Managing Services

Overview

Services handle the non-usage side of your billing. Numbers handle calls and usage data. Services handle everything else: hosting packages, support contracts, software licences, hardware rental, managed services, and any other product that generates one-off or recurring charges without call data.

Each service acts as a container for features that define what you charge and how often. A single hosting service might hold a monthly hosting fee, an annual support charge, and a one-off setup fee. The service groups these charges together, links them to a customer, and provides the structure for managing their lifecycle.

Because services don’t involve call data, there’s no CDR matching, no tariff assignment, and no discount plans. This makes them simpler to set up and manage than numbers. The focus shifts from rating accuracy to charge configuration and contract management.

This guide takes you through the complete lifecycle of managing services. You’ll learn how to add services for new products, handle changes as customer needs evolve, and use the platform’s tools to keep everything accurate. We also cover common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Quick Start

Most Common Tasks

Add a new service → Customer page > Add menu > Service (5 minutes) Find a service → Use SmartSearch with service name or ID (instant) Drop a service → Service page > Actions > Drop Service (2 minutes) Reinstate a service → Service page > Actions > Reinstate Service (2 minutes) Add features to a service → Service page > Actions > Add Features (5 minutes)

Understanding the Service Page

When you open a service record, you’ll see:

Top section: Service details including type, name, status, provider, and billing information Bottom section: Related items like features and notes

Enhanced mode adds detailed tabs showing the owning customer, other services on the account, and feature details.

No tariff sections, CDR matching, or discount plans appear here. Those relate to usage billing on numbers.

Finding Services

The platform offers several ways to find services, each suited to different situations.

SmartSearch for Quick Access

When you know the service name or ID, SmartSearch is your fastest option. You’ll find the SmartSearch box in the left-hand menu on every page. Type in the service name and press Enter or click the SmartSearch button.

When there’s exactly one match, you’ll go straight to the service’s page. If several services match your search, you’ll see a list to choose from.

QuickSearch for Filtered Results

Sometimes you need more than a simple lookup. Perhaps you want to find all dropped services for a customer, or all services of a particular type. QuickSearch lets you combine criteria to narrow down exactly what you need.

You can access QuickSearch through the left menu, the Index option in the menu bar, or from the main menu. Filter by service type, status, or customer to find what you’re looking for. The search results show as a list with key information visible at a glance.

Navigation Tips

In enhanced mode, hovering over any service link shows a tooltip with key information. This lets you confirm you have the right service without opening the full record. Service links are colour-coded by status, making it easy to spot active, dropped, or special-status services at a glance.

Managing Service Records

Adding Services

Setting up new services correctly from the start prevents billing errors and saves correction work later. Before you begin, gather the information you’ll need: confirm the customer account exists, know which service type to use, plan any features that need to be active from day one, and decide on the charge intervals and amounts.

Adding a Service

Start by navigating to the customer who’ll own the service. Once you’re viewing the customer, click Add menu > Service from the top menu bar.

If you’ve set up default templates for common service types, load one using Default Values > Load. These templates pre-fill standard settings, saving time and keeping things consistent.

Select the Service Type manually. Unlike numbers, there’s no auto-detection. The type controls which customer products are available, which transaction codes apply, and any default notice periods.

Enter the service name, description, and other details. The service name appears in search results and on the customer page, so make it clear and recognisable.

The inline feature creation saves time when a new service needs charges straight away. The quick-add section lets you set up features with charge intervals and amounts as part of the service creation. For more complex setups, enable full feature entry to add up to ten features in one step. For example, a managed hosting service might need a monthly fee, quarterly backup charge, and annual SSL certificate renewal, all created together.

Once you click Save, the platform creates the service and any features you specified. The service becomes visible on the customer’s account straight away.

Note: There’s no bulk addition mode for services. Each service is added individually. If you need to add many similar services, use default templates to speed up the process.

Modifying Services

Services need updating as customer requirements change. To modify a service, navigate to it through searching or from the customer’s account. Click Edit to unlock all fields.

Some changes have broader implications than others. Status changes may trigger cascading updates to features linked to the service. Changing the service type after creation can affect which customer products are valid.

The platform’s audit features help track all changes. Use the Update Reason dropdown to categorise why you’re making changes. The Update Details field lets you add context that helps when reviewing changes later.

Managing Service Status

Understanding service statuses helps you control billing behaviour precisely.

Active services operate normally. They accrue all fixed charges and these appear on the next invoice.

Active - Do Not Bill provides a useful holding state. The service continues accumulating charges, but the platform won’t include them on invoices yet. Use this when setting up new services before billing should start, or when temporarily suspending invoices during dispute resolution.

Dropped indicates the service has ended. No new recurring charges generate, but existing unbilled charges still process normally.

Your system administrator may have configured additional statuses for your specific business needs.

Deleting Services

Deletion permanently removes a service and all its history from the platform. Only delete services that were entered incorrectly and never used. Once a service has real charges or has appeared on an invoice, keep it in the system even if dropped.

Before deletion, make sure the service has nothing attached to it. Remove or transfer any features and notes first. The deletion option appears in the Actions menu when viewing the service.

Service Information Sections

Identification

Core identifiers for the service record.

No fields defined for this section.

Service Details

Basic information about the service, including type, name, status, and descriptive fields.

Sale / Provisioning Details

Information about when and how the service was sold and provisioned.

Provider Details

Details of the provider and provider-specific references for this service.

Billing Details

Billing-related settings for this service, including fixed fee tariff and customer products.

System Information

System-generated information about the service.

Service Actions

Service Actions automate tasks that would otherwise need many manual steps. Each action handles the details: updating related records, calculating charges, and keeping audit trails.

Quick Action Reference

No Allocate, Divert, or Ignore Traffic actions exist for services. Those relate to call handling on numbers.

Using Service Actions

Access actions from the service page via the Actions menu. The platform tracks all changes with full audit trails.

Action Details

Drop Service

Stops billing and deactivates the service. Features end automatically on your chosen date.

When to use: Customer no longer needs the service, contract ends, product discontinued

Required:

• Drop Date: When to stop billing (calendar picker)

Optional:

• Cancellation Notice Given: When customer notified you
• Status Reason: Why the service is being dropped

What happens:

• Features end on the drop date
• Credits issued for any advance charges beyond the drop date
• No new recurring charges after drop date
• Existing unbilled charges still process
• Service remains on account for history

Important: If the service involves a third-party provider, you still need to cancel with them separately.

Example: Customer requests cancellation of their hosting on 15th January for month end → Set Drop Date: 31/01/2025, Notice Given: 15/01/2025

Reinstate Service

Brings a dropped service back to active status. Can restore features automatically.

When to use: Service restored, drop was an error, customer changed their mind

Required:

• Reinstate Date: When to resume billing

Optional:

• Also Reinstate Features Dropped On: Restore features dropped on same date
• Status Reason: Why service is returning

What happens:

• Service becomes active from reinstate date
• Features matching drop date can be restored
• New charges begin from reinstate date
• If reinstate date is in the past, back-dated charges are added

Tip: Raise a manual invoice after reinstating if you need to bill back-dated charges straight away.

Add Features

Attaches new one-off or recurring charges to the service.

When to use: New product added to existing service, additional charges needed

What happens:

• New feature created and linked to the service
• Charges begin from the feature start date
• Feature inherits the service’s default fixed fee tariff unless overridden

See Managing Features for full details on feature configuration.

Key Configuration Areas

Service Types

Every service needs a type that tells the platform how to categorise and bill it. Unlike number types, there’s no auto-detection. You choose the type manually when creating the service.

The service type controls several important settings. It determines which customer products are available for commercial classification. It sets default transaction codes for billing. It can specify notice period lengths for charge changes. Getting the type right from the start keeps downstream configuration clean.

Create service types that match your product catalogue. Common examples include “Hosting”, “Support Contract”, “Software Licence”, “Hardware Rental”, and “Managed Service”. Each type can have its own default settings, making data entry faster and more consistent.

Annual Increase Profiles

Annual increase profiles record which price increase schedule applies to a service. They’re for reference and reporting. They don’t trigger price changes automatically.

Three profile types exist:

• CPI-linked: Increases follow the Consumer Price Index rate
• RPI-linked: Increases follow the Retail Price Index rate
• Fixed amount: Increases follow a set amount or percentage

The reference date records when the next increase is due. Set it to match your contract terms. For example, if annual increases apply each April, set the reference date accordingly.

Use these fields to track which services are due for increases and when. When the time comes, you update the feature charges manually or through a bulk process.

Customer Products

Customer Products provide a commercial classification for services. They’re linked to the service type, so only relevant products appear when you’re configuring a service.

Use customer products for reporting and analysis. They help answer questions like “how much revenue comes from hosting?” or “how many customers have support contracts?”. The products you define should match your commercial offerings.

Service Charge Intervals

Charge intervals control how often features on a service generate charges. Each interval defines the frequency, whether charges are billed in advance or arrears, and how calendar alignment works.

Common intervals include monthly, quarterly, and annually. More specialised intervals handle things like weekly charges, bank-holiday-only charges, or custom periods.

Pro-rating handles partial periods automatically. When a service starts mid-month, the platform calculates the correct proportional charge rather than billing a full period.

Choosing the right interval affects cash flow and customer expectations. Monthly billing gives regular, predictable invoices. Quarterly or annual billing reduces invoice volume but means larger individual amounts.

Contract End Dates

The contract end date on a service is informational. It doesn’t trigger any automatic actions like dropping the service or stopping charges. Instead, it provides a reference point for:

• Renewal management: Filter for services approaching contract end to plan renewals
• Notice periods: Know when to start conversations about continuation
• Reporting: Track contract coverage across your customer base

Pair contract end dates with the platform’s todo and reminder features to make sure renewals don’t slip through the cracks.

Settings and Options

Site Grouping

By assigning services to sites, you create logical sections on invoices with subtotals for each group. A customer with multiple products might see charges grouped by “Hosting Services”, “Support Contracts”, and “Software Licences”. The site names appear as headers on invoices, so use clear descriptions that customers recognise.

Leave the site field blank for services that don’t need grouping.

Description for Invoices

The description field adds context on invoices. Instead of just seeing a service name, customers see what they’re being charged for. Keep descriptions concise. “Monthly Hosting - Production Server” works better than “Recurring Monthly Managed Hosting Service Fee for Production Web Server Environment”.

Provider Details

Provider fields on services are optional. Use them when a third-party provides the underlying service. This helps you track provider references, account numbers, and service types alongside your own billing records. When provider issues arise, having these details on the service record speeds up resolution.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Features Not Ending with Dropped Service

You’ve dropped a service expecting all its features to end automatically, but charges continue appearing.

First, check whether someone manually ended the features before dropping the service. If features were already manually managed, the automatic drop process might skip them.

Next, look at the feature end dates. If they’re different from the service drop date, manual changes likely occurred. Your administrator might also have configured certain feature types to continue beyond service drops.

To resolve, manually adjust feature end dates to match your intentions. Document why the automatic process didn’t work to help troubleshoot similar issues later.

Charges Not Appearing on Invoices

When expected charges don’t show up, check three things:

1. Service status: Is it Active? Services set to “Active - Do Not Bill” accumulate charges but don’t invoice them.
2. Feature dates: Do the feature start and end dates cover the billing period? A feature starting next month won’t appear on this month’s invoice.
3. Charge intervals: Is the interval correct? A quarterly charge won’t appear every month.

Annual Increase Not Recorded

If annual increase details aren’t showing as expected:

• Check the annual increase profile is linked to the service
• Verify the reference date is set correctly
• Make sure the profile itself has the right index or percentage configured

Wrong Charge Amounts

When feature charges don’t match expectations:

• Verify the amounts on the feature itself, not just the service
• Check whether a fixed fee tariff is overriding the feature’s own amounts
• Look at pro-rating calculations for partial periods
• Check whether someone has already applied an annual increase to the amounts

CDR and Tariff Issues

CDR matching and tariff problems don’t apply to services. If you’re seeing usage-related issues, you’re looking at a number, not a service.

Best Practices

New Service Setup

Pre-Setup Checks

Before creating any service, take a moment to verify the basics. Confirm you’re adding it to the correct customer. Check whether a similar service already exists to avoid duplicates. Know the service type, charge amounts, and start date before you begin.

Using Templates

Templates transform service setup from a repetitive task into a quick process. Create default value sets for your common service types. A “Hosting” template might pre-fill the service type, standard monthly charge, and default fixed fee tariff. Load the template, adjust what’s different for this customer, and save.

Inline Features

Take advantage of inline feature creation when adding services. Setting up features during service creation keeps everything in one step and reduces the risk of forgetting charges. For services with multiple standard charges, enable full feature entry to handle up to ten features at once.

Post-Setup Checks

After creating a service, verify the features look correct. Check start dates, amounts, and charge intervals. Confirm the service appears on the customer’s account with the right status.

Managing Changes

Use Actions, Not Manual Edits

When dropping or reinstating services, always use the Actions menu. Actions trigger cascading updates to features that manual status changes miss. A manual status change to “Dropped” won’t automatically end features, leading to charges that continue after the service stops.

Annual Increase Reviews

Review annual increase profiles regularly. Use them to identify which services are due for price changes and when. When increases are due, update feature charges accordingly. Keeping the reference dates current after each round of increases helps you track the next cycle.

Contract Renewal Management

Use contract end dates and the platform’s reporting to track upcoming renewals. Filter for services with contract end dates in the next 30, 60, or 90 days. Start renewal conversations early to avoid gaps in service or unexpected cancellations.

Data Quality

Regular Reviews

Build service reviews into your routine. Check for services with incorrect statuses, missing features, or outdated provider details. Clean data means accurate billing and fewer customer queries.

Naming Standards

Consistent naming makes searching and reporting easier. Decide on a naming convention for services and stick with it. “Hosting - Production” is better than having some called “Prod Hosting”, others “Production Host”, and others “Web Hosting (Prod)”.

Documentation

Record why services were added and any special configuration. Use the platform’s notes and update tracking to keep a history. Future administrators will appreciate knowing why a service has unusual settings.

Advanced Users Only: Manual Operations

When Manual Operations Apply

Use manual methods only for:

• Historical data corrections
• Unusual scenarios Actions don’t cover
• System testing
• Emergency overrides

Manual Dropping

If you must drop manually:

1. Edit the service
2. Change status to “Dropped”
3. Set dropped date
4. Save

You still must:

• Check feature handling
• Verify unbilled charges
• Document why manual method used

Manual Feature Management

When Actions don’t update features:

• Check each feature individually
• Adjust dates as needed
• Maintain consistency
• Document all changes

Warning: Manual changes bypass system validations and audit trails.

Related Guides

• Managing Features - One-off and recurring charges
• Managing Numbers - Usage billing and call management
• Managing Customers - Customer account setup

Need Help?

Common questions: Check the troubleshooting section above API integration: See the API Documentation Support: Use the in-platform support tools