Business Recipients Accounting System ZEUS
ZEUS system was created in 1992 at the request of the Energy Facility in Krakow as billing of so-called great receipt – the settlement of industrial customers.
Current database contains data from 1994 to the present, despite changes in technology and subsequent upgrades.
Very flexible system successfully survived many expansions, modifications and changes in the law, effectively settling more than 2/3 sales of the Facility. The subsequent versions also took into account, in addition to comprehensive energy agreements, the possibility of accounting only sale of the energy, distribution services alone, but also water, heat, sewage, gas, etc.
Throughout its history there has been no greater than a 3-day delay in the issuing invoices.
Thanks to a well-developed integration service the system communicates both with external dictionaries, as well as other systems such as technical, readout, change of the supplier, CRM, SAP or data warehouse, however, its modules allow to operate these high functions also within the system.
The quality of the system is best demonstrated by the fact that during the period of its operation in parallel functioning Institutions billing system was changed four times.
Modules and their functionality
Contracts
Concluding contracts with registration of all parameters necessary for their proper accounting. The contract involves one or more collection points with the business partner. It is also possible for the business partner to be a different legal entity than the payer. After the conclusion of the contract and the fulfillment of all the conditions billing of the customers follows. The module can download the orders of the contract conclusion from the external system and record changes in the contracts (annexes).
Technical module
Registers devices making up the measuring system necessary for billing (mandatory) and other devices, which the user should see while communicating with the client (optional). These devices are the basis for readouts recording and their recalculation into consumption for billing purposes. Devices can be entered into the system manually as well as information can be downloaded from the external system (eg. ELIOT).
Readout module
Issues readout orders in accordance with described in the contract date of the reading and billing period (currently they are: decade, month, 2 months, 6 months). The system can send orders to both foreign readout systems as well as print orders, or send them to hand-held type devices. Readouts are verified for their deviations from the expected value and in case of anomalies appropriate notifications are sent.
Invoicing
Invoices are being issued on the basis of tariffs, contract conditions and energy consumption. Active energy for exceeding the passive energy as well as exceeding the temporary power are invoiced. Includes additional administration fees and for example excise tax. Invoices can be issued for the recipient who has one connection (single connection), many connections (eg. cables) to one location (multiple connections) as well as one invoice for many dispersed collection points (collective invoices). After calculation invoices are checked for deviations from the expected value, and then printed locally or sent to the mass printing center. Positions of the invoices are enacted to the correct bank accounts, building auxiliary accounting ledger in the double accounting system (Owing – Has). Correction invoices may be issued in several ways (cancel, correction of consumption after complaint, manual adjustment of any parameter). Non-recurring invoices can be issued for the occasional services both manually and in accordance to the price list.
Payments
Payments can be recorded both manually and by registration of payments from statements sent electronically by banks (multi-cash system). While retrieving data from a bank the system automatically assigns the obvious payments (consensus of the value and alternately compliance of the payment number). The system can generate paper slips for payments in a bank or at post office. Delays of payments automatically generate punitory interests notes by assigned interest rate for a given business partner.
Settlements of accounts
This module performs the closing of the month accounting and the necessary manual transfers (accounting commands) which capture the unusual settlements or those requiring decisions of the user (eg. cancellation of penal interest). After closing the month a cumulative record is generated in the accounts for the purposes of entering to the Main Ledger.
Vindication
The module contains a full vindication workflow with automatic control of schedules and generation of standard letters. It also includes the possibility to issue vindication orders for disconnecting energy, both locally (on paper) and through order to the technical system.
Record of collection points
The system has its own record of the collection points where the contracts are concluded. The record contains technical data of the point relevant to the communication with the customers and conclusion of the contract. There is a possibility of fastening alien records (eg. from ELIOT) of collection points with the option of searching the known parameters (address, a part of address, area, and other). During manual registration of the point, address dictionary is used to ensure correctness and completeness of the address
Record of business partners
The system carries a record of business partners containing all the required data of the business partners, both individual and legal entity. There is a possibility to use external records (eg. from SAP, CRM, etc.). During manual registration of the business partner address dictionary is used to ensure the correctness and completeness of the address.
Mass printout
Prints of the documents (in particular issued in a mass as invoices) can be transferred to an external printing center. Currently, this is done in the Xerox company Center.
Document templates and files storage
The system stores the entire range of document templates that are used for generation of standard contracts and letters. During print creation the system automatically completes possessed individual data. After generation the document is saved in the database and linked to a specific contract (the history is created). To the contract can be fastened any collection (scan, photography, film, etc.)
Address dictionary
The dictionary contains a list of postal addresses and their connections (eg. streets in the city, postal codes, etc.). This allows to enter correct addresses and automatically complete certain data. It is possible to use the alien dictionary containing the necessary data.
Tariff dictionary
It includes standard tariffs which are the basis for settlements. The tariffs contain settlement components and their price list. Dictionary conducts history of the tariffs (necessary for adjustments of to previous invoices) and their effective dates.
Reports
ZEUS generates approx. 100 different reports to help detect inconsistencies, omissions or shortcomings and all the legally required statements. It has a module to create custom reports by an advanced user.
