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Enable and Use Usage Accumulation

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Overview

Usage Accumulation allows you to offer customers discounts on Master or Supplemental Plan Instances by accumulating usage beyond their normal usage billing periods, resulting in lower rates per unit at higher usage tiers. Applicable to Standard and Volume Discount Pricing Rules (not flat rate per tier), this feature is compatible with both real-time and time-of-invoicing rating configurations.

Note: If you upload usage records with specified currency amounts, Aria will bill customers based on those amounts, regardless of usage accumulation settings.

Usage Accumulation Client Level Setting

Getting Here: Configuration > Billing > Invoice Settings

Usage Accumulation Client Level Setting.jpg

You must set the Allow MPI Level Usage Accumulation client level system setting to "True". This parameter governs whether or not usage accumulation can be enabled for an account holder's Master or Supplemental Plan Instance(s) usage-based service(s).

Pricing Rule

Getting Here: Products > Plan > Services

Standard Pricing.jpg

The account holder must be subscribed to a Master and/or Supplemental Plan Instance that contains a usage-based service that is configured to be rated using eiher the Standard Pricing Rule or Volume Discount Pricing Rule. See Configure Plan Services for more information.

Real Time Rating—"True" or "False"

Getting Here: Configuration > Billing > Invoice Settings

Usage Accumulation - Rating.jpg

Accumulating and rating usage does not depend on rating usage records real time when loaded into Aria. Usage Accumulation will accumulate and rate usage whether Aria is configured to rate usage real time or at time of invoicing. This system setting, whether enabled or disabled, will have no effect on rating accumulated usage over a specified period of time (Alternate Usage Reset Months).

Loading Usage Incrementally or Prior to Invoicing

Loading Usage Incrementally OR Prior to Invoicing.jpg

Accumulating and rating usage is not dependent upon loading usage incrementally throughout the account holder's usage billing interval. Usage can be loaded incrementally or just once prior to invoicing.

Enabling an Account Holder's Master/Supplemental Plan Instance to Accumulate and Rate Usage Via the Aria UI

Getting Here: Accounts > Search > Plans

Plans Screen - Usage Accumulation Reset.jpg

  1. Click on an account's Master and/or Supplemental Plan Instance ID.
    Usage Accumulation Hyperlink.jpg
  1. Click on the Plan's Usage Accumulation Reset Value hyperlink.
    Set Alternate Usage Reset Option.jpg
  1. Click on the Alternate Usage Reset Options field's drop-down arrow and select your renewal option for this Plan's Alternate Usage Reset Months.
  • Auto-Renew—Usage accumulation for this Plan's usage-based service will automatically reset to the same Alternate Usage Reset Month's value upon completion of its usage accumulation period.
  • One-Time Only—The accumulation of usage will expire at the end of the Alternate Usage Reset Month's value upon completion of its usage accumulation period.

    Note: Auto-Renew is the default Alternate Usage Reset Month's renewal option.

  1. Type in the number of Alternate Usage Reset Months that you want to accumulate usage for rating and invoicing purposes.

    Note: The maximum allowed Alternate Usage Reset Months is 99.

  1. Click on the Save button to save your changes.
    Account Overview - Comments Section.jpg
  1. Click on the View All Comments link from within the Recent Comments section on the account's Account Overview screen.
    Usage Accumulation Comment.jpg

A comment is added to the account detailing the Usage Accumulation settings for the specific Plan instance including the Reset Months, and the Reset Renewal Option.

Enabling an Account Holder's Master or Supplemental Plan Instance to Accumulate and Rate Usage Via the Aria API

Several APIs support the set up, editing, or retrieval of Usage Accumulation related information for an account holder:

API Updates

create_acct_complete_m

update_acct_complete_m

update_acct_plan_multi_m

replace_acct_plan_m

assign_acct_plan_m

update_acct_plan_m

The <usage_accumulation_reset_months> field value indicates the number of usage accumulation reset months for each plan.

The <usage_accumulation_reset_months_renewal _option> field value denotes whether the <usage_accumulation_reset_months> field value will automatically reset to the same value at the end of the current usage accumulation period or will expire at the end of the current usage accumulation period.

get_acct_plans_all_m

get_acct_plans_m

The <usage_accumulation_reset_months> field value indicates the number of usage accumulation reset months for each plan.

The <usage_accumulation_reset_months_renewal _option> field value denotes whether the <usage_accumulation_reset_months> field value will automatically reset to the same value at the end of the current usage accumulation period or will expire at the end of the current usage accumulation period.

The <usage_accumulation_reset_counter> field value denotes the number of months since last reset. Once this value reaches the usage_accumulation_reset_months value, it will reset to 0 (zero).

Usage Accumulation Example

As an example, if an account holder is subscribed to a plan with a monthly usage billing interval, and that account holder's Alternate Usage Reset Months is set to 5 months, and configured to automatically renew (default) upon expiration of the Alternate Usage Reset Months, then that customer would be billed for usage for a service in the plan as follows:

Standard Pricing Rule

Tier Rate
1–10 units $0.50
11–20 units $0.40
21–infinity units $0.30
Month Number of Billable Units Accumulated Usage Billable Units Across Tiers Rate Usage Charge for the Service or Tier Usage Charge for the Month
1—July 5 5 5 $0.50 $2.50 $2.50
2—August 10 15 5
5		 $0.50
$0.40		 $0.50
$0.40		 $4.50
3—September 15 30 5
10		 $0.40
$0.30		 $2.00
$3.00		 $5.00
4—October 7 37 7 $0.30 $2.10 $2.10
5—November 10 47 10 $0.30 $3.00 $3.00
Alternate Usage Reset Months Expires and Automatically Renews (default)            

6—December;

15

15

10
5

$0.50
$0.40

$5.00
$2.00

$7.00
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