Approved = The Approver has completed the approval process for all jobs in the batch
Red = Finished - The batch is finished / has been Billed
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The Billing Approval Batch application allows the biller (or other user) to control the job/components and related records that are selected for approval and assigns the batch to an Approver. A batch is not limited to jobs for a single AE, Project Schedule Manager or client/division/product but can be tailored to include jobs for a single Approver. The batch includes date and posting period cutoffs which are used to limit the records that appear in approvals. It also includes other criteria to help determine which jobs to include. These selection options are carried over to Billing Selection (in the Billing Command Center) when selecting by Billing Approval Batch. When a batch is saved, all qualifying job/components are marked with the Batch ID and are not available for selection on another batch until the batch is finished. If necessary, the batch criteria can be modified at various stages of approval to provide flexibility and continuity between biller and Approver.
Important Note: The Advantage version of Billing Approval can continue to be used in its original state but job/components approved in the Webvantage version of Billing Approval will be unavailable for processing from within this application.
Select the Billing button on the Main Menu.
Select Billing Approval Batch from the menu to open the Billing Approval Batch View screen.
This is where the Batch records are created and processed and where they can be viewed and modified.
This screen displays all batches created by the user logged into Webvantage (My Batches), as well as all batches that have not been completed, regardless of the batch date for user logged in (Unfinished Batches) and the batches created by other users. The Unfinished Batches and/or the Batches created by other users sections will automatically be displayed. To collapse the section, click on the header section. To expand the section, click on the collapsed section header.
A batch may be viewed and modified by any user. Batch job criteria may be modified when the batch is in a Pending or In Progress status.
When the batch status is Approved, Finished, Partially Billed or Billed, only the batch description and batch date may be modified. Alert notifications can be sent at any time, regardless of the batch status.
View - Click on the View Details icon to open an existing batch record for review and editing.
View Details Icon - Opens an existing batch record for review and modification.
Batch ID - System generated batch number.
Batch Description - Description entered for the batch on the Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen.
Batch Date - Date entered for the batch on the Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen.
Created By - User who created the batch.
Assigned Employee - The employee who has been assigned to the batch as the 'Approver'. This is the employee who will be able to access the Billing Approval records for the batch selected.
Job Count - Displays a list of job/components currently selected as part of the batch. If the batch is Finished, the job count will be zero.
Status - Identifies the current status of the Batch based on the order of processing listed below. The highest status achieved will be displayed.
Pending - The Batch has been created without Billing Approval records added.
In Progress - The Batch has been created and at least one Billing Approval record has been added to the batch.
Approved - The Approver has reviewed and approved all of the jobs within the Batch and has marked the Batch as Approved from the Billing Approval application.
Finished - The Batch has been marked as Finished from within the Billing Approval Batch application and the selected jobs are now available for selection on a new batch.
Partially Billed - The Batch has been Finished and at least one approved Job/Component related to the batch has been billed. This indicates that the billing process has begun.
Billed - The Batch has been Finished and all approved Job/Components related to the batch have been billed.
Batch Completion Status - The colored status icons can be used to quickly determine if a Batch is still being worked on or is finished. Since jobs cannot be added to new batches while part of an active batch, it is important to spot batches that are not marked 'finished'.
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Green = The batch is Pending Approval / In Progress |
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Approved = The Approver has completed the approval process for all jobs in the batch |
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Red = Finished - The batch is finished / has been Billed |
Alerts - Alerts are also color coded to determine if an alert has been sent. If an Alert has been sent, the ability to drill down to view the Alerts is available. All Alerts that have been sent for this batch will be displayed. Select the Alert to view by clicking on the Magnifying Glass or on the Subject link.
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Green = Alerts have been sent |
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Red = Alerts have not been sent |
On the Billing Approval Batch View screen, the following actions are available:
The toolbar will 'float' to always be visible when scrolling.
Month/Year - Use the dropdown to select the month/year to display all batches that include a batch date within the month and year selected. The screen will automatically refresh to display the batches from the selected time period. The Month/Year will default to the current Month/Year.
Batch ID - Enter a Batch ID and click Refresh/Search to select and display regardless of the month/year selected.
Refresh/Search - To determine if there has been an update to the Batch's 'Status' or 'Alert Status' since initially viewing the Billing Approval Batch View screen, click on the Refresh/Search button.
New - To create a new batch record, click on the New button.
To create a new batch, click on the New button.
Enter the following information on the Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen:
Each section can be collapsed / expanded by clicking on the section headers.
Batch ID - The Batch ID will be system generated / assigned when the record is saved.
Batch Description (Required) - Enter the description of the Batch, up to 50 characters. The description is displayed for the Approver in the Billing Approval application.
Batch Date (Required) - The Batch Date will default to the current system date. To change the Batch Date, manually enter the batch date or use the calendar widget. This is used to establish the month and year in which the batch will be displayed.
Assigned Employee (Required) - Manually enter an employee to assign to the Batch, or click the Assigned Employee hyper link to select an Employee from the Search List lookup. This is the employee who will have access to this batch from the Billing Approval application.
Date Cutoff (Required) - Enter the date, or click on the calendar widget, that will be used as a cutoff for actual time and income only records to be displayed in the Billing Approval application.
Period Cutoff (Required) - Select the Period to be used as a cutoff for actual accounts payable invoice records to be displayed in the Billing Approval application. The current Period is the default.
Select by:
Account Executive - To narrow the jobs based on the Account Executive assignment, click on the Account Executive from the selection box. To select multiple Account Executives, select an Account Executive, hold down the 'Ctrl' key and select additional Account Executives.
or
Project Manager - To narrow the jobs based on the Project Schedule Manager, select the Manager radio button and select the Manager from the selection box. To select multiple Managers, select a Manager, hold down the 'Ctrl' key and select additional Managers. (Manager label is a custom label field and defined in Webvantage | Maintenance | Project Schedule | Settings - Assignments tab.)
If no Account Executive or Manager is selected, then ALL available jobs will be selected.
All - Selects All jobs, regardless of Client, Division, Product or Campaign.
Client - To select jobs by Clients, click Client and select the Client. To select multiple Clients, select a Client, hold down the Ctrl key and select additional Clients.
Division - To select jobs by a Client's Division, click Division and select the Division. To select multiple Divisions, select a Division, hold down the Ctrl key and select additional Divisions.
Product - To select jobs by a Client's Product, click Product and select the Product. To select multiple Products, select a Product, hold down the Ctrl key and select additional Products.
Campaign - To select jobs based on a Campaign, click Campaign and select the Campaign code. To select multiple Campaigns, select a Campaign code, hold down the Ctrl key and select additional Campaign codes.
After the batch has been saved, all eligible jobs for the batch will be listed as selected. To exclude individual jobs from being included in the batch, uncheck the job and click on the Save button from within the Job List section.
The job list may not be initially displayed, as the Job List section is 'collapsed'. This is due to Billing Settings setup in Advantage Maintenance (Advantage | Maintenance | Billing | Billing Settings). To display the Job List, click on the Job List section header to expand the section.
To include a job that has been de-selected, click on the Saved check box and click on the Save button within the Job List Section.
For convenience, there are 2 Save buttons within the Job List section. 1) Located at the top of the job list and 2) located at the bottom of the job list. For batches that have included more than 50 jobs, click on the Change page links to view all jobs.
All jobs that are included in the batch will state YES in the Saved column and the check box is highlighted with light green. All jobs that are excluded from the batch will state NO in the Saved column and the check box is checked and highlighted with light red.
Click on the column heading to sort the Job List by Saved, Job/Component, Client, Division and/or Product.
Important
Any time during the Billing Approval process,
if the Save
button on the toolbar is selected on the
Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen, all
eligible jobs that meet the batch criteria
will be re-selected for the batch. Once the batch has been marked finished,
the job count will be zero.
When a finished batch is 'Un-Finished', all
eligible jobs that meet the batch criteria
will be re-selected for the batch. Any individual jobs may be de-selected
and must be saved within the Job List section.
Open Jobs with Unbilled Other Records - Select to include jobs that are Advance Billed, have an Approved Estimate or Open PO's.
Includes jobs that have unbilled charges but also other qualifying records such as Advance Billing, Approved Estimate or Open Purchase Orders. This default option allows Approvers to view all jobs with billing-related records so that action may be taken.
Open Jobs with Unbilled Records Only - Select to only include jobs that are unbilled.
Includes jobs only if they have unbilled or un-reconciled records.
All Open Jobs - Select to include all open jobs.
Includes all open jobs regardless of the type of records they include. This allows Approvers to view all jobs and make a decision about billing or closing.
Fee Time Records - Select to include actual records marked as fee.
Non Billable Records - Select to include actual records marked as non-billable.
Once completed, click the Save button on the toolbar. After the Batch has been saved, the Batch ID number will display.
To view Batch Entry/Edit information (created date/user and modified date/user), hover the mouse over the Batch ID link.
To view a list of all jobs/components that have met the Batch selection criteria, hover the mouse over the Job List link. The Job List also indicates the number of jobs that have met the Batch selection criteria.
On the Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen, the following actions are available:
The toolbar will 'float' to always be visible when scrolling.
Save - Click on the Save button to create the new batch record. The process of saving finds all of the qualifying job/components and marked each with the Batch ID number.
The Save button can also be used to refresh the list of job/components selected. If a new job/component has been entered after the creation of the batch and meets the criteria of the batch, click on save and it will be included in the selection. This can only be done if the batch has not been 'Finished'.
Finished - Click on Finished to complete the batch and un-mark the related job/components so that they can be selected in a new batch. A batch can only be 'Finished' after the Approver has marked the batch as 'Approved' in the Billing Approval application.
When a batch is Finished, criteria and other batch settings become non-editable. The batch description and date may be modified.
The Finished button displays with a highlight when it is on (finished).
The Finished button appears enabled without a highlight when it is off (unfinished).
The Finished button will be disabled if it is not available based on rules.
Un-Finish - If a batch is Finished, click on the Finished button again to reverse the process. This is the process of un-finishing the batch. Un-finishing a batch may be necessary if a change needs to be made to the batch criteria or to related billing approval records. When a batch is unfinished, job/components that meet the batch criteria are re-selected. This includes new job/components that may meet the criteria. It does not include job/components that are part of a different, active batch.
The Finished button displays with a highlight when it is on (finished).
The Finished button appears enabled without a highlight when it is off (unfinished).
The Finished button will be disabled if it is not available based on rules.
Alert - Click on the Alert button to send an Alert to the members of an Alert Group, the Assigned Employee or the Batch Creator, notifying that a new Billing Approval Batch has been created and is ready for approval. On the Alert message, enter any additional information in the 'Body' section and click the Send button. To cancel the Alert, click Close.
Delete - Click on the Delete button to delete a batch record that is in a Pending status. Batch records that contain Billing Approval records cannot be deleted. A message will display verifying that the batch is to be deleted. Click OK to delete the Batch or click Cancel to cancel the deletion and return to the Billing Approval Batch Entry/Edit screen.
Current Status - Displays the current status of the Batch based on the order of processing listed below. The highest status achieved will be displayed.
Alert Status - Displays None or Sent depending on the actual alert status. If an alert has been sent, the status will read as Sent.
Bookmark - The option to Bookmark an individual billing approval batch is available by clicking on the Bookmark icon on the toolbar.
The Billing Approval batch record can be modified to manage related billing approvals based on the following rules, making sure to click the Save button to save changes:
Batch Description
Batch Date
Assigned Employee
Date Cutoff
Period Cutoff
Selected Account Executives / Traffic Manager
Selected Client / Division / Product / Campaign
Job List
Include Non Billable Records
Include Fee Time Records
Include Open Jobs With No Qualifying Details
Include in Detail Fee Time Records / Non Billable Records
Batch Description
Batch date
Include in Detail Fee Time Records / Non Billable Records
Save for all Batch Status Except 'Finished'
Save, Select or Deselect Job/Components that meet the Batch Criteria
If a Batch must be modified to adjust date or period cutoffs, or change other options, it must be done before any billing has been started on the related jobs. If billing has not taken place, but the batch has been approved by the Approver and finished, both of these actions may be reversed.
To Un-Finish the Batch click on the Finished button again. This will change the Current Status from Finished to Approved.
Have the Approver Un-Approve the batch from the Billing Approval application.
The Billing Approval Batch record can be deleted as long as the batch is in Pending status. Click on the Delete button to delete a batch record. Batch records that contain Billing Approval Records cannot be deleted.
Security
