Do you really need Advanced Billing Module?

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Lately I've been pondering on this question. I have this task that I need to do where I must figure out billing that fits the business requirements.  It's not a simple requirement and there are many different variables on how the monthly or annual invoice is generated.

I think for most subscription based and/or fixed amount based businesses, billing is pretty straight forward. However, what about those businesses who has fairly complex process?

As I read through NetSuite documentation and posts on Forums, NetSuite provides out of the box feature for reoccurring billing process. They call it "Memorize Transaction" feature. It allows you to replicate reoccurring billing by having NetSuite "Memorize" this instance of transaction and direct it to run it on schedule of your choice. Sounds pretty simple right?
This will work as long as the items included in the invoice doesn't change or no adjustment is needed for the duration of the billing AND you don't mind making adjustments manually from time to time.

We also have NetSuites' paid featured called Advanced Billing Module  I have not used it before and my opinion on this module is purely based on documentation provided by NetSuite. It seems to offer great automation and customization features than "Memorize Transaction" OOB feature. I really like the fact that it will customize billing schedule with initial amount, initial payment terms, recurrence frequency, recurrence count, in arrears, and recurrence payment terms. It definately allows businesses to take control of billing schedules.

But, does it solve the issue of varying amount invoicing? Say like cell phone billing which is based on base amount plus additional overage charge or hourly consultants billing where invoice amount is based on hours worked by the consultants? Can Memorize Transaction or ABM fully automate the process of billing for these situations?

My initial thought is no.

Ofcourse, in order to automate this type of invoicing, you need to identify and create variables that will allow custom process to calculate the correct amount.

I am thinking that for consistently varying monthly or annual invoice process, custom solution will fit better.
Sure this costs money. Most likely more than what you'll pay for ABM. However, what I like to suggest is that before you purchase ABM I think it'll be worth while to revisit the billing business requirements.

What are your thoughts?

Streamlining the Business Process in NetSuite

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Lately, all I hear in the news is "Down grade in credit rating", "Recession" or "High unemployment rate". You most likely know them by heart by now. As a business, all these negative economic news would mean tightening the budget belt and trying to figure out where to cut cost.

If your company is using NetSuite or any other SaaS based CRM/ERP tool, this is a good time to revisit all the business processes you have implemented using the system.

I always like to say that tool itself will not save company money or enhance productivity. It's how you use the tool that will get you there. (Obvious point I am making....)

Types of business process I am referring to:

• Lead to Customer process.
• Drip email marketing process.
• Sales order processing.
• Billing process.
• Customer relation process.

List goes on... 

Here are some things to look for when you are revisiting your business processes.

• Process flow diagram:
  Have you created process diagram for each of your business processes used in the System? If you don't have it, you really need to create one. Directors and Project Managers can tell you everything about what the processes are but it's worth nothing when the system doesn't reflect them.
  
• Identify automation points within the process
  Use the tool to do the work for you. There are some steps in the process where human intervention is inevitable but there are overlooked steps that doesn't require it. Making sales calls to customers most likely will not be a good candidate for automation but starting a drip marketing campaign is.
  Here are something that I can think of to automate using NetSuite:
  - Auto generation of Sales Order, Proposals or Invoices
  - Conversion process
  - Record creation process
  - Ongoing billing process
  - Subscription renewal process
  - Daily accounting process
  
• Identify unnecessary or potentially new steps
  If you already have process diagrams for each of the business processes, revisiting them will give you a fresh look.
  
  For some departments or projects, business requirements change frequently. This will give you a chance to compare with current requirements and remove or add in steps you no longer need. This will better streamline the process.

Perhaps it's not your job to do this type of work. If you are NetSuite Admin or developer, does this SOUND like your job description? Probably not. But wouldn't you want your company to save money and keep providing the things you enjoy???