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Master Bill Viewer User Story

1. Problem Statement

For Billing Manager:

  • Lack of a centralized location to view, search, and manage all utility bills
  • Inability to quickly access individual bills for audits, customer inquiries, or validation
  • Limited filtering capabilities to identify specific bill subsets based on criteria
  • No consolidated view of billing metrics and trends across different categories
  • Difficulty tracking bill status changes and payment trends over time
  • Time-consuming process to locate and review bills from different billing cycles
  • Challenges in identifying billing anomalies or patterns without comprehensive data views

Core Problem:

The current billing system lacks a centralized, searchable repository of all generated bills with robust filtering and analytics capabilities. This forces Billing Managers to use inefficient, indirect methods to access bill information, resulting in delayed customer issue resolution, ineffective billing oversight, and missed opportunities for process optimization.

2. Who Are the Users Facing the Problem?

Billing Manager:

  • Oversees entire billing cycle from meter data import to bill delivery
  • Manages billing exception processes and adjustments
  • Coordinates with meter department on reading schedules
  • Oversees payment processing and reconciliation
  • Develops bill formats and customer communications
  • Reports on revenue and billing performance metrics
  • Ensures compliance with regulatory requirements for billing
  • Investigates and resolves billing complaints and inquiries

3. Jobs To Be Done

For Billing Manager:

  • When I need to locate a specific customer bill based on multiple criteria, But I lack a centralized searchable repository, Help me access a comprehensive bill viewer with advanced search and filtering capabilities, So that I can quickly find any bill without switching between multiple systems or contacting support teams.
  • When I need to investigate billing anomalies or patterns across customer segments, But I have limited visibility into aggregated billing data, Help me access dashboards with key billing metrics and trend indicators, So that I can identify unusual patterns, make data-driven decisions, and proactively address potential issues.
  • When I need to respond to customer inquiries about specific bills, But I struggle to quickly access complete bill information, Help me view and download individual bills with full details, So that I can provide timely and accurate information to resolve customer concerns.
  • When I need to audit billing accuracy across different cycles or customer types, But I lack efficient ways to analyze and compare multiple bills, Help me generate filtered views and export capabilities for bill subsets, So that I can perform comprehensive audits and ensure billing accuracy.
  • When I need to monitor bill delivery and payment status across the customer base, But I don't have visibility into overall bill statuses, Help me access real-time status tracking with clear visual indicators, So that I can identify payment trends and follow up on problematic accounts.

4. Solution

The Master Bill Viewer provides a comprehensive solution for centralized bill management and analysis:

Key Capability Areas:

  1. Dashboard & Summary Metrics
    • Billing summary cards with key metrics (total bills, consumption, bill counts)
    • Financial summary metrics (billed amount, outstanding amount, charge breakdowns)
    • Trend indicators showing changes from previous period
    • Visual representations of key metrics for quick analysis
  2. Advanced Search & Filtering
    • Full-text search across all bill attributes
    • Multi-criteria filtering options (date ranges, consumer types, bill cycles)
    • Saved search templates for frequent queries
    • Type-ahead suggestions for faster searching
  3. Bill Listing & Management
    • Sortable and customizable column display
    • Status indicators with color coding (delivered, paid, partially paid, overdue)
    • Pagination with adjustable records per page
    • Quick action buttons for common operations
  4. Individual Bill Access
    • View complete bill details including line items
    • Download bill in multiple formats (PDF, CSV)
    • Access to billing calculation history
    • Bill verification and audit trail information
  5. Batch Operations
    • Select multiple bills for bulk actions
    • Mass status updates for selected bills
    • Batch export of bill data
    • Scheduled report generation for bill sets
  6. Analytics & Reporting
    • Custom report builder for billing analysis
    • Trend visualization across billing cycles
    • Anomaly detection highlights
    • Payment performance analytics by consumer segment
  7. Status Tracking
    • Real-time updates on bill delivery and payment
    • Automated flagging of problematic bills
    • Historical status change tracking
    • Integration with collection processes for overdue bills
  8. Integration Points
    • Direct links to customer profiles
    • Connection to payment processing system
    • Access to consumption data for validation
    • Integration with bill template management

5. Major Steps Involved

For Billing Manager using the Master Bill Viewer feature:

  1. Access Master Bill Viewer
    • Navigate to the Billing module in SMART360
    • Select "Master Bill Viewer" from the navigation menu
    • View initial dashboard with summary metrics cards
    • See default view of recently generated bills
  2. Review Summary Metrics
    • Examine Billing Summary cards (Total Bills, Consumption, Average Consumption, Actual/Non-Actual Bills)
    • Review Financial Summary metrics (Billed Amount, Outstanding Amount, Consumption Charges, Service Charges, Late Fees)
    • Note trend indicators showing percentage changes from previous period
    • Identify any metrics requiring further investigation (e.g., significant increases or decreases)
  3. Search for Specific Bills
    • Click in the search field at the top of the bill listing
    • Enter search criteria (e.g., invoice number, customer name, account number)
    • View filtered results displaying matching bills
    • Refine search if necessary using additional keywords
  4. Apply Advanced Filters
    • Click the "Filters" button to open the filters panel
    • Select filter criteria from available options:
      • Date range (bill generation date, due date)
      • Consumer type (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)
      • Premise type
      • Bill cycle (Monthly, Bi-monthly, Quarterly)
      • Billing month
      • Consumption range
      • Amount range
      • Status (Delivered, Paid, Partially Paid, Overdue)
    • Apply selected filters to narrow down bill listing
    • Save frequently used filter combinations as presets
  5. Customize Column Display
    • Click the "Columns" button to open column selection menu
    • Check/uncheck columns to show/hide in the listing
    • Reorder columns by drag and drop
    • Apply changes to update the bill listing view
  6. Sort and Navigate Bills
    • Click on column headers to sort bills by that attribute
    • Use pagination controls to move between pages of results
    • Adjust number of bills displayed per page
    • Use quick navigation to jump to specific pages
  7. View Individual Bill Details
    • Click the "View" icon in the Actions column for a specific bill
    • Review complete bill information in a modal or detailed view
    • Verify line items, charges, and calculations
    • Check status history and delivery information
  8. Download Bills
    • Click the "Download" icon in the Actions column for a specific bill
    • Select preferred download format (PDF, CSV)
    • Wait for download to complete
    • Open downloaded file to view bill in selected format
  9. Perform Batch Operations
    • Select multiple bills using checkboxes in the listing
    • Choose batch action from available options:
      • Export selected bills
      • Update status for selected bills
      • Generate report based on selection
    • Confirm action in prompt dialog
    • Receive notification upon completion
  10. Export Data for Analysis
    • Click the "Export" button at the top of the bill listing
    • Select export format (CSV, Excel, PDF)
    • Choose whether to export all bills or only filtered results
    • Specify which columns to include in export
    • Confirm export to generate and download file
  11. Monitor Status Changes
    • Review status column in bill listing to identify bills requiring attention
    • Note visual indicators for different statuses (delivered, paid, partially paid, overdue)
    • Track status change patterns over time
    • Follow up on overdue or problematic bills as needed

6. Flow Diagram

graph TD
    A[Dashboard: View Bill Summary] --> B{Action?}
    B -->|Search| C[Enter Search Criteria]
    B -->|Filter| D[Apply Advanced Filters]
    B -->|View Individual Bill| E[Open Bill Details]
    B -->|Export Data| F[Select Export Format]
    B -->|Customize Display| G[Select/Arrange Columns]
    
    C --> H[View Filtered Results]
    D --> H
    
    H --> I{Next Action?}
    I -->|Refine Search| C
    I -->|View Bill| E
    I -->|Batch Action| J[Select Multiple Bills]
    I -->|Sort/Navigate| K[Change Sort Order/Page]
    
    E --> L[Review Bill Details]
    L --> M{Action on Bill?}
    M -->|Download| N[Select Download Format]
    M -->|Return to List| H
    
    J --> O[Select Batch Operation]
    O --> P[Confirm Action]
    P --> Q[Process Batch Action]
    Q --> H
    
    F --> R[Configure Export Options]
    R --> S[Generate Export File]
    S --> T[Download File]
    
    G --> U[Apply Display Changes]
    U --> H
    
    K --> H

7. Business Rules

General Rules:

  1. Billing Manager must have appropriate security permissions to access the Master Bill Viewer
  2. All bill data displayed must be refreshed at least every 15 minutes to ensure currency
  3. Historical bill data must be available for a minimum of 7 years to comply with record retention policies
  4. Bill status changes must be tracked with a full audit trail (timestamp, user, previous status, new status)
  5. Any export of bill data containing personally identifiable information must be logged for compliance purposes
  6. Summary metrics must clearly indicate the time period they represent (current month, last 30 days, etc.)
  7. All monetary values must display the appropriate currency symbol and decimal formatting
  8. Consumption values must display the appropriate unit of measure based on utility type

Search & Filter Rules:

  1. Search functionality must support partial matching on key fields (invoice number, customer name, account number)
  2. Date filters must allow selection of absolute dates and relative periods (last 30 days, current billing cycle, etc.)
  3. Multiple filter criteria must combine with AND logic by default, with options for OR logic when appropriate
  4. Saved filter presets must be accessible only to the user who created them unless explicitly shared
  5. Filter changes must persist during the current session unless explicitly reset
  6. Search results must indicate the total number of matching records found
  7. Empty search results must display a clear message and suggested alternative search approaches

Display & Navigation Rules:

  1. Bill listing must default to showing the most recent 50 bills generated
  2. Column customization selections must persist for each user between sessions
  3. Bills with critical statuses (overdue, pending disconnection) must be visually highlighted
  4. Pagination must support at least 10 to 100 records per page in predefined increments
  5. Sorting must be available on all displayed columns with clear indication of current sort field and direction
  6. Default sort order must be by Generated Date (newest first)
  7. Column width adjustments must persist for each user between sessions

Export & Download Rules:

  1. Individual bill downloads must include all bill details and line items as shown on the customer bill
  2. Bulk exports must support at least 1,000 records per export operation
  3. Export operations exceeding system thresholds must be processed asynchronously with notification upon completion
  4. Export files must include a timestamp and filter criteria in the filename for identification
  5. Downloaded bills must match the format of the bills delivered to customers
  6. Export operations must not lock or block the user interface during processing
  7. Users must be warned when an export may contain a large number of records before proceeding

Status Management Rules:

  1. Bill status changes from external systems (payment processing, delivery confirmation) must update in near real-time
  2. Manual status changes by users must require appropriate permissions and reason codes
  3. Status change history must be maintained for the full lifecycle of each bill
  4. Overdue status must be automatically applied based on configured grace periods past due dates
  5. Partial payment status must accurately reflect the amount paid versus total due
  6. Delivery status must track all delivery methods (email, print, SMS) with separate status for each

Error Handling:

  1. Search or filter operations returning excessive results must display a warning and suggestion to refine criteria
  2. Failed bill download attempts must provide clear error messages and troubleshooting steps
  3. Temporary system unavailability must be communicated with estimated resolution time
  4. Data discrepancies detected between systems must be flagged with clear visual indicators
  5. Export operations that fail must provide detailed error information and retry options
  6. Filter combinations that produce no results must suggest alternative filter options

Questions for Clarification:

  1. What is the maximum number of bills that should be displayable in a single view?
  2. Are there specific regulatory requirements for bill data retention that vary by utility type?
  3. Should the system allow for manual status updates, and if so, what approval processes are needed?
  4. What level of detail from the original bill should be available in the viewer versus requiring a download?
  5. Are there specific performance requirements for search response times with large bill volumes?
  6. How should bill voids or cancellations be handled and displayed in the interface?
  7. What integrations with other modules (collections, customer service) are required from the bill viewer?
  8. Should the system support scheduled or automated exports for regular reporting needs?

8. Sample Data

Dashboard Summary Metrics:

  • Total Bills: 2,458 (+12% vs last month)
  • Consumption: 245,032 kWh (-8% vs last month)
  • Average Consumption: 125 kWh/day (+5% vs last month)
  • Actual Bills: 1,289 (+10% vs last month)
  • Non-Actual Bills: 452 (-3% vs last month)
  • Billed Amount: $542,032.58 (+8% vs last month)
  • Outstanding Amount: $48,921.35 (-5% vs last month)
  • Consumption Charges: $324,619.42 (+6% vs last month)
  • Service Charges: $125,328.15 (+3% vs last month)
  • Late Fees: $12,865.74 (-9% vs last month)

Bill Listing Sample:

  1. INV-10000
    • Consumer: Consumer 1 (ACC-100000)
    • Premise: Residential
    • Bill Cycle: Bi-monthly
    • Billing Month: November
    • Consumption: 562 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $56.67
    • Generated Date: 2025-05-11
    • Status: Delivered
  2. INV-10001
    • Consumer: Consumer 2 (ACC-100001)
    • Premise: Commercial
    • Bill Cycle: Quarterly
    • Billing Month: January
    • Consumption: 794 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $94.17
    • Generated Date: 2025-05-05
    • Status: Partially Paid
  3. INV-10002
    • Consumer: Consumer 3 (ACC-100002)
    • Premise: Residential
    • Bill Cycle: Bi-monthly
    • Billing Month: June
    • Consumption: 759 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $20.15
    • Generated Date: 2025-04-26
    • Status: Partially Paid
  4. INV-10003
    • Consumer: Consumer 4 (ACC-100003)
    • Premise: Commercial
    • Bill Cycle: Quarterly
    • Billing Month: November
    • Consumption: 961 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $4.19
    • Generated Date: 2025-05-05
    • Status: Paid
  5. INV-10004
    • Consumer: Consumer 5 (ACC-100004)
    • Premise: Industrial
    • Bill Cycle: Monthly
    • Billing Month: January
    • Consumption: 746 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $93.51
    • Generated Date: 2025-04-27
    • Status: Delivered
  6. INV-10005
    • Consumer: Consumer 6 (ACC-100005)
    • Premise: Residential
    • Bill Cycle: Monthly
    • Billing Month: September
    • Consumption: 649 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $75.07
    • Generated Date: 2025-05-03
    • Status: Paid
  7. INV-10006
    • Consumer: Consumer 7 (ACC-100006)
    • Premise: Commercial
    • Bill Cycle: Bi-monthly
    • Billing Month: December
    • Consumption: 599 kWh
    • Billed Amount: $35.49
    • Generated Date: 2025-04-29
    • Status: Overdue

9. Acceptance Criteria

  1. The system must display a dashboard with accurate billing metrics including total bills, consumption, and financial summaries
  2. The system must show trend indicators comparing current metrics with previous period (month, cycle)
  3. The system must provide a search function that supports partial matching on key fields (invoice, account, customer name)
  4. The system must allow filtering by multiple criteria including date range, consumer type, bill cycle, status, and amount range
  5. The system must enable saving and managing of frequently used filter combinations
  6. The system must display a paginated list of bills with sortable columns and customizable column selection
  7. The system must visually distinguish different bill statuses using color coding and clear indicators
  8. The system must provide quick-action buttons for common operations on individual bills
  9. The system must allow viewing detailed information for individual bills without leaving the interface
  10. The system must support downloading individual bills in PDF and CSV formats
  11. The system must enable selecting multiple bills for batch operations
  12. The system must provide export functionality for filtered bill sets in multiple formats
  13. The system must update bill status changes in near real-time from integrated systems
  14. The system must maintain a full audit trail of bill status changes
  15. The system must support at least 7 years of historical bill data access
  16. The system must load initial dashboard and bill listing in under 3 seconds
  17. The system must display clear error messages with suggested actions when operations fail
  18. The system must provide responsive performance when filtering large bill volumes (100,000+ records)
  19. The system must enforce appropriate security permissions for accessing sensitive billing data
  20. The system must log all export operations containing customer data for compliance purposes

10. Process Changes

Current ProcessNew ProcessImpactManual searching across multiple systems or screens to locate specific billsCentralized search with multiple criteria in a single interface85% reduction in time spent locating specific bills; elimination of context switching between systemsLimited visibility into billing metrics requiring custom reportsReal-time dashboard with key metrics and trend indicatorsData-driven decision making with 60% improvement in anomaly detection and pattern recognitionSeparate processes for accessing bill details, history, and statusUnified view with comprehensive bill information and status tracking70% reduction in time spent gathering complete information for customer inquiriesManual tracking of billing issues and follow-upsAutomated flagging of problematic bills with visual indicators50% improvement in issue resolution time and proactive problem managementIndividual bill downloads requiring navigation to specific customer accountsDirect download capabilities from centralized bill listing80% reduction in steps required to obtain bill copies for verification or sharingAd-hoc analysis requiring custom data exports and manual processingBuilt-in filtering and export capabilities for targeted analysisEnhanced ability to identify billing trends and patterns across customer segmentsReliance on IT or support teams for complex bill searchesSelf-service advanced filtering and saved search templatesIncreased billing manager autonomy and 90% reduction in support requests for bill locationManual status monitoring across billing cyclesReal-time status tracking with consolidated viewImproved visibility into payment patterns and collection opportunities

11. Impact from Solving This Problem

MetricImprovement ImpactTime to Locate Specific BillsReduced from 3-5 minutes to under 30 seconds (85% reduction)Customer Inquiry Resolution TimeDecreased from 24+ hours to 4-8 hours (70% reduction)Billing Issue IdentificationImproved by 60% through pattern recognition and anomaly detectionAudit Preparation TimeReduced by 75% through streamlined data access and exportBilling Manager ProductivityIncreased by 30% through elimination of manual searches and report generationRegulatory ComplianceEnhanced with complete audit trails and comprehensive record accessData-Driven Decision MakingImproved by 50% through real-time metrics and trend visualizationInternal Process EfficiencyEnhanced by 40% through reduced dependence on support teamsCustomer SatisfactionIncreased by 25% through faster resolution of billing inquiriesRevenue CollectionImproved by 15% through better visibility into payment status and trends

12. User Behavior Tracking

EventPropertiesMetricsInsightsDashboard_Viewuser_id, time_spent, summary_expandedViews per day, Average time on dashboard, Most viewed metricsHow are billing managers using the summary data to inform their work?Bill_Searchsearch_term, results_count, filters_appliedSearch frequency, Search efficiency, Common search termsWhat specific bills are being searched for most frequently?Filter_Applyfilter_types, filter_values, results_countFilter combinations, Zero result filters, Filter efficiencyWhich filtering approaches are most effective for narrowing searches?Bill_Viewbill_id, time_spent, sections_expandedViews per bill, Time spent reviewing, Most examined detailsWhich bill details require the most attention during review?Bill_Downloadbill_id, format_type, user_idDownload frequency, Format preferences, Download patternsWhy are bills being downloaded and in what format?Batch_Operationoperation_type, bills_count, completion_statusOperation frequency, Average batch size, Success rateHow efficiently are bulk operations being performed?Data_Exportfilter_criteria, record_count, format_typeExport volume, Export timing patterns, Export sizeWhat export patterns indicate regular reporting needs?Column_Customizevisible_columns, column_order, user_idCustomization frequency, Most valuable columns, User preferencesWhich bill attributes are most important to users?Status_Changebill_id, old_status, new_status, change_reasonStatus transition frequency, Status timeline, Manual vs. automatic changesHow do bills progress through the payment lifecycle?Sort_Changesort_column, sort_direction, user_idSort preferences, Column popularity, Sorting patternsWhat sorting approaches reveal the most valuable insights?Preset_Savepreset_name, filter_criteria, user_idPreset creation frequency, Preset usage, Common presetsWhat search templates are most valuable for regular use?Error_Encountererror_type, action_attempted, error_messageError frequency, Common error types, Error resolution timeWhat friction points exist in the bill viewing experience?

Questions answered by tracking:

  1. Which bills require the most follow-up or investigation based on viewing patterns?
  2. What patterns in bill searching indicate potential process improvements?
  3. How do billing managers prioritize their work based on dashboard metrics?
  4. What correlations exist between bill attributes and payment performance?
  5. Which customer segments generate the most billing inquiries requiring investigation?
  6. How do seasonal patterns affect billing workload and issue resolution?
  7. What search and filter combinations most effectively identify potential billing errors?
  8. How quickly are billing issues identified and resolved after bill generation?

Wireframe

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