Smart360 Printing and Distribution - FAQ's
General Printing and Distribution Overview
Q1: What is the Printing and Distribution module in Smart360 and what does it manage? A: The Printing and Distribution module is a comprehensive system that manages the entire bill delivery process from printing to final consumer delivery. It provides:
- Real-time visibility into printing status across all billing cycles
- Multi-channel distribution tracking (email, SMS, WhatsApp, paper)
- Vendor performance monitoring and SLA compliance
- Consumer-level delivery tracking and failure management
- Geographic distribution assignment and progress monitoring
- Unified coordination between internal teams and external printing vendors
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q2: Who can access the Printing and Distribution module and what are their roles? A: The module supports multiple user types with specific permissions:
- Billing Manager: Full access to monitor all printing/distribution activities and vendor performance
- Printing Vendor (External Partner): Access to vendor portal for status updates and job management
- System Admin: Administrative access for security, configuration, and performance monitoring
- Distribution Coordinator: Access to manage distribution assignments and track delivery progress
- Customer Service: Read-only access to check delivery status for customer inquiries
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q3: How do I access the Printing and Distribution module?
A: To access the module:
- Log into your Smart360 system
- Navigate to the Billing module from the main menu
- Select "Printing/ Distribution" from the billing navigation options
- The dashboard displays with printing status cards and billing cycle information
- Use the tabs to switch between Printing and Distribution views
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Printing Status Management
Q4: What do the printing status cards on the dashboard mean? A: The dashboard displays key printing metrics:
- Pending Print Start: Number of billing cycles ready for printing but not yet initiated
- Printing in Progress: Count of cycles currently being printed
- Printed Today: Number of cycles completed printing on the current date
- Average Processing Time: Mean duration from print start to completion
- Delayed Print Alerts: Count of print jobs exceeding expected timeframes
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q5: How do I update the printing status for a billing cycle? A: To update printing status:
- Locate the billing cycle in the table
- Click the edit icon in the Actions column
- In the "Edit Printing Status" modal:
- Update the Print Date if needed
- Select new Status (Pending, Started, Completed)
- Assign or change the Vendor from the dropdown
- Review the automatically calculated Lapsed Days
- Click "Save Changes" to update the record
- The system enforces workflow progression (Pending → Started → Completed)
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q6: What does "Lapsed Days" mean and how is it calculated? A: Lapsed Days indicates how long bills have been pending delivery:
- Calculation: Current date minus the Print Date for non-completed cycles
- Purpose: Identifies overdue cycles requiring immediate attention
- Visual Indicators: Orange highlighting shows aging bills
- Business Impact: Higher values suggest service delivery delays
- Automatic Calculation: System updates this field automatically
- Priority Management: Use to prioritize cycles with highest lapsed days
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q7: How do I assign printing jobs to vendors? A: To assign vendors to printing jobs:
- Click the edit icon for the specific billing cycle
- In the Edit Printing Status modal, access the Vendor dropdown
- Select from available options:
- Unassigned: Job not yet allocated
- Vendor A, B, C: Specific external printing partners
- In-house: Internal printing capabilities
- Save changes to assign the vendor
- Monitor vendor performance through the dashboard metrics
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Distribution Channel Management
Q8: What distribution channels does Smart360 support? A: Smart360 supports multiple distribution channels:
- Email: Electronic bill delivery to customer email addresses
- SMS: Text message notifications with bill information
- WhatsApp: Bill delivery through WhatsApp messaging
- Paper: Physical mail delivery of printed bills
- Notification: Push notifications or other notification methods
- Each channel tracks delivered/failed/pending status independently
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q9: How do I monitor distribution performance across all channels? A: To monitor distribution performance:
- Switch to the "Distribution" tab in the module
- Review distribution summary cards:
- Pending Dispatch: Cycles ready but not yet dispatched
- Delivery Failures: Failed delivery attempts across all channels
- Distribution Success Rate: Percentage of successful deliveries
- Missing Contact Info: Customers lacking contact information
- Dispatch Delayed: Distribution jobs exceeding expected timeframes
- Analyze channel-specific metrics in the billing cycle table
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q10: How do I interpret the distribution channel metrics format? A: Channel metrics use a three-number format (Delivered/Failed/Pending):
- First Number (Delivered): Successfully delivered bills
- Second Number (Failed): Failed delivery attempts
- Third Number (Pending): Bills still in delivery queue
- Example: Email 950/0/0 means 950 delivered, 0 failed, 0 pending
- Color Coding: Each channel has distinct colors for easy identification
- Real-time Updates: Numbers update as delivery status changes
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Consumer-Level Distribution Tracking
Q11: How do I track delivery status for individual consumers? A: To track individual consumer delivery:
- Click on a specific billing cycle to drill down to consumer details
- Review the Consumer Distribution Summary:
- Total Consumers: Complete customer count
- Fully Delivered: Customers receiving bills through ALL opted channels
- At Least One Delivered: Customers with successful delivery on any channel
- Failed All: Customers with failed delivery across ALL channels
- Missing Contact: Customers lacking required contact information
- Examine individual consumer records with channel-specific icons
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q12: What do the different icons in the consumer distribution table mean? A: The consumer table uses icons to show delivery status:
- Opted Channels: Shows which delivery methods each customer selected
- Sent: Icons for channels where delivery was attempted
- Delivered: Icons for successful delivery confirmations (blue icons)
- Read: Icons for channels where customer opened/viewed the bill
- Failed: Icons for channels with delivery failures (red highlighting)
- Icons include: envelope (email), phone (SMS), document (paper), WhatsApp symbol
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q13: How do I handle customers with failed deliveries across all channels? A: For customers with failed deliveries:
- Identify them in the "Failed All" category in the distribution summary
- Review individual consumer records to see which channels failed
- Check for Missing Contact Info that prevents delivery attempts
- Take corrective actions:
- Update customer contact information
- Verify email addresses and phone numbers
- Coordinate with customer service for alternative delivery
- Set up manual delivery processes if needed
- Monitor retry attempts and success rates
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Paper Bill Distribution Management
Q14: How do I manage paper bill distribution assignments? A: To manage paper distribution:
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q15: How do I assign distribution areas to delivery personnel or services? A: To assign distribution areas:
- Review the Areas & Sub-Areas Distribution table
- Select unassigned areas using checkboxes
- Click "Bulk Assign" button (shows count of selected areas)
- In the assignment modal:
- Choose Assignment Type: "In-house Employee" or "External Service"
- For in-house: Select employee from dropdown
- For external: Enter "Courier/Postal Service Name"
- Set optional Dispatch Date for future scheduling
- Click "Assign" to complete the assignment
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q16: How do I track progress of paper bill distribution? A: To track distribution progress:
- Review the Progress column in the Areas & Sub-Areas table
- Format shows: Completed/Total bills (e.g., 45/120)
- Progress bars show percentage completion visually
- Monitor Updated By and Updated On columns for recent activity
- Use status indicators:
- Green dot: Assigned (In-house)
- Blue dot: Assigned (External)
- Gray dot: Unassigned
- Filter by status to identify areas needing attention
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Vendor and Performance Management
Q17: How do I monitor external vendor performance? A: To monitor vendor performance:
- Review vendor assignments in the billing cycle table
- Track completion dates vs. print dates for SLA compliance
- Monitor lapsed days for vendor-assigned jobs
- Analyze average processing time metrics on the dashboard
- Use delayed print alerts to identify underperforming vendors
- Generate performance reports using export functionality
- Document vendor issues through status update notes
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q18: What should I do when vendors miss printing deadlines? A: When vendors miss deadlines:
- Identify delayed jobs using Delayed Print Alerts metric
- Review lapsed days to assess severity of delays
- Contact vendor immediately through established communication channels
- Update job status with delay notes in the system
- Consider reassigning critical jobs to alternative vendors
- Document delays for SLA compliance discussions
- Escalate to management if delays impact customer service
- Review vendor performance data for pattern identification
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q19: How do I evaluate and compare vendor performance over time? A: To evaluate vendor performance:
- Use export functionality to download historical performance data
- Compare average processing times across different vendors
- Analyze completion rates and deadline adherence
- Track lapsed days trends for vendor-assigned jobs
- Monitor customer complaints related to delivery delays
- Generate monthly vendor scorecards using system data
- Review SLA compliance metrics regularly
- Document performance discussions and improvement plans
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Multi-Channel Distribution Optimization
Q20: How do I optimize distribution success rates across channels? A: To optimize distribution success:
- Monitor Distribution Success Rate metric on the dashboard
- Identify channels with high failure rates in the distribution table
- Address Missing Contact Info issues proactively
- Review customer preferences for optimal channel selection
- Coordinate with customer service to update contact information
- Implement retry mechanisms for failed deliveries
- Analyze channel performance by customer segment
- Adjust channel strategies based on success rate data
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q21: How do I handle customers with missing contact information? A: For missing contact information:
- Monitor the Missing Contact Info metric on dashboard
- Identify affected customers in the consumer distribution table
- Coordinate with customer service team to:
- Contact customers to request updated information
- Verify existing contact details in customer database
- Update customer profiles with correct information
- Set up data quality initiatives to prevent future issues
- Consider alternative delivery methods for affected customers
- Track data completion rates over time
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q22: How do I coordinate dispatch timing across multiple channels? A: To coordinate dispatch timing:
- Review Dispatch Date settings in the distribution table
- Use calendar icons to edit dispatch dates as needed
- Coordinate timing to ensure:
- Simultaneous delivery across all customer channels
- Optimal delivery windows for customer engagement
- Resource availability for both digital and physical delivery
- Monitor Dispatch Delayed alerts for timing issues
- Synchronize with customer communication schedules
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Reporting and Analytics
Q23: How do I generate reports on printing and distribution performance? A: To generate reports:
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q24: What key performance indicators should I monitor regularly? A: Key KPIs to monitor:
- Distribution Success Rate: Target 95% or higher
- Average Processing Time: Track trends and vendor comparisons
- Lapsed Days: Minimize cycles with high lapsed days
- Channel Success Rates: Optimize underperforming channels
- Missing Contact Info: Maintain below 5% of customer base
- Vendor SLA Compliance: Track deadline adherence
- Customer Complaints: Monitor delivery-related issues
- Resource Utilization: Optimize distribution assignments
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q25: How do I identify and analyze distribution bottlenecks? A: To identify bottlenecks:
- Review Delayed Print Alerts and Dispatch Delayed metrics
- Analyze progress tracking in geographic distribution
- Monitor channel failure rates for systematic issues
- Track resource assignment efficiency in paper distribution
- Use lapsed days analysis to identify persistent delays
- Export data for trend analysis and pattern identification
- Coordinate with operational teams to address bottlenecks
- Implement process improvements based on data insights
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
System Integration and Security
Q26: How does the printing and distribution module integrate with other Smart360 modules? A: Integration capabilities include:
- Billing Cycles: Automatic import of billing cycle data for printing
- Customer Management: Real-time access to customer contact information
- Payment Processing: Integration with payment status for delivery coordination
- Bill Template Management: Uses current templates for printing specifications
- Master Bill Viewer: Coordinated status updates across modules
- Analytics Dashboard: Shared performance metrics and reporting
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q27: How is data security maintained when working with external vendors? A: Data security measures include:
- Secure file transfers for sending billing data to vendors
- Access control systems limiting vendor access to assigned jobs only
- Audit logging of all vendor activities and data access
- Data encryption for all external communications
- Vendor compliance requirements for data protection standards
- Regular security reviews and access audits
- Incident reporting systems for security issues
- Contact System Admin for specific security configuration questions
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q28: How do I troubleshoot distribution failures or system issues? A: For troubleshooting distribution issues:
- Review error logs and failure notifications in the system
- Check customer contact information for accuracy and completeness
- Verify channel configurations are properly set up
- Test integration points between Smart360 and delivery systems
- Monitor system performance metrics for bottlenecks
- Coordinate with technical support for system-level issues
- Document issue patterns for preventive measures
- Escalate persistent problems to appropriate technical teams
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q29: How do I set up alerts and notifications for important events? A: To configure alerts and notifications:
- Work with System Admin to set up automated alerts for:
- Delayed print jobs exceeding threshold days
- High failure rates on distribution channels
- Missing vendor updates on assigned jobs
- Distribution delays beyond scheduled dispatch dates
- Configure escalation workflows for critical issues
- Set up email notifications for management reporting
- Customize alert thresholds based on business requirements
- Test notification systems regularly for reliability
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
Q30: What backup and recovery procedures exist for printing and distribution data? A: Backup and recovery procedures include:
- Regular automated backups of all printing and distribution data
- Disaster recovery plans for system outages or failures
- Data retention policies meeting regulatory requirements
- Vendor coordination for backup printing capabilities
- Alternative delivery methods during system maintenance
- Recovery testing to ensure backup systems function properly
- Contact System Admin for specific backup schedules and recovery procedures
- Maintain manual processes as fallback for critical operations
Platform URL - https://platform.bynry.com/bx
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