Version 24.1
Overriding E911 Class of Service and E911 Type of Service on an Order - When designating a Service Address as E911, the E911 Class of Service and E911 Service Type default to values set on the service type in IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog. You can override the default values if necessary. This is supported in the Order Management web APIs as of IDI platform version 23.10 and is supported in the Orders user interface as of IDI platform version 24.1. You can also manage this information in Customer Care.
Version 23.12
Web Sales enhancement for service/installment agreements - This lets you add and manage service/installment agreements on web order/sales transactions. With this enhancement, when a contract with an agreement is added to a transaction at the service level, associates can:
See that one or more service/installment agreements are present on the transaction, and be alerted when action is required (skip, sign, or verbal acknowledgement).
Capture signatures or initials per agreement template configuration for remote transactions (without a client-based peripheral).
View and email completed agreement documents during order assembly.
Access agreements within the Document Storage web module.
Instructions are provided under Creating a New Transaction. Also see Service and Installment Agreements.
Version 23.10
Web Sales enhancements including:
Bill payments on order transactions
Return items
Void transactions
Starting block configuration enhancements in the Product Catalog web module:
Behavior options to order pages when not applicable for the current transaction (for instance, a disconnect customer or hotline service). You can choose to skip the New Transaction and/or Details pages when the starting block’s and/or Order Field configuration provide the required information.
Setting reason on the starting block when the starting action requires one, for example returns, disconnects, etc. The list of reasons provided in the drop-down menu depend on the selected starting action.
Instructions are provided under Creating a New Order. You can also refer to the article on Web Sales in the IDI Knowledge Center.
Version 23.7
Require Cancel Reason code for active protection plans on Customer Disconnect orders - This lets you apply a cancel reason code for all active protection plans on an account when you submit a customer disconnect order. It saves you from having to individually cancel protection plans and specifying cancel reasons prior to disconnecting the customer. See Disconnecting a Customer.
Support for E911 - This provides the ability to designate a service address as the E911 address on eligible service types for add and modify service orders. New functionality in Workflow supports auto-creation of E911 file records for export to E911 providers when adding a new E911 service, disconnecting an E911 service, or modifying and E911 service (as applicable).
Note
This functionality is only available on service types configured to support E911 in IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog. See .
Marking a service as E911
For properly configured service types, when you add a service of that type in the Orders web module, you can designate a service address on the service as the E-911 address. When you select the Service Addresses view in the Service Details panel, if a service address has not yet been designated, you’ll see informational text indicating this condition.
To designate an address, click the edit (pencil) icon. This displays a form for adding one or more service addresses, designating one as the E911 address.
If there are no service addresses currently listed here, you can add one or more using the + or link icons. The + icon opens Customer Care to the Service Addresses page where you can configure new addresses. If you don’t need to create new ones, click the link icon to display the Link Addresses form. This form lists available addresses that you can link to the new service.
After selecting one or more addresses, use the Edit Service Addresses view to designate one as the E911 Address.
Note
When designating a Service Address as E911, the E911 Class of Service and E911 Service Type default to values set on the service type in IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog. You can override the default values if necessary. This is supported in the Order Management web APIs as of IDI platform version 23.10 and is supported in the Orders user interface as of version 24.1. You can also manage this information in Customer Care.
To use Order Management web APIs, refer to applicable web API documentation in the IDI Knowledge Center. How to manage this information in Orders is described below.
Overriding E911 Class of Service and Service Type in Orders
The designated E911 address will have two additional drop-down menus for overriding the default Type of Service and Class of Service selections.
If you change a default selection, the Undo Override control lets you revert to the default value.
On saving, overridden values are shown in red.
Version 23.5
Enhanced customer search - When initiating an order that requires selecting a customer account, the Basic Information section on the New Transaction (Order/Cart) page provides a Use Enhanced Search option to facilitate your search. Now you can search on:
Customer Name/Account Number – Same as the existing Customer field
Service Number – Requires an exact match. The field accepts alpha characters so you can enter X’s to search on temporary service numbers
Social Security Number – Requires an exact match on the complete nine-digit number or the last four digits
Note
You can still use the basic customer name/account field without performing an enhanced search as was supported prior to this enhancement.
To learn more see .
Enhanced Customer Search
A customer must be specified. If you know the customer's name, enter it in the Customer field. Or click the Use Enhanced Search link to display additional criteria. Clicking this link displays three additional fields for searching on:
Customer Name/Account Number – Same as the Customer field.
Service Number – Requires an exact match. The field accepts alpha characters so you can enter X’s to search on temporary service numbers.
Social Security Number – Requires an exact match on the complete nine-digit number or the last four digits.
If you enter a value in the Customer field and then click Use Enhanced Search, the search will use that value to find matching accounts.
You can specify Order Type, Sales Associate and Disconnect Customer prior to initiating an enhanced search or defer until after performing the search.
You can use one enhanced search option at a time. When you start to enter a value in one field, the other fields will be disabled. If you enter a value in one field and then decide to use a different option, you can clear the current entry using the associated red x.
After you enter a value for an enhanced search field, click the associated search icon. This displays a list of matches based on the criterion you chose to use. Select a customer from the list and then click Save.
Seamless Navigation to/from Customer Care for Add Customer Transactions
The enhanced search lets you navigate directly to Customer Care from the Enhanced Customer Search to create a new customer and then return to the transaction seamlessly. This functionality is supported with or without starting blocks enabled. The Create New Customer link is presented only after you do an enhanced customer search. This helps prevent creating a new account when you should use an existing account.
Clicking the link opens Customer Care to the New Customer view in a separate browser tab.
Saving the new customer closes the Customer Care browser tab and returns you to the transaction with the new customer selected in the Customer field.
Version 23.4
Auto-update Handset ID on a new service - This enhancement removes the need to update the Handset ID twice - both on the handset and service when you add a handset to a new service.
Note
Service and handset must be compatible (both are GSM or neither are GSM).
More
When adding a new wireless service, the Handset ID defaults to XXXXXXXXXX as a placeholder. The handset ID is displayed on the Equipment Information view on the Order Detail right panel.
When you add a new handset on the service, the serial number you enter for the handset automatically updates the Handset ID on the service.
Entering Serial Number On the Handset:
Handset ID Updated on the Service:
Notes:
Service and handset technologies must be compatible (both or neither GSM).
The Handset ID is only changed if it is still set to the placeholder value.
The update is only applied to one handset per service. If you add more than one handset to the service, the Handset ID is updated using the Serial Number entered for the first handset and will not be updated by subsequent handset serial numbers.
Enhancements for refresh service - Refresh service functionality was originally released in IDI platform version 23.3. The 23.4 release provides enhancements to improve message presentation when selecting provisioning providers, and facilitate selecting all provisioning providers with one click. For details on executing a refresh service action see Refresh Service.
Version 23.3
Decimal quantities on retail (and direct invoicing) products - This supports the ability to specify a decimal quantity (e.g., 1.75) when adding a retail product in transactions initiated via the web-based Order module or Customer Care. Use this solution to bill for charges or fees that do not always use a whole number value to represent the quantity of the assessed item, for example, when billing for professional services time.
Now you can create a retail product that represents one hour or other unit of measure. Then, when added to a transaction, enter the decimal quantity that equates to the time or effort spent. The ability to enter a decimal quantity for a retail product provides an improved experience for all parties involved while it reduces the risk of data entry errors.
Notes:
This functionality requires Starting Blocks to be enabled in your system.
It also requires retail products be configured to support entering a decimal quantity.
For details refer to the article on entering decimal quantities for retail products in the IDI Knowledge Center.
Refresh Service Action - When a wireless service number in the IDI platform gets out of sync with information in the switch, the refresh service provisioning action lets you reprovision the service without having to disconnect and reconnect. Wireless carriers that use the IDI Desktop Client refresh service functionality can now perform the same action in the web order applications. Refresh service can be initiated from the Orders web module or Customer Care.
The web application refresh order will use your provisioning company’s existing task plan/execution plan set up in IDI Desktop Client to provision the refresh by assigning the order type to a simple workflow with a billing system update action.
Note
If you did not previously use refresh service functionality and want to start, contact your Account Manager to open a professional services work order to have this set up, or to schedule workflow training.
Notes:
The Refresh Service action is only available to users with Refresh Services permission as set up in the Security module. Also, this action is only available on services with provisionable products.
For details on executing a refresh service action see Refresh Service or refer to the article for Web-based Refresh Service Action in the IDI Knowledge Center.
Version 22.12
Web Sales - Tendering retail transactions
This release provides an enhanced web transaction experience and new starting block functionality. You can initiate an order, sale, or direct invoice transaction that uses a retail location and register and lets you collect tender for all or part of the transaction as applicable. For transactions that require a location/register, you can establish these settings by either:
Configuring the specific register and location on the starting block. In this case, the selected starting block automatically sets the register and location for the transaction (transparently) without any user involvement.
Requiring the sales associate to select their specific location and register using the My Location option available via the Orders web module application tray.
Applying a register and its location to a transaction lets you:
Add retail products according to their defined location availability, unit price and cost. When added, you can also apply or modify:
A retail discount (either manually or by a retail promotion).
Sales and/or use taxes based on the location.
An installment plan based on configured profiles and rules, when applicable.
Accept tender types for the calculated amount due at time of sale based on the location’s register policy. The system will prompt for additional tendering details when applicable.
Have a receipt or direct invoice generated for the transaction.
Email the generated receipt or direct invoice to the customer as a message or notification using IDI’s Communication web module.
Leveraging these enhancements, you can use a transaction in the Orders web module to either sell, order, or direct invoice any post-paid billing and/or retail catalog item for any service or account.
See Example - Completing a Transaction From Start to Finish.
If you're new to web sales, see the article on Web Sales in the IDI Knowledge Center.
Version 22.8
Cost Override on Direct Invoice Order Line Items
Users with Cost Override permission can set the cost of a non-inventoried direct invoice item (override the default cost) during order assembly. This can be beneficial when selling a non-inventoried direct invoice item where the item’s cost can vary from one order to another. The flexibility to set the cost for an item on an order-by-order basis helps ensure the profit margin for the item on each individual order is calculated accurately. This calculation is done outside the IDI platform. See .
Cost Override
Users with Cost Override permission can set the cost of a non-inventoried direct invoice item (override the default cost) during order assembly. This can be beneficial when selling a non-inventoried direct invoice item where the item’s cost can vary from one order to another. The flexibility to set the cost for an item on an order-by-order basis helps ensure the profit margin for the item on each individual order is calculated accurately. This calculation is done outside the IDI platform.
Permissions
There are no new permissions required to use this functionality; however, users that require this capability must be assigned a role that has both the Show Cost and Override Cost permissions to view and modify the cost.
How it Works
On a Direct Invoicing transaction, when staging a non-Inventoried direct invoice item, the Cost value is visible and editable for users with the above permissions. This is also the case when a non-inventoried direct invoice item already added to the transaction is reviewed and edited (via the pencil icon) in the order details pane.
Show Picture
Notes:
The default Cost value as set in the Product Catalog is not shown. The field is blank initially because the value is not calculated until the item is added to the order.
The Cost field is not available for inventoried retail items.
On entering a value in the Cost field, the undo arrow icon is available if you need to undo the cost override.
Show Picture
Note
The Cost value is not a factor in the Subtotal and only applies when calculating profit margin (done outside the IDI platform).
Version 22.7
Bulk update provisioning properties - For service providers using the new Provisioning web application, bulk update capability lets them update provisioning properties on an order efficiently and accurately, reducing service delivery timeframes and improving revenue recognition. This functionality can help on smaller orders with numerous provisioning properties or large enterprise orders with hundreds of services. Bulk update capability can save considerable time and help reduce order entry mistakes. You now have two methods for bulk updating provisioning properties:
In the Orders web module, the Order Details page provides bulk updating capability during order assembly.
The Bulk Data module supports a new CSV file specification for bulk updating provisioning properties.
Note
The Orders module also supports exporting and importing CSV files as a file-based bulk update method during order assembly.
For details see Bulk Updating Provisioning Properties.
Adding notes for direct invoice order line items - This lets you add/edit notes on direct invoice items. The Note field lets you enter supplemental data regarding the order and invoice line item. This can help reduce questions regarding the charges by providing additional details on the invoice. You can choose to display notes on the direct invoice or be for internal purposes only. Notes are optional. Also, new options in Order Field Configuration let you default or restrict the Note and Display on invoice fields.
For details see Adding Notes.
Version 22.6
Reversing service fees on reconnect - This release provides several new enhancements to reconnect customer and reconnect service functionality. The reconnection process now gives you additional options and flexibility to determine how the system restarts final billed products and facilitate returning the customer's service to its original state:
Restart Billing Charges – This updates the start date on recurring billing charges to the reconnection date, giving you an option to bill for a partial month of service and recoup additional revenue. Before this solution, you could only choose the Reconnect Final Billed Items option which continues billing the monthly charges as if the service was never disconnected and will not prorate the customer for a partial month of service.
Choose to exclude one time charges – This new option lets you exclude reconnecting previously invoiced one time charges, such as setup or installation charges. Prior to this solution, the reconnection process would reconnect and bill for a customer’s one-time charges.
The solution also provides new Order Field Configuration options that let IDI platform administrators default or restrict all the new and existing Reconnect Information fields based on your organization's business rules.
See .
Reconnect
The Reconnect Services option provides an easy way for you to re-enable services and their child features that had been previously disconnected.
When you choose to reconnect a disconnected service, the Order Details page provides a dialog for choosing Reconnect Methods as well as options for handling final billed items.
Show Picture
Set up reconnect behavior as described below.
Reconnect Method
Based on Last Disconnect Order - This is the default option. When reconnecting services, the system will look at what features under the service were disconnected at the same time and only reconnect those items. This is beneficial in instances where a service may have had features in the past that had been disconnected for some time and you only wish to re-enable the ones which were active when the disconnects went through.
Reconnect Item and all Children - The system will reconnect all child features on the services regardless of when they were originally disconnected. When using this option, you should make sure that reactivation of all disconnected features for a service is the outcome you want.
Reconnect Item and Specified Children - The system will reconnect the services but not automatically reconnect any features. In this case users must choose to manually add features on the order separately.
Secondary Method: Options when no Disconnect Order is found
The secondary method is only applicable if no associated disconnect order is found in the system. This may occur in scenarios when a service was imported into the CostGuard system in a disconnected state.
If you select the Based on Last Disconnect Order option and the system cannot find an associated order it will skip reconnecting that service by default. You can override this behavior by selecting one of the other two options, Reconnect Item and all Children or Reconnect Item and No Children.
Reconnecting Final Billed Items
There are three options related to reconnecting final billed items.
Reconnect Final Billed Items - When this option is selected, the system will remover disconnect dates and reconnect features even if they were invoiced after they were disconnected. It will remove the final bill dates.
Note
When this option is selected alone (without selecting the two related options), it will restore features as if they had never been inactive, i.e. It will not undo any of the billing consequences that occurred due to the final billing. Any issue of disconnect credits, proration or early termination fees will not be reversed.
Exclude Final Billed One-Time Charges - When this option is enabled, the system excludes reconnecting or restarting previously invoiced one-time charges, such as installation or setup charges. This option:
Excludes installment plans. Installment plans are technically one-time charges but will be reconnected since the installments are billed monthly.
Honors both service and account level one-time charges.
The option evaluates service-level one-time charges for service reconnects, and account-level charges for account reconnects. If this option is not selected, the system will reconnect and bill for the one-time charges.
Note
Use the Reverse Service Penalties workflow action to push out the installment plan dates to account for the time the installment plan was disconnected.
Restart (Recurring) Final Billed Charges - If you prorate recurring charges, this option lets you bill for a partial month of service on reconnection, and bill for the total time the service was active. The system will update or restart the start date on all recurring charge catalog items to the reconnection date. Other catalog items such as a Service, Contract, Retail Product, Pricing Plan, etc., will retain their original start date for historical purposes.
When this option is enabled, the start dates on recurring charges are updated when the reconnect order is completed. This option will:
Update feature start dates to the reconnect date.
Note
Once the reconnect order is completed, both original and new start dates are displayed on feature details as shown in Display of New and Original Start Date below.
Remove the feature disconnect date.
Remove the feature Invoice # (invoice on which the feature was first billed) and Final Invoice Number (an indication the feature has been final-billed after disconnect so as not to bill again). This is required to let billing resume for the feature.
Only these catalog items are restarted:
Catalog Type = Product or Package
Charge Cycle is not equal to None or Once
Note
Items marked as installment plans are not restarted so the system can maintain the installment plan schedule. Use the Reverse Service Penalties workflow action to push out the installment plan dates to account for the time the installment plan was disconnected
All other product types will retain the original start dates: Service, Discount, Pricing Plan, Contract, Contract Penalty, Retail Product, One Time and Installment Products, Product or Package with a Charge Cycle of None.
The option evaluates service-level recurring charges for service reconnects and account-level recurring charges for account reconnects.
When the reconnect is complete, the feature detail views will show the original and new (reconnect) start dates. The Original field is only shown if the start date has been updated.
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Default/Restrict Reconnect Methods and Options
Order Field Configuration in the Orders web module (MANAGE > Order Field Configuration) lets you set default values for reconnection methods and reconnection options. Defaulting the values ensures users make the correct selections based on your business rules, and restrictions prohibit users from changing the value.
The Order Field Configuration dialog lets you set defaults and impose restrictions for:
Exclude Final Billed On-time Charges
Reconnect Final Billing Items
Reconnect Method Primary
Reconnect Method Secondary
Reconnect Final Billed Charges
Refer to Order Field Configuration topic for details.
Order Has No Items After Using Reconnect Services?
The default behavior of Reconnect Services is to skip items that:
Have no associated Disconnect Order
Have final billed
If all the items selected fall into one of these two categories, then CostGuard will not find any items to reconnect. You can override the default behavior; however, as noted, when doing so you should be sure that it will produce the outcome that you want.
Version 22.4
Enhanced direct Invoicing aligned with starting blocks
Version 22.4 aligns direct invoicing with web sales and starting blocks (introduced with version 22.1).
With version 22.4 and later, you are no longer required to set up retail products specifically to allow direct invoicing. Prior functionality required you to begin direct invoicing transactions as either an order or cart/sale where the transaction would subsequently be converted to a direct invoicing experience by adding an allow direct invoicing item. With starting blocks, this conversion is no longer performed.
Direct invoicing transactions will be driven by selecting a starting block set up specifically to initiate a direct invoicing transaction. You may use the out-of-the box Direct Invoicing Experience starting block as is, or modify it, or create one or more completely new direct invoice starting blocks to meet your requirements.
Also with version 22.4, starting block functionality must be enabled to use direct invoicing. If you’re not currently set up for direct invoicing and you enable it, starting block functionality is enabled as well (if not already enabled). If your system is already set up for direct invoicing, starting block functionality will automatically be enabled when you take 22.4 or a later release.
Additionally, the Orders and Customer Care web modules have new views for searching and managing direct invoice transactions.
To facilitate moving from an earlier version of direct invoicing, on taking version 22.4 or later, existing direct invoicing orders and sales transactions will be converted to Direct Invoice transactions.
See Direct Invoicing.
Version 22.1
Web Sales - Initiating Orders via Starting Blocks
This is the first deliverable in the effort to provide a modern solution with robust capabilities to replace the existing Client Point-of-Sale Front Office. This release introduces configurable Starting Blocks to facilitate initiating a Sale or Order from Customer Care or the Orders web module. You can assemble and finalize a remote sale containing billing items that can be assigned to the account or to any type of service. For details regarding the overall goal, objectives, and planned future deliverables for this project, refer to article on Web Sales under IDI Updates > Upcoming Features in the the IDI Knowledge Center.
This development impacts the Product Catalog and Customer Care web modules in addition to Orders. The new functionality in Orders for this release is described in Initiating Orders with Starting Blocks.
For details regarding version 22.1 functionality in all impacted modules, refer to the article on Web Sales - Milestone 1 in the IDI Knowledge Center.
Version 21.7
Configuring, Selling and Managing Protection Plans - With version 21.7 and later, the IDI platform provides a comprehensive solution for configuring, selling, and managing protection plans:
Configuration and Setup
The Product Catalog web application lets you set up protection plan profiles that establish rules for processing (including provisioning) different plans.
The Product Catalog in IDI Desktop Client lets you set up protection plan products for sale. You can set up billing products to sell on a recurring charge (MRC) basis, or retail products to sell on a pay-up-front basis.
Sales - The Orders web application and POS Make Sale in IDI Desktop Client support selling protection plans on a monthly recurring charge (MRC) basis or as a one time charge assessed at the time of sale.
Managing Plans - Customer Care lets you add, view, search and manage protection plans on an account.
For complete instructions regarding protection plans in the IDI platform (covering all functional areas) refer to the article on Managing Protection Plans in the IDI Billing Solutions Knowledge Center.
Version 21.4
Support for Electronic SIM on Handsets - The Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) also known as an Embedded SIM (eSIM) is replacing the plastic SIM card currently used in a majority of devices. release 21.3 provided new functionality in Product Management, Device Management, SIM Management and Customer Management to support this. Release 21.4 expands this support to: POS Make Sale, Orders, SIM and Device File imports and Customer Care. In Orders, when you add/edit a service or swap equipment, there are new fields for viewing/editing the EID if the device on the service is eSIM. See Working with Service Details or Swap Equipment.
Version 21.2
Viewing & editing individual items within a package
Release 21.1 provided the ability to view individual components within a package (bundled collection of Product Catalog items that may include products, contracts, discounts, pricing plans and dynamic charge products). With this 21.2 release Orders also supports editing individual items within a package. This helps you ensure orders are entered as intended. Without this capability you were required to add items individually, or complete a two-step process of adding the package to the order and then modifying the items in Customer Care. For details see Managing Packages in an Order.
Version 21.1
View & edit individual items within a package
With this release, the Orders module supports viewing the component items of a package within an assembling order (a package refers to a bundled collection of Product Catalog items that may include products, contracts, discounts, pricing plans and dynamic charge products).This helps sales associates ensure orders are submitted accurately.
A subsequent release will add the ability to edit items within a package.
Version 20.12
Bulk Update Features - The Modify Features function in Orders now supports the ability to bulk update features, similar to what is supported in IDI Desktop Client. The Action drop down menu has a new Update option in addition to the existing Disconnect and Reconnect options. When you choose to update features you can select multiple items and update them all through one order. The Update option is permission-based. The Update Feature permission has been added to the Order Admin, Order Manager and Order User roles.
Note
IDI Desktop Client is still needed for Advanced Wizard Change Feature functionality.
Version 20.10
Support for Port outs - On service disconnect orders users can provide information for port out requests when applicable. This information is used by IDI platform service number inventory to ensure proper aging and availability of numbers. It reduces the need for manual processes and supports automatic, accurate status updates to service number inventory.
This functionality is available when you initiate the disconnect using the Modify Service Actions > Disconnect function, and when you choose the Disconnect Service order type on the New Order form.
Version 20.8
Override default unit price - Similar to current functionality for overriding the price of a billing product when you add the product to an order, you can now change the default unit price of any direct invoice or retail product as set in the Product Catalog.
Note
The ability to override the default unit price is controlled by the existing Override Charge permission. The scope of this permission has been expanded to cover retail and direct invoice items. This functionality is supported for all retail products submitted via web API and the Orders web application. For details, see Adding a Feature.
Version 20.6
Ability to bypass private line tax allocations - The Orders web application and Order Placement web service do not support drilling into packages to apply private line tax (PLT) allocations to individual items within the package. As a work-around users needed to remove items that require private line tax allocations from any package and add them to the order as individual items, otherwise order placement would fail to complete.
With version 20.6 the Allow Automatic private Line Tax Allocation setting under MANAGE > Settings > General lets carriers bypass private tax allocations during order placement. This enables orders with PLT products to be placed in the Order web module or via web APIs and complete successfully without specifying the PLT allocation.
See Settings.
Version 20.1
Direct Invoicing enhancements:
Taxing Options – During Order assembly, you can choose any of the following options to establish the tax jurisdiction for a Direct Invoicing Item when the default address does not apply: Primary Customer Contact, Service Address, or Service Contact. Prior to this release users could only tax using the configured default address. The configured address is still the default taxing option when you assemble an Order.
Invoice configuration/generation
New Action for Processing BTA Adjustment – This provides flexibility to have a Bill To Account (BTA) Adjustment) apply to an account prior to the Billing System Update action completing. Related to this functionality, this is the Direct Invoice revenue. Prior to this new action if you wanted to see the revenue applied to the account you needed to run the Billing System Action which would eliminate the ability to modify in-flight orders.
Updates to Billing System Update action - Updates to this action let you run the‘Billing System Update action within your Split Groups AND continue to let you modify in-flight orders for items that have not been pushed to the account. Prior to this update the first time the Billing System Update action ran it would lock the entire order and no additional edits could be made.
Version 19.10
Enhancements in the Order Details pane where you view and edit order item details for a wireless service let you:
Mark the service as primary
Determine which services on the account will receive usage notifications (For more on usage notifications, see About Usage Notifications in IDI Desktop Online Help)
View and edit equipment details
Version 19.9
Direct Invoicing settings now support:
Setting Debit and Credit Adjustment Type for Bill to Account (BTA)
Invoice Configuration:
Select Invoice Template
Enter Terms & Conditions
Select a Customer-supplied Logo
Version 19.8
Auto-Populate Sales Associate (Channel) - A new setting in the Orders web application lets you auto-populate the sales associate (sales channel) value for an order with the sales channel assigned to the user who is entering the order. The setting applies when entering orders in both the Orders web application and IDI Desktop Client. The term sales associate applies in the Orders web application. Sales Channel applies in the IDI Desktop Client.
In addition to the new setting, a new Sales Associate field has been added to the New Order Page.
Notes:
This does not apply to POS orders entered via IDI Desktop Client.
Sales Channels are set up in IDI Desktop Client via Applications > Customer Management > Sales Channels. Sales Channels are assigned to users via Admin Console > Security > Users.
For setup details, see Settings.
For details on using the Sales Associate field on new orders, see Creating a New Order.
Version 19.7
Support for Direct Invoicing - Direct Invoicing is for IDI platform users who need to immediately bill an account for a purchase when they prefer not to wait for bill cycle invoicing. The functionality available in this release provides the ability to:
Set up products in the Product Catalog for Direct Invoicing
Add Direct Invoicing products to an Order in the Orders application
Bill to Account in the IDI platform for Direct Invoicing products; after which carriers can send an invoice for the Direct Invoicing products outside the normal bill cycle..
Restricting actions on child-level SKUs – This lets you prevent unauthorized users from performing diconnect/reconnect actions on child-level SKUs independent of their parent Service or Package. Note This is also applicable for IDI Desktop Client-based orders. For more on this, see Restricting Actions on Child-level SKUs.
Version 19.4
Rolling up related order information to the parent Billing Order - The presentation of Billing Orders in both Customer Care and Orders now roll up all related order information to the root order, similar to what is supported in the IDI Desktop Client.
Note
Any order generated from another order creates a Related Order relationship. Examples of Related Orders include Move Service orders, Fulfillment orders and Split Billing orders.
For details, see Presenting Related Billing Order Information.
Version 19,3
Swap Equipment Enhancements - automate many of the manual steps to make swapping equipment easier, particularly when swapping equipment between Services on the same account.
Swap equipment on a service back to the previous values – This helps you accommodate customers who just received a new handset but want to go back to their previous handset so the new handset can be given to another family member.
Swap the equipment between two services on the same account – This helps you accommodate customers who want to exchange equipment between services on the account. This automatically assigns the equipment based on the chosen service to swap with and will not require users to type in the Handset ID (or embedded SIM ID).
Version 19.2
Support modifying in-flight Orders – You can now edit and update Orders that are In Process and Submitted, similar to how you can currently edit and update Assembling orders. Prior to the Workflow Billing System Update completing, you can add and remove services and subservices, edit services and features, manipulate quantities in an Order and add and remove features. This requires you to first pause the Order and place the related Workflow on hold.
Note
Once the Workflow moves past the Billing System Update task, the Order will no longer be editable. (More)
New action to force complete a billing order - New action available as an option in a Workflow step:
Forces the order to complete or cancel
Completes or cancels all order line items
Then cancels the execution plans
This action should be used in Workflow instead of using the Auto Complete configuration in Config Console. See Workflow User Guide for details.
Option to include and set values for completed and cancelled line items – Two new parameters on the following Workflow Order Actions let you decide whether or not to exclude canceled or completed line items in your workflow, after the Billing Order has completed.
Update Billing Status
Set End Date
Set Start Date
Note
If a value is not set and the parameters are left blank, the action will act on completed and canceled line items. If your process includes billing orders that are set to auto-complete, you should leave the parameters blank.
See Workflow User Guide for details.
Version 18.12
Enhanced Order Shortcuts in Customer Care facilitate initiating orders in Customer Care. This functionality is configurable via MANAGE > Order Field Configuration. You can:
Configure a default Order Type and Change Reason based on the Starting Action that you select when initiating an Order in Customer Care (Disconnect Customer, Hotline Service, etc…).
Restrict users from changing the above-configured default behavior based on Starting Actions and User Group.
Configured defaults and restrictions only apply when initiating an Order in Customer Care. This streamlines user interaction on the initial create Order page by saving users from having to enter Order Type and Change Reason.
Default for the Include Installment Plans property on moving service - A new setting in both the IDI Desktop Client and the Orders web application let you set the default for the Include Installment Plans property on moving service (default to checked or not checked). This can help reduce the chance of user error, as the installment plan is generally moved when a service number is moved. The setting is called Default ‘Include Installment Plans’ on Move Service and is available via MANAGE > Settings.
Note
This is a shared setting. Changing it in either the IDI Desktop Client or in Orders makes the same change in the other application.
Orders 1.0 no longer supported - As of IDI platform release 18.12, Orders 1.0 will be hidden by default. Once users upgrade to IDI platform release 18.12 or higher, all order links and processes will default to Orders 2.0.
Version 18.11
Product Selection Display - Choose whether to view Product SKU, Product Description or both when selecting Products in the Orders web application. The setting is available via MANAGE > Settings.
Version 18.5
Swap Equipment - Modify Service now supports the Swap Equipment action to move an MDN to a different handset.
More
This lets you associate a Mobile Directory Number (MDN) to a different Serial Number (ESN) to exchange a handset or a SIM card.
Note
The service must be wireless-based and active.
To perform an equipment swap:
On the Order Details form, click the Modify Service icon, and then select Swap Equipment from the Action drop down menu.
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This displays a dialog for finding and selecting the service whose MDN you are moving to a new device. If the account has one or more services eligible to be swapped, they’ll be listed in the Available Services pane. If the list is long, you can use the Service Number and/or Description fields to apply a filter. Click SEARCH after entering the filter value(s).
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Select the service whose MDN you want to move from the list of available Services. This displays the initial Swap Equipment dialog. Swap Reason is a required field.
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After selecting a Swap Reason and entering any other information that may be pertinent, click Details and select Equipment Information (or click ADD TO ORDER).
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Either action displays the dialog for completing the swap.
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Select the Technology or Handset Type for the new device. This selection determines whether you need to select a SIM Card ID or Handset ID or both:
Handset = CDMA
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Technology Type = GSM
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Technology Type = Dual Mode
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Handset = Reserved (No Equipment, not applicable for wireless services)
The SIM Card ID and Handset ID let you search Previously Assigned Equipment on the account or Equipment from the Account Transaction History.
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Support for eSIM Technology
Whether you initiate the swap from Customer Care or Orders, the Equipment Information views have fields for configuring a device with an eSIM. The Handset drop down drives the EID field behavior as described below.
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New Order - Equipment Information
Order Details - Equipment Information
If device Supported SIM Class = eSIM Only the EID field is required.
If device Supported SIM Class = eSIM or SIM Card you must choose to assign an eSIM or a SIM Card.
EID is required if using an eSIM. It’s optional if using a SIM Card.
For Customer-provided equipment (CPE), the user-entered EID must be 32 digits in length and not already exist in Device Management.
If the entered equipment MEID/IMEI is found and already a record in the Device table, it will auto-populate the EID with the value from the table, if available.
If the EID value is auto-populated, then it cannot be modified
The entered eSIM value must be either:
a temporary value that will be updated later in the process (e.g. XXXXXXXXXX) or,
a valid eSIM number (where the eSIM value already exists in SIM Management by having been pre-loaded and is then either entered by the user or auto-assigned by the solution)
Providers that pre-load eSIMS can easily select and assign an available eSIM. Some setup is required. The functionality is toggled off by default (for providers that do not pre-load eSIMs) and can be toggled on as needed via a new Display Get Available eSIM setting in the Display section in MANAGE > Settings. When this functionality is enabled and the selected handset on the service details Equipment Information view supports eSIMs, the SIM ID field will have an associated Get an available eSIM link. Clicking the link will automatically populate the SIM ID field with the next available eSIM.
Note
If after populating the SIM ID field with an eSIM and you change the handset to one that does not support eSIMs, the field will still be populated with the eSIM and must be cleared manually.
Swapping Equipment Between Services on the Same Account
These functions are available via the Equipment Information dialog (Details > Equipment Information):
Swap Equipment to Previous Equipment on a Service
Click the search icon for SIM Card ID*
or Handset ID* .
This displays either the Choose SIM Card or Choose Handset dialog depending on which field you chose to search.
Note
This dialog was previously labeled Choose Equipment.
In either case, this dialog provides a new option to choose a previously assigned item (SIM card or Handset) from the selected Service.The dialog defaults to having this new option selected.
For Choose SIM Card, clicking SEARCH with the new option selected returns all previously assigned SIM Cards in the grid below.
Note
SIM Cards associated to a temporary Service Number will NOT be returned.
For Choose Handset, clicking SEARCH with the new option selected returns all previously assigned handsets in the grid below.
Note
Handsets associated to a temporary Service Number will NOT be returned.
Choose an item (SIM Card or Handset), and then click OK. This returns you to Equipment Information screen.
Under New Equipment Information, the selected Handset or SIM Card ID is now populated.
Add to Order. Selecting ADD TO ORDER adds the service to the grid.
You can select the service in the grid and View Equipment Information in the right panel to see the New Equipment Information - New Handset ID and associated SIM Card ID.
Note
The SIM Card ID is the same ID under the original Equipment Information section below and the New Equipment Information section below because you only swapped the handset.
Editing and Updating Order - Now that the service and associated handset are in the order, you can edit Equipment Information and update account and service level features.
Exchange Handsets Between Two Services on the same account
Note
This functionality must be enabled via Manage > Settings..
Exchange Handsets Between Two Services on the same account
This lets you exchange equipment between two services on the same account (for example, when two children change their minds and want to trade handsets).
Note
The option to exchange handsets between two services on an account requires the Allow Equipment Exchange When Swapping Equipment setting to be enabled via Manage > Settings.
Caution
DO NOT enable the Exchange Equipment functionality without fully understanding the ramifications of exchanging equipment at the switch. Please consult with your Account Manager if you have interest in using this new functionality. Provisioning kit changes may be required.
To use this functionality:
In the Equipment Information view you’ll choose to Search on Handset ID.
In the Choose Handset dialog choose the option to Exchange Handset with another Service on the Account.
Note
This option is only available for handset exchanges (not when you search on SIM Card IDs in the Equipment Information view).
Clicking SEARCH with this option selected returns previously assigned services in the grid below.
The handset is automatically assigned based upon the chosen service to swap with and will not require you to enter the Handset ID.
Only available services are returned. Services with a disconnect date will not be returned.
You may choose to Include SIM card with handset exchange.
This checkbox lets you exchange both the handset and associated SIM card in the same order.
Embedded SIM cards are automatically included in the exchange process.
This checkbox is grayed out by default. It is only available for selection when you select the Exchange Handset radio button.
Select a service and click OK. This returns you to Equipment Information screen.
Under New Equipment Information, the Handset ID selected from the list of handsets on the account eligible to be exchanged with existing service is now populated
The SIM Card ID is populated because the Include SIM card checkbox was checked in the previous screen.
Technology Type and Handset ID are grayed out and cannot be edited.
Handset ID is grayed out but can be edited using the search icon
.SIM Card ID can be edited using the search icon or by manually typing in a SIM Card ID.
Add to Order. When you select ADD TO ORDER, both services in the exchange of handsets, are added to the grid.
You can select each service in the grid and View Equipment Information in the right panel to see the New Equipment Information - New Handset ID and associated SIM Card ID.
Service 2222226333
Service 7896320103
Editing and Updating Order
Now that the service and associated handset are in the order, you can edit Equipment Information and update account and service level features on both services.
Add Billing Installment Plans - You can add a billing installment plan on a Feature when you add a new Feature or modify an existing one.
More
You can set up a Feature for installment payments when you initially add the Feature to the Order, or you can do it by editing the Feature in the Order Details view. After selecting a Feature that is set up to allow installments, check the Installments check box, then specify number of installments. Number of installments must be within max number of installments specified for the Feature in the IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog.
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Add on New Feature
Add on Modify Feature
Manage Menu Option Change - The Configurable Workflows option is now labeled Order Scenarios.
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This name provides a clearer description of the configurable actions being performed.
Order Submitted Trigger - A new Order Submitted trigger was added to Workflow Triggers to execute an action when an order is submitted.
Version 18.4
Move Billing Installment Plans on Move Service - Orders now supports moving the remaining balance of Billing Installment Plans. There is a new option when choosing to move a service, to move the remaining Billing Installment Plan and balance to the new account.
Version 18.3
Filtering the Order Items Grid - A filter is available for narrowing the scope of items shown in the grid. This makes the grid easier to use when the Order contains a large number of items.
Document Storage is now available from the Orders web module.
Version 18.2
Support for Billing Orders - This provides a central point of reference within the Orders module for all IDI platform orders and transactions.
Note
You may choose to enable or disable (hide) this functionality via the View Billing Orders in Orders App setting under Manage > Global Settings. This setting defaults to unchecked (hide Billing Orders functionality).
Billing Orders
Here's a quick explanation of Orders and Billing Orders in the Orders web module. An Order is what you create, edit and manage in the Orders web module to add/disconnect/modify Services and Features on an account. A Billing Order is what actually updates the Services and Features on the customer account in CostGuard such that the account can be billed accordingly.
After you submit an Order in the Orders web module, there are steps to be completed before the Order can be transitioned to a Billing Order to update the account. For Wireless providers, this may be as simple as running the applicable provisioning commands after the Order is submitted. Wireline providers generally require a more involved process that may include manual steps, such as installing equipment. In either case, whether the process is complex or relatively simple, once all the steps are completed, the Workflow Billing Status Update Action is run to create the Billing Order.
Prior to running this action, you can use the Orders web module to edit, submit, place on-hold, resume, or cancel an Order, depending on Order Status. After running this action, the Order Status is set to Complete. At that point, when the Order becomes a Billing Order, you can no longer manage the Order via the Orders web module. However, you can view the Billing Order via the Orders web module OmniSearch.
Order Status
Transaction Statuses and the respective actions allowed in those States are as follows:
If Status is:
You can:
Assembling
Add and modify services and features via Order Details
Disconnect\Reconnect a service number via Order Details
Assign temporary service numbers via Order Details
Place On Hold via Order Summary
Submit the Order via Order Summary
Note
If an Order is in assembling status for 30 days after creation, it is automatically removed from the system. To avoid this, update the Order's status to OnHold.
Completed
View:
details in the Orders web application
progress in Workflow
Billing Order in the Orders web module or IDI Desktop Client
Errored
View:
details in the Orders web application
progress in Workflow
In Process
Bulk-update Service Numbers via Order Summary
Add and modify services and features via Order Details
Cancel via Order Summary
View Order Details, and progress in Workflow
OnHold
Resume via Order Summary
Submit via Order Summary
Submitted
Cancel via Order Summary
View Order Details, and progress in Workflow
Note
Orders submitted via CostGuard Client Order wizard or POS are essentially Billing Orders, although this term is not used in the CostGuard Client. There is no step to convert Orders to Billing Orders. However, Orders that are submitted via the Orders web module, and then converted to Billing Orders are viewable via the CostGuard Client.
Billing Order Processed Trigger - A new Workflow Trigger is now available to trigger an associated action when:
Billing Order Submitted
Billing Order Status Changed
Billing Order State Changed
Version 18.1
Canceling unused reserved Service Numbers - Prior to version 18.1, while assembling an Order, if a Service was assigned a reserved Service Number from inventory and then subsequently removed from the Order, you were not able to release the unused reservation directly in the Orders web module. Rather, you would have to use IDI Desktop Client functionality to do this. With 18.1, when removing a Service from an Order, the new cancel unused reservations functionality lets you release the reserved Service Number directly in the Orders web module. Similar functionality on the Order Summary page cancels reservations when you cancel an Order that had been submitted with reserved Service Numbers. For more, see:
Sales Associate field now available in Orders - This lets users identify and associate a sales person to an Order. This facilitates downstream reporting for sales commissions and so on.
A new field has been added to the Orders Summary page, in the Info Panel, to capture the Sales Associates. Since Sales Associates already exist in Customer Care, type-ahead functionality facilitates finding existing associates. This information is saved with the Order but does not impact the customer’s account in any way.
Version 17.3 SP2
Bulk Update Service Numbers After Order Submission - This lets users submit an Order with temporary numbers, and then bulk update services in the IDI platform after the order is submitted. The new functionality also supports bulk-selecting Services to remove them from the Order.
Version 17.3, Orders Version 2.0
Orders 2.0 is a complete redesign of the Orders web module that supports existing functionality with a new look and feel consistent with other IDI platform web modules (Customer Care, Tickets, etc...). Customers on software version 17.2 SP1 or higher can access both the original Orders version and version 2.0 until a time to be determined by IDI’s Product Marketing Team. This is to let customers get comfortable with the new interface before moving the 2.0 version into production. For details on launching either version, see About Orders - Launching the Orders Application.
The following enhancements are applicable for both the Original Orders version (1.0) as well as Orders 2.0:
Ability to Update Service Addresses - Service Address Update functionality has been supported in Customer Care and is now available via the Orders web module (both 1.0 and 2.0 versions). Where Customer Care does not support linking Service Addresses to update MSAG and E911 batch files, this functionality is supported when updating Service Addresses via Orders.
Permissions to Manage Access to Individual Order Actions – User access to Order-related functions that were governed by the Manage Cart permission are now governed by a more granular set of permissions. This lets you grant agents the ability to perform certain orders (e.g. hotline) while restricting others (e.g. disconnect).
In Orders 2.0, all roles in Security with the Manage Carts permission will now have the new permissions turned on by default.
To use these new permissions, users must have both the Manage Carts permission and the applicable order action permissions enabled.