Metered batch sheets represent a type of batch sheet that you would use for utilities that you charge for, according to a meter. For instance, you might use metered batch sheets for electricity charges - You read the meter on a monthly basis then split the charges between everyone who rents a space at that particular location and time.
Good to Know Before You Add a Metered Batch Sheet
Ensure that you have a license for the location where your customer is renting space.
Make sure that the product for which you want to charge exists in Operate- You can search for it using the Search box at the top and if you cannot find it, you need to add the new product into the system.
Update Licences as needed. The customer accounts that appear on Metered Batch Sheets are predefined by the system and cannot be changed. Operate only lists customers who have an active licence at the location you choose.
Common issues:
If a customer you see in the list is not supposed to be there (any more), because of various reasons (e.g.: they have left the office); check their license and see if it has been terminated.
If a customer should be listed, but is not, check their license and make sure that it is not expired and/or needs renewal/updating.
Adding a Metered Batch Sheet
Go to Charges > Metered Batch Sheets. Here is where you will find a list of any pre-existing records.
Click Get Started if this is the first metered batch sheet in the system or New if the section already displays some entries.
Add your Metered Batch Sheet Information:
Notice the Batch Number - automatically allocated by the system.
Choose a Location.
Choose the Product for which you want to add the Metered Batch Sheet. Please keep in mind that the product needs to exist in the database when adding the charge. If you cannot find your desired product, you will need to create a new product in Operate.
Add a Description - This should tell you what your sheet contains. (e.g.: October Electricity Metered Batch Sheet).
Add a Batch Date - This is the key date that the Metered Batch Sheet will be associated to when billed.
Add an Estimated Total, summing up your total charge estimation.
Notice the Actual Total, which is automatically calculated, according to the charges you add.
Add Charges: In this section you will find the customers who have an active license for the selected location. They will be prefilled by the system and you cannot add any more; due to the fact that these charges depend on licenses and adding any information that does not correlate to a license could lead to billing issues.
Notice the Customer Account and Office which are predefined.
Add Reference text if needed.
See the Previous Reading - Please note that if this is the first time when you add a Metered Batch Sheet for this particular location, client and product, you need to fill in the Previous Reading Section manually. For subsequent sheets, this value will be pulled from the previous sheet. (For instance, if you’re charging for electricity on a monthly basis, and September is the first month, you would enter “0” under Previous Reading and Current Reading. In October, the Previous Reading box will automatically pull the value that has been added as a Current Reading in September.)
Under Current Reading, enter the reading that you have obtained from your meter.
Enter the Price that corresponds to the total amount of metered units.
Choose the Tax.
Check the Total charge. Operate calculates the difference between the previous and current reading and multiplies it by the price (which is per unit) to get the total charge.
Proceed the same way with all other listed customer accounts.
Check the boxes if you would like to Complete / Approve the Metered Batch Sheet right away. Until you complete and approve the sheet, it will NOT be picked up for billing during the bill run process.
Save your changes.
Updating Metered Batch Sheets
To make changes to a Metered Batch Sheets:
Go to Charges > Metered Batch Sheets.
Find the record that you want to update and click the green pencil next to it.
You can then update any record information, as shown above.
Deleting Metered Batch Sheets
Although it is possible to delete Metered Batch Sheets, we do not recommend it as a best practice. Let's look at how to delete first, if you choose to, then discuss why we do not recommend it.
There are two ways to delete:
Using the Delete button at the top of the list, while selecting at least one checkbox below, corresponding to at least one record. This option is useful when deleting multiple records in one go.
Using the Delete Icon next to the record - The red "x" This only deletes the individual record you select.
Regardless of the option you use, you will be asked to confirm your deletion.
Best Practice: Disable Delete
We do not recommend deleting metered batch sheets because it can lead to inconsistency in your records.
Operate keeps track of any entered metered readings and the information is being kept at all times, even while a Metered Batch Sheet record is deleted and maintained in the Recycle Bin. Due to this, new Metered Batch Sheets may display reading values entered within deleted records, because the system picks up from the last saved piece of data.
Therefore, we suggest editing Metered Batch Sheets as shown above, instead of deleting them. A good way to ensure your team does this is to disable the Delete Permission on user groups.
Go to Settings > General > General/Getting Started > Security Groups.
Edit the Security Group by clicking the green pencil icon next to the one you wanb to disable the option for.
Scroll to Modules and find "Metered Batch Sheets". (You can use CTRL+F in your browser to find it faster).
Untick the box under Can Delete.
Save your changes.
