Creating Custom Plan Groups for Accounts
You can create custom Plan Groups for an Account:
Custom Plan Groups can only be attached to that specific Account.
When you create custom Plan Groups, they are attached automatically to the Account to create an Account Plan Group based on the start and end dates you have entered.
You can then edit the details of the Account Plan Group you've created for the Account, such as first bill date or adding the Account Plan Group to a Contract that's linked to the Account.
When you create the custom Plan Group, you can add Plans to the Plan Group and review and edit the pricing of these Plans straightaway, which saves you having to open the Pricing Editor to do this.
Creating Custom Plan Groups for Accounts! We strongly recommend you review the Attaching Plan Groups to an Account and Working with Plan Groups topics before you proceed to create custom Plan Groups for an Account.
Creating a custom Plan Group for an Account, attaching it to the Account to create an Account Plan Group, adding Plans to the Group and pricing them, and finalizing the Account Plan Group details involves four stages:
Stage 1: Creating Custom Plan Group
Stage 2: Attaching Custom Plan Group to Create Account Plan Group
Stage 3: Adding Plans to Group and Reviewing and Pricing Plans
Stage 4: Editing Account Plan Group Details
You can delete an Account Plan Group from an Account on the Attached Plans tab:
Creating Custom Plan Group
To create a custom Plan Group for an Account:
1. Select Accounts. The Accounts page opens.
2. Select the Name text of the Account for which you want to create a custom Plan Group. The page for the Account opens with the Overview tab selected.
3. On the Account actions menu, select Plans>Create Custom Plan Group:
Alternatively:
Select the Attached Plans tab.
On the Active and pending attached plans panel, select the actions Menu button.
On the menu, select Create Custom Plan Group.
The Create page opens.
4. Enter the required Plan Group Details:
Name. Descriptive name for the Account Plan Group. When you create a custom Account Plan Group, a default name is loaded for which prefixes the Account name. You can edit this name text as required.
Code. Unique identifier for Account Plan Group. When you create a custom Account Plan Group, a default code string is loaded. You can edit this string as required.
Currency. Select the currency for the Plan Group:
Warning: You must create at least one Currency for your Organization before you can create a Custom Plan Group! If you haven't, the Currency drop-down list will not be available and you'll see a warning:
Select the create a new currency hotlink text provided. This takes you directly to the Create page to create the Currency you want to use for the Plan Group. See Creating and Managing Currencies.
When you create the new Currency, you are taken directly back to the Custom Plan Group Create page and the Currency is selected.
5. Enter Standing Charge settings for the custom Plan Group, which are optional:
Standing charge. Optional field to set standing charge to be applied for Plan Group.
Standing charge billing. If you want to override the Organization setting for billing either in arrears or in advance for standing charges, uncheck Use organization-wide configuration and select the setting you want for the Plan Group.
Standing charge accounting product. If your accounting operations require it, you can use this to link the standing charge on the account to a particular Product. (Optional)
Standing charge description. You can enter a description for any Standing charge amounts, which will appear in the bill line item (Optional):
6. Enter Minimum Spend settings for the custom Plan Group, which are optional:
Minimum spend. Optional field to define minimum spend across all Plans included in the Plan Group.
Minimum spend billing. If you want to override the Organization setting for billing either in arrears or in advance for minimum spend amount, uncheck the Use organization-wide configuration and select the setting you want for the Plan Group.
Minimum spend accounting product. If your accounting operations require it, you can use this to link the minimum spend on the account to a particular Product. (Optional)
Minimum spend description. You can enter a description for any Minimum spend amounts, which will appear in the bill line item (Optional):
Tip: Billing in arrears or in advance? If you want to override your Organization setting for Standing charge billing or Minimum spend billing either in arrears or in advance, deselect the Use organization-wide config check box and select the setting you want for the Plan. See Viewing and Editing Organization Configuration.
7. Select Next to complete Stage 1: Create Plan Group. The page adjusts to show Create Plan Group checked.
Attaching Custom Plan Group to Create Account Plan Group
To attach custom Plan Group and create Account Plan Group:
1. Enter Start date and End date to define the period you want the Account Plan Group to be active for the Account for charging for Product usage:
If you omit an End date, the Account Plan Group will be applied to the Account perpetually or until such time as you delete the Account Plan Group.
End dates are exclusive. For example, if you set the End date of June 1st 2022, then the Account Plan Group ceases to be active for the Account at midnight on May 31st 2022, and any billing is calculated up to that point in time, NOT up to midnight on June 1st. If you want to include end customer Account usage occurring on June 1st for billing, you must set the End date to June 2nd:
2. If you want to set the date the first Bill is due for the selected Account using the Plan Group, you can use the First bill date option. Allows you to set the date of first billing against the end customer Account using the Plan Group. Subsequent billing will be determined from this first date. For example, if the Plan Group is configured for monthly billing frequency and you set First bill date as February 14th 2022, then m3ter will create a first bill for the Account on that date and every month from that date. If left blank, then start of billing defaults to the first bill date configured for the Account. (Optional)
3. If you want to add the Account Plan Group to a Contract you've created for the Account, use the Contract drop down to select it. For more details on Contracts, see Creating Contracts for Accounts. (Optional)
4. If the Account is either a Parent or a Child Account, you can select for Account hierarchy billing mode, which determines how billing will be handled and shown on bills for charges due for the Parent Account and charges due for Child Accounts:
Bill parent account - bill line item per account. Default setting.
Bill parent account - single bill line item for all accounts.
Bill child account.
Note: The billing mode options are only operative if the Account is a Parent or Child Account. For a full explanation of what each means when attaching Plans to create Account Plans for Parent or Child Accounts, see Billing Hierarchy Modes for Parent/Child Accounts.
5. Select Create Plan Group to complete Stage 2: Attach Plan Group:
The custom Plan Group is created for the Account - it's created as an Account specific Plan Group, which means you can only attach it to this Account.
The custom Plan Group is attached to the Account and an Account Plan Group is created.
You are taken directly to the Plan Group Attachment Details page of the newly created and attached Plan, where a Plan Group Attachment Details and Plan Group Details panel are shown:
Note:
The Select a plan drop-down is disabled for the new custom Plan Group.
A blue help text informs you that the Plan Group doesn't currently contain any Plans.
Adding Plans to Group and Reviewing and Pricing Plans
When you have attached a custom Plan Group to an Account, there are two ways you can add Plans to the custom Plan Group:
Go to Pricing>Plan Groups and open the custom Plan Group you want to add a Plan to. On the Included Plans panel, select Add Plans. For more details, see the Adding Plans to Plan Groups section in the Working with Plan Groups topic.
When you've attached a custom Plan Group to an Account, open the Plan Group Attachment Details page from the Account>Attached Plans tab and add Plans to the custom Plan Group directly from there.
This section explains how to add Plans to a custom Plan Group from the Plan Group Attachment Details page.
To add Plans to Plan Group and review and price Plans:
1. On the Account Details page, select the Attach Plans tab.
2. On the Active and pending attached plans panel, select the NAME hotlink text of the attached Plan Group you want to add Plans to. The Plan Group Attachment Details page opens.
3. On the Plan Group Attachment Details page, select Add Plan at bottom-right. A Select Plans dialog appears and lists all the Plans created for Products in your Organization and any custom Plans created for the Account you've created the custom Plan Group for.
4. Select the Plans you want to add to the custom Plan Group and select Confirm. The Select Plans dialog closes and:
The Plans are added to the Select a plan drop-down list, which is now enabled.
The blue help text informing the Plan Group doesn't currently contain any Plans is no longer shown.
Warning: Only one Plan per Product! If you try to add more than one Plan for the same Product to the Plan Group, you'll receive an error message.
5. To review a Plan and its pricing that you've added to the Plan Group, select it from the Select a plan drop-down list. A Plan Details and Associated Pricing panel are added to the Plan Group Attachment Details page:
When you add a Plan to a custom Plan Group:
If you've already priced the Plan, the pricing is shown and you can review or edit the pricing.
If you've haven't already priced the Plan, you can Add aggregations and price the Plan straightaway. This saves you having to go to the Pricing Editor to price the Plan. See Pricing Plans and Plan Templates.
Note that in this example the selected Plan has inherited the pricing configured for the Plan Template on which it is based. For this kind of case, you can Override Template Pricing.
6. When you have added the required Plans to the Plan Group and priced them, select the Attached Plans tab to complete Stage 3: Adding Plans to Group and Reviewing and Pricing Plans. The Active and pending attached plans panel shows the new Custom Plan Group:
Tip: Removing Plans from Plan Group? To remove Plans from a Plan Group from the Plan Group Attachment Details page, select Edit linked Plans. The Plan Group Details page opens and the Included Plans panel lists the Plans added to the Plan Group. From there you can remove Plans from the Plan Group - see Removing Plans from Plan Group.
Editing Account Plan Group Details
To edit Account Plan Group details:
1. On the Active and pending attached plans panel, select the Edit icon for the new Custom Plan Group:
The Edit page opens:
You can now edit the Account Plan Group and define settings.
2. Edit Start date and End date, as required.
3. If you want to set the date the first Bill is due for the selected Account using the Plan Group, you can use the First bill date option. Allows you to set the date of first billing against the end customer Account using the Plan Group. Subsequent billing will be determined from this first date. For example, if the Plan Group is configured for monthly billing frequency and you set First bill date as February 14th 2022, then m3ter will create a first bill for the Account on that date and every month from that date. If left blank, then start of billing defaults to the first bill date configured for the Account. (Optional)
4. If you want to add the Account Plan Group to a Contract you've created for the Account, use the Contract drop down to select it. For more details on Contracts, see Creating Contracts for Accounts. (Optional)
5. If the Account is either a Parent or a Child Account, you can select for Account hierarchy billing mode, which determines how billing will be handled and shown on bills for charges due for the Parent Account and charges due for Child Accounts:
Bill parent account - bill line item per account. Default setting.
Bill parent account - single bill line item for all accounts.
Bill child account.
Note: The billing mode options are only operative if the Account is a Parent or Child Account. For a full explanation of what each means when attaching Plans to create Account Plans for Parent or Child Accounts, see Billing Hierarchy Modes for Parent/Child Accounts.
6. Select Update to complete Stage 4: Edit Account Plan Group Details. You now have a fully configured Account Plan Group on the Account and Bills will be calculated for the Account in accordance with the priced Plans that belong to the Plan Group.
Deleting an Account Plan Group
If you want to delete an Account Plan Group from an Account, you can do this from the Attached Plans tab.
1. On the Active and pending attached plans panel, select Delete:
A confirmation popup appears.
2. Select Yes to confirm the Account Plan Group deletion.
Important: Deleting or Editing the Custom Plan Group! Deleting or editing the Account Plan Group that is created automatically when you create a custom Plan Group for an Account does not mean the custom Plan Group is deleted or edited. If you want to delete or edit a custom Plan Group you've created for an Account, you must go to Pricing>Plan Groups, and then delete or edit the Plan Group there. Similarly, if you have added several Plans to the custom Plan Group, you must go to Pricing>Plan Groups, select the custom Plan Group, and delete the linked Plans under Included Plans.
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