Usage-Based Service Contract
A service contract that also contains an agreement about the quantity consumed. The contract defines the services for the quantity consumed under certain conditions.
Usage-based service contracts contain the following data:
Price agreements
Validity periods
Business partner data
Billing plans
Object lists
In addition, usage-based service contracts contain a flat-rate charge for a certain usage volume, such as the number of copies for a leased copying machine. The lease is billed on a flat-rate basis, which means the leasing installment for the copying machine already includes a certain number of copies. The customer pays the flat rate regardless of whether or not all the included copies were made. If the number of copies made exceeds the included number, the customer pays an additional fee.
Structure
The billing plan of a usage-based service contract can contain several schedules for a service product.
A credit overview for updating the billed volumes and values is integrated in the contract.
The Usage Overview
in the contract contains all the usage-related information required for billing.
The control data required to manage usage-based billing, such as controls for pricing and readings, is contained in the contract.
The contract contains a service item that describes a service product. A physical product is assigned to this service product. This physical product describes the "machine" for which the service is offered, and which shows usage. An example is a a copying machine that is maintained and whose usage is measured in copies made.
Integration
You can link usage-based service contracts with pool contracts. These pool contracts calculate the actual usage, based on all linked usage-based service contracts. When you bill usage volumes and flat rates, the system takes existing credits and the actual usage volumes into account. For more information, see Pool Linkage.