Bill Val

This month:

1. Copy That!
2. Export Improvements
3. More Control Over your Imports
4. Other Bits And Bobs

Welcome back to the March edition of our regular dev update and with it, we've felt a little like Dr. Sam Beckett.

If you remember the 90's TV series Quantum Leap...

"Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home."

Ok, well maybe we've not been looking to leap home but we've certainly been striving to put right what once went wrong.

As you'll know we release a lot of feature improvements to our software but sometimes these improvements inadvertently supersede other elements that you've previously found useful.

You've told us where improvements could be made and we've taken this month as an opportunity to develop them.

Below you'll find where we've leapt to add a useful copy function for meter serial numbers, we've strived to add the 'child invoice number' to invoice batch exports and we've hoped to make the bulk updating of customer/leads a little more robust.

For this and Other Bits And Bobs check out all of our dev updates from March below.

Oh boy.

Copy That!

We recently added functionality to store multiple serial numbers against a supply where we replaced a text box with a dropdown. In doing so you told us that you could no longer select the number and copy it. We're good listeners so you'll now find a 'Copy' button next to the MSN dropdown to make copying those numbers a breeze again.

Built for: PRO CRM

Export Improvements

A while back we made it so that parent and child references are imported in BILL VAL, but for technical reasons we weren't able to add the child number to the batch export. We've worked around that and it's there now so you can analyse your bills more easily.

Built for: BILL VAL

More Control Over your Imports

We know how handy a bulk import can be so we've been looking into how we can improve them. It came to our attention that you weren't able to add parents to leads when bulk importing, meaning you had to manually edit individual leads post import.

You can now add parents to leads in bulk by going to Admin > Data Imports and selecting the Leads option in the dropdown, saving you tons of time and effort.

Continuing on this front, last month we mentioned that we wanted to give you more control over your own data. You now have the ability to add, edit and delete customer parents in bulk, allowing you to flexibly manage your customers without having to ask our support team for help.

Built for: PRO CRM

Other bits and bobs...

We've also added the following other bits and bobs...

Progress with MOP/DC Suppliers in Forecasting

We're working on updating our MOP/DC supplier section so that contracts placed with these suppliers can be included in your commission forecasts in the future. This month, we've been busy creating new payment terms which will include the ability to choose which month(s) the invoice is expected in. Watch this space!

Built for: PRO CRM

Easier to Reference Bill Val Batches

We're still making regular improvements to our BILL VAL service and this month we've added a reference number (similar to the ones you use for contracts/tenders) which will come in really handy if you have a query for support or want to quickly search for a specific batch import.

Built for: PRO CRM

That’s it for this month.

Our software evolves at such an exciting rate so please feel free to get in touch to discuss any of the functionality we’ve added since you last saw it. We’ll be more than happy to arrange a demo to show you around!

Development Update - May 2023

This month:

1. Bumper BILL VAL Feature Improvements
2. Customer References Revamp
3. Other Bits And Bobs

The month of May has been a particularly HUGE one within the dev team. It's been a big month for feature improvements but HUGER still, we've welcomed three new faces to our team.

Will has joined us as Engineering Manager and is here to help streamline our processes and manage all of our future feature releases. Whilst we've also welcomed Ermir and Kristi who have both joined as .NET developers.

As you might expect they've dived head first into code and their first job has been to help set up accounts for some of our newest customers. We can't wait to show you what else we have planned with their assistance, as we progress through the year.

Elsewhere on the team, we've been working on a big BILL VAL rollout and an improvement to PRO CRM's 'Customer References' tool. Read on to hear about this as well as the usual mix of 'Other Bits & Bobs', all in our May dev update...

Bumper BILL VAL Feature Improvements

Smart Matching to Active Meters

If duplicate meter numbers are found under different customers, BILL VAL will now use smart logic (based on the meters' active status) to match the intended customer.

Filter By Batch Name

You can now export invoices within the system ('Analytics > Export Data > Invoices') filtered by Batch Name.

New Columns Added To The Invoices Section

Within the 'Customers > Meters > Invoices' section, you can now see Billing Period, Total Consumption and the cost before and after VAT is applied.

EDF PDF Parsing Improvements

We've made improvements to the parsing of data from an uploaded EDF PDF bill. These updates include more accurate reading of elements such as CCL Cost, Meter Read Type, Day Unit Rate and Night Unit Rate.

Database Speed Improvements

Speed improvements for large batches. We've upgraded the database so customers should now experience a greater speed when processing larger batches.

Built for: BILL VAL

Customer References Revamp

Within 'Customers > Customer References', users have the ability to set references to other modules (e.g. Site, Meter or Contract). These references can be useful for connecting additional data whilst the information can also be recalled using the advanced search when required. With this addition, we've now added the ability for customer references to be created against the customer. This supersedes the 'Customer Reference' field previously found in 'Customer > Customer Details'.

Built for: PRO CRMBILL VAL

Other bits and bobs...

We've also added the following other bits and bobs...

British Gas PDF Parsing

PDF bills supplied by British Gas can now be uploaded through BILL VAL without the need to transfer to a CSV template. As mentioned previously, we'll continue to update BILL VAL to accept many more supplier PDFs.

Built for: BILL VAL

Capacity Type Field

A 'Capacity Type' field has been added to the Bill Validation template so that when bulk importing, users can now choose to include a capacity type for each entry.

Built for: BILL VAL

That’s it for this month.

Have You Seen BILL VAL Recently?

In a nutshell:

BILL VAL allows you to upload customer bills and report instantly on where they’re losing money.

Quite simply:
Offering additional services = More revenue for you.

So what's new?

If you know us, you know that we continuously develop our software. It’s not just about adding new features but also simplifying the complex.

With these latest updates we’ve made it even easier to offer BILL VAL services to your customers by adding yet more helpful tools.

Take a look:

PDF parsing - You can now upload a PDF bill direct from the supplier, no need to pre-format to CSV (we're constantly adding more suppliers to the PDF parsing list every week).
Exportable datasets. It's your data to export and manipulate as you wish.
Auto-creation of BILL VAL queries through a task management system. Ditch the email and avoid potential breaches in data privacy. Customers can resolve issues directly.
We've added more rules than ever to help create a comprehensive validation suite. 30+ rules are now checked for every bill.
Present everything back to the customer within a snazzy new customer portal, branded as you!

Lessen Your Reliance On Commission

It’s clear that the world is changing. Businesses need your help more than ever. Now is your chance to not only uncover the best price for your customers but to offer a comprehensive energy management solution as well.

For some customers, this service might seem a little alien to them, but this is the new world. Biggest savings are now achieved based on how you use your energy.

You can now offer them a service that is simple and effective, with the carrot being a saving on money and helping the planet!

Enter our two robot friends

William&Valerie

(BILL VAL)

With BILL VAL you can tell YOUR customers:

"Don't worry Steve, we'll monitor your bills every month for irregularities and misbilling."

"Janet, You'd be surprised just how many times supplier bills are incorrect. It's well known that as many as one in four invoices have errors!"

"Betty, you can now see all of your energy data in one place with our revolutionary new portal. Beautiful reports and better interaction."

"Bob, we could get you integrated with a data collector such as Stark, Npower, EDF or Siemens and present beautiful reporting of your HH data over any period."

We think BILL VAL is a great product to start offering extra services to your customers. Unlike other bill validation systems, we do not price per meter/invoice validation, which can become incredibly expensive.

With BILL VAL by UtilityClick, you pay one set monthly fee, no matter if you validate one thousand bills or one million. So the more customers you help, the more financial sense it makes!

NEW!

A Super Hero Customer Portal For Suppliers

Direct and Indirect Channel

Suppliers, the times they are a changing.

Lockdowns, Volatile Markets, Legislative Schemes. We have portals ready to go to get you ready for the new energy world!

A Forward-Thinking Transparent Portal...

Brand It Your Way

Your very own white-labelled customer portal with user experience in mind! This is no standard portal. This is your portal. Completely customisable to what you stand for and what you want your customers to see.

Your Brand for Your customers...

Custom Development

Whatever your corporate identity, OUR smart energy software can be YOUR smart energy software.

Reduce Your

Cost To Serve

Your direct sales channel is growing. Your TPIs demand first class support. Our portals reduce telephone calls, reduce risky emails and increase efficiency with task management tools for optimum customer management.

Better Query Management...

A triple threat. Become leaner, reduce risk and be more efficient all at the same time. Open up a better dialogue with your TPIs, increase their reliance on your services and present transparent upselling opportunities under one roof.

Show Your True Value

You want to show how you are different to other suppliers. Now you can. Help your direct customers buy and reduce their energy better. Help your TPIs to submit contracts to you and automate status flows, data access and commission payments.

Manage Contract Renewals.

Present Useful Reporting

...That's also beautiful.

The energy landscape is changing

It’s more than just about getting the best price. It’s about all the other things you do as a supplier that makes you great. Your customer portal is ready! Get in touch for your own demo!

It's Time To Put Your Cape On...

Get A Super hero

A Super hero

Customer Portal

Get A Super hero

A Super hero

Customer Portal

Energy brokers, by fully customising our software you can:

Allow your staff to send LOAs, COTs & contracts via branded email notifications; automatically generated through the system.
Provide end-user customers with their own secure account to manage meters and current contracts.
Produce reports, run tenders and present fully branded results to customers in real-time.
Give sub-broker access to your pricing books, manage their commissions and allow them to run quotes on your behalf.
Offer bill validation as an added service and present a variety of reports within your very own white-labelled customer portal.

Suppliers can take advantage too. You can:

Give TPIs access to your branded portal and connect with them more efficiently.
Receive automated matrix contracts. Upload updated pricing or have us do it for you.
Receive tenders, import prices and receive feedback automatically.
Set & receive statuses to and from TPIs. Know when pricing is due, when it’s received, and how it fared.

With our fully brandable PRO CRM, Supplier PORTAL and Customer Portal, you can seamlessly present our tools as your own and manage it all from one central location.

Arrange A Demo

What does it do?

(and who are William & Valerie?)

William & Valerie (or Bill & Val for those just catching on) is the nickname for our latest fantastic product – BILL VAL. With it, you can upload batch data files directly from suppliers straight into our system.

Once uploaded our system systematically examines each entry to ensure it’s correct. Upon completion, results are broken down and summarised, enabling succinct reporting back to your customers.

Key Features

Instant Imports

Raw format imports for EDI/XLS/CSV.

Beautiful Presentation

Analyse pass/fails in a clear, understandable format.

Custom Thresholds

Set your own pass tolerances at customer or global level.

The Best Reporting

Stop sending emails to your clients. Present all types of reports within your very own white-labelled customer portals.

Instant Usage Analysis

Import day Day+1 HH / AMR data straight from the Data Collector.

Customer Portal

Present data to your clients with ease. Allow them to submit meter reads for instant validation.

Why do you need this?

As an energy broker, you know that the world is changing and you need to offer your customers more than just ‘the best price’. You’ve seen the evolution in our sector; your customers now demand more than procurement only services.

Did you know?

"...as many as 1 in 5 utility bills contain errors that cause the recipient to overpay."

* Source: www.energylivenews.com

This all sounds expensive?

For all of this functionality it’s not as much as you would think. And no other system offers more ‘value’ than our Bill Val product. Unlike other systems, we do not price per meter/invoice validation, which can become incredibly expensive. With BILL VAL by UtilityClick you pay one set monthly fee, no matter if you validate one thousand bills or one million.

Free UK support

It doesn’t matter how good our software is if you don’t know how to use it. We’ll get you started by talking to you and your team in a language they understand. What’s more we offer phone support FREE with every subscription, should you need prompting down the line.

Is there anything it doesn't do?

Possibly! But we’re confident we’ve built a bill validation product that is better than anything that’s come before it. If there is a useful feature that doesn’t exist and is integral to your workflow, there’s a very good chance we’ll build it… And the good news is we build fast, really fast (take a look at our monthly updates from the development team to see how much we add, every single month).