Summary

In order to create a Code and Contact Management issue, you must first set up issue types which act as templates when creating issues. When an issue type is attached to an issue it will populate the fields of the issue with default values set up on the issue type. Issue types reduce data entry and data error and allow similar issues to be processed in a uniform manner. You should set up an issue type for each issue that you expect to be a recurring issue to ensure that the issues will be processed in the same way and with consistent information.

Step by Step

1     Open the Issue Type Selection window (CM> Maintenance> Issue Type).

• The Issue Type Selection window will display all of the existing Issue Types in the application.
• Enter the desired issue type information and click the Refresh icon to filter the displayed issue types.
• Highlight an issue type and click the Copy icon to create a copy of the selected issue type.
• Click the Delete icon to remove an issue type. If issues have been created from this issue type you will not be able to delete the issue type.
• Highlight an issue type and click the Modify icon to edit the selected issue type.
• Click the Create icon to create a new issue type. This will open the Issue Type Maintenance window.

2     Create a new Issue Type.

• The General Tab displays the basic Issue Type information.
• Complete the Issue Type section.
  • Enter an Issue Type name. The type name can be up to 30 characters long.
    • Once you have created and saved a new issue type you cannot modify the type field.
  • Enter an issue type Description. The description can be 100 characters long.
    • If you check the Use Citation Number in Invoice Description toggle in CM> Utilities> Setup CM> Options section, the citation number field will populate in the description field of an AR Invoice.
  • Check the Inactive toggle if you do not want this issue type to be active. This will keep the issue type from being used when creating new issues.
    • Changing an issue type to inactive will not keep issues that have already been created and attached to this issue type from being processed. It will only keep future issues from being attached to this issue type.
• Complete the Issue Template section.
  • Enter an Issue Status or click the field label to select one from a list. This is the initial value of an issue of the selected issue type. This field can be modified when the issue is being created.
    • Statuses are user defined and set up on the Issue Status window (CM> Maintenance> Issue Status). This is a required field.
  • The Issue Description is a large text field used to provide a description for the issue. This field can be up to 2000 characters, so you can provide an extensive Issue Description.
  • The Ordinance field is a large text field that can be used to enter the ordinance number of an issue. This field is not required but will display on the printed version of the issue.
  • The Notes field can be used for general notes and will display on the printed version of the issue.
    • If you are creating a work order in an issue step, the value in this field will display in the Notes field on the General tab of the created Work Order estimate.
  • The labels of the user defined miscellaneous fields in the Issue Template section are set up on the Miscellaneous Field Labels Maintenance window (SS> Utilities> Miscellaneous Field Labels).
    • These fields can be used in reporting with the QBE reporting tool (CM> Reports> QBE Report). The user defined miscellaneous fields will show up in the Issue Master table labeled as User Char 1, User Char 2, User Dec 1, User Dec 2, User Date 1, User Date 2, User Log 1, and User Log 2.

3     Complete the Steps tab.

• Steps allow you to send the issue from queue to queue or to Springbrook users. Steps also allow you to create AR invoices, UB service requests and WO work orders.
• The steps you set up on this tab are only defaults. When creating a specific issue on the Issue Search window (CM> Issues> Issue Search), you will be able to modify the default steps of the issue type.
• Incomplete steps will display in red.
• Click the Create icon drop-down menu and select New Step to add a new step to the issue type. This will enable the Detail section.
• Enter a Step Description for the step. This is a required field that is 500 characters in length, but only the first 30 characters will display on the Issue Detail Listing Report.
• The Notification Recipient drop-down menu is used to specify who will be notified when the step requires attention.
• Select a Queue from the drop-down menu. This is the queue that the issue is sent to in the step.
  • Queues are set up on the Queue Maintenance window (CM> Maintenance> Queues). If you create a new queue with the Issue Type Maintenance window open, the new queue will not display on the Queue Selection window until you save the issue type and reopen the window.
• Enter a Role or click the field label to select one from a list if you want to assign this step to a specific role.
• Select a User from the drop-down menu if you want to assign this step to a specific Springbrook user in the selected Queue.
  • Only Springbrook users that are attached to a queue will display in the drop-down menu.
  • Springbrook users are attached to queues in CM> Maintenance> Queues. If you add a new Springbrook user to a queue the new user will not display in the Issue Type Maintenance window unless you save the issue type and reopen the window.
• The Scheduled Hours drop-down menu is used to create a schedule for the step.
• Select an Action from the drop-down menu.
  • Select Create/Update AR Invoice to create an Accounts Receivable invoice from a selected fee code. The invoice will be created in a new Invoices batch in AR> Invoices.
    • The batch number that will be used when creating invoices is specified in the Starting Invoice Batch Number field on the CM Setup window (CM> Utilities> Setup CM> Options section).
    • If this batch number has already been committed in the current fiscal period, the AR invoice will be created in the next available invoice batch.
    • If the batch has transactions in it but has not been committed, the new invoice will be added to the batch and the batch will be returned to the Enter Invoices step in AR> Invoices.
    • If the AR invoice that will be created in the batch has the same customer number, account number, and issue number as an existing invoice in the batch, the two invoices will be combined.
      • This process is useful if you have an issue with multiple steps that create AR invoices with different AR fee codes. This allows the separate fee codes to be charged to a single customer account to be charged on a single AR invoice.
    • The address on the invoice will be pulled from the customer account even if a lot is attached to the issue with a service address that is different than the customer account address.
    • The Citation Number field on the General tab of the Issue Maintenance window will populate the description of an AR invoice if you have checked the Use Citation Number in Invoice Description toggle in CM> Utilities> Setup.
  • Select UB Service Request to create an uncommitted service request in the Utility Billing module for a selected service request code.
    • The uncommitted service request will display in UB> Service Requests> Input after the service request has been generated and the issue step completed.
    • You must attach a lot to the issue if you are going to create a UB service request, and the UB account attached to the lot must be active. You can view the status of a UB account on the UB Account Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Account> Account tab> Customer Account Information section> Status field).
    • The customer account attached to the lot will be the customer attached to the service request.
  • Select Create WO Work Order to use a recurring estimate to create a work order in the Work Orders module.
  • If the Action drop-down menu is empty, you can enable a module to interface with the Contact Management module on the CM Setup window (CM> Utilities> Setup> Interfaces section).
  • If you change the interface options while the Issue Type Maintenance window is open, you must save and reopen the window to update the changes.
• Enter an Action Item or click the field label to select a fee code, service request code or recurring estimate from a list. The contents of this list will depend on the selection in the Action field above.
  • Fee codes are set up in AR> Maintenance> Fees.
  • Service request codes are set up in UB> Maintenance> Service Request Code.
  • Recurring estimates are set up in WO> Recurring Estimates.
• The Action Item Description and Action Amount fields will populate after you have selected a fee code, service request or recurring estimate.
  • The Description field will populate with the description of the fee code, service request or recurring estimate.
  • If you are creating an AR invoice the Action Amount field will populate with the Fixed Amount field of the fee code that is set up in AR> Maintenance> Fees> Fee Code section. You can change the value in this field if desired.
  • If you are creating a service request the Amount field will populate with the billable amount of the service request that is set up on the Service Request Maintenance window (UB> Maintenance> Service Request Code> Charge Info section> Default Charge field).
    • The Default Charge field defaults to the Flat Amount set up in the special charge code attached to the service request code, but this amount can be modified without affecting the flat amount attached to the special charge code. If you want to affect the flat amount of a special charge code, that amount is set up in UB> Maintenance> Special Charge Code> Charge Info section> Flat Amount field. If you change the flat amount attached to the special charge code all Utility Billing transactions attached to that special charge code will also be affected.
• The Step Notes field is a large text field used to add notes to the step.
• Once the steps are created, click the Up and Down icons to change the order of the steps. The issues attached to this issue type will begin in the step at the top of the window. The step order also displays in the Order column of the Steps section.

4     Attach a Form to the step.

• Click the Create icon drop-down menu and select New Form to create a new line item in the Forms field.
• This allows you to add a form to a step so that can be printed when processing the issue.
• Add any optional Notes about the form if desired.
• Forms are created and modified on the Forms Maintenance window (CM> Maintenance> Forms).

5     Complete the Contacts tab.

• The Contacts tab allows you to attach a customer account to the issue type. It is not necessary to complete this tab to create an issue type.
• Contacts added to an issue will print in a section titled Issue Contacts on the printed issue.
• Click the Create icon to create a new line item and activate the Maintenance section of the window below.
  • A new contact may be entered on this tab that does not exist elsewhere in the system.
• Click the Customer Number field label to specify an existing customer as the new contact.
• The Notes field allows you to attach notes to the contact information.
  • This field does not display on the printed version of the issue or the Issue Detail Listing Report, but you will be able use it in reporting when the QBE reporting tool is implemented. This field will be titled Notes and will be found in the Issue Contact secondary table.
• You can have up to five contacts attached to an issue and still be able to print all of the contacts on a form.
• Click the Save icon to add the contact to the issue type.

6     Complete the Comments tab.

• The Comments tab allows you to attach comments to an issue type. It is not necessary to complete this tab to create an issue type.
• The comments added to this tab will be pulled into every issue of this issue type.
• Click the Create icon to add a comment to the issue type.
  • This will open the Comment Code Selection window. Comment codes are created and maintained on the Comment Code Maintenance window (CM> Maintenance> Comment Code).
  • Highlight the desired comment code and click the Confirm icon the return the comment code to the tab.
• The Comments tab will now be split into two sections.
  • The left section will display the comment codes attached to the issue type. The Comment Code, Comment, User name, Date Created and Date Closed will be displayed for each line item.
  • The right section will display the editable detail fields associated with each line item.
  • Change the selected comment code by entering a new comment code in the Code field or by clicking the Code field label and selecting a new comment code from a list.
  • Enter the desired comment in the Comment field. This comment can be up to 512 characters long.
  • The Date Created field will default to today's date.
  • Enter a Date Closed when the issue associated with the comment has been addressed.
• Click the Save icon when complete.