Billable Types

Key Concepts

1. Billable User Types

These are the categories you define for different types of users (e.g., "Full-time", "Part-time (20-30 hrs)", "Minimal usage"). You create these once for your organization, and they're available for all your contracts.

2. Contract Type Templates

When you create a contract type (like "Managed Services Agreement"), you can set up default rates for each billable user type. When you create a new contract using that contract type, these rates are automatically copied to save you time.

3. Contract-Specific Rates

Each contract can have its own rates that you customize. Even if you change the template rates later, your existing contracts keep their own rates.

4. Billable User Assignments

This is where you assign specific contacts (people) to billable user types on a contract. You can track when assignments start and end, which helps with billing history.

Getting Started

Step 1: Create Your Billable User Types

1. Go to Settings → Contracts → Billable Types
2. Click "Add Billable Type"
3. Enter:
   • Name: e.g., "Full-time", "Part-time (20-30 hrs)"
   • Description: Optional description of what this type means
   • Active: Check this box to make it available for use
4. Click "Create"
5. Repeat for all your user types
6. Drag and drop the types to arrange them in the order you want them to appear

Tip: Create all your types before setting up contract types. This makes the setup process smoother.

Step 2: Configure Contract Type Templates

1. Go to Settings → Contracts → Contract Types
2. Find the contract type you want to configure (or create a new one)
3. Click "Configure Billable Types"
4. For each billable user type you want available:
   • Check the box to include it
   • Enter the default monthly rate
5. Click "Save"

When you create a new contract with this contract type, these rates will automatically be copied to the contract.

Step 3: Set Up a Per-User Contract

1. Create a new contract or open an existing one
2. Set the Billing Model to "Per User"
3. Select a Contract Type (if you configured billable types for it, rates will be copied automatically)
4. Go to the "Billable Users" tab on the contract
5. Review and customize rates if needed:
   • Add or remove billable user types for this specific contract
   • Adjust monthly rates to match customer-specific pricing
6. Assign contacts to billable user types:
   • Click "Assign Contact"
   • Select a contact
   • Choose their billable user type
   • Set the effective date (when this assignment starts)
   • Click "Assign"

Automatic Alerts

The system will automatically notify you (as the tenant owner) when:

• A ticket is created by a contact who isn't assigned to any billable user type on the contract

This helps ensure all billable users are properly categorized so you don't miss billing anyone.

Who Can Do What

Viewing Billable User Information

• Anyone who can view contacts can see billable user types, rates, and assignments

Assigning Contacts to Billable Types

• Technicians and above can assign contacts to billable user types on contracts
• This allows your team to categorize users as they work with them

Managing Billable User Types and Rates

• Admins and above can:
  • Create, edit, or delete billable user types
  • Configure contract type templates
  • Set contract-specific rates

Default Billable User Types

When you first set up the system, you'll have these default billable user types already created:

1. Full-time - $60/month (40+ hours per week)
2. (20-30 hrs) - $55/month (20-30 hours per week)
3. (10-20 hrs) - $45/month (10-20 hours per week)
4. (3-10 hrs) - $35/month (3-10 hours per week)
5. (0-2 hrs) - $25/month (0-2 hours per week)

These are already configured for the "Managed Services Agreement" contract type with the rates shown above. You can edit these or create your own.

Best Practices

1. Set Up Types First: Create all your billable user types before configuring contract types. This makes setup faster.

2. Use Templates: Configure contract type templates with default rates. This saves time when creating new contracts since rates are automatically copied.

3. Customize Per Contract: Adjust rates per contract as needed. Each customer might have different pricing, and that's okay - the template is just a starting point.

4. Track History: When reassigning a contact to a different billable type, set the effective date. This helps maintain accurate billing history.

5. Monitor Alerts: When you get an alert about an unbilled contact, assign them to a billable user type right away to ensure proper billing.

6. Keep Types Active: Only mark types as inactive if you're sure you won't use them anymore. Inactive types won't appear in dropdowns, which can be confusing if you need them later.

Common Use Cases

MSP Per-User Billing

• Contract Type: "Managed Services Agreement"
• Billing Model: Per User
• How it works: You track how many users of each type are on the contract, and bill monthly based on those counts
• Example: 5 full-time users × $60 = $300/month, plus 3 part-time users × $45 = $135/month, total = $435/month

Hourly, Block Hours, or Retainer Contracts

• Billing Model: Hourly, Block Hours, or Retainer
• How it works: These contracts aren't tied to billable users. They're billed based on work performed (hourly), prepaid hours used (block hours), or a fixed monthly fee (retainer)

Troubleshooting

I Can't Assign a Contact to a Billable Type

Problem: When you try to assign a contact, you get an error or the option isn't available.

Solution:

1. Make sure the billable user type is added to the contract's billable rates first
2. Go to the contract's "Billable Users" tab
3. Add the billable user type if it's not there
4. Then you can assign contacts to it

Rates Aren't Showing Up on My Contract

Problem: You created a contract with a contract type, but the billable user rates didn't copy over.

Solution:

1. Check that the contract type has billable types configured (Settings → Contracts → Contract Types → Configure Billable Types)
2. Make sure the contract's Billing Model is set to "Per User"
3. If both are correct, the rates should have copied automatically

I'm Getting Alerts About Unbilled Contacts

Problem: You're receiving notifications about contacts that should be billed.

Solution:

1. Go to the contract's "Billable Users" tab
2. Find the contact mentioned in the alert
3. Assign them to the appropriate billable user type
4. The alerts will stop once all contacts are properly assigned

I Want to Change the Order of Billable User Types

Solution:

1. Go to Settings → Contracts → Billable User Types
2. Simply drag and drop the types to reorder them
3. Click "Save Order" when you're done
4. The new order will be reflected everywhere these types appear

See also

• Contracts Guide - Learn how to create and manage contracts