SAP ERP FOR COMPANIES REQUIRING BILLING SOLUTIONS

 Thousands or even millions of transactions executed at the same time, billing processes taking into account a large number of pricing variables and the distribution and management of metering equipment are just a few characteristics of the operations conducted by utility companies from the gas, electricity, water and wastewater or telecommunications sectors. Due to the specific nature of their business processes, such enterprises need the best ERP systems to ensure effective and efficient operations. In response to the identified specific needs, HICRON offers a SAP ERP System extended by a dedicated billing solution.

Why SAP ERP?
SAP ERP is the most often selected, integrated IT system supporting business management which covers all areas of the company’s operations: from finance and controlling, through production and planning and sales and distribution to project management, etc. SAP is not only an IT solution. Unlike most of the IT systems available on the market, SAP ERP offers value added in the form of the best business practices incorporated in the system. The solution makes use of databases of reference processes collected during the thirty years of global SAP experience and 15 years of experience on the domestic market. The same applies to the business processes unique for the gas, electricity, water and telecommunications industry. The best practices incorporated in the system are the model business processes available to each client in the standard version without additional fees, which can be modified as required.

A great advantage of the SAP ERP system is its flexibility manifesting itself in almost unlimited opportunities for development and adaptation to the individual needs of each company. In response to the identified demand for billing solutions, HICRON extended the SAP ERP system by a proprietary HICRON Billing Solution intended for medium-size companies.

HICRON Billing Solution makes maximum use of the functionalities available in the standard SAP ERP system. It facilitates collection of data from various parts of the system and uses them for analytical and reporting purposes. The areas of integration include Sales and Distribution, Materials Management, Finance and Controlling and Plant Maintenance. HICRON Billing Solution can also be integrated with SAP Project System (PS) in order to support the investment planning processes.

HICRON Billing Solution has been developed on the basis of the know-how of HICRON consultants having extensive experience in the implementation of SAP IS-Utilities (a billing system dedicated to large enterprises), and the expectations of the users of billing solutions. Knowledge of the business processes combined with a thorough insight in the SAP IS-Utilities software helped HICRON consultants develop a proprietary billing solution for medium-size companies. The possibility of adapting the solution to the customer needs, its extendibility and attractive pricing are the three major advantages of HICRON Billing Solution.

The following companies took advantage of the services provided by HICRON consultants in relation to extension of the SAP ERP: Netia, Linde Gaz Polska, KRI, Zakład Energetyczny Wrocław, Zamojska Korporacja Energetyczna, RWE Stoen, Energetyka Kaliska, Polkomtel, Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa and PSE Electra.

The business processes supported by HICRON Billing Solution include:

• registration of customers in the system and monitoring the customer history from the moment of completing the questionnaire until signing of the agreement and receipt of the services, including an extensive reporting function. The solution offers a possibility of recording potential customers together with the information about their potential demand for particular services. This functionality facilitates planning and identification of optimum locations for new investments based on the system reports,
• support of the network maintenance and development process by reflecting the structure of the utility network in the system, taking into account, for instance, the reach of the network, progress in service lines execution, etc. Thanks to its flexible nature, the solution can be integrated with software for detailed visualisation of the networks on geographic maps or with Document Management Systems (DMS), offering access to graphic records, contracts, designs and other documents identified by the user and assigned to particular networks, service receipt points, customers or locations in the system,
• a detailed register of metering equipment (service meters) with a complete history of their use. A possibility of easy configuration of different types of metering equipment,
• execution of meter readouts and closing settlement periods with an option of automatic verification whether all readouts have been completed and invoices issued to the customers, etc. It is also possible to implement a solution checking the correctness of the readouts, with an option of automatic warning alerts whenever significant differences against average consumption are identified, when the maximum deviation value is exceeded or when the meter is cleared or reset, etc.
• a possibility of remote readouts thanks to integration of the HICRON Billing Solution with a telemetric solution,
• fully automated generation of invoice corrections and correction notes for corrected invoices and optional generation of advance or prepayment invoices,
• recording of information about failures, repairs, defects (including voltage dips, low values of gas combustion heat, limited capacity of telecommunications links, etc.) which has impact on the amount of fees. Automatic calculation of the invoice amount taking into account the recorded data,
• route management in the system with an option of automatic selection of customers for meter readouts in a defined period of time. Dynamic creation of readout lists and their export and import to and from xls and xml files,
• management of Take Or Pay contracts,
• a possibility of defining individual rates/ tariffs/ settlement models,
• simple to use, intuitive user interface.

What are the benefits of SAP ERP with a billing solution?
By offering implementation of SAP ERP together with the billing solution, HICRON provides the companies with an opportunity to take advantage of a wide range of functionalities, including an option of adapting the solution to individual requirements specific for the company or industry. The major benefits of using the solution include:

• focusing exclusively on business goals instead of the technological challenges which are the sole responsibility of HICRON consultants who ensure correct and trouble-free performance of the technical aspects of the solution
• facilitating external and internal financial reporting
• improved management of the company thanks to ongoing control of the utilisation of resources
• a possibility of managing all business processes from the level of a single system environment; access to cross-functional data via a single transaction,
• quick and accurate defining of the service parameters, various tariff plans, etc.
• quick and efficient settlement of the amounts payable by all service users,
• collecting complete information about costs,
• obtaining a reliable source of reporting information, with extensive analytical functions