Summary

The Past Due process allows you to pull UB customer accounts into a Past Dues batch based on billing cycle, age of outstanding transactions and customer account status. Once customer accounts have been included in a Past Dues batch, penalties are assessed using an adjustment type code.

Customer accounts can be processed in more than one Past Dues batch at a time, so make sure when you are assessing penalties that if customers are being processed in another batch that they are not being double charged.

The adjustment code used to assess the late fees is a collection of fee codes. The fee codes attached to the adjustment type code determine which GL accounts will be used in the transaction and how penalty charges are assessed on the customer accounts. The fee codes on the adjustment code will also determine which customer accounts are pulled into the Past Dues batch based on the services attached to the fee codes and the minimum amount of past due balances that the fee code will apply to. If there is credit information attached to the adjustment type code, a credit history line item will be created on all customer accounts processed in the Past Dues batch. Credit history line items display in the Credit History section on the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Overview tab).

The entire balance of the customer accounts will only be pulled into the batch if all of the services that are attached to the customer accounts are also attached to the fee codes used to assess the penalties. Only the account balances on services that are attached to the selected Past fee codes will be pulled into the batch.

The journal entry created by the Past Dues process will debit the AR account and credit the revenue account attached to the fee code. The GL type of the adjustment type code will not affect the journal entry created by the Past Dues process.

After customer accounts have been selected and processed in the Past Dues batch, you can generate Past Due statements for the customer accounts in the batch. Past due statements are set up in UB> Utilities> Statement Maintenance.

After the Past Dues batch is committed, the past dues will display on the customer account as an adjustment line item transaction type. The amount of the adjustment line item will be the amount of the penalties assessed on the account. The adjustments will only display on the customer accounts when the batch is committed (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab). Uncommitted Past Due transactions will not display on the accounts in the batch.

Step by Step

1     Create a Past Dues batch (UB> Past Dues).

• Select the Past Dues palette in UB> Past Dues. This will expand the Past Dues palette and display the steps of the Past Dues process.
• Select New from the Past Dues batch number drop-down menu to create a new batch. This will open the New Batch window.
  • If there are open batches in the Past Dues process, you can create a new batch without affecting the open batches. Customer accounts can be processed in more than one Past Dues batch at a time, so be careful when selecting Past Dues criteria so that customers are not charged twice.
• Enter a Batch Month and Batch Year. These fields default to the current calendar period and are used for reference only. The batch month and batch year do not affect the transaction or journal entry date of the transactions in the batch.
  • The transaction date of the billing is set up in the Generate step and the fiscal period the transactions are posted to is determined by the Journal Entry Date entered when creating the GL Distribution Report (UB> Past Dues> GL Distribution).
• Click the Generate icon to populate the Batch Number field with the next available batch number. Batch numbers are limited to five digits and must be unique within the batch month of the batch year.
  • You can also manually create a new batch by entering a Batch Number and clicking the Save icon  .
• You can delete batches by selecting a batch and pressing DELETE.

2     Generate the Past Dues.

• Open the Generate/Past Dues window (UB> Past Dues> Generate).
• The Generate/Past Due window is used to select which customers will be included in the Past Dues batch. After the Past Dues batch has been generated, the Select/Update step allows you to remove individual customer accounts from the Past Dues batch. After the Past Dues batch has been generated, returning to the Generate step and regenerating the batch will overwrite the customer accounts already included in the batch.
  • Any credits on services that are marked to Exclude from Redistribute (UB> Maintenance> Account> Service Rates tab) will not be included when applying existing credits to past due services.
• Select the Billing Cycles you would like to include in the batch in the Cycles field.
  • Press CTRL+A to select all of the cycles in the field. Press SPACEBAR to check or uncheck all of the highlighted toggles.
  • Billing cycles are created and maintained in UB> Maintenance> Billing Cycle.
  • You can view the billing cycle attached to a customer account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Account sub-tab> General section> Billing Cycle field.
• The Balance Date From and Balance Date To fields are used to filter the accounts that will be included into the Past Dues batch.
  • Input the oldest date of the transactions you want to process charges on in the Balance Date From field.
    • Some customers will enter a date 120 days in the past in this field.
  • Input the most recent date of the transactions you want to process charges on in the Balance Date To field.
    • Some customers will enter a date 30 days in the past for this date.
• The Penalty Date field is the transaction date of the late fees generated on the customer accounts in the Past Dues batch.
• The IVR Cutoff Date field is not used by the standard UB Past Dues process. Entering a date in this field will not affect the application.
  • This field is used in conjunction with the Springbrook Interactive Voice Response Application Programming Interface. If your organization uses a third-party IVR vendor, they may choose to use this field.
• Enter an amount in the Minimum Charge field to assess a minimum charge on all accounts processed in the batch. This minimum dollar amount will be assessed on all accounts regardless of the actual penalty.
  • For example, if you assess a minimum charge of $10.00 and the late fees generated on the account during the Past Due process adds up to $8.50, the account will be assessed the minimum of $10.00.
  • If you would only like to assess past dues charges if the past due amount is greater than a user defined minimum, you can set that up on the Fee Code Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Fee Code> Past Due Minimum field) of the fees attached to the adjustment type selected in the Adjustment Type for New Charges section.
• The Payment Plans drop-down menu is used to configure how Payment Plans are included in the Past Dues batch.
  • Select Exclude to exclude all payment plans from the batch. This is the most common configuration and the default setting.
  • Select Include to include payment plans in a standard Past Dues batch.
  • Select Payment Plans Only to generate a Past Dues batch specifically for payment plans. This can be used to quickly identify all accounts that are associated with payment plans and to customize the past due statement accordingly.
• Select a Service Request Code in the drop-down menu to create a service request for each customer account included in the Past Dues batch. For example, you can create service requests to shut off the meters attached to the customer accounts processed in the batch.
• The service date of the service requests being created will be the date the Commit step is completed (which is the same as the Post Date of the batch).
  • The Service Request Description field will populate with the service request description as the service request code has been selected.
  • The service requests created by the Past Dues process will not display on the customer account until after the Past Dues batch has been committed.
  • Check the Close service request toggle if you would like the service requests created for the customers in the Past Dues batch to be closed when the batch is committed. This will close the created service requests, but will not commit them.
    • Service requests created by the Past Dues batch will still have to be committed (UB> Service Requests> Commit).
  • If there is a fee code attached to the selected service request code, the service request cannot be billed until the service request has been committed.
    • If you would like to create service requests on all customer accounts in the Past Dues batch, even customer accounts with a zero penalty amount, check the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle.
• The Waive Penalty Fee field is used to allow agencies to waive the first penalty fee for accounts that meet specified historical requirements.
  • By default, No will be selected in this field and the Past Due batch will process as usual.
  • Select Based on Credit History to use credit history to determine if an account is eligible to have a penalty fee waived.
    • This will enable the Credit History Sum Under field below. This value is dependent upon user-defined credit history adjustment type transactions that some agencies use to help determine the credit worthiness of a UB account. When this type of credit history system is set up, accounts can be assessed specified credit values when being processed through a Past Due or Collections batch. Any accounts with a credit history value that falls below the sum entered in this field will have their Past Due penalty fee waived.
    • The account credit history is displayed on the Overview tab of the Account Maintenance window.
  • Select Based on Good Standing to use good standing to determine if an account is eligible to have a penalty fee waived.
    • This will enable the Good Standing Since field below. Good standing is user-defined status that is based on the presence of an adjustment type in a specified date range.
    • For example, when a penalty adjustment associated with a previous Past Due batch is present on an account, the good standing status of that account could be determined by the date that penalty adjustment was made. If the most recent Past Due penalty adjustment on an account was assessed over 60 days ago, and the Good Standing Since date field is set to a date exactly 60 days ago, the account in question will be considered in good standing and any penalty adjustments associated with this Past Due batch will be waived.
    • When waiving fees based on good standing, check the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle to the right to ensure the waived fee will still appear as an adjustment on the account history. This ensures that the good standing status of the account in question is updated to reflect a past due adjustment even if that adjustment did not result in a charged penalty fee.
• Select the status of the accounts you would like to include in the batch in the Account Status field.
  • You can view the status of an account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Account sub-tab> General section> Account Status field.
• Check the Include Budget Services toggle to include services that are set up as budget services on the customer account (UB> Maintenance> Account> Service Rates tab> Open a service rate> Budget toggle).
  • If you do not check this toggle, budgeted services will not be included in the Past Dues batch.
• Check the Include Uncommitted Payments toggle to include uncommitted cash receipts payments when determining the past due amounts. For example, if a customer has made a payment and that payment is in an open Cash Receipts batch (CR> Cash Receipts), check this toggle to reduce the past due amount by the payment amount.
• Check the Include Payment Plan Accounts toggle to include accounts with a payment plan in the batch. This includes payment plans that are in good status and payment plans that have failed.
• Check the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle if you would like to process customer accounts in the batch even if a penalty is not assessed. This allows you to create shut off service requests and print past due statements on customer accounts not charged a penalty. You can use this toggle if you do not assess past due penalties but would like to generate past due statements on customer accounts that have a delinquent balance.
  • The selection in this toggle will affect the functionality of the Select Update window (UB> Past Dues> Select Update). The Select Update window is used to select the customer accounts that you would like to process in the batch. If the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle is checked, customer accounts that are not assessed a penalty will be included in the batch if they are selected. If the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle is not checked, customer accounts that are not assessed a penalty will not be included in the batch even if they are selected in the window.
• Check the Close service request toggle if you would like the service requests created for the customers in the Past Dues batch to be closed when the batch is committed.
  • The Close service request toggle will only be enabled if a service request code is selected in the Service Request Code field.
  • If you do not check this toggle, the service requests created by the Past Dues batch will have an Active status.
  • The service requests created by the Past Dues process will not display on the customer account until after the Past Dues batch has been committed.
• Select an adjustment type. The fee codes attached to the selected adjustment type code will determine the charges applied to the customer accounts included in the Past Dues batch.
  • You can select only one adjustment type. If you would like to apply fee codes from more than one adjustment type you will have to create a new adjustment type that contains all of the fee codes you would like to apply.
  • Only adjustment type codes set up as Past Due adjustment types will display in the Adjustment Type for New Charges section.
    • Adjustment type codes are created and maintained in UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type Code, and are set up as Past Due adjustment types by selecting Past Due from the Process drop-down menu.
  • Click on the Expand button next to the adjustment type code to see the fee codes attached to the adjustment type.
    • The charge this service attached to the fee codes (UB> Maintenance> Fee Codes> Service to Charge field) must be attached to a customer account in order to assess penalties. If the charge this service is not attached to the customer account, an exception will display on the Exceptions step (UB> Past Dues> Exceptions) and the penalty fees will not be assessed on the customer account.
    • If you modify an adjustment type using the Adjustment Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type) while the Generate window is open, the Generate window will not update with the modified adjustment type information.
• Click the Confirm icon to generate the Past Dues immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Confirm icon to schedule the Past Dues to generate at a later time.
  • You can view the progress of the Generate step on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
• The adjustment transactions generated by the Past Dues batch will not display on the customer accounts until the batch is committed (UB> Past Dues> Commit). Uncommitted past due transactions will not display on the customer accounts (UB> Maintenance> Account> History tab).

3     Complete the Exceptions step. This is an optional step.

• The Exceptions step will display errors and exceptions generated on customer accounts during the Past Dues process.
• Open the Exceptions/Past Dues window (UB> Past Dues> Exceptions).
• The “Found credit balance in Service XX for the amount of XXX,” message will display if there is a credit balance on a service attached to the account.
  • If you would like to process the customer account in the Past Dues batch, run the Redistribute Credits process (UB> Adjustments and Fees> Redistribute Credits).
• The “Missing Service XXX. Cannot apply penalty,” message will display if the service to charge on a fee code used to assess a past due penalty is not attached to a customer account. For example, if LATE fee code charges service PENALTY, the PENALTY service must be attached to the customer account. You can view the service a fee code will charge on the Fee Code Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Fee Code> Service To Charge field).
  • To fix this exception, add the service to the UB customer accounts using the Service Rates tab of the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Service Rates tab).
• Press ESC when complete to exit the window.

4     Select which customer accounts to include in the Past Dues batch and/or add additional charges. This is an optional step.

• Skip this step if you would like to charge all of the customer accounts selected during the Generate step.
• The Select/Update step on the Past Dues palette is used to select the customer accounts that will be included in the Past Dues batch. The Select/Update window will display the past dues generated based on the selections during the Generate step. The Select/Update window allows you to select which generate past dues are processed in the batch, and is also used to modify the past dues amount.
• Open the Select Update window (UB> Past Due> Select/Update).
• The Select Update window will display all of the UB customer accounts included in the Past Dues batch.
• Use the Select All and Deselect All drop-down menus to select or deselect all the displayed customer accounts for Print, Select, or IVR Call.
• Uncheck the Print toggle if you do not want the customer account to print on a Past Due statement (UB> Past Dues> Statements). Charges will still be applied to the customer account, but a Past Due statement will not be generated.
  • The Print toggle will not apply if the Selected toggle is unchecked. You cannot print a Past Dues Statement unless the customer account is included in the batch.
• Uncheck the Selected toggle if you do not want to include the customer account in the Past Dues batch. No charges will be generated on the customer account.
  • If the Selected toggle is unchecked, the selection in the Print toggle will not apply. You cannot print a Past Dues Statement unless the customer account is included in the batch.
  • Customer accounts with the Selected toggle unchecked will be removed from the Select/Update window after you click the Save icon. This means if you uncheck the Selected toggle of a customer account and save the window, you will have to regenerate the Past Dues batch in order to add that customer account back into the Past Dues batch.
• Check the IVR Call toggle for each account that should receive an IVR call when the Past Dues batch is committed.
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are third-party tools that can be set up to automatically generate past due courtesy calls when an account is flagged as past due.
  • For more information on implementing an IVR system, please contact Springbrook Support at 800-777-0069.
• Click the Expand button to view the fee code amounts that will be applied to the customer account.
  • Each fee code that is attached to the adjustment type selected during the Generate step (UB> Past Dues> Generate> Adjustment Type For New Charges section) will display as a separate line item.
• The Additional Charges column will displays the charges calculated during the Generate step based on the fee codes attached to the selected adjustment type. Modify the amount in the Additional Charges column if you would like to modify the amount of the fee.
• The selection in the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle on the Generate window (UB> Past Dues> Generate) will affect the functionality of the Select Update window. If the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle was checked when the batch was generated, customer accounts that are not assessed a penalty (there is a $0 in the Additional Charges column) will be included in the batch if they are selected. If the Create adjustment history for zero amounts toggle was not checked during the Generate step, customer accounts that are not assessed a penalty will not be included in the batch even if they are selected in the window.
• Click the Save icon or press ENTER when complete.

5     Print the Aging Report.

• The Aging Report will display the age of the balances included in the Past Dues batch and the penalty fees that will be applied. This report can also display comments attached to customer accounts using the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab).
• Select Aging Report from the Past Dues palette to open the Aging window.
• The Sort By drop-down menu is used to select how the report will sort.
  • Select a fee code option (fee code, customer number or fee code, reference number) to filter the customer accounts that display on the report by the fee codes used to apply the penalty charges. This will display a total for each fee code used to charge penalty fees. For example, if penalty fees are applied using LATE% and LATEFLAT, selecting a fee code option will display a total of the fees generated using LATE% and LATEFLAT. If you do not select a fee code option, the report will not display a separate total for each fee code used to generate penalties.
• The Alert Codes field is used to add the comments attached to the customer accounts to the report. For example, if you have a comment status used to record conversations with customers regarding past dues, you can select that comment status so that those comments will display on the report. The report will display both the comment status and the comment description (the comment description is the comment text entered on the customer account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab> Select a comment> Comment Body section).
  • Select the comment codes you would like to display on the report in the Alert Codes field. If you do not check any comment codes, the comment will not display on the report.
  • Closed comments will not display on the report. If a date has been entered in the Close Date column (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comment tab> Close Date column) the comment is considered closed and will not display on the report.
• Click the Print icon   to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).
• The Aging Report will display the following information: customer information (customer name, account number, reference number), fee code, fee code description, balance forward, past due amount, under 30 days, 30-60 days, 60-90 days, 90-120 days and other.
  • The difference between the amount in the Balance Forward column and the Past Due column is the penalty charge applied to the customer account.
  • The Reference Number that displays on the report is the reference number on the customer account. You can view the reference number attached to a customer account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Account sub-tab> Reference Number field.
  • When the UB module set up to use Days in Period as the aging period (UB Setup> General tab> Aging Periods field> Days in Period), the report will display the aging balance by period rather than 30-60-90-120 day range.

6     Print a Proof List.

• The Proof List will display the Past Due amount, the penalty charges generated on the account, and the new balance forward on the account. This report can also display comments attached to customer accounts using the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab).
• Select Proof List from the Past Due palette. This will open the Proof List window.
• Select how you would like the report to sort in the Sort By drop-down menu. The selection in this field will only affect how information is displayed on the report.
• The Alert Codes field is used to add the comments attached to the customer accounts to the report. For example, if you have a comment status used to record conversations with customers regarding past dues, you can select that comment status so that those comments will display on the report. The report will display both the comment status and the comment description (the comment description is the comment text entered on the customer account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab> Select a comment> Comment Body section).
  • Select the comment codes you would like to display on the report in the Alert Codes field. If you do not check any comment codes, the comment will not display on the report.
  • Closed comments will not display on the report. If a date has been entered in the Close Date column (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comment tab> Close Date column) the comment is considered closed and will not display on the report.
• Click the Print icon   to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).

7     Print a Shut Off Listing Report.

• The Shut Off Listing Report will display the customer information, meters attached to the account, past due amount, penalties, and the new account balance forward. This report can also display comments attached to customer accounts using the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab).
• Select Shut Off Listing from the Past Due palette. This will open the Shut Off Listing window.
• Select how you would like the report to sort in the Sort By drop-down menu. The selection in this field will only affect how information is displayed on the report.
• The Alert Codes field is used to add the comments attached to the customer accounts to the report. For example, if you have a comment status used to record conversations with customers regarding past dues, you can select that comment status so that those comments will display on the report. The report will display both the comment status and the comment description (the comment description is the comment text entered on the customer account in UB> Maintenance> Account> Comments tab> Select a comment> Comment Body section).
  • Select the comment codes you would like to display on the report in the Alert Codes field. If you do not check any comment codes, the comment will not display on the report.
  • Closed comments will not display on the report. If a date has been entered in the Close Date column (UB> Maintenance> Account> Comment tab> Close Date column) the comment is considered closed and will not display on the report.
• Click the Print icon to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).

8     Set up the past dues statements.

• The Statement Settings window is used to set up the Past Dues statements and select which customer accounts in the Past Dues batch will receive statements. If a statement is not generated for a customer account included in the Past Dues batch, past due penalties will still be assessed on the account.
• Select Statement Settings from the Past Due palette. This will open the Statement Settings window.
• Enter the due date of the past dues in the Due Date field.
  • The value in this field will default to the current date plus 15 days.
• Enter the transaction date of the past dues batch in the Transaction Date field. The Transaction Date field will default to the transaction date entered during the Generate step (UB> Past Dues> Generate> Transaction Date field).
• The Minimum and Maximum fields are not used in the Past Dues process.
• Select the past dues statement you would like to print in the Statement drop-down menu.
  • Statements are created and maintained in the Statement Setup Maintenance window (UB> Utilities> Statement Setup).
• The Bill To drop-down menu is used to specify the format for the optional Bill To Report.
• The Account Status field is used to select the status of the customer accounts that a statement will print for.
• The Message 1 and Message 2 fields are used to add messages to the past due statements. You can either enter a message in the field, or click the Message 1 or Message 2 field label to select a message from a list.
  • The Statement Message Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Statement Message) allows you to create and maintain message statements.
• Press ENTER when complete. The statements will be generated after the addresses of the customer accounts included in the Past Dues batch have been verified.

9     Certify the addresses of the customer accounts included in the Past Dues batch.

• The Export Addresses and Import Addresses steps are used to certify the addresses of the statements generated in the Past Dues batch. Skip to the Statements step if you do not use address certification.
  • The Drop Date field is used by those users who would like to specify a mailing date that will populate the Mailer's Mailing Date field on the postage statement. If no date is specified, the field will default to the current date.
  • The Include drop-down menu is used to select the statements you would like to include in the mailer export.
    • Select All Statements if you would like to include all statements in the Final Billing batch.
    • Select Hold Status Only if you would like to include only those statements for customer accounts that have a hold status. This will include temporary and permanent hold status accounts on the mailer export.
    • Select No Hold Status Only if you would like to include only those statements for customer accounts that DO NOT have a hold status.
    • UB customer accounts are assigned a hold status using the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Account sub-tab> General section> Hold Status drop-down menu).

10     Print the past dues statements.

• The Statements step is used to generate the past due statements based on the statement settings selected on the Statement Settings step (UB> Past Dues> Statement Settings). The statements will be generated in a PDF report. Once the PDF file is complete, you can print the statements onto your past dues statement stock.
• Select Statements from the Past Dues palette. This will open the Statements window.
• Select a customer account in the Account Number field to print a statement for a single account.
  • Click the Account Number field label to select a customer account from a list. You will only be able to print Past Due statements for customer accounts that have been included in the batch. If you select a customer account that is not in the Past Due batch, the report will not print and the Jobs Viewer will display an error message (Unable to find any UB Accounts that match the Print options.)
  • This option is generally used to reprint statements.
• Select the order that statements will print in the Sort drop-down menu.
  • If the addresses of the customer accounts have been certified, select Auto Presort. This will select Certified Bills in the Mail Type drop-down menu and disable the field.
  • If the customer accounts in the Past Dues batch have not been certified using the Export Addresses and Import Addresses steps, do not select Auto Presort in the Sort drop-down menu. No statements will print and the Jobs Viewer window will display an error message (Unable to find any UB Accounts that match the Print options).
• The Mail Type drop-down menu will be enabled if Auto Presort was not selected in the Sort drop-down menu.
  • Do not select Certified Bills if the Export Addresses and Import Addresses steps on the Past Dues palette have not been used to certify the addresses in the batch. If this option is selected and the addresses have not been certified, the Jobs Viewer window will display an error message (Unable to find any UB Accounts that match the Print options).
• The Include drop-down menu is used to select the past due statements you would like to include in the printing. This field is disabled for the Past Dues process as all statements are automatically included.
  • A past dues statement will not print for a customer account if the statement is not attached to the customer account.
    • You can view the statements attached to a customer account on the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> People tab> Bill To sub-tab).
  • The Past Due Statements are set up and maintained in UB> Utilities> Statement Setup. The Statement Name field of the report will display in the drop-down menu.
• Press ENTER to generate the Statements immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the Statements to print at a later time.
• If the Statement selected in the Statement drop-down menu is not attached to any of the customer accounts included in the batch the Jobs Viewer window will display an error message (Unable to find any UB Accounts that match the Print options).
• Additional Past Dues statements will print if there are additional customers attached to any of the customer accounts included in the Past Dues batch.
  • Additional customer accounts are attached to the Account Master Maintenance window of the account included in the batch (UB> Maintenance> Account> People tab> Bill To sub-tab).

11     Export Statements.

• The Export step is an optional step used to create an export file of the Past Due statements. This option is generally used by Springbrook customers that outsource the printing and sorting of their billings.
• Select Export from the Past Dues palette. This will open the Export window.
• Enter an account number in the Account Number field if you would like to export the statement of a single customer. Click the Account Number field label to select a customer account from a list. This will open the Account Master Search window.
• The Mail Type field is used to select the mail type of the statements that should be exported.
  • Select Certified Bills to export the bills that have been certified using the Export Addresses and Import Addresses steps on the Past Dues palette.
    • If the statements have not been certified, no statements will be included in the export.
  • Select Non-Certified to export statements that have not been certified using the Export Addresses and Import Addresses steps. If you skipped the Export Addresses and Import Addresses step on the Past Dues palette, you should select this option.
• The Sort drop-down menu is used to select how the statements on the export file will be sorted.
  • Select Auto Presort to sort the statements on the export file by the sort order created by the address certification feature.
• The Layout drop-down menu is used to select the format of the export file generated by the Export process. Click the Format icon at the top of the window to display the format of the export file.
  • This field will default to the standard Springbrook export layout. Before using other options, such as KVS or Shut Off, please confirm that the selected layout includes the data you wish to export.
• The Include drop-down menu is used to select the past due statements you would like to include in the export.
• The Inline Quotes drop-down menu is used to specify how, or if, the export file will display quotation marks in included field values. This setting can help agencies prepare the exported statements for third-party printing services.
  • The (Default) setting will not change anything and leave single double-quote characters in place.
  • Select Match to add another closing double-quote character to match any single double-quote character in the file.
  • Select Remove to remove the single double-quote characters from the file.
• Check the Send Readings as Decimal toggle to export the readings values in decimal format rather than standard integer format.
  • This option is only available when Springbrook is selected in the Layout field above.
• Click the Confirm icon when complete to create the export file.
• Once the export has finished processing, the Export Settings window will open. This window is used to specify the export path for the statements.
• Check the Open toggle if you would like to open the exported file after it is saved locally.
• Enter the export path location and click the Save icon to export the file to the local path.

12     Print the Past Due Letters. This is an optional step.

• The Past Due Letters are meant to be run in conjunction with the Past Due Statements. Rather than providing the financial detail found in the statements, letters provide general information such as the total past due.
• Select a Form from the drop-down menu.
  • The printed letters will use the selected Form as a template.
  • Forms are created and maintained on the Forms Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Forms).
• The Compatibility mode toggle is used to activate compatibility mode for legacy forms that don't use standard Springbrook forms functionality.
  •  Springbrook does not recommend using Compatibility mode as it will disable a number of useful form features.
• Click the Print icon to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).

13     Print a GL Distribution report.

• For organizations that have the GL module interfaced with the Utility Billing module, the GL Distribution step will display on the Past Dues palette. The GL Distribution step is used to set up the journal entry date and create a GL Distribution Report that displays the journal entry created by the Past Dues batch.
• Select GL Distribution to open the UB GL Distribution report window.
• Enter a Journal Entry Date. The Journal Entry Date will determine the fiscal year and period the transactions in the batch will be posted to.
  • The Fiscal Period and Fiscal Year fields will populate based on the date entered in the Journal Entry Date field.
  • The Journal Entry Date is not necessarily the same date as the Post Date that will display on the History tab of the Account Master Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account). The post date is the date that the batch is committed.
• Select the Report Type for the report.
  • The summary version of the report will display the net change in the general ledger accounts. It will not display the fee code and the penalties assessed to each customer account. It can be sorted by GL Account or by Transactions Type.
  • The detail version of the GL Distribution report will display the transaction line on each general ledger account. The report will also display the fee code of each journal entry line item and the penalty assessed on each customer account. It can be sorted by GL Account or by Transactions Type.
• Click the Print icon to process the report immediately or enter a date and time in the field next to the Print icon to schedule the report to generate at a later time. You can view the progress of the report on the Job Viewer window (SS> Utilities> Show Scheduled Jobs).
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Print Preview to preview the report before printing.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet as unformatted data.
  • Click the Print icon drop-down menu and select Excel (Formatted) to export the report data to an Excel spreadsheet that includes much of the Springbrook formatting found on the printed version of the report.
  • Once the report is generated, you can also display the report using the View Reports window (SS> Utilities> View Report).
• The general ledger accounts used to assess the penalties depends on the general ledger accounts on the fee codes attached to the adjustment type selected during the Generate step.
  • You can view the fee codes used to create the journal entry by generating the report in detail format, or you can view the fee codes attached to the type code on the Adjustment Type Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Adjustment Type> Fee Code field).
  • The AR GL account on the fee code (UB> Maintenance> Fee Code> AR Account field) will be debited in the transaction.
  • The revenue GL Account on the fee code (UB> Maintenance> Fee Code> Revenue Account field) will be credited in the transaction.
  • The GL Type of the adjustment type code does not affect the journal entry created by the Past Dues process. Adjustment types set up as cash or bill will generate the same journal entry.
  • Generate the GL Distribution report in the detail version if you want to view the fee codes used in the transaction. This will help you track back where the GL accounts are being pulled from if you are processing a Past Dues batch that uses more than one fee code to assess penalties.

14     Commit the batch when complete.

• Select Commit step from the Past Dues palette. This will open the Commit Past Due Information window.
• The Commit step generates the history records on the customer accounts for the assessed penalty charges and the service requests for the customers in the batch if you selected a service request code during the Generate step.
• If you are an Xpress Bill Pay customer and use IVR functionality, a .csv file that includes billing and contact information for any accounts included in the batch that are marked as “IVR Call” accounts will be generated on commit. If any records included in that file have invalid phone numbers or email addresses, an exception will display in the Jobs Viewer that provides details for each account affected.
• If you are creating service requests on the customer accounts in the batch, the Commit step will create the service requests.