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e-automate Advanced Bill Codes

There are two different types of bill codes that you can create in e-automate, Standard bill codes and Advanced bill codes. Using Advanced bill codes allows for additional functionality in determining the coverage for labor, travel, parts, and supplies and what rates to bill for various activities types.

Advanced bill codes are made up of other codes, you'll need to have these codes created in e-automate before creating the advanced bill code:

  • Billing Account Code: Identifies general ledger accounts and departments to post charges to for labor, travel, miscellaneous charges and items. Required to create both Standard and Advanced bill codes. Details here.
  • Billing Labor Code: Set labor rates for both regular and overtime hours. Required to create the advanced bill code. Details here.
  • Billing Travel Code: Identify travel rates for travel on service calls. Optional to add to the advanced bill code. Details here.
  • Billing Parts Coverage Code: Set the parts service codes that are covered by the bill code and those that are allowed. You can also identify item exceptions. Optional to add to the advanced bill code. Details here.
  • Billing Supply Coverage Code: Set the supply service codes that are covered by the bill code and those that are allowed. You can also identify item exceptions. Optional to add to the advanced bill code. Details here.

Once you have created each of these codes, you'll create a new bill code and add each separate code. Service contracts that have your new bill code will bill on service calls and supply orders at the rates and coverages you have set.

Billing Account Code

Billing Account Code

To create the new billing account code, go to Tools > Lists and codes and choose Billing account codes from the drop-downBilling_Account_Code_1.jpg.

You will need to enter an account code and a description for the billing account code. On the labor tab, you'll identify the GL account and department for labor revenue, labor cost and the payroll expense offset.

You can add activity codes in the bottom section if there are certain activity codes that should point to different accounts and departments.

activity_code_labor_override.jpg

On the Travel tab, you'll set the GL account and department for the travel revenue, cost and payroll expense offset and also these accounts for the Mileage:

Billing_Account_Code_2.jpg

On the Miscellaneous tab, you'll set the GL account and department for Miscellaneous charge revenue:

Billing_Account_Code_3.jpg

On the Included materials tab, you specify the account and department for the cost of materials used. You can also set exceptions to the account and department by Service code:

Billing_Account_Code_4.jpg

Billing Labor Code

Billing Labor Code

To create the billing labor code, go to Tools > Lists and codes and chose Billing labor codes from the drop-down

billing_labor_code.jpg

There are three main sections to the billing labor code:

1. Setting the hourly rates

Regular hourly rate: Labor rate that will be used for labor during company hours.

Overtime hourly rate: Labor rate used for labor billing outside of company hours. 

Your company hours are set using the Service Hour code COMPANY:

Company_Hours_setting.jpg

Minimum period to bill: Select the minimum time to bill to the customer. If the technician spends less than the defined minimum, e-automate will still bill this minimum to the customer. For example, if you set this to 1 hour and the labor entry for the technician is for 10 minutes, the customer will be charged for one hour of work. Exact costs are posted to the general ledger for the labor entry.

By checking the box for Combine regular and overtime hours for minimum billing, e-automate will consider both the regular hours and overtime hours when determining the minimum.

 

2. Setting the Incremental billing options

Bill actual amounts after the minimum period: If you choose this option, once the minimum period has been met, e-automate will bill the actual time. For example, the minimum period is set to 1 hour, and this option is checked, and the technician records 1 hour and 10 minutes of work. The customer will be billed for 1 hour and 10 minutes at the hourly rate. This would apply for both regular and overtime hours.

Bill combined regular and overtime hours in increments: If you choose this option, once the minimum period has been met, both regular and overtime hours will bill in the same increments. For example, the minimum period is set to 1 hour, and this option is checked to bill in increments of 15 minutes. If the technician records 1 hour and 10 minutes of work, the customer will be billed for 1 hour and 15 minutes at the hourly rate. This would apply for both regular and overtime hours.

Bill regular and overtime hours in separate increments: Use this option if you would like to bill the regular hours and overtime hours in separate increments. For example, the minimum period is one hour and this option is set to bill regular hours in 15-minute increments and overtime is set to bill at 30-minute increments. If the technician records 1 hour and 10 minutes of regular hours, the customer will be billed for 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the technician records 1 hour and 10 minutes of overtime hours, the customer would be billed for 1 hour and 30 minutes at the overtime rate.

 

3. Entering any Activity code rate overrides

If there are specific types of activity that will bill at different rates than the regular and overtime hourly rates, you would add those exceptions in this section.

For example, technician labor that is categorized as "Desktop" has a lower rate than the normal rates on the bill code. You would add that override to the billing labor code and then when that work is done on a service ticket, the lower rate would be applied.

Standard labor would be billed at the regular rates for this example bill code:

activity_labor_example_2.jpg

When the activity code on the labor entry is changed to desktop, the labor rates change as well:

activity_labor_example_1.jpg

 

 

Billing Travel Code

Billing Travel Code

To create the billing travel code, go to Tools > Lists and codes and select Billing travel codes from the drop-down list.

billing_travel_code.jpg

On the billing travel code, you'll set the travel rates:

Base rate: Base amount that will be charged for all calls

Hourly rate: Hourly rate to be applied to the travel time on the call

Mileage rate: Rate to be applied to the mileage on the call.

In the incremental billing section you can set the bill code to bill the actual travel hours or in set increments.

The travel and mileage on the labor record will have these rates applied:

travel_example.jpg

The $80.00 billing for travel is:

$20 base rate

0.25 travel hours times the rate of $10.00 = $2.50

23 miles times the rate of $2.50 = $57.50

Billing Parts Coverage Code

Billing Parts Coverage Code

To create the billing parts coverage code, go to Tools > Lists and Codes and select Billing parts coverage code from the drop-down. The code will display the service codes that have a category of P:

billing_parts_code.jpg

In the Service codes section, you'll set which service codes are covered by the bill code and which are allowed. Covered service codes will not bill for parts that have that service code. You can also use the billing parts coverage to not only identify what part items are covered but you can also configure the billing parts coverage code to disallow or hide the display of certain service codes when appropriate filters are used on sales transactions, service calls, and in e-info.

If there are item exceptions to what is allowed and covered, you would set those by item in the item exceptions list. For example, if the service code Service Fax was covered by this bill code, but item 1234 is not covered and has the service code Service Fax, you would list that item in the exceptions list as not covered.

Billing Supply Coverage Code

BIlling Supply Coverage Code

To create the billing supply coverage code, go to Tools > Lists and Codes and chose billing supply coverage codes from the drop-down. The code will display the service codes that have a category of S.

billing_supply_code.jpg

In the Service codes section, you'll set which service codes are covered by the bill code and which are allowed. Covered service codes will not bill for supplies that have that service code. You can also use the billing supplies coverage to not only identify what supply items are covered but you can also configure the billing supply coverage code to disallow or hide the display of certain service codes when appropriate filters are used on sales transactions, service calls, and in e-info.

If there are item exceptions to what is allowed and covered, you would set those by item in the item exceptions list. For example, if the service code Supplies Fax was covered by this bill code, but item 1234 is not covered and has the service code Supplies Fax, you would list that item in the exceptions list as not covered.

Bill code

Bill Code

Once you have all the codes set to make up your bill code, you'll create the bill code. Go to Tools > Lists and Codes and select Bill codes from the drop-down and click on New to create a new bill code.

bill_code_1.jpg

Change the type to Advanced and then enter a Bill code name and description. You'll then enter the Billing account code, billing labor code and billing travel code for the bill code. These three codes are all required for advanced bill codes. If you have a parts coverage code or supplies coverage code, you can add those as well.

You'll see the details of each part of the bill code in the bottom section:

Labor tab:

bill_code_labor.jpg

Travel tab:

bill_code_travel.jpg

Parts tab:

bill_code_parts.jpg

Supplies tab:

bill_code_supplies.jpg

 

 

 

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