Challenges Faced by the Client

The client’s business involved managing three distinct billing processes: 

1. 1. Monthly Minimum Billing: For some customers, a fixed monthly charge is agreed upon, regardless of the number of items sold. The client still bills the agreed amount if sales fall below this minimum.
   2. Subsidy Billing: In many office setups, employers partially fund snacks or meal purchases. The client must track which items are subsidized, calculate the difference, and bill the employer accurately.
   3. Equipment Billing: Charges for renting machines like coffee setups or ice dispensers vary based on usage duration or location-specific pricing. In some cases, bills must be pro-rated if the equipment is used for only part of the month.

Managing these billing structures across numerous customer locations and delivery points created too much manual effort, as described below: 

• Manual System Navigation: Staff had to log in, search, and update weekly/monthly billing records individually through their internal app. This meant going record by record to apply billing logic – taking hours for each cycle and leaving room for missed entries.  

• High Data Entry Effort: Every billing record, whether new or modified, had to be keyed in manually. Even minor corrections in price or date meant re-entering the details, often across multiple tabs or fields. 

• Complex Pricing and Billing Structures: The client dealt with complex pricing structures requiring careful calculation and billing for weekly and monthly sales, as well as for partial-month (pro-rated) equipment usage. Each customer had a different agreement – some based on fixed minimums, while others on actual usage, making it hard to apply a standard rule set or validate accuracy. 

• Reporting Requirements: Generating monthly reconciliation reports for several locations and customers was a significant administrative burden. Reports had to be manually compiled from many data sources, delaying insights and increasing the risk of mismatch.  

• Data Integration Issues: Integrating sales data from various micro markets and vending machines into a unified billing system was challenging. Without a centralized sync, teams had to manually match machine-level sales data with customer accounts before invoicing. 

Solutions

Understanding the client’s challenges, we designed an automated billing system using Microsoft Power Platform tools to eliminate manual work and improve accuracy across their workflows. Here is how each challenge was addressed: 

• Automated Record Processing with RPA Bot: Instead of logging into their app and updating records manually, a bot now runs on a fixed schedule, logs in automatically, and processes all billing records in bulk, saving time and effort. 

• Centralized Billing Input via Power Apps: A user-friendly Power Apps screen was built where the client can create or modify billing records several times as and when required. All data entered here syncs with their internal application in the background. 

• Built-in Logic for Complex and Pro-Rated Billing: Custom billing logic was built into the app to handle different pricing rules and subsidy agreements. For partial-month equipment usage, users simply enter the dates, and the system calculates the correct pro-rated charge. 

• Automated Report Generation through Power Pages: Weekly and monthly billing reports are automatically generated. A dashboard on Power Pages shows what was processed, what failed, and why, so that the teams do not have to track things manually in their app. 

• Dynamic Pricing Adjustment using RPA Algorithms: Customized algorithms were developed within the RPA bot to dynamically adjust pricing based on the subsidy agreements of each customer. 

• End-to-End System Integration for Billing Data: The solution integrates Power Apps, RPA, and the application into one connected workflow. Sales and billing data from all vending locations are pulled together and updated consistently. 

Solutions Benefits

The implementation of these solutions yielded significant benefits for the client: 

• Reduced Administrative Overhead: With automation handling reporting and reconciliation, internal teams can focus on higher-value tasks instead of routine admin work. 

• Faster Invoicing Cycle: Automated invoice generation accelerated the invoicing cycle and improved both cash flow and fairness. 

• Minimized Data Entry Errors: Using Power Apps to manage billing inputs eliminated mismatches, as the user will be alerted for every duplicated entry. 

• Scalable Pricing Management: Customized pricing logic makes handling complex and varying subsidy agreements easier without needing manual re-calculations. 

• Improved Decision-Making: Real-time metrics displayed on Power Pages provide insights for informed decision-making. 

• Customer Satisfaction: Timely and accurate billing enhanced customer satisfaction and strengthened relationships. 

Conclusion

About Us

UB Technology Innovations, Inc. (UBTI) is a leading global technology solution provider with over 3 decades of experience across all industries, specializing in Capital Markets, Logistics, and Healthcare. We are the preferred Microsoft Solutions Partner backed by a world-class team of Microsoft Certified experts with rich experience in Azure Cloud Platform and Data Analytics.

One of the Top 10 winners of the
Microsoft’s Azure AI & ML Workathon