DTH SoftwareSystem Setup

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Assets...................................................................................................................... - 3 -Asset Classes....................................................................................................... - 3 -Asset Bins............................................................................................................ - 4 -

Chart of Accounts.................................................................................................... - 5 -Billing Cycles........................................................................................................... - 7 -Charge Types........................................................................................................... - 8 -Check/Cheque Books............................................................................................. - 10 -Collection Notice Setup.......................................................................................... - 11 -Company Setup..................................................................................................... - 14 -Consumption Rate Setup.......................................................................................- 15 -Credit Note Type Setup..........................................................................................- 17 -Customer Class Setup............................................................................................- 18 -Customer Service Setup........................................................................................- 19 -Deposit Type Setup............................................................................................... - 20 -Deposit Interest Type Setup..................................................................................- 21 -EFT........................................................................................................................ - 22 -

Innovative Gateway........................................................................................... - 22 -ACH/NACHA........................................................................................................ - 23 -

Equipment Class Setup..........................................................................................- 24 -Equipment Service Setup.......................................................................................- 26 -Error Message Setup..............................................................................................- 27 -Label Setup............................................................................................................ - 28 -Organization.......................................................................................................... - 29 -

Division Setup.................................................................................................... - 29 -Department Setup............................................................................................. - 30 -

Penalty Setup........................................................................................................ - 31 -Permitted City Names............................................................................................ - 32 -Permitted Prov/States............................................................................................- 33 -Remit Addresses.................................................................................................... - 34 -Route Setup........................................................................................................... - 35 -Service Type Setup................................................................................................ - 36 -Tax Schedule Setup............................................................................................... - 38 -User Setup............................................................................................................. - 39 -User Security......................................................................................................... - 40 -System Settings..................................................................................................... - 41 -

General.............................................................................................................. - 41 -Statements........................................................................................................ - 42 -Payments........................................................................................................... - 43 -Penalties............................................................................................................ - 44 -Collections......................................................................................................... - 45 -Addresses.......................................................................................................... - 46 -Invoices.............................................................................................................. - 47 -Consumption...................................................................................................... - 48 -Call Records....................................................................................................... - 49 -

Zone Setup............................................................................................................ - 50 -

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Assets

Asset ClassesClick Setup>>Assets>>Asset Classes to enter Asset Class Setup. In this screen you can add or remove Asset Classes from the system.

To add a class, enter the ClassID, a description and click Save.

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Asset BinsAssets can be assigned to Divisions, Departments, Employees or Bins. Bins generally refer to physical storage locations like warehouses or storage units.

To access Asset Bins, click Setup>>Assets>>Asset Bins

To add a bin, enter a BinID, a description and click Save.

To view information on an existing bin, enter the BinID and tab off or use the Bin Lookup button.

To delete a bin, select it and click Delete. You will prompted to confirm the deletion.

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Chart of Accounts

The first thing we need to set up in the system is the Chart of Accounts. We need to do this first as many other setups depend on the information in the Chart Of Accounts. In this manual we will use a very simple Chart of Accounts though you are free to make it as complicated as you like.

To access the Chart of Accounts click Setup>>GL Accounts. To add an account, click Add Account. At a minimum we need 1 Receivables account, 1 Revenue account, 1 Cash account and 1 Liability account.

Click Add Account and fill in all the fields and click Save. The Starting Debit/Credit/Dates fields are normally only required if you are carrying a starting balance over from a previous system.

Repeat this process for the Revenue, Cash and Liability accounts.

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Once you have entered you minimum account requirement you will see your account list. Here you must select your default Cash account and default Unapplied Cash account. Once you have done so, click Save.

You now have a basic Chart of Accounts that will allow you to continue with the rest of your system setup.

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Billing Cycles

A billing cycle is simply a means of grouping customers for billing/reporting purposes. Commonly used billing cycles would be MONTHLY, QUARTERLY, etc. Alternatively you may bill by geographic region and therefore would name your cycles as such. If you have only one billing cycle then we suggest using DEFAULT.

To access the Billing Cycle Setup click Setup>>Billing Cycles. Once you have entered the CycleID and Cycle Description, click Save.

The CycleID can be a maximum of 15 alpha-numeric characters. You are free to create as many cycles as you like. You can use the VCR buttons on the bottom of the screen to browse through all the existing cycles.

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Charge Types

Charges types fall into two main categories, standard charges and recurring charges. A standard charge is a charge that is manually put on an account as required. This may be anything from an ACTIVATION FEE put on the account when the customer signs up or fee for a product or service you offer.

To access Charge Type Setup click Setup>>Charge Types. Below is a standard setup for an ACTIVATION FEE. The Charge Type can be up to 15 alpha-numeric characters and the Charge Description up to 100 alpha-numeric characters. The Allow Override dictates whether or not the system user can change the amount/taxes on the charge when they are putting it on the account. If Allow Override is enabled then the system user can change it at their discretion. If Allow Override is disabled then it cannot be changed. If this charge type is eligible for penalty during penalty calculation then enable it, otherwise leave as is. The Recurring option will be explained on the next page.

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A recurring charge differs from a standard charge in that it is assigned to an account and this charge is created on the account each time the account is billed. An example of this would be a monthly fee. To make a charge type into a recurring charge you simply enable the Recurring option. When you have done so, the On Charge Deactivation group will be enabled. This group controls what happens when the charge is removed from the account. Suppose you have a customer who closes their account in the middle of the billing cycle. You will have the option to FULL CHARGE their account, NO CHARGE the account or PRORATE CHARGE.

You also have the ability to setup individual multiplier values on each account. A default multiplier value would be 1 but if you want to give a customer a 10% discount, for example, you could give them a multiplier of 0.90. Taxes are also affected by the multiplier.

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Check/Cheque Books

A Check/Cheque BookID is a reference in the system that dictates which accounts funds are withdrawn from when a check/cheque is issued. This is required when a credit balance is settled or when a deposit is refunded in the form of a check/cheque.

To access Check/Cheque Book Setup click Setup>>Check/Cheque Books. Enter the Check/Cheque Book ID, the cash account the funds will be withdrawn from and the description.

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Collection Notice Setup

In a perfect world all payments would be received on time and overdue receivables would be a myth. Unfortunately this is not the case therefore we need the ability to remind customers they have missed a payment and eventually to send the account to Collections when friendly reminders go unheeded. The DTH system allows for up to 255 levels of notices. We are going to demonstrate 3 levels. The first will be a friendly reminder once the account is 15 days overdue, the second will be a warning that the account is now 45 days overdue and that it will be sent to collections unless the account is settled and the third notice will sent out after 90 days indicating that the account has been sent to Collections. The content of all the notices are completely customizable using Crystal Reports.

The setup below dictates that this is a first reminder and that it is the first in the sequence of events that happens when an account becomes overdue. On a first notice, the grace period is controlled in the System Settings under Collections Grace Period. In this example, that value would be set to 15.

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The setup below dictates that a second reminder will be issued 30 days after the first reminder. At this point the account is now 45 days overdue. Enabling Issue Forgiveness Letter will instruct the system to print a letter addressed to the customer should the payment be received before the account moves to the next notice level.

Selecting ‘Deactivate Account’ with also set the account’s status to ‘Collection Disconnect’ upon posting of the collection notice batch.

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The setup below dictates that a bad debt notice will be issued to the customer 45 days after the second reminder. At this point the account is now 90 days overdue. The entry in the Charge Type field instructs the system to add a BAD DEBT charge to the account when this notice is issued.

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Company Setup

To access Company Setup click Setup>>Company Information. The information on this screen printed on most of the reports in the system. It is for informational purposes only.

Once you have entered the Company Information, click Save.

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Consumption Rate Setup

Consumption Rates determines the billing details for any consumption that it measured against your Consumption equipment or your Metered equipment. The example below shows a typical setup for water service.

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As you can see, the first rate detail is billed a flat service charge. The first 1000 units are billed at the standard rate of $0.057 per unit and anything 1001 and above are billed at a discounted rate of $0.037 per unit. There is also a time-based component of $0.4729 per day. The days are measured by the billing period.

To access Consumption Rate Setup click Setup>>Consumption Rates.

To create a Consumption Rate enter the header information then fill in the detail information and click Add Detail. You will need to enter the detail information for each detail in your rate.

To remove a rate detail, right-click it in the Current Rate Details box and click Delete Detail.

You also have the option to configure a Minimum Detail Dollar Amount and a custom Detail Description for the Minimum Amount.

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Credit Note Type Setup

A credit note is a means of creating a non-cash payment on a customer account. This is normally used to adjust an account balance, apply deposit interest, import customers with a credit balance, etc. To access Credit Note Type Setup click Setup>>Credit Note Types.

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Customer Class Setup

A customer class is a means of grouping customers for billing/reporting purposes. Each customer must be assigned a class. Typical classes includes RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, etc. You can also configure the customer class to automatically create a deposit request on an account when a customer of that class is created. The deposit interest can also be set up at this time.

The setup below shows the setup for a RESIDENTIAL customer class that will automatically create a RESIDENTIAL deposit request upon account creation.

Note, the Deposit On Creation should be shut off during customer import otherwise you will have both the deposit amount in the import file and the deposit type as per this setup on the account after it is imported.

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Customer Service SetupCustomer service setup is used to configure service orders for customer or accounts. This differs from Equipment Service setup in that in applies to the customer him/herself as opposed to specific equipment on the account

The example below shows a service configuration for customer who request contact to discuss alternate service options.

To access Deposit Type Setup click Setup>>Deposit Types. Enter the new deposit type, amount, description, accounts and whether or not it is eligible for penalty then click Save.

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Deposit Type Setup

To access Deposit Type Setup click Setup>>Deposit Types. Enter the new deposit type, amount, description, accounts and whether or not it is eligible for penalty then click Save.

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Deposit Interest Type Setup

A deposit interest type is assigned to a deposit and determines whether or not a deposit receives interest and at what rate. The setup below shows a 6% annual compound interest that is accrued on the account. The Apply Method can be set to Create Credit Note if you prefer that the interest show up as a credit on the account as opposed to simply being accrued on the deposit. You also have the option to change the Calculated Against value to Original Amount as opposed to Original + Accrued.

To access deposit interest type setup click Setup>>Deposit Interest Types. Once you have entered all the necessary information, click Save.

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EFT

Innovative GatewayInnovative Gateway is a credit card authorization service used to retrieve payments from your customers automatically via the DTH system. In order to use the service you will require a username and password issued by Innovative Gateway Solutions.

This username and password must be entered in Setup>>EFT>>Innovative Gateway.

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ACH/NACHAAutomated Clearing House is North American standard for electronic funds transfer or banking institutions. The process creates a file which is sent to your bank.

Name Length DescriptionRouting Number 8 This is the routing number of the ACH

Operator or receiving point. This is supplied by your banking institution.

Origin 8 This is the routing number of the ACH operator or sending point. This is supplied by your banking institution.

Origin Name Max 23 This is the name of the ACH Operator or sending point. Optional.

Company Name Max 16 Short name of your organization.CompanyID Max 10 This is generally your Tax Identification

Number.Trans. Desc Max 10 This field is used to describe the

transaction. Examples include ‘GAS BILL’, ‘INTERNET’.

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Equipment Class Setup

Each piece of equipment in the system must be assigned an equipment class. This controls how the equipment is handled by the system. Equipment is broken into 3 main categories, Standard, Consumption and Metered.

Standard equipment is most any type of equipment that does not have associated consumption or time of use. This may be equipment that you loan a customer or have installed on site in order to provide your product or service.

Consumption equipment is equipment in which consumption is measured against. In the example of home heating oil, the equipment would be the fuel tank. When the tank is filled the tank serial number (or any other unique identifier) is recorded as well as how many units were delivered. Once this is entered into the system in the form of a consumption reading the consumption is calculated against consumption rate and a consumption bill is produced. Below is an example of a standard consumption equipment setup.

If a deposit type is specified, the deposit request will be automatically created on the account when the equipment is assigned to it.

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Metered equipment is similar to consumption equipment but differs in that it is normally permanently hooked up to the supply and uses a meter to monitor how much supply is used. An example of this is the water meter the utility uses to monitor how much water is consumed over a period. To calculate the water consumed they simply compare the current reading on the meter to the previous reading on the meter. The DTH system maintains a history of all meter readings so it is only necessary to enter the current reading. The system will compare it to the previous reading and calculate the net consumption. This creates a consumption reading in the system which is then billed. The setup below shows a typical residential water meter.

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Equipment Service Setup

When scheduling equipment service it is necessary to tell the technician what the problem is. The example below would be a common equipment service specified if the customer called and reported a pool of fluid below their fuel tank.

To access Equipment Service Setup click Setup>>Equipment Service.

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Error Message Setup

All errors message in the DTH system are completely customizable. The Error Message Setup screen allows you to change the error messages to your preference.

To access the Error Message Setup click Setup>>Error Messages. To change a message, highlight it, change the message value and click Save.

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Label Setup

Some of the screen labels in the system are customizable for flexibility or to accommodate for regional differences in spelling.

To access Label Setup click Setup>>Labels. To change a label value, enter the new value and click Save.

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OrganizationOrganization setup is used to group and track employee information. This information is used for reporting purposes and asset management.

Division Setup

To access Division Setup click Setup>>Organization>>Division Setup.

To create a division; enter a DivisionID, a description and click Save.

To view an existing division; enter the DivisionID and tab off or use the lookup button.

To delete a division; enter/select the DivisionID and click Delete. You will be prompted for confirmation. Note; you cannot delete a division that has employees assigned to it.

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Department Setup

To access Department Setup click Setup>>Organization>>Department Setup.

To create a department; enter a DepartmentID, select a Division, enter a description and click Save.

To view an existing department; enter the DepartmentID and tab off or use the lookup button.

To delete a department; enter/select the DepartmentID and click Delete. You will be prompted for confirmation. Note; you cannot delete a department that has employees assigned to it.

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Penalty Setup

Penalty Setup allows you to specify the conditions and amount you will penalize an account for overdue charges. Each customer can be assigned its own penalty type.

To access Penalty Setup click Setup>>Penalty Types. The setup below specifies that a 10% penalty will be charged on the outstanding balance of all overdue charges. The Source Amount field allows you to determine whether the penalty is calculated against the original charge amount, the original amount less tax or the outstanding amount. The Min Source Amount allows you to specify that at least X.XX must remain on an overdue charge for it to be penalized. The Min Penalty Amount allows you to specify the minimum amount that the calculated penalty must be. If the calculated penalty is below the specified amount then no penalty is applied. The checkboxes on the right side of the screen allow you to select what types are charges are included in the calculation and whether or not it will penalize an outstanding charge more than once.

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Permitted City Names

Restricting city names is important to ensure accurate delivery of any items mailed out to the customer. This is particularly important to maintain Address Accuracy for postal discount.

To access Permitted City Names click Setup>>Permitted City Names.

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Permitted Prov/States

Restricting province or state names is important to ensure accurate delivery of any items mailed out to the customer. This is particularly important to maintain Address Accuracy for postal discount.

To access Permitted Prov/States Names click Setup>>Permitted Prov/States.

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Remit Addresses

A Remit Address controls what remit address is printed on any items sent out to the customer. This is useful for companies who have multiple offices or use lockboxes. If you have but one remit address then we suggest using a RemitID of DEFAULT.

To access Remit Address Setup click Setup>>Remit Addresses.

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Route Setup

Routes are a way of grouping installed equipment for reporting and consumption/meter reading purposes.

To access Route Setup, click Setup>>Routes

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Service Type Setup

To access Service Type Setup, click Setup>>Service Types.

Service types are simply a means of identifying various billing components for identification and reporting purposes. Service types can be associated to flat charges and consumption/meter billing components.

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Tax Detail Setup

To access Tax Detail Setup click Setup>>Taxes>>Tax Details.

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Tax Schedule Setup

To access Tax Schedule Setup click Setup>>Taxes>>Tax Schedule Setup.

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User Setup

To create a user in the system you enter the new UserID and the password twice. To control what areas of the system a user can go into you will need to go into User Security. Note that only users with administrative rights on the server can create other users.

To access User Setup click Setup>>Users.

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User Security

The User Security screen is used to control what areas of the application users are allowed into. Simply select the user and enable whatever items the user requires access to. We recommend limiting the ‘Setup’ menu to only those users to require access to it on a regular basis.

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System Settings

To access System Setting click Setup>>System Settings.

GeneralThe General tab contains settings controls the settings for the database system as opposed to the application itself.

The Database Engine Type can be either MSDE or SQL. The MSDE is used for the Standard Edition, SQL is used for the Enterprise Edition.

The Default Backup Folder controls which folder on the server that the backups will be put into.

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Statements

The Statements tab controls settings particular to statements.

Statement Due X days after calculation controls when statements are due in relation to when they are calculated. This controls only the default value and can be changed during statement calculation.

The Must Use Auto-Generated BatchIDs determines whether or not users can enter their own BatchIDs or whether or not they are system-generated.

Enter a global message to be printed on your statements. The statement template must be configured to pick up this message.

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Payments

The Payments tab controls setting particular to payments.

The Apply Order controls the order in which payments are applied to outstanding charges. The default is to apply to the oldest due date first. Alternatively you can apply it do deposits first, penalties first or charges gone to Collections first.

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Penalties

The Penalties tab controls settings particular to penalties.

Default days due after calculation controls when penalties are due in relation to when they are calculated. This controls only the default value and can be changed during penalty calculation.

The Must Use Auto-Generated BatchIDs determines whether or not users can enter their own BatchIDs or whether or not they are system-generated.

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Collections

The Collections tab controls settings particular to collections processing.

The Collections Forgiven On controls what payment amount needs to be received before the account in removed from the collections process. The options available include payment of overdue balance, payment of full account balance and payment of all documents that are currently in the Collections module.

Grace Period Before Entering Collections determines how days an account can have overdue charges before the Collections module assigns it to the first sequence in the collections process.

The Must Use Auto-Generated BatchIDs determines whether or not users can enter their own BatchIDs or whether they are system-generated.

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Addresses

The Addresses tab controls settings particular to addresses.

The Permitted Postal/Zip code formats controls what zip code formats are permitted in the system. Any attempt to key-in or import any format not permitted will result in an error.

Customers restricted to Permitted City Names dictates whether or not users can key-in or import city names that are not on the Permitted City Names list.

Customers restricted to Permitted Prov/State Names dictates whether or not users can key-in or import province or state names that are not on the Permitted Prov/State Names list.

Default Customer Province/State controls whether or not a default province or state value is used when an address in keyed-in or imported.

Default Customer Country controls whether or not a country value is used when an address in keyed-in or imported.

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Invoices

Invoicing Updates Inventory controls whether or not the invoicing process updates the inventory when an invoice is posted.

Invoices due X days after creation controls when invoices are due in relation to when they are created. This controls only the default value and can be changed during invoicing.

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Consumption

The Rollup Method determines whether or not each consumption/meter reading receives its own bill during billing or if the consumption is rolled up into a single bill.

The Must Use Auto-Generated BatchIDs determines whether or not users can enter their own BatchIDs or whether they are system-generated.

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Call Records

The Billing Charge Type determines which charge type setup is used when call records are tallied and charged during Statement Processing.

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Zone Setup

Zones are a simple way of grouping customers for reporting or identification purposes. To create a zone, enter a ZoneID, Zone Description and click Save.

To access Zone Setup, click Setup>>Zones.

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