Add/Edit Agreements
The Add Agreement screen allows you to create a new agreement for a customer. Agreements can be created from the Agreements List view or from the Agreements tab in the Billing section of a customer's profile. They can also be created from an existing agreement template. To edit an existing agreement, open the agreement record and click Edit. The Edit Agreement screen has the same fields, plus Ticket Types.
Use one of the following steps to start a new agreement from the Agreements List view.
- Click Add Agreement, select a customer, and click Continue to open the Add Agreement screen.
- Click Create from Template, select a customer, click Continue, select an agreement template, and click Continue to open the Add Agreement screen with the template's values filled in.
To start an agreement from a customer's profile, click Add Agreement on the Agreements tab. The customer is already selected, so the form opens right away.
Each field on the Add Agreement and Edit Agreement screens is defined below.
| Label | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agreement Name | Name of the agreement. |
| Ticket Types | Displays on the Edit Agreement screen only. Limits which ticket types are added to the agreement. Tickets of the selected types are added to the agreement automatically. Leave blank to allow tickets of any type. |
| Start Date | Date the agreement begins. This defaults to today's date. |
| Initial Term End | Length of the initial term of the agreement. Options include None, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and Custom. When you edit an agreement, this displays as a date. The initial term does not stop billing on its own. The agreement keeps billing as is unless it is changed or cancelled. |
| Agreement Expiration | How long until the agreement expires. Options include None, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and Custom. Adding an expiration makes this a Fixed Term agreement. Leave as None to keep the agreement Evergreen. If the agreement expires or is cancelled without being renewed, the services covered by its components are disconnected at that time. |
| Account Manager | User assigned as the account manager for the agreement. |
| Owner | User assigned as the owner of the agreement. |
The Locking section controls whether the agreement is protected from template changes. The Locked toggle is off by default. When Locked is turned on, changes made to templates or to agreement time entry rates in System Settings will not update this agreement's rates or rules. Locking can also be applied from the ellipsis menu on the Agreements List view.
The Components section displays the components that make up the agreement. Components are the billable building blocks of the agreement, and they define the services and billing rules it covers. An agreement needs at least one component to be useful. Click Add Component to add a new component. Components can be added when creating the agreement or at any time after it has been saved. Click Collapse All or Expand All to collapse or expand every component.
Each component displays its name, a badge showing its type, and a summary of the services it covers, such as All services. Each component requires a Component Type. The Component Name is optional, and you can use it to give the component a name your customers will recognize. An agreement can include only one component of each type. The component type determines the fields available in the configuration. The following component types are available.
| NOTE: The Time Log Reason list on a rate stays empty until at least one time log reason has been turned on for agreements. See the Add/Edit Agreement Time Entry Rates article for more information. |
The Recurring component type tracks a customer's recurring services within the agreement. It does not change how those services bill, and it has no rates to configure. A component without a rule includes all of the customer's recurring services. Use the Rules section to choose specific services instead. After you save the component, you can add a recurring service to the agreement, and it also displays on the customer's record like any other recurring service.
The Time and Materials component type tracks the time and parts on tickets that belong to the agreement and lets you set agreement-specific labor rates. Labor is billed at the rates you set. Parts and materials are tracked and included in the agreement's profitability, but they are not billed through the agreement. Click Add Rate to add a rate. Each rate includes the following fields.
| Label | Definition |
|---|---|
| Time Log Reason | The time log reason this rate applies to. |
| Rate Name | Optional name for the rate. You can use a more general name or one that matches your customer's wording. |
| Billing Rate | Rate billed to the customer per hour for this agreement. This overrides the standard agreement rate set on the Time Entry Rates tab in System Settings. |
| Cost Rate | Internal cost per hour. |
| Effective Date | Date from which this rate is effective. |
| Active | Indicates whether this rate is currently active. This is on by default. |
The Block Hours component type is used for agreements that include a set number of hours. Click Add Block Hour to add a block hour rate. Each block hour rate includes the following fields.
| Label | Definition |
|---|---|
| Time Log Reason | The time log reason this block hour rate applies to. |
| Rate Name | Optional name for the rate. You can use a more general name or one that matches your customer's wording. |
| Included Free Hours | Number of hours included before overage pricing begins. |
| Billing Rate | Rate billed to the customer per hour for this agreement. This overrides the standard agreement rate set on the Time Entry Rates tab in System Settings. |
| Cost Rate | Internal cost per hour. |
| Effective Date | Date from which this rate is effective. This defaults to today's date. |
| Active | Indicates whether this block hour rate is currently active. This is on by default. |
The Overage Rules section defines the rate applied when included hours are exceeded. The following actions are available.
- Add an overage tier by clicking Add Overage Rule. Click it again for each additional tier.
- Apply a pre-configured overage template by clicking Apply Overage Template. See the Create/Edit Overage Templates article for more information.
- Remove a tier by clicking the delete icon in the Actions column.
Each overage tier includes the following fields.
| Label | Definition |
|---|---|
| Hours From | The number of overage hours where the tier begins. |
| Hours To | The number of hours where the tier ends. Leave blank to apply the tier to all hours above Hours From. |
| Multiplier | Multiplier applied to the billing rate for hours in this range. |
| Rate | The resulting rate for the tier. This is calculated from the billing rate and the multiplier. For example, a multiplier of 1 bills at the billing rate, and a multiplier of 1.5 bills at time and a half. |
| NOTE: Tiers must be in ascending order with no gaps between ranges. |
The One-Time Items component type is used to attach one-off charges or credits to the agreement. It works like adding a charge to the customer, but the charge belongs to the agreement. It is a good fit for items such as yearly toner or a replacement computer. For hours included in the agreement, use a Block Hours component, and for fixed monthly or annual fees, use a Recurring component. One-Time Items can be added only on a customer agreement, not on an agreement template. The following options are available.
- Enable Send items to a ticket on activation to send the items to a ticket when the agreement is activated. This is off by default.
- Add items from your product catalog using the Add Item from Catalog dropdown.
Each item includes the following fields. A negative price makes the item a credit.
| Label | Definition |
|---|---|
| Description | Description of the item. |
| Quantity | Number of units. |
| Price | Price per unit. A negative price makes the item a credit. |
| Cost | Internal cost of the item. |
| Bill on Renewal | Controls whether the item is billed again each time the agreement is renewed. |
The Recurring, Time and Materials, and Block Hours component types have an optional Rules section that controls which services the component applies to. One-Time Items components do not have rules. Click Add Rule to add a rule. Each rule has an Applies to option with the following settings.
- All services on this customer - the component applies to all services on the customer account.
- Cherry-pick services - the component applies only to specific services you select. Choose one or more services from the Services list, which shows each service's ID, description, status, type, provider, and charge. Both Active and Pending services can be selected. To create a new recurring service from this screen, click Add Recurring Service.
A component can have more than one rule. A component without rules applies to all services on the customer account.
Rules also help decide which tickets belong to the agreement. When the service selected on a ticket is covered by a component, the ticket is added to the agreement automatically. You can also use Ticket Types on the Edit Agreement screen. See the View Agreement: Overview Tab article for more information.
Click Add to save the agreement as Pending, Add & Activate to save and activate it right away, or Cancel to discard your changes. Add and Add & Activate become available once the required fields are filled in. A Pending agreement is useful when setup is not finished or when the agreement should not start until a later date. You can edit an agreement after it is saved.
On the Edit Agreement screen, click Cancel at the top of the screen to discard your changes.
For more information about agreements, see the following articles.