The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 24th May - 6th June, 2024.
Subscription Management
Migrations
We have fixed a defect that caused an internal 500 error when migrating a service.
ConnectWise Integration
We have enhanced the integration to import full invoices (as opposed to just the cardlines) and added a new ConnectWise Integration Mapping screen for mapping ConnectWise Invoice Templates to Emersion Invoice Layouts.
Bulk Imports
We have fixed a defect in the contact importer that prevented the importing of some types of contacts.
APIs
We have released two new APIs
- GetPayment
- GetCommissions
We have also modified the StartOrder API to accept commissions data.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 10th May - 23rd May, 2024.
Payments
Novatti Payment Gateway
payments to the Novatti payment gateway can now utilise a description that is shown on the customer's bank statement.
ConnectWise Integration
We have added a new setting that allows setting a ‘start date’ restriction for the invoices that are imported from ConnectWise.
This notice advises that there are changes to the way that Product Rates / Prices on Product Rate Cards work with negative quantities in Emersion.
Previous to the Release
If a Product Rate existed for a Minimum Quantity of a product, it would apply to billing records with that quantity or above (>=).
The price for this product would be:
| Price Per Unit | Minimum Quantity | Means |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | 0 | $20 if quantity >= 0 |
| $19 | 20 | $19 if quantity >= 20 |
For negative quantities that occur in the context of a 'reversal' or an 'adjustment' of a prior billing record, the Product Rate for the quantity would not be applied.
To counter this, some customers entered a negative Minimum Quantity Rate
| Price Per Unit | Minimum Quantity | Means |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | -9999999 | $20 if quantity < 0 (negative quantity) |
After this Release
Emersion has updated the system so that in order to apply the same rate to a negative quantity as an equivalent positive quantity, the system always uses the absolute value of the quantity to find the applicable rate.
For example:
| Price Per Unit | Minimum Quantity | Means |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | 0 | $20 if quantity >= 0 or quantity <= 0 |
| $19 | 20 | $19 if quantity >= 20 or quantity <= -20 |
This affects the following areas of the system:
- Product Rates
- Product Rate Overrides
- Price Books / Price Points
Release Data Changes
In the case of single rates with -999 minimum quantity, Emersion will update these after the release to a min qty = 0. This is in order to make the existing records easier to understand.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 26th April - 9th May, 2024.
Invoices
Invoice Templates
We have added the JCB and Discovery logos so that they are now supported on invoice templates.
There are now six (6) credit card logos, depending on availability to the service provider.
American Express
Visa
Mastercard
Discovery
Diners
JCB
Events
Enhanced Events
| ID | Name | Description of Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1063 | Order Requires Manual Provisioning | Added new variable: Transfer Type |
ConnectWise Integration
A new setting Product Item: Include Parent Agreement for Invoice Grouping has been introduced. This setting determines whether the grouping for this line on the Emersion invoice will use two levels, parent and child agreement (enabled), or one level, the child agreement (when disabled).
We have enhanced the system so that it can honor the sequence # and present the same item order on the Emersion invoice. Specifically, this is used by the Service and Equipment grid. Other grids do not support this enhancement.
ConnectWise ticket notes will now be stripped back to plain text to avoid the markdown formatting from being rendered.
Salesforce Integration
We have fixed an issue where invoices did not generate a PDF in the Salesforce Invoice instance.
Bulk Tools
We have fixed an issue in the Services importer that was causing some service subscriptions start dates to be inaccurate in a small number of use cases.
This notice is to advise that there are changes to SMS compliance for New Zealand based-service providers. New Zealand telecoms are tightening compliance measures due to increasing spam concerns, which affects those service providers using the Emersion Standard Default SMS Gateway for New Zealand (Message Media)
To continue sending SMS messages to New Zealand numbers, service providers are required to register for a short code. Without this short code, any SMS sent to a New Zealand number will be blocked.
Service providers are required to register for a short code by 30 April, 2024.
There are two options that Emersion customers can use:
Option 1 – Dedicated Short Code.
The most secure solution, a dedicated short code is unique to you and is not shared by any other business.
- All your messages will originate from a single number.
- No other organisations will be able to send SMS traffic on that code.
- Increases your credibility and the trust of your customers.
- There’s no risk of your code being blocked or your service being affected by network operators due to third-party SMS spam or scams.
- Set-up takes approximately 2 to 4 weeks.
No setup fee until 30 April 2024.
It typically costs $750 AUD to register for a dedicated short code, and $250 AUD each month ongoing.
However, we're happy to waive the $750 setup fee because of your existing partnership with Emersion (offer valid until 30/04/2024).
To register for a dedicated NZ short code, contact the Emersion Customer Success team at servicedesk@emersion.com, and we’ll provide you an application form.
Option 2 – Low volume Short Code.
A low volume code is shared by a small number of customers with the same use case. While not exclusively yours, the risk of a low volume code being shut down is greatly reduced, compared to a shared number that’s utilised across thousands of other businesses.
- While your messages will all originate from the same number, a small number of other organisations will also use this short code (they do not have control over this).
- Low volume codes will be the only alternative to a dedicated short code available after 31 April 2024.
- Set-up takes approximately 2 to 4 days.
No setup fee until 30 April 2024.
It typically costs $150 AUD to register for a low volume code, and $35 AUD each month ongoing.
However, we're happy to waive the $150 setup fee because of your existing partnership with Emersion (offer valid until 30/04/2024).
To register for a low-volume code, please contact our Customer Success team at servicedesk@emersion.com, and we’ll provide you an application form.
For more information:
Actions That Service Providers Must Take
Service providers must modify their SMS template(s) so that the short code is used in the Sender field of the message template.
You must also offer an Opt Out option in the body of the SMS.
To do this, log in to Cumulus and navigate to Events > Templates > SMS.
Open the SMS template you wish to update by selecting the ID or Name. Click Edit.
In the Sender field, input the short code.
Click Save Template.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 12th April - 25th April, 2024.
Service Subscriptions
Product Rate Overrides
We have removed a rule preventing the creation of backdated product rate overrides, if there is an existing override for the same product and quantity. This will enable users to enter backdated product rate overrides that they were prevented from creating.
Payments
Resolved an error Payment date cannot be earlier than the most recent invoice posted to the ledger, which is DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM:SS when users were entering a payment.
Reports
Ledger Transactions Report
We have added a new power Can Modify Ledger Payment Date and defaulted it to disabled.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 29th March - 11th April, 2024.
Invoices
Updated Design Settings
| Invoice Design Setting | Description of Change |
|---|---|
| Line Details | Added "Purchase Details" as a new select option. This data comes from the Purchase_Description column in the Product Purchase Import |
Events
New Events
| Event type ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1064 | Manual Payment Batch Transaction Failure | This event notifies users when a manual payment batch record has failed processing. This means that users aren't required to periodically check the payment batch screens and review each direct debit/credit run to ensure payment has been taken. |
End User Portal
A number of minor End User Portal use interface improvements were delivered.
Renaming tabs
Some tabs have been renamed.
| Previous tab name | New tab name |
|---|---|
| Payment Details | Payment History |
| Finance Details | Billing Details |
| Finance Details > Payment | Billing Details > Payment Methods |
Removed Link
Removed Finance Details (renamed to Billing Details) link on the Transactions page.
Payment Methods Page
Change of Text
| Change From | Change To |
|---|---|
Your account does not have a recurring Direct Debit method set up. To enable Direct Debit, please click the “Edit” button below and enter your payment details. | Your account does not have a recurring payment method set up. To enable Bank Account Debit/ACH, please click the “Edit” button below and enter your payment details. |
Removal of Text
The following text has been removed. Users wanting similar text here should enter it into the terms and conditions.
Make a Payment
We have changed the name of Payment Method from “Direct Debit” to the following based on country.
| Country | Display |
|---|---|
| Australia (default) | Bank Account Debit |
| US | Bank Account Debit / ACH |
| Undefined | Bank Account Debit / ACH |
If Pay Any Amount or Pay By Invoice is selected, the system will change “Direct Debit” to “Bank Account” for the Payment Type.
If Pay Any Amount or Pay By Invoice is selected, the system will update the payment option asterisk wording to, “By selecting this as your default payment method, all future invoices and outstanding amounts will be charged via this payment method.”
Primary Contact and Billing Contact
We have minimised the white space in between fields.
Change of Text
| Change From | Change To |
|---|---|
We manage the modifications...... | Please contact our Customer Care team to change any of the details listed on your account. |
Billing Details
This was formerly the Finance Details page.
We have changed the name of Payment Method from “Direct Debit” to the following based on country.
| Country | Display |
|---|---|
| Australia (default) | Bank Account Debit |
| US | Bank Account Debit / ACH |
| Undefined | Bank Account Debit / ACH |
Change of Text
| Change From | Change To |
|---|---|
Your account is not configured…payment details | Your account does not have a recurring payment method set up. To enable Direct Debit, please click the “Edit” button below and enter your payment details. |
Removal of Text
The following text has been removed. Users wanting similar text here should enter it into the terms and conditions.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 15th March - 28th March, 2024.
Service Types
Vocus NBN
We have added two new speeds as options:
- 1000Mbps/50Mbps
- 1000Mbps/400Mbps
Invoices
New Invoice Design Settings
| Invoice Design Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Rename Column Header of Meter Reading Data | This setting renames the header of the meter reading data. By default, the header is called Energy Billed (kwh). This is an optional setting. |
Packages and Plans
Product Rate Cards
Fixed a defect causing the message “Undefined Product Rate Card ID” to display when the user was trying to create a new product rate card.
Log In
The last login date will now correctly be updated when the staff user has 2FA enabled.
Quarantine
The non existent service quarantine has undergone a number of performance improvements. This applies to telephony, data, miscellaneous and metered data. In addition:
A new checkbox has been added within non existent service quarantine to disable the auto-lookup.
A new checkbox added to restrict the scope of view to greater than 6 months and this is enabled by default. The system will return non-predictive columns when not checked.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 16th February - 29th February, 2024.
Bank Reconciliation
Emersion has released a new module.
The Statement Reconciliation module provides a way to draw in a bank statement and match transactions from that bank statement to transactions in the Emersion system, or to create transactions in Emersion from that bank statement data.
The Bank Statement Reconciliation module enables service providers to import a bank reconciliation file and allocate the transaction as a payment against an account(s) in Emersion.
Using this feature it is possible to:
- Allocate an amount to multiple invoices on the same account.
- Allocate an amount to multiple invoices across multiple accounts (including a consideration for collective accounts/invoices)
- Allocate an amount to multiple invoices where the amounts need to be allocated as per a remittance received from the customer.
- Allocate all successfully matched transactions in bulk
- Allocate an amount to an account where there is no amount payable i.e. there is no invoice for payment or there is a credit balance
- Override a match and allocate a transaction to a specific invoice or account
We are finalising the last of our online help and will be publishing further information on this module soon.
Global Settings
We have fixed a defect causing a heading to appear on the Admin > Settings > Service Provider Defaults > Invoices page when it should not.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 1st January - 15th February, 2024.
Invoices
We have performed a number of fixes on the Package Summary grid:
- Quantities were showing erroneously. The correct quantity/units were not being returned correctly.
- By default, the grid was ordered by date. The grid now orders by the Items/Products, in ascending order.
- Timestamps have been removed from the Item/Product display
We have fixed an issue where $0 Service Charges were not correctly being reflected on the invoice.
Invoice Design Settings
We have released a new design settings for the Purchases grid
| New Design Setting | |
|---|---|
| Line Items | By default, the Purchases grid uses the Product Name text for each line. This setting enables service providers to modify the text appearing on the Purchases grid lines. The setting will have three options to choose from:
|
Integrations
Quickbooks
We have fixed an issue causing payments to be synchronised twice.
We have also fixed an issue causing manually-created invoices to fail to sync.
ConnectWise
We have fixed an issue that led to associating a ConnectWise ticket with an incorrect invoice.
Bulk Tools
The following bulk tools have been modified.
| Tool | Change Description |
|---|---|
| Opening Balance Importer | Fixed the importer so that it correctly sets an invoice approval status and the invoice type can be set. |
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 17th November - 20th December, 2023.
Invoice Templates
Invoice Design Settings
We have released a number of new design settings for a number of goals
- to better support payment information being displayed on invoices.
- to better control the Labour Charges grid
We have updated the Design Settings Matrix Page to provide users on which design settings apply to which layout types.
| New Design Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Payment Merchant Detail Grid | This setting enables the Payment Merchant Details Grid on the invoice for payment transaction records and their fees. The grid comprises the following:
|
| Payment Merchant Period Summary Grid | This setting enables the Payment Merchant Period Summary Grid on the invoice for payment transaction records and their fees. The grid comprises the following:
|
| Payment Merchant Annual Summary Grid | This setting enables the Payment Merchant Annual Summary Grid on the invoice for payment transaction records and their fees. This grid comprises the following:
|
| Collective Summary | This setting enables the Collective Summary Grid on the invoice. The grid comprises the following:
|
| Show Direct Debit Notice | The Direct Debit Notice appears on page 1 of supported invoice layouts and provides a way to add a text element regarding direct debit. |
| Hide Product Description | This setting removes the Product Description from the information shown in the Labour Charges Grid details. |
| Show Date Without Time | By default, the date and time is shown on the invoice. If this setting is enabled, the invoice will show the date without the time. |
| Use Reference ID as Item Headings | The default behaviour of the Labour Charges grid is to show the Reference ID and Description fields from the usage details as group headings. There are also no separate item headings shown. With this setting enabled, the group headings are now using the Description field only. The Reference ID field is used in item headings instead. |
Payments
Payment Plans
We have fixed a defect in the payment plans where the payments were missing data, causing errors.
Events
We have fixed a bug in the Notify Service Configuration Complete event (Event Type 941) that caused the Service Type Name variable to be blank.
Integrations
AutoTask
Emersion have released a new integration to the Autotask application.
Emersion to Autotask is a one-way integration. Once there is an active Emersion subscription, a corresponding Autotask account will be created.
Account Sync
When made on the Emersion account, the following details will be updated on the corresponding Autotask account:
- Status
- Name
- Contact
- Address
- Phone/Mobile
Charges Sync
In Autotask, when a ticket entry and its charges have completed the Approved and Posted process, Emersion will pull the details from Autotask and generate cardlines.
Pending cardlines will be used to create an invoice, based on the existing invoice period for the Emersion account.
At the time of publishing, we are finalising our Online Help for this new integration. Please contact Sales should you be interested in this new feature.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 3rd November - 16th November, 2023.
Payments
New Payment Gateway
A new payment gateway integration has gone live. The integration with Novatti Payments support direct debit from a bank account and some credit cards. Supported currencies are NZD and AUD. Contact the sales team if you are interested in Novatti Payments.
Invoices
We have fixed an issue where invoices would not complete rendering if multiple rendering requests of that invoice were made to the system.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 20th October -2nd November, 2023.
Integrations
ConnectWise
We have resolved an error with Connectwise mappings, in which Emersion tax types were prevented from being used more than once.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 22nd September -5th October, 2023.
Products
We have made an update to the Ledger Code Mapping page in Cumulus to ensure that the effective date is a mandatory field. The current date will be shown by default when adding a new ledger code mapping.
Reports
We have resolved an issue where, on some reports, clicking Report Schedule would present a blank page.
The following upgrades, fixes and tweaks occurred between the 8th September -21th September, 2023.
Accounts
We have updated the system so that when adding bank details, it now allows bank account numbers to be up to 10 digits.