If you are using essensys Platform for bookings, you can import these charges and bill them through Operate.
Operate can import the exported charges CSV from Platform and create a batch sheet in the system, which you can then go through, approve and bill during the Bill Run process.
Before you begin
Products
It is very important that the Product Names from Platform are created as Products in Operate. If the imported charge refers to a Product that does not match one in Operate then an error will be reported.
Accounts
In Operate, Accounts are created for a specific location. The details recorded for that Account, for instance their Billing Details, are specific to that location.
When an Operate Account is 'pushed' to Platform, the Platform Occupier is created with a Contract for the single site. This process is described in Syncing Operate to Platform. The Operate Account ID is set up as the Platform contract billing reference and this must match if the charge is to be imported.
In Platform, an Occupier may have a Contract that allows them to use facilities, such as booking meeting rooms, at many sites. For this, their Contract will be amended, in Platform, to be Roaming.
If this is done, charges may be incurred at a different location from that for which the Operate Account was first created.
To import such charges, it will be necessary to create a copy of the Account from the original, billing location to the location of the new charge.
Operate can automatically create this copy of the Account, using the steps below. Ensure that the import file created by Platform includes the Billing site name column.
How to import charges?
Here is how to import booking charges from Platform to Operate:
Go to Charges > Platform Charge Imports
Click New, then select your location
Note - Each import is based on the specific location where the charges have incurred. Please make sure that you choose the correct location, for which the charge file was generated.
If the wrong location is selected, your charges may not be matched to a Product or existing Account supported at the location you’ve selected.
Indicate if you wish Operate to create new Accounts, at the charge location so that any charges incurred via the Platform Roaming process, described above, will be correctly imported. This will ensure that a match is found for the charge's Account. Without this, importing the charge will result in an error and be highlighted in red as described below.
If Accounts are to be created for this, then a Client Type must be chosen and any Accounts created will be set to this type.
The choice can also be set to be the default whenever making further imports of charges.
Choose a Batch Date - this will be the date of the charge sheet entry.
Each charge will have its own date from the import file.
Choose the Platform export file that you want to import - Browse your computer and upload it into Operate.
Click Import
Checking the Import Results
When your file has been imported you will see a list of the contents. Any entries that do not match an existing account ID or Product will be highlighted in red. If this occurs you will need to add the information to the import file and begin the import again.
Where the option was chosen to have Operate create an Account at the new location, based on an Account previously pushed to Platform from a different location, then the first charge for the Account will have the Account name highlighted in blue.
It is important to note that, where an Account is copied in this way, then only basic details will be copied. It may be that fields, such as those within the Billing Details, would not be correct for the new location.
Check the new Account record and complete all fields as required.
Completed Import
Once your import goes through, you will find it as a batch sheet under Charges > Batch Sheets.
To continue Invoicing your charges from batch sheets, please continue to the below article: