User Story

Example of use

According to the commitment terms  signed with CSP, Customer is committed to pay monthly fee for service usage. If Customer doesn't pay invoice in time SP firstly limits service, then suspends and then starts commitment termination procedure. Every month for overdue invoice till commitment termination Customer pays late payment fee - 1.45 EUR. In case Customer pays debt after service suspension before commitment termination - he pays service reactivation fee. This fee is applied to the Customer as soon as an overdue invoice is paid in full and service is restored. It's included further in to the invoice for the current billing period. Late payment fee is applied automatically to the Customer.

Also Customer can have several services provided by separate Commitments at single address. In such a case there will be 1 invoice issued  for all services at that address. And like in case with single Commitment - late payment fee stays the same 1.45 EUR as it's applied per invoice not per Commitment. If Customer pays debt after services suspension before Commitment termination - he pays single service reactivation fee 10 EUR only, not reactivation fee/EUR * X_commitments. 

As there is a single invoice  in case of non-payment all services will be suspended and all will be reactivated after payment. It's not enough to make some payment and reactivate just part of services: 1 invoice = 1 action for all services. Services are not reactivated one by one.

Technology

The following terms are used in business processes of SP:

Barring - services restriction due to debt. Recurring charges are applied. Additionally for every month customer pays 1.45 EUR while he is in status “debtor”.

Temporary suspension due to debt (TSDD) - services are fully disconnected due to debt. Recurring charges are not applied any more. In case customer pays debt - additional 10 EUR services activation fee is applied.

Current Solution

Currently there is no possibility of applying late payment fee to Customers with overdue invoices. Also according the SP debt management requirements there is only one action present in PB: service suspension to deactivate services.

Stakeholders and their benefits

Who are the users / whom we bring value to?

Use Cases

Use case #1 : Penalty for late payment

Roles: Administrator, PortaBilling

Preconditions: Customer Jonas Jonaitis is created in PB. He uses I-net (100Mbps bandwidth) and Voice calls services. He is charged 15 EUR monthly for I-net.

Use scenario #1.1 Settings to define 'Commitment' terms

• Admin defines the terms 'from 15.09.2019 to 15.09.2021' for Commitment of Jonas Jonaitis Customer in PB.

• Admin defines period -'1 billing period' after invoice is generated it becomes overdue.

• Admin defines period -'1 billing period' after invoice is generated services become limited.

• Admin defines period - '2 billing periods' after invoice is generated and not paid services are stopped.

• Admin defines period - '3 billing periods' after invoice is generated and not paid commitment is terminated.

• Admin defines that for each month Customer pays 1.45 EUR while he is in status “debtor”.

• Admin defines amount to be paid for 'service activation' after temporary service suspension due to debt - 10 EUR.

• Admin defines that no service barring and service disconnection actions are performed during Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.

• Admin defines that invoice becomes overdue and service barring is applied to Customer whose debt is higher than 5 EUR.

Use scenario #1.2 Invoice is not paid in full but the debt is < 5EUR

• continued after scenario #1.1.

• On 15.09.2019 Jonas Jonaitis starts using service.

• On 01.10.2019 invoice#1 is generated for Jonas Jonaitis with amount due  8 EUR (15/30*16).

• On 05.10.2019 Jonas Jonaitis makes payment 5 EUR but it doesn't cover the amount due in full. His balance is 3 EUR. 
• On 01.11.2019 invoice#1 becomes overdue because it was generated with amount higher than the threshold.  
• On 01.11.2019 invoice#2 is generated with charges for October - 15 EUR. Total amount to pay 18 EUR (15 EUR+3 EUR).

Use scenario #1.3 Commitment is not terminated, service is limited

• continued after scenario #1.1

• On 15.09.2019 Jonas Jonaitis starts using service.

• On 01.10.2019 invoice#1 is generated for Jonas Jonaitis with amount due  8 EUR (15/30*16).

• Jonas Jonaitis doesn't pay till 01.11.2019. On 01.11.2019 invoice#2 is generated.

• Invoice#2 includes:

• On 01.11.2019 invoice#1 becomes overdue. Speed is reduced to 512Kbps. Toll calls are blocked, only emergency calling service is available.

• Jonas continues using service.

Use scenario #1.4 Service disconnection and commitment termination

• continued after scenario #1.3

• On 01.12.2019 invoice#3 is generated. It includes:

• On 01.12. 2019 - 2 billing periods passed since overdue invoice#1 generation. I-net and voice calls services should be stopped.

• 01.12.2019 is Sunday - services are not stopped.

• Jonas Jonaitis continues using I-net with 512Kbps bandwidth and being able to make calls to emergency numbers. He is charged for this day of usage.

• On 02.12.2019 I-net and voice calls services are stopped for Jonas Jonaitis. Charges are not applied anymore to the balance of Jonas Jonaitis.

• On 01.01.2020 invoice#4 is generated. It includes:

• On 01.01.2020 it's 3 billing periods passed - Commitment should be terminated.

• 01.01.2020 is national holiday. It doesn’t influence commitment termination.

• On 01.01.2020 Commitment for Jonas Jonaitis Customer is terminated.

Use scenario #1.5 Commitment is not terminated, service activation fee is applied

• continued after "On 02.12.2019 I-net and voice calls services are stopped for Jonas Jonaitis. Charges are not applied anymore. " of scenario #1.4

• On 28.12.2019 Jonas pays the overdue debt - 23 EUR.

• On 28.12.2019 service for Jonas Jonaitis is activated. Monthly charging is activated. Customer John Smith gets 'Open' status in PB, because invoice#1 and invoice#2 are fully covered and invoice #3 hasn't become overdue yet. 

• On 28.12.2019 Service activation fee is applied to Jonas Jonaitis balance - 10 EUR.

• On 01.01.2020 invoice is generated for Jonas Jonaitis and it includes:

Use scenario #1.6 Customer's payment covers the debt partially

• continued after "On 02.12.2019 I-net and voice calls services are stopped for Jonas Jonaitis. Charges are not applied anymore. " in scenario #1.4.

• On 28.12.2019 Jonas makes a payment - 20 EUR. It covers the overdue debt 23 EUR partially.

• Jonas’s balance becomes 19.45 EUR (39.45 EUR - 20 EUR).

• Charging and services are activated for Jonas Jonaitis but in limited mode: only emergency calls and restricted I-net bandwidth. Customer status changes to 'Limited' in PB.
• Service activation fee 10 EUR is applied to the balance of Jonas Jonaitis it becomes 29.45 EUR.
• Jonas Jonaitis continues using I-net service and doesn't pay.
• By 01.01.2020 Jonas Jonaitis fails to pay the debt.
• On 01.01.2020 invoice #4 for December is generated with amount to pay 32.84 EUR:

• On 01.01.2020 invoice#3 for November remains unpaid. It's 2 billing periods passed after its generation. Service should be suspended in PB for Jonas Jonaitis.
  

• 01.01.2020 is national holiday. Services of Jonas Jonaitis are not suspended.

• On 02.01.2020 I-net service and voice calls services are suspended for Jonas Jonaitis. Charging for services is stopped.
• By 01.02.2020 Jonas Jonaitis fails to pay the debt.

• On 01.02.2020 Invoice#5 for January is generated, it includes only subscription fee for 1 day in January, previous balance from invoice#4 and late payment fee for November invoice#3: 34.77 EUR (0.48 EUR + 32.84 EUR + 1.45 EUR).
  

• On 01.02.2020 Commitment of Jonas Jonaitis is terminated in PB due to the debt.
  

Use scenario #1.7 Customer's payment covers the debt partially after service is stopped but debt is lower than 5 EUR

• continued after  "On 02.12.2019 I-net and voice calls services are stopped for Jonas Jonaitis. Charges are not applied anymore." of scenario #1.4

• On 28.12.2019 Jonas makes a payment - 39 EUR.

• Jonas’s balance becomes 0.45 EUR (39.45 EUR - 39 EUR). Service reactivation fee 10 EUR is applied.

• Services are activated because invoice#1 that caused service suspension was fully covered. Customer becomes open, not limited, because the invoice#2 was fully covered as well. 

• On 01.01.2020 invoice is generated and it includes:

Use scenario #1.8 Commitment is terminated and Customer decides to continue using service

• continued after scenario#1.6 "On 01.02.2020 invoice is generated and it includes - 34.77 EUR charge."

• Jonas Jonaitis doesn't pay an invoice.

• On 10.03.2020 Jonas Jonaitis comes to SP and informs him that he wants to continue using services.

• Jonas Jonaitis is informed that he must pay 34.77 EUR debt and sign a new commitment.

• On 11.03.2020 Jonas Jonaitis pays debt 34.77 EUR and informs SP about this.

• On 12.03.2020 Jonas Jonaitis comes to SP and signs commitment for period: 12.03.2020 - 12.03.2022. Monthly fee - 16 EUR.

Use scenario #1.9 Administrator manually postpones service barring for particular Customer

• Administrator access PortaBilling admin web-interface.

• On 25.01.2019 Admin sees that on 01.02.2019 service for Jonas Jonaitis Customer will be barred.

• Admin stops service barring for Jonas Jonaitis Customer and set the date that service barring will be performed on 05.02.2019.

• On 01.02.2019 service for Jonas Jonaitis Customer is not barred.

• On 05.02.2019 service is barred for Jonas Jonaitis Customer. 

Use case#2: Penalty for late payment if there are several commitments assigned to a single address of the Customer

Roles: Administrator, System, call center operator.

Preconditions: Jonas Jonaitis signed Commitment for  Analogue TV service for period '15.01.2019 - 15.01.2021'.  TV service monthly fee - 6.50 EUR.

Jonas Jonaitis signed Commitment for VoIP service at the same address that TV is provided but for different period: '01.02.2020 - 01.02.2022'. VoIP package monthly fee - 4 EUR.

Settings for invoicing and debt management are described in use scenario#1.1. Invoice is single and includes charges for services of both Commitments.

Use scenario#2.1 Customer becomes a debtor and there are 2 commitments assigned to his address

• Starting from 01.02.2020 Jonas Jonaitis can use 2 services at his address that are provided by separate commitments. 
• On 01.03.2020 invoice#1 for February is generated, it includes:

• Jonas Jonaitis doesn't pay invoice.
• On 01.04.2020 invoice for February becomes overdue. 
• On 01.04.2020 VoIP service is barred and only calls to emergency numbers are allowed, analogue TV is not barred (as it can't be done automatically).
• On 01.04.2020 invoice#2 for March is generated, it includes:

• Jonas Jonaitis doesn't pay invoice.
• On 01.05.2020 March invoice becomes overdue.
• On 01.05.2020 VoIP service is suspended totally due to non-payment of February invoice. Nothing happens to Analogue TV service, because there is no way to automatically provision it. Charges for both services are not applied any more to balance of Jonas Jonaitis.
• On 01.05.2020 April invoice#3 is generated and it includes:

• Jonas Jonaitis doesn't pay invoice.
• On 01.06.2020 invoice#4 for May is generated and it includes 32.95 EUR debt + 1.45 EUR late payment fee.
• On 01.06.2020 it's 3 billing periods passed after overdue invoice#1. Both commitments are terminated.

Use scenario#2.2 Customer pays debt when services are suspended but Commitments are not terminated

• continued after "On 01.05.2020 March invoice becomes overdue" of scenario # 2.1
• On 01.05.2020  VoIP service is  suspended totally due to non-payment.  Nothing happens to analogue TV service as there is no way to provision it automatically. Charges for both services are not applied any more to balance of Jonas Jonaitis.
• On 20.05.2020 Jonas Jonaitis pays overdue debt 21 EUR. His balance becomes 11.95 EUR.
• VoIP service is activated. Customer John Smith gets 'Open' status in PB, because invoice#1 and invoice#2 are fully covered and invoice #3 hasn't become overdue yet. 
• On 20.05.2020 VoIP service activation fee 10 EUR is applied to Jonas Jonaitis's balance. His balance becomes 21.95 EUR.
• On 01.06.2020 invoice# is generated and it includes:

Use scenario#2.3 Customer pays debt partially when several services are suspended but Commitments are not terminated

• continued after "On 01.05.2020 March invoice becomes overdue" of scenario # 2.1
• On 01.05.2020  VoIP service is  suspended totally due to non-payment.  Nothing happens to analogue TV service as there is no way to provision it automatically. Charges for both services are not applied any more to balance of Jonas Jonaitis.
• On 20.05.2020 Jonas Jonaitis pays 10 EUR. His balance becomes 22.95 EUR.
• VoIP service is not activated, because invoice#1, due to which suspension was caused, is not fully covered by payment. 
• On 20.05.2020 Jonas Jonaitis makes 2nd payment 20 EUR. His balance becomes 2.95. 
• Voip service is activated because invoice#1 was covered in full and invoice#2 was covered in full by 2nd payment. 
• On 20.05.2020 VoIP service activation fee 10 EUR is applied to Jonas Jonaitis's balance. His balance becomes 12.95 EUR.

Other requirements / constraints

1. Batch of customers for which should be performed service barring or disconnection shouldn't exceed 1000 per day. If amount of such customers is bigger (for ex. 1558 after September 1st invoice generation) – than it’s 1000 processed on 02-09-2019 and rest part – 558 processed on 03-09-2019. (As 01-09-2019 was Sunday)

2. It should be possible to change the threshold of debt value after which service is barred

3. If commitment with special offer - all penalties should be taken into consideration as described in https://wiki.portaone.com/x/swy_Bg 'General commitment terms and non-fulfillment of commitment conditions'

Peculiarities