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<h2>Introduction</h2>

<img class="screenshot" src="http://www.tri-line.com/common/img/documentation/tim_plus/phone_bill.png" alt="Phone bill" />

<p>The Phone bill report is primarily for use in situations where you 
need to produce a telephone bill for a client or group of clients, for 
example in a business centre, a hospital, or other organisation with a 
front-of-house function.</p>

<p>The result is a fully-fledged telephone bill - in the same style as one you'd expect to receive from a telephone company.</p>

<h2>Understanding the Results</h2>

<p>When selecting <span class="reference">Web</span> as the output format, this report will appear as above.</p>

<p>The Web format allows for complete flexibility when viewing any report. To view details of any filters or selection parameters used in creating this report, simply click on <span class="link">About this report</span> at the top right of the page.</p> 

<p>All headers are clickable allowing you re-arrange the report layout in seconds, to sort the calls in ascending or decending order based on the header clicked. The headers of this report are as follows:</p>

<table class="confluenceTable">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th class="confluenceTh" width=110>Header</th>
			<th class="confluenceTh">Description</th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Date & Time</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">This column shows the date and time when the call was made.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Dialled number</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The telephone number that was dialled.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Destination</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">This is the location name associated with the number dialled. Please note that any number can be customised with its own specific duration in the locations field of the Directory.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Duration</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The duration field shows the total time spent on the call in hh:mm:ss format.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Cost</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">This is the total cost of the call. Please note that on multi-national sites the cost would normally be set to appear in local currency.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Subtotal</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The subtotal cost of all outgoing calls for each user, made during the period covered by this bill excluding any local taxes. 
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Bill total</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The total cost of all outgoing calls made during the period covered by this bill excluding any local taxes. 
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Tax (20.0%)</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The amount of any local tax that applies to the bill. The tax rate is settable.
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td class="confluenceTd"><b>Total payable</b></td>
			<td class="confluenceTd">The total amount payable, including any taxes.
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>If you would like to go back and view any report for a larger section of the organisation, simply click on the appropriate link in the breadcrumb as shown below:</p>

<img class="screenshot naked" src="http://www.tri-line.com/common/img/documentation/tim_plus/breadcrumb.png" alt="Breadcrumbs" />

Report_summary
Task1Introduction
Task2Running the report
Task3Creating the report
Task4The report's results

HTML
<a id="Introduction"></a>

Introduction

The Phone Bill report produces a fully itemised telephone bill for billing back telephone usage to your clients, with the option of adding a percentage markup to each phone call. These bills can also include fixed charges for items other than phone calls, such as room rental, internet services and additional sundry items. You can fully customise the style of the report's output to reflect your own brand, including a company logo, for example.

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Marking up calls

You can apply a call markup at both user group and individual user level, by setting a charge value inside the Directory.

To apply a markup for a user group, navigate to the

Buttonmacro
LabelDirectory
 tab, select the user group and click the
Buttonmacro
LabelProperties
 button.

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URL/download/attachments/4817257/phone_bill_marking_calls.png

In the 

Referencemacro
LabelGroup properties
 window that appears, select the 
Tabmacro
LabelCharge
 tab and enter a percentage markup in the box provided, then click on the 
Buttonmacro
LabelSave
 button. In the example below, a 50% charge would be added to all calls in the selected group.

Screenshotmacro
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URL/download/attachments/4817257/phone_bill_charges.png

To apply a markup for an individual user, navigate to the 

Buttonmacro
LabelDirectory
 tab, locate the user you are interested in and click the 
Buttonmacro
LabelProperties
 button.  In the User properties window that appears, select the Markup tab and enter a description and percentage markup in the boxes provided, then click on the Save button.

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URL/download/attachments/4817257/phone_bill_markup_user.png

Adding a fixed charge

You can also add a fixed charge for items other than phone calls for each individual user that will feature in your bill.

To add a fixed charge, navigate to the 

Buttonmacro
LabelDirectory
 tab, select the user and click the 
Buttonmacro
LabelProperties
 button.  On the User properties window that appears, select the 
Tabmacro
LabelCharge
 tab and enter a description and a charge in the boxes provided, then click on the 
Buttonmacro
LabelSave
 button.

Screenshotmacro
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URL/download/attachments/4817257/phone_bill_charges_user.png

HTML
<a id="Running the report"></a>

Running the report

On the Reports screen, select the Phone bill report from the left-hand pane and click the Select this report button.

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A new window will appear, where you can set the parameters of your report.

Selecting the reporting period

For each report, you must specify a time span that covers the calls you want the report to include. This is known as the "reporting period".

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URL/download/attachments/4817244/period_general.png

There are several preset reporting periods available for selection, based on the standard Gregorian calendar. The following table describes how the start and end times are defined for each preset period:

PeriodDescription
TodayThe start and end dates are set to the current date. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
YesterdayThe start and end dates are set to the current date minus one day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This weekThe start date is set to the first day (normally Monday) of the current week. The end date is set to the current day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last weekThe start date is set to the date of the last Monday, and the end date is set to the start date plus seven days. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to 23:59:59.
This monthThe start date is set to the first day of the current month. The end date is set to the current day. The start time is set to 00:00:00 and the end time to the current time.
Last monthThe start date for this period is set in three stages: The day is set to the first day of the month. The month is set to the previous month. The year is set to the current year, unless it is currently January, in which case, the previous year is used. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
This yearThe start date is set to the first day of the first month of the current year, whilst the end date is set to today's date. The start and end times are set to 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 respectively.
All callsThe start and end dates and times are set to the dates and times of the first and last call in the entire call database, respectively.

In addition to the presets described above, it is possible to specify a custom reporting period by choosing Custom period from the

Referencemacro
LabelPeriod
 drop-down list and specifying your own  
Referencemacro
LabelStart date
Referencemacro
LabelStart time
Referencemacro
LabelEnd date
 and 
Referencemacro
LabelEnd time
of the period you want to report on.

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Once you have set the reporting period, click on the Next button to set additional report parameters and options, or select the Finish button to run the report immediately.

Selecting the reporting entity

The Reporting entity parameter allows you to select the part of your organisation whose calls the report should include, e.g. a site, a group or an individual user.

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Site

To report on a particular site, select it from the drop-down list or select All sites .

Reporting_filter
FilterSite
ValueAll sites

Group

If a site has been selected, you are able to further limit the report's results by selecting a group from the drop-down list.

Reporting_filter
FilterGroup
ValueAll groups

User

If both a site and group have been selected, you can further limit the report's results to include only calls involving a particular user, by selecting that user from the drop-down list.

Reporting_filter
FilterUser
ValueAll users

Tip

If your web account is restricted to a specific site or group, only those entities to which you have access will be available in the drop-down lists.

Once you have selected the scope of your report, click on the Next button to set additional report parameters and options, or to run the report immediately, click the Finish button.

Selecting the report filters

You can limit the results of your report by choosing one or more of the following filters:

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URL/download/attachments/4817244/filter_general.png

Account code

To produce a report consisting only of calls that were made using a particular account code, enter the account code in the field provided.

Reporting_filter
FilterAccount code
Value0140

To report on more than one account code, separate each code using a comma.

Call type

This filter allows you to define the type of call you want to report on, in terms of where the call originated and where it was delivered, e.g. incoming, outgoing, internal etc.  To report on all types of call, set this to All calls.

Reporting_filter
FilterCall type
ValueAll calls

Carrier

If you use more than one carrier, you can limit the results to include only calls that were made using a specific carrier.

Reporting_filter
FilterCarrier
ValueAll carriers

Info

If you use only one carrier, there will be no drop-down list available and no option to choose a carrier.

CLI

Calling Line Identification (CLI) is the telephone number of the remote caller in an incoming call scenario.

You can report on calls that originate from a specific CLI or those whose CLI matches a particular pattern of digits. For example, to report on all incoming calls from Tri-Line, you could enter 02072652600.

Reporting_filter
FilterCLI
Value02072652600

You can use the ! symbol to explicitly exclude a CLI from the report's results, and/or the

Referencemacro
Label*
 symbol as a wildcard in digit pattern matching.  For example, to exclude calls from Tri-Line, but include all others, you could use !020726526*. To report on more than one CLI, use a comma to separate each entry.

Cost

You can define a cost filter to include calls above or below specific values by entering your criteria, as shown below:

Reporting_filter
FilterCost
Value<2.00

You can specify a cost range by using the 

Referencemacro
Label-
 symbol; to specify limits, use the comparison operators, >, <, and 
Referencemacro
Label!
 .

Destination

If you want to filter calls to a specific, known destination, type the name of the destination in the text box provided. This filter accepts the ! and * symbols for excluding values and specifying partial matches, respectively.

For example, if you wanted to exclude all calls to France, you could enter

Keywordmacro
Label!France*
, as shown below:

Reporting_filter
FilterDestination
Value!France*

Dialled number

To filter calls to a specific dialled number, type it in the text box provided. The dialled number is defined as the number that is dialled (in the case of an outbound call), or the DDI number that the remote party dialled to reach a particular extension or group (in the case of an inbound call).

To filter calls to a specific area, a partial number can be entered (e.g. 0033 for calls to France).

Reporting_filter
FilterDialled number
Value0033

You can use the ! symbol to explicitly exclude a dialled number from the report's results, and/or the 

Referencemacro
Label*
 symbol as a wildcard in digit pattern matching.  For example, to exclude calls to Tri-Line, but include all others, you could use !020726526*). To report on more than one dialled number, use a comma to separate each entry.

Duration

To filter calls above or below a particular duration, enter the desired duration in seconds.

Reporting_filter
FilterDuration
Value>1800

You can specify a duration range by using the 

Referencemacro
Label-
 symbol; to specify limits, use the comparison operators, ><, and 
Referencemacro
Label!
 .

In the above example, the report will return only calls longer than 1800 seconds (30 minutes).

LCR code

To filter your results to include only calls that used a Least Cost Routing (LCR) code, enter it in the text box provided.

Reporting_filter
FilterLCR code
Value162

You can use the ! symbol to explicitly exclude a LCR code from the report's results, and/or the 

Referencemacro
Label*
 symbol as a wildcard in digit pattern matching.  For example, to exclude calls made using all LCR codes beginning
Referencemacro
Label162
, you could enter
Keywordmacro
Label!162*
To report on more than one LCR code, use a comma to separate each entry.

Response

This option allows you to filter calls based on their response time, measured in seconds. Specify the desired response time threshold in the text box provided.

Reporting_filter
FilterResponse time
Value>10

In the above example, the search results will display calls that have a response time greater than 10 seconds. 

You can specify a response time range by using the 

Referencemacro
Label-
 symbol and; to specify limits, use the comparison operators, ><, and 
Referencemacro
Label!
 .

Start time

This option allows you to filter calls based on the time the call started. Specify the start time in the text box provided using the hh:mm:ss format.

For example, to include only calls that began after 10 am, you could enter 10:00:00 in the Start time field, as shown below:

Reporting_filter
FilterStart time
Value10:00:00

Trunk access code

If your telephone system uses trunk access codes to connect calls using specific channels, you can limit your report's results to include only calls made using those codes. Specify the trunk access code in the text box provided.

Reporting_filter
FilterTrunk access code
Value9

You can use the ! symbol to explicitly exclude a trunk access code from the report's results, and/or the 

Referencemacro
Label*
 symbol as a wildcard in digit pattern matching. For example, to exclude calls made using the
Referencemacro
Label9
 trunk access code, you could enter 
Keywordmacro
Label!9
To report on more than one trunk access code, use a comma to separate each entry.

Selecting the report options

This section enables you to further narrow down your report results, by excluding certain types of calls. It also allows you to sort the report's results in a particular manner.

Screenshotmacro
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URL/download/attachments/4817257/phone_bill_options.png

Exclude weekends

To exclude weekend calls from your report's results, select the 

Referencemacro
LabelExclude weekends
 option.

Reporting_option
OptionExclude weekends

Exclude transfers

To exclude transferred calls from your report's results, select the

Referencemacro
LabelExclude transfers
 option.

Reporting_option
OptionExclude transfers

Summary only

To show only a summary of calls, instead of an itemised list, tick the box Summary only, as shown below:

Reporting_option
OptionSummary only

Don't replace numbers with contact names

Tick this option if you do not want to replace dialled numbers, CLIs and account codes with their associated names, as defined in your web user's contacts list.

Reporting_option
OptionDon't replace numbers with contact names

Hide unused

To exclude unused extensions from your report's results, select the Hide unused option.

Reporting_option
OptionHide unused

Hide charges

To hide the charges applied to this report, select the Hide charges option:

Reporting_option
OptionHide charges

Sort order

Choose from the Sort order drop-down list whether you want the results of the report to appear in ascending or descending order.

Reporting_filter
FilterSort order
ValueAscending

Sort results by

To sort your report's results by a particular column, select it from the Sort results by drop-down list.

Reporting_filter
FilterSort results by
ValueDate & time

Group calls by

Choose from the Group calls by drop-down list how you want to group your results. You have the option of choosing User or Container from the drop down list below:

Reporting_filter
FilterGroup calls by
ValueUser

Selecting the report format

This section allows you to choose the media format of your completed report. The formats available are 

Referencemacro
LabelWeb
Referencemacro
LabelPDF
Referencemacro
LabelExcel
Referencemacro
LabelCSV
 and 
Referencemacro
LabelXML
.

More details about each report format are available in the Setting the report format section above.

HTML
<a id="Creating the report"></a>

Creating the report

When you have selected a reporting period and have chosen any filters and options, you can either run the report immediately by clicking on the

Buttonmacro
LabelRun now
 button, or schedule it for future delivery.

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HTML
<a id="The report's results"></a>

The report's results

Below is an example of this report's output in Web format. By clicking on the About this report link at the top-right corner of the page, you can review any filters and options that have been applied to the report.

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As with all reports produced by TIM Plus, each page of the report includes the following information:

  • the report's title
  • the date and time that the report was generated
  • the name of the report, if applicable

The Web format is the most interactive of all formats: all column headers are click-sortable and most graphical and tabular elements can be drilled down into, allowing deeper analysis of your results.

The body of the report consists of an itemised call list for each billed user. Each itemised list has the following column headers:

HeaderDescription
Date & TimeThe date and time the call started.
Dialled numberThe telephone number that was dialled.
DestinationThe location name associated with the dialled number.
DurationThe total time spent on the call, in hh:mm:ss format.
CostThe cost of the call(s).
SubtotalThe total cost of all outgoing calls for each user.
Bill totalThe total cost of all outgoing calls for all users.
TaxThe sales tax to apply to the bill (if applicable).
Total payableThe total amount payable, including taxes.

To modify your report to cover a larger organisational scope, click on an element of the breadcrumb as shown below:

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