Creating a service definition

When you create a service definition in Infor Public Sector Billing you are defining a general service type, such as water or garbage, without defining any of the rules Infor Public Sector uses to bill customers for the service. After you've added a service type, you can create a default service definition, and different service definitions for different account classes and districts.

Services can be address-based or account-based. Basic utility services such as water or garbage are typically address-based, meaning they’re tied to specific addresses. You set up address-based services using Address Templates and Create Address Services and then associate them with accounts during the move-in process.

Account-based services are tied to the customer rather than the address, and are typically used for specific types of businesses. For example, a dry cleaning business or a hair salon might have a trade waste service so it can discharge chemicals into the sewer system. You can use the Manage Account page to add account-based services after move-in is complete.

  1. Select Billing > Setup > Service > Service Definition.
  2. In the Service Definitions tree, right-click the Address-Based node or the Account-Based node and select Create Service Definition.
  3. Type a name for the service in the Service field and a description in the Description field.
  4. If your agency uses business types to calculate deposits for new business accounts, enter the business types this service applies to in the Business Types grid.
    If you calculate deposits based on projected consumption, such as requiring water customers to pay a deposit equal to two months' bills, you must estimate consumption for new accounts, because there will be no prior consumption history. Business types provide one method of estimating consumption based on the recorded consumption for similar businesses. You associate the appropriate business types with each service, and you can then use these business types in formulas to calculate deposits. You can also enter a default average usage for each business type.
  5. Click Save.
    Infor Public Sector closes the dialog box and adds a node for the new service to the Service Definitions tree. The service node includes Account Class, District, and Default subnodes.