> Utilities> Setup> General tab> Reference Format field). The format established in the Setup window only applies when new accounts are created using the New Account Wizard. You can change the format of the reference number using the Account Master Maintenance window so that it does not match the reference number format.
  • The Billing Cycle field is used to attach the customer account to a billing cycle. The billing cycle is attached to a customer account when it is created using the New Account Wizard.
    • Click the Billing Cycle field label to select a billing cycle from a list. This will open the Billing Cycle Maintenance window. You will be able to create, delete, modify or select a billing cycle from this window.
    • Billing cycles are also created and maintained on the Billing Cycle Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Cycles).
  • The Account Status field will display the status of the customer account.
    • Accounts will change to Final status if they are finaled using the Final Account Wizard.
      • If you just change the status of the account to Final, the account will display in the Final Billing window (UB> Final Billing> Select Accounts), but there will be no final readings, final date or final billing calculated on the account.
    • The Vacation status is used to prorate a customer's account when they are on vacation. If you would like the customer account to automatically return to Active status and prorate the billing based on the length of the vacation, use the Vacation Begin and Vacation End fields in addition to the Account Status field.
      • If you process a Winter Average (UB> Winter Averaging) batch while the customer account has a Vacation status, the customer account will not be included in the batch.
    • If the customer is part of a Final Billing batch you will not be able to change the status of the account from Final. In order to change the account status you will have to open the account in a Final Billing batch, deselect the account, and click the Save icon  .
    • A delete status UB customer account is an account that has been finaled (processed in the Final Account Wizard) and the final billing has been committed using either a New Billing or Final Billing batch. Customer accounts with a Delete status can still have an outstanding balance because the account changes to a Delete status before payment is received on the final billing.
      • If you would like to change a UB customer account to a delete status, you should process the account in the Final Account Wizard (generates the final billing) and then commit the final billing in either the Final Billing or New Billing process. The customer account will change to a Delete status once the final billing has been committed.
      • If you change the account to delete status without processing the account in the Final Account Wizard, the final bill on the account will not be billed.
  • The Connect Date is the date entered in the Connect Date field on the first step of the New Account Wizard. The connect date is generally the date that the customer has moved into the lot or service has been activated on the account.
    • Individual services and service rates attached to the customer account can have different connect dates. You can view the connect date of a specific service or service rate on the Service Rates tab of the Account Master Maintenance window.
  • The Final Date is the date that the customer account is finaled. This field will be populated if the customer account has been processed through the Final Account Wizard.
    • The final date on an account is entered in the Final Date field on the first step of the Final Account Wizard.
  • The Vacation Begin and Vacation End fields allow you to prorate a customer billing if the service rate on the customer account is set up to prorate. The Vacation Begin and Vacation End fields will not affect proration unless Vacation is selected in the Account Status drop-down menu.
    • In order to prorate an account, change the Account Status field from Active to Vacation and enter the length of the vacation in the Vacation Begin and Vacation End fields. If a New Billing is processed on the customer account during the vacation date range, the billing will be prorated.
      • If the Vacation Begin date occurs between the Period Begin Date and Period End Date of the New Billing batch, the customer billing will prorate if the service rate on the customer account is set up to prorate the consumption or minimum amount (UB> Maintenance> Service Rate>  Prorate Minimum and/or Prorate Consumption toggles).
      • If the Vacation End date has passed when the New Billing batch is committed, the customer account will change to Active status. The Transaction Date of the New Billing batch does not affect how the vacation will prorate or be applied.
      • The Vacation Begin and Vacation End dates must occur in different billing periods. If the vacation date range takes place within a single billing period, the amount billed will be ZERO and the status of the account will change back to Active when the billing is committed.
      • The customer account bill will only prorate if the service rates attached to the customer account are set up to prorate.
    • The status of the customer account will stay in Vacation status until a New Billing batch is processed on the customer account that is after the Vacation End date.
  • The Hold Status drop-down menu is used to add a hold status to a customer account.
    • The Hold Status field is generally used to keep certain statements from being generated in a New Billing batch. When billing statements are generated (UB> New Billing> Statements), there is an Include drop-down menu that allows you to remove hold status accounts from the billing. This will remove both temporary and permanent hold status customers from the batch.
    • The Hold Status of a customer account is not modified by any Utility Billing module process, and there is no functional difference between a temporary hold and permanent hold account.
  • Check the Combined Statement toggle if you want to combine multiple sequences of a customer number onto the same billing statement (UB> New Billing> Statements). All of the sequence numbers will have to be in the same billing batch in order to be combined onto a single statement.
    • The Combined Statement will have to be toggled on each account sequence number you would like to add to the combined billing.
    • The statement will be in Summary format, include the customer information for the lowest customer sequence included in the group, and display aggregated billing data for all related accounts in the batch.
  • The Enrolled in Online AutoPay toggle will automatically be checked if the account owner has signed up for auto pay through the CivicPay Online or XBP website.
  • The Description field is used to enter a description on the account.
    • The Description field can be included in a QBE report (UB> Maintenance> QBE Builder). The Description field is in the Account Master table.
  • The Miscellaneous Fields section is used to enter information on the account sequence that is outside the scope of the current Springbrook version. If you would like to track information on the customer number rather than the specific customer sequence, attach the information to the Customer Miscellaneous sub-tab on the People tab.
    • The fields in the Miscellaneous Fields section can be included in QBE reports (UB> Maintenance> QBE Builder). The miscellaneous fields are on the Account Master table.
    • The field labels of the miscellaneous fields can be modified using the Miscellaneous Field Labels window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).
• The Categories section is used to attach an account class to a customer account.
  • Categories are user-defined groups used to group accounts together for use on some reports.
  • Click the Create icon to add a new category code to the customer sequence. This will add a new line item in the Category section.
  • Click the Ellipsis icon in the Code field to select the category from a list.
  • The Category Description field will populate with the description of the category once a category code has been selected.
  • Highlight an account class and press DELETE or click the Delete icon   to remove the account class from the account. This will not delete the account class, it will only remove the account class from the customer account.
• Click on the ACH Info tab to view the bank account information attached to the account.
  • Bank account information is attached to a customer account in order to use the Direct Debit process in the Clearing House module.
  • The Bank Account section of the window displays the bank information on the customer account. In order to enter bank account information on a customer account, the customer’s bank must be set up as a bank code on the Bank Maintenance window (SS> Maintenance> Bank). The bank code will determine the routing number on the bank account.
    • Enter the customer’s bank account number in the Account Number field.
      • This field is limited to 60 digits.
      • For security purposes, only the last four digits of the account number will be displayed once a bank account is entered and saved. The rest of the account will be displayed as a series of 12 asterisks - "************1234" - regardless of the actual length of the account number.
    • Click the Bank Code field label to select a bank code from a list.
    • Select checking or savings in the Account Type drop-down menu.
      • Select None if no bank information should be entered on the customer account. If an account type is selected you will be required to enter a bank code and bank account number.
    • The ACH Type drop-down menu is used to specify the account as a consumer or business account.
    • Check the Clearing House Pre-Note toggle to indicate that the bank account information has been included in a Direct Debit pre-note batch.
      • This toggle will be checked if you process the customer account during the Pre-Note batch process (CH> Direct Debit> Create a Pre-note Batch). If this toggle is checked the customer account will not be pulled into a pre-note batch.
      • You can manually check this toggle if you do not want to process the bank account information in a pre-note batch.
• Click on the Payment Plans tab to view the payment plans that have been set up on the account.
  • Any existing payment plan entries will display in the Plans section of the window. Click on an existing payment plan or installment entry and the entry information will populate in the maintenance section below.
  • Click the Create icon   to create a new payment plan entry. This will create a new parent payment plan and a new child installment.
    • Highlight and edit the parent payment plan.
      • Check the Print on statement toggle to include the payment plan information on UB statements.
        • Displayed payment plan information will include due dates and amount due for the next few installments.
        • This information will only display in the Special Messages section on the 8.5x11 billing statement.
      • Use the Payment Plan Description field to specify a name for the payment plan.
    • Highlight and edit the installment.
      • Enter a Promise Date for the new installment. This is the date that the customer is expected to make the payment.
        • The Promise Date field will populate to today's date. You cannot specify a payment date that occurs before the Entry Date.
      • Enter an Amount for the payment plan installment.
        • The Amount field will populate with the outstanding balance on the account. The amount entered must be between $0.01 and the total outstanding balance. Overpayments will result in an error and prevent the payment plan entry from being saved.
      • Select a Status for the payment plan installment. Payment plans can be filtered by status when generating reports. This status will default to Active.
        • When a customer successfully pays the account balance, the payment plan status will update to Closed when the receipts batch is committed.
        • If an account misses a payment on the payment plan, all payment plan entries for that account will update to Failed when past dues are committed.
        • If a payment is due on the day that past dues are processed, that payment plan status will update to Failed. Springbrook recommends setting the due date of the payment plan to the day after you intend to process past dues.
      • The Entry Date and Entered By fields will automatically populate with today's date and the current user's login name. These fields cannot be edited.
      • Enter an optional Installment Description for the Payment Plan installment. This field can accommodate up to 256 characters.
    • Once a payment plan has been created, it will appear on the Payment Plans report (UB> Reports> Payment Plans).
• Click the Save icon if there were any changes made to the Account tab that should be saved.

6     Complete the People tab.

• The People tab of the customer account maintenance window has several sub-tabs that display the customer information, co-applicant information, bill to information, alternative address and the miscellaneous fields associated with customer account. The People tab will also display the owner information if the owner of the lot is different than the customer on the lot.
• By default, the Summary sub-tab will display when you click on the People tab. This tab provides a summary of customer, owner and co-applicant information.
• The Customer sub-tab will display the information attached to the customer record such as the customer name and social security number. Changes to the Customer sub-tab will modify the customer record information and update all of the account sequences the customer is attached to. Customer records are used in almost every module in the Springbrook application and changes to the customer record will update to all of those modules.
  • The Social Security field will display the Social security number of the customer.
    • You can set up security on the Social Security field on the DB Security window (SS> Security> DB Security). The DB Security feature allows you to remove the field from the window. If you set database security on the field using the DB Security feature, all windows that display the same field will also be affected.
      • The Social Security Number field is labeled SSN in the Customer table of the System Wide Access group of tables.
  • The Description field displays the description on the customer number. Changes to the Description field will update back to customer number.
    • You can view the customer description from the customer number in Customer Master Search window (Customer Icon  > Customer tab> Description field).
  • The Contact Information section displays the mailing address and contact information for the customer account. The mailing address is the address that will display on the billing statements and is the address that will be certified in the New Billing, Final Billing or Past Dues process.
    • When a customer account is processed in the Final Account Wizard, the forwarding address will populate in these fields.
    • The mailing address is not necessarily the address of the lot attached to the customer account sequence.
  • The Carrier Route and Delivery Point fields will populate with information when you certify the address on a customer account using the Address Certification process.
• The Customer Miscellaneous sub-tab will display the miscellaneous account information attached to the customer record. Modifications to the miscellaneous information on the customer record will update on all accounts attached to the customer record. The information on this tab is not unique to the customer sequence number.
  • The miscellaneous fields are generally used to enter customer information that is outside the scope of the current Springbrook version.
  • The labels of the miscellaneous fields can be set up on the Miscellaneous Field Labels window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).
  • You can view the miscellaneous fields on a customer record from Customer Master Search window (Customer icon  > Customer Miscellaneous tab).
• The Co-Applicant and Co-Applicant Misc sub-tabs will display the co-applicant information attached to the account. These are optional sub-tabs and are identical to the Customer and Customer Misc sub-tabs.
• The Owner sub-tab will only display if the owner of the lot is not the customer on the lot. The Owner sub-tab will display the owner on the lot if the owner is different than the customer. This tab is identical to the Customer sub-tab.
  • Changes to the Owner sub-tab will update back to the lot owner customer record.
• The Owner Miscellaneous sub-tab will only display if the owner of the lot is not the customer on the lot. The Owner Miscellaneous sub-tab is identical to the Customer Miscellaneous sub-tab and is used to enter the owner information that is outside the scope of the current Springbrook version.
  • The labels of the miscellaneous fields are set up in the Miscellaneous Field Labels window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).
  • Changes to the Owner Miscellaneous sub-tab will update back to the Lot owner customer record.
• The Bill To sub-tab is used to create additional copies of statements on the customer account when statements are generated. The statement copies will be addressed to a selected customer account.
  • By default, four line items will display on the Bill To sub-tab.
    • There will be a separate line item for billing statements, delinquent notices, past dues and door hangers.
  • Press INSERT or click the Create icon   to add a new customer to the sub-tab. This will create a new line item in the window.
  • Select the customer account that should receive the copy of the statement in the Customer Number field.
    • All customer accounts will display on the list, not just Utility Billing customer accounts.
  • The Customer Name field will populate after the Customer Number has been selected.
  • If the Paper Bill toggle is unchecked, the Web Payments user has opted not to receive a paper statement. Springbrook users cannot uncheck this toggle, but can check the toggle if necessary.
  • Select the statement you would like to create a copy of in the Statement column.
    • When the statement selected in the drop-down menu is generated, a copy of the statement will print with the information of the customer selected in the Customer Number field.
    • Door Hangers will display in the Statement drop-down menu, but the feature has not been implemented. A copy of the door hanger will not print out when door hangers are generated (UB> Service Requests> Door Hangers).
  • The Logical 1 toggle is a user-defined field that can be edited on the Miscellaneous Field Label Maintenance window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels). Because this is an editable field, the column heading may not read Logical 1.
  • The Message column is used to enter a message that will display on the copied statement. This field may not display on custom statements.
    • The message entered in this field will not affect the Message 1 and Message 2 field entered on during the Statements step of the New Billing process.
    • The Message field will only display on a statement if the Display bill to message toggle is checked on the Statement Setup Maintenance window (UB> Utilities> Statement Setup> Select a statement> Miscellaneous tab).
• The Alternative Address sub-tab is used to enter an alternative address on the customer account. The address entered on this sub-tab will be used when statements are printed on the customer account.
  • The Begin Date and End Date fields are used to specify a date range when the alternate address should be used. If a begin date is specified but an end date is not, statements will be sent to the alternate address indefinitely.
• Click the Save icon   if there is information on the People tab that should be saved.

7     Complete the Service Rates tab.

• The Service Rates tab of the Account Master Maintenance window is used to view the services and service rates attached to the customer account.
• The Service Rates tab displays all of the services and service rates attached to the customer account. Click the Expand button next to a service to view the service rates attached to the selected service. Highlight a service rate and the information attached to the service rate will populate in the Rate Maintenance section.
• There are four Create icons and four Delete icons on the Service Rates tab. The Create and Delete icons to the left are used to add or remove a service from the account. The second set of Create and Delete icons are used to add and remove a service rate from the account. The third set of Create and Delete icons are used to add or remove services from the Budget Billing process. The last set of Create and Delete icons are used to add or remove override tax codes to the service and will only be enabled if the Override the tax codes for this rate toggle is checked below.
• Click the first Create icon   to add a service to the account. This will create a new line item in the window. Select the service you would like to add to the customer account using the drop-down menu.
  • Check the Exempt From Past Dues toggle if you do not want this service to be pulled into a Past Dues batch. When you generate a Past Dues batch (UB> Past Dues> Generate), the customer account will not be pulled into the batch even if it meets the requirements entered in the Generate step.
  • Check the Exclude from Redistribute toggle if you do not want this service to be pulled into an Adjustments and Fees> Redistribute Credit Balances batch. When you generate an Adjustments and Fees> Redistribute Credit Balances batch (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Redistribute Credit Balances), the customer account will not be pulled into the batch even if it meets the batch requirements. This toggle is often used to exclude specific services from the redistribution process in order to meet energy assistance program requirements.
    • When this toggle is checked, this service will also be ignored when the Past Due process applies credits to past due services. This will prevent any energy assistance program credits that exist on this service from being applied to other services.
• Click the first Delete icon to delete a selected service.
  • The Delete icon will not be enabled if there are history items on the highlighted service.
• Select a service and click the second Create icon to add a service rate to the customer account. This will create a new line item below the selected service. Enter the service rate information in the Rate Maintenance section.
  • Click the Service Code field label to select the service rate from a list.
  • Most of the fields on the service rate line item will populate after you have selected a service rate.
  • The Special Multiplier field is used to specify a multiplier for the service rate. This will default to 1.
    • The Special Multiplier field will only affect the service rate if the Use special multiplier toggle is checked on the Service Rate Maintenance window.
  • The Connect Date field will default to the current date.
• The Promotion Amount and Promotion End Date fields are used to create a promotion.
  • The value in the Promotion Amount field will replace the flat or minimum amount associated with the service rate selected in the right section of the window. If there is more than one service rate attached to a single service on the account, each service rate can have a separate promotion. When the promotion amount is billed, the consumption will not be affected but the minimum or flat amount on the service rate will be replaced by the promotion amount.
    • If the Multiply Flat by Special Multiplier toggle (UB> Utilities> Setup> Billing tab) is checked, then the promotion amount will be multiplied by the value in the Special Multiplier field on the service rate.
  • The Promotion End Date field is used to enter the promotion end date. If the Promotion End Date occurs between the period begin and period end date of a New Billing, the promotion amount will be used instead of the minimum/flat amount on the service rate. The promotion amount will not prorate, even if the minimum/flat amount on the service rate is set up to prorate. If the promotion is active during the billing, the entire promotional amount will be used. If the promotion end date occurs prior to the period begin date of a New Billing batch, the promotional amount will not be used and the billing will be calculated as usual.
• The Attached Meter drop-down field is used to select the meter attached to the account.
• The Extended Description field is used to add an optional additional description to the selected service rate. This additional description will appear immediately after the service rate description in the Current Charges section of the billing statement.
  • This field is limited to 10 characters.
• The Override the tax codes for this rate toggle is used to enable a tax code override for the selected service code.
  • Override tax codes are used when an organization wants to control tax codes at the customer level. A common example would be overriding the standard tax code for a tax exempt customer. As tax codes are controlled at the service rate level, this functionality allows customers with special tax considerations to be set up with the same service rate as other customers. Those special tax considerations can then be addressed on a customer-by-customer basis.
  • Once the toggle is checked, click the last Create icon to add an override tax code to the selected rate.
    • This will open the Tax Code Selection window. Select the override tax code and click the Confirm icon   to attach the code to the account. The selected tax code will now display in the Tax Codes section to the right.
    • When the account is added to a billing batch, the specified override tax code will be the tax code that is billed. All other tax codes associated with the rate will be ignored.
• The Discount (%) field is used to apply a percentage discount to the highlighted service code.
  • The specified discount will only apply to the service code on the current customer's account. The customer's bill will still display a primary bill detail line for the standard service rate, but it will also include a second bill detail line with a negative amount that represents the percentage of the service rate discounted.
  • Specify a discount amount between 0.0000 (0%) and 1.0000 (100%).
• The Vacation Begin and Vacation End fields are used to put individual service rates into vacation status.
  • These fields work in the same manner as the vacation begin and end fields on the Account tab, but only apply to selected service rate.
• The Tax Codes field will populate with the tax codes attached to the selected service rates.
  • Tax codes are attached to service rates using the Service Rate Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Rate> Winter Average/Taxes tab> Create icon).
• If you would like to add or remove a service or service rate from a large number of accounts, use the Add/Remove Service feature (UB> Utilities> Add/Remove Services).
• Click the third Create icon to Budget Bill all the active rates attached to the account.
  • The Budget Rate toggle will be checked if the currently selected rate is part of a budget billed account.
  • The values in the Budgeted Amount, Start Date, Final Date and Recalculation Date fields are determined by the Budget Billing process (UB> Budget Billing).

8     Complete the Winter Average tab.

• The Winter Average tab is used in conjunction with the Winter Averaging process (UB> Winter Averaging).

9     Complete the Lot tab. 

• The Lot tab displays the lot attached to the customer account.
• Lots are used in several modules in the Springbrook application. Changes to the lot from the Account Master Maintenance window will affect the lot record in all of those modules.
• The Lot sub-tab displays the general information attached to the lot.
  • The Lot Number field displays the lot number of the lot attached to the customer account. You cannot change the value in this field.
  • The Status field displays the status of the lot.
    • Lots are given an Active status when they are created using the New Account Wizard.
    • The status of the lot will not affect any process in the Utility Billing module.
  • The Owner’s Customer Number field is used to set the owner of a lot.
    • Click the Owner’s Customer Number field label if you would like to change the owner of the lot. This will open a customer account selection window.
    • Once an Owner's Customer Number is selected, the customer information fields below will automatically populate.
  • The Lot Details section allows you to provide specific details on the selected lot. These are not required fields.
  • The Master Account field is used when the current account is assigned to a tenant rather than the lot owner.
    • Master Accounts can be used when an account will always take responsibility of a property once a tenant moves out. The master account does not have to match the owner account. For example, a property owner that uses a realty company to manage the property can use the realty company’s account rather than the owner’s account.
    • To add a Master Account, select the account from the drop-down list. To be selected as a Master Account the account must already exist on the lot and be in Suspended status. If no accounts are displayed in the Master Account drop-down, verify the desired account is on the correct lot and in Suspended status.
    • When the current tenant has their Final Billing committed, which changes the tenant to Delete status, the Master Account will change from their Suspended status to Active status.
    • When the Master Account has their Final Billing committed the Master Account will be changed into Suspended status rather than Delete status.
  • The Balance field displays the outstanding balance, across all associated Springbrook accounts, for the lot attached to the UB account.
  • The Number of Units field can be used as a multiplier when bills are calculated on a customer account.
    • If the Use Lot Units toggle is checked on the Service Rate Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Rates> General tab), the Number of Units on the lot will be multiplied by the minimum amount and/or the consumption on the customer account.
  • The In City toggle is used by some reports to group the consumption on the meter attached to the lot. This is not a required field.
    • For example, the Consumption by Type Report groups the consumption on meters by meter size and displays the consumption separated by in city and out of city.
  • The Description field is a large field that can be used to store special notes or information on the lot. The information entered in this, like all the other information on the lot record, is available in all Springbrook modules that use lot information.
• The Miscellaneous sub-tab will display the miscellaneous fields attached to the customer lot.
  • The labels of the miscellaneous fields are set up in the Miscellaneous Field Labels window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).

10     Complete the Devices tab. 

• The Devices tab displays the devices attached to the lot on the UB customer account, the meters that are attached to devices (for example, a subtraction meter), and the meter readings on those meters.
• The Devices tab can also be used to create service requests that add, remove or change-out the devices on the lot. If you would like to modify the meter readings on a device or attach a meter to a device, you can open the Device Maintenance window of a meter from this tab to perform those tasks.
• The Devices section will display the devices attached to the customer account.
  • An Expand button will display next to a device if there is an exempt meter (a meter than either adds to or subtracts from the consumption on the meter) attached to the device. Click the Expand button to view the attached meter information. Highlight the attached meter and the Meter History and Meter Detail sub-tabs will populate with the information attached to the meter.
  • Once the exempt meter is expanded, you can right-click on the row of columns to select additional details you would like to display. For example, by adding the Attached Devices> Add/Subtract column, you would be able to quickly see how an attached exempt meter will affect billing.
• Select a device in the Devices section, and the Meter History and Meter Details tabs will populate with the information attached to the selected meter.
  • If you would like to manually modify the meter reading on an account, open the Device Maintenance window by highlighting a device and clicking the Modify icon  . You can create or modify a meter reading using the Consumption tab of the Device Maintenance window.
• Highlight a device and click the Modify icon to open the Device Maintenance window of the selected device.
  • The Device Maintenance window contains all the information attached to the device and can be used to enter manual meter readings on meter devices or attach a meter to the device (for example a subtraction meter).
  • You can also open the Device Maintenance window in UB> Maintenance> Device.
• The Create icon, Change-Out icon, and Delete icons are used to create service requests.
  • Click the Create icon to create add a device to the customer account. This will launch the Service Request Input Wizard to create an add device service request.
  • Highlight a device in the Devices section and click the Delete icon to remove a device from the customer account. This will launch the Service Request Input Wizard to create a remove device service request.
    • If there is a default remove device service request code set up on the device type of the device selected in the Devices section, the Service Request Input Wizard will populate with the default service request code.
    • Service requests codes are attached to device types in order to set a default service request code. Service request codes are attached to device types using the device type maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Open a device type maintenance window – water, gas, electric> General tab> Default Remove field).
  • Highlight a device and click the Change-Out icon to create a change out service request. This will launch the Service Request Input Wizard with the customer information populated on the wizard.
    • If there is a default change-out service request code set up on the device type of the device selected in the Devices section, the Service Request Input Wizard will populate with the default service request code.
    • Service request codes are attached to device types using the device type maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Open a device type maintenance window – water, gas, electric> General tab> Default Change-out field).
• The Meter History sub-tab will display the meter reading on the device highlighted in the Devices section of the window.
  • All of the meter readings will display in the window, including those that were made while the device was attached to another UB customer account.
  • The Account Number field displays the account that was attached to the lot when the readings were made.
  • The Consumption column displays the actual consumption on the meter reading and the Calc Consumption column displays the calculated consumption after the actual consumption is recalculated with the multiplier or divisor attached to the meter.
  • The Read Period/Year column displays the reading period and reading year attached to the meter reading. If the New Billing process is set up to only bill readings of a certain period rather than all unbilled readings (UB> Utilities> Setup> Billing tab> Meter Reads to Bill drop-down menu), the period and year of the reading are important when generating bills.
  • There will be a check in the New column if the meter read was entered manually.
    • Manual meter readings are readings that are either entered directly on the device (UB> Maintenance> Device> Consumption tab) or on the Input New Meter Readings window (UB> Meter Management> Input New).
  • The Billed toggle will be checked if the meter reading has been billed using the UB New Billing process.
  • The Estimate toggle will be checked if the meter reading was an estimate.
• The Meter Details sub-tab will display the basic meter information. If you would like to modify the information that displays on this tab, you will have to open the device in the Device Maintenance window (click the Modify icon   at the top of the window).
  • Many of the fields on the Meter Details sub-tab can be edited on the Device Maintenance window. Specific device details, such as the manufacturer and serial number, can be edited on the Meter tab of the Device Maintenance window.
  • Installation specific information, such as latitude, longitude or location, can be edited on the Connections tab of the Device Maintenance window.
    • Not all editable fields will be initially displayed on the Connections tab. To display additional fields, right-click in the data grid and check each field you would like to edit.

11     Complete the Container tab. 

• The Container tab is used to add and maintain the containers attached to a customer account.
• The upper section of the window displays the containers attached to the customer account. Highlight a container and the fields in the Container Info section will populate with the information attached to the selected container.
• Click the Create icon or press INSERT to add a new container to the lot. This will add a line item to the upper section of the window. Highlight the new line item and enter the container information into the Container Info section.
• The Route field is used to enter the route number of the container. Routes are created and maintained using the Route Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Route).
• The Sequence field is used to enter the container sequence on the route.
• The Serial field is used to enter the serial number of the container. This is not a required field.
• The Lot field displays the active lot on the account, which is also the lot where the container resides. This field is never enabled on this tab. If you would like to change the active lot on the customer account, you can use the Lot tab to change the active lot.
• The Service field is used to attach a service to the container. For example, if you have a separate service for garbage collection titled GARBAGE, select GARBAGE in the drop-down menu.
  • The selection in this field will affect the functionality of the Service Code field. Only service rates of the service selected in this drop-down menu can be attached to the meter.
  • The service attached to the container should also be attached to the customer account using the Service Rates tab.
  • Services are created and maintained using the Service Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service).
• The Service Code field is used to attach a service rate to the container.
• The Status drop-down menu is used to select the status of the container.
  • Meters with an inactive, missing or destroyed status will not be included in a billing.

12     Complete the History tab.

• The History tab displays the committed and uncommitted transaction line items on the customer account.
• Uncommitted transactions will display in red and committed transactions will display in black. Committed transactions will also have a date in the Post Date column.
  • The Post Date column displays the date that the transaction has been committed. This is the date the batch was committed, it is not necessarily the same as the date the transactions are posted to the general ledger or the transaction date.
• There are two fields that filter the transactions that display on the History tab: History From field at the bottom of the window and the Account History/Deposit History/History Balance drop-down at the top.
  • History line items prior to the date in the History From field will not display on the History tab. Modify the date in the History From field to filter the history line items that display in the window.
  • The Account History/Deposit History/History Balance drop-down menu at the top of the tab is used to change how the account history is displayed.
    • Select Account History to display a chronological history of transactions on the account.
    • Select Deposit History if you would like to view the deposit transactions on a customer account.
    • Select History Balance to display the account balance at each point that it was affected by a transaction.
• There are three dates associated with each transaction line item: journal entry date, post date and transaction date. The journal entry date is the date the journal entry created by a batch process is posted to the general ledger. The journal entry date generally determines the fiscal period and fiscal year the journal entry is posted to. Many reports in the Utility Billing module can be filtered by journal entry date. The transaction date is generally the date of the transaction. For example, the transaction date of a payment entered in the Cash Receipts module is the receipt date on the payment. The post date is the date the batch process used to generate the transaction was committed.
• Click the Expand button to view the transaction line item detail of a transaction.
• You can export the transactions that display in the window to a MS Excel spreadsheet by right clicking on the data in the tab and selecting Export grid contents to Excel. All transaction line items will display on the export, even line items that have not been expanded. This feature allows you to create a quick report of the history of a customer account.
• Click the Print icon to print the Account History report for the account.
  • This will launch the Account History Report window where you will be able to specify which transactions and meters are included in the report, how the report is sorted, and the date range for the report.
  • The report will display the Transaction Date, Transaction Type, Description and Amount for each included transaction. The report will also include the Description, Read Date, Reading and Consumption values for each meter included in the report.
• Click the View Report icon to view a copy of the statement associated with a selected billing transaction.
  • Only statements from committed billing transactions can be viewed.

13     Complete the Services Request.

• The Services Requests tab will display all active, closed and committed service requests that have been created on the customer account.
• The Service Rates tab can also be used to create and open service requests.
• Click the Create icon to create a new service request on the account. This will open the Service Request Input Wizard with the customer information populated on the wizard.
• Highlight a service request on the tab and click the Modify icon to open or modify the selected service request. This will open the Service Request Input Wizard.
• Highlight a service request and click the Delete icon to delete the selected service request.
  • If there are meter readings attached to the deleted service request, those meter readings will not be posted to the meter.
  • If you would like to delete a committed service request, delete the service request from the Service Request Input window (UB> Service Requests> Input).
    • Deleting a committed service request will not delete the meter readings made on the service request from the meter. The meter readings are posted to the devices when the service request is committed, and deleting the service request will not remove those meter readings from the meters.
• The Current Account/Current Lot drop-down menu is used to display service requests associated with either the current account or the current lot.
• The Request Description and Service Description fields will populate with the information from the service request highlighted on the Service Request tab.
  • You cannot modify the information in these fields from the Service Rates tab. If you would like to modify the information in these fields, click the Open tab to open the Service Request Input window and then modify the information in the fields.
• The Status column will display the status of the service request. The service request will either be active or closed.
  • When a service request is created, it will have an active status. After the service request has been completed, the status of the service request will generally be changed to closed.
    • Service requests are closed from the Service Request window using the Close icon   (UB> Service Requests> Input) or from the Service Request Input Wizard by changing the Status field to Closed.
    • A service request must be closed before it can be committed.
• The Committed column will be checked if the service request has been committed.
  • You cannot check the Committed toggle on this tab to commit the service request. The Committed toggle is just displaying if the service request has been committed (UB> Service Requests> Commit).

14     Complete the Comments tab.

• The Comments tab is used to attach and display comments on the customer account.
• Comments are attached to customer accounts using a comment status. You can create a comment status using the Comment Status Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Comment Status), or you can use a comment status that has already been programmed into the application (Active, Alert, Attention, Closed and Promise).
• Click the Create icon to add a comment to the customer account. This will create a new line item in the Comment section and enable the Status, Creation Date and Close Date columns.
• After specifying the comment details, enter the comment in the Comment Body section below. This field can accommodate up to 512 characters.
• Highlight a comment and click the Delete icon   to delete a comment.
  • If a comment is accidentally deleted and the changes to the window have not been saved, exit the tab without saving the changes. This will open an information window describing that there have been changes to the information on the Account Master Maintenance window that have not been saved. Click the OK button to process without saving. If the changes to the window were never saved, the erroneously deleted comment will still display on the Comment tab of the Account Master Maintenance window when it is reopened.
• Click the Print icon to print the account comments. This will open the Print Account Comments window.
  • Use the Comment Status toggles, Creation Date range fields and Close Date range fields to filter the comments that you would like to include in the report.
  • The header of the report will display the User that generated the report, the Print Date, the Account Number, the Customer Name, the Service Address, and the Phone Number for the selected UB account. The body of the report will display the Creation Date, Close Date, Comment Status and full Comment text for each comment included.
• Click the Save icon when complete.

15     Track any changes made to the account record.

• Click the Audit Trail icon to open the Audit Trail window.
• Use the Search Criteria section to sort the displayed audit history.
• The Audit Trail section will provide details about any changes made to an account record including the date of the change, type of change made, user that made the change, and data table that was edited.