Terminology
What is a ‘service number’?A ‘service number’ is usually a phone number, and is the level at which charges appear. It’s the same as a ‘service ID’ for Custombill clients. What is a ‘node’?A ‘node’ is a level of a hierarchy. Cost Manager Monthly users can create multiple hierarchies and can assign user access, accounts and service numbers to different levels (nodes). It’s the same as a ‘branch’ for Custombill clients, except nodes can’t be made into an ‘invoice’. What’s the difference between a public and a private hierarchy?All users in your company with access to the root node of the master hierarchy can access public hierarchies. Private hierarchies can only be viewed and updated by the user who set them up. What’s the difference between an ‘active’ and a ‘master’ hierarchy?An ‘active’ hierarchy is used for ‘summary’ and ‘detail’ reports and the ‘cost allocation’ page. A ‘master’ hierarchy is used to allocate access to other users in your business. Why is there more than one data option for each month?With Cost Manager you can run reports using data from statement periods and calendar months. If you select a calendar month you’ll see all calls made in that month, no matter what the date of the statement in which they were billed. Logging in
What if I’ve forgotten my username or password?Go to the Cost Manager registration page and click ‘Forgot Your Login or Password?’. Enter your name and email address and answer the security question you gave during registration (or have since changed on the ‘Setup’ page). You’ll receive an email with your username and password. What if I’ve been locked out of my account?Email costmanager@telecom.co.nz or call 0800 500 999 during normal business hours (Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm). How many times can I try entering my password before I’m locked out of my account?You can make five attempts before you’re locked out. Users
Who can subscribe to Cost Manager?Cost Manager is available to Telecom’s medium and large-sized business clients. When I register for Cost Manager, who in my organisation will be contacted?The person who registers an organisation for Cost Manager becomes that organisation’s administrator, which means they can view and control confidential information. Because of this, we need to ensure access is only given to people internally authorised to have it.
If the person requesting registration isn’t listed in Telecom’s records, we ask for approval from a senior member in that organisation who’s listed in Telecom’s records. For most business clients this means one or more of the:
Can more than one person in my business use Cost Manager?Only one user can be set up to use Cost Manager Summary. If you’d like to give access to more users, you need to upgrade to Cost Manager Monthly on the ‘Setup’ page. For pricing information, see www.telecom.co.nz/costmanager. How many users can I set up on Cost Manager Monthly?In contrast to Cost Manager Summary (where you get one user login), Cost Manager Monthly enables you to have up to 10 Cost Manager user logins (including the administrator), and additional user bundles in groups of 15. To order these user bundles, go to the ‘Setup’ page. For pricing information, see www.telecom.co.nz/costmanager. What happens when a Cost Manager administrator leaves the business?The administrator should change their personal details to another user before they leave. If this hasn’t happened, email costmanager@telecom.co.nz and ask for a new administrator username and password.
Online ICMS paperless invoice
How can I find out the name of the Cost Manager administrator in my business?They will probably be the person who gave you a username and password. If you don’t have this information and can’t find out the name of your administrator, email costmanager@telecom.co.nz. Does Cost Manager replace my paper invoice?The Cost Manager suite offers you the option of receiving online PDF invoices. To arrange this, you’ll need to change your setup in the ‘Setup’ page. Why have I received a paper invoice when I’ve changed to receiving online invoices?Any changes to your billing mode need to be made at least 48 hours before our invoice run starts, and 72 hours before your statement date. If you made the change outside that timeframe, you’ll receive a paper invoice for that run. I’m a Custombill client; can I get my invoices online?Unfortunately Custombill clients can’t get online invoices. However, if you have a mix of ICMS and Custombill accounts, your ICMS accounts will qualify. I’m a Custombill client; can I use the remittance advice option in Cost Manager?No. You need to use your existing processes to make payments. Why have I received an online invoice when I haven’t asked for it?You may have registered for Cost Manager recently or had some accounts reactivated or added. If you’d prefer paper bills, you need to change your setting. What can I see?
Can I see unbilled information?No. Cost Manager only shows billed information. Can I use Cost Manager to see unsuccessful vs. successful calls to my toll-free number?No. Your Telecom account manager can tell you about your available toll-free reporting options. How many months’ data will I be able to see online?When you first subscribe you’ll be able to see your latest month’s account information. This will accumulate until you can see a maximum of the past three months’ ‘summary’ and ‘detail’ data and up to 13 months of ‘statement’ information.
All statements and reports can be exported, so you can store them indefinitely. How long does it take for my account information to appear online?Your account information is usually available online within 72 hours. If you’re scheduling a report to be run each month in the ‘Order Report’ screen, please allow for this. Why can’t I see my service numbers on the ‘Edit Level’ page?Service numbers follow an account number unless they’ve been assigned to a lower node in a hierarchy. Before you can allocate a service number, the account to which it is billing needs to be moved from the Corporate/Unallocated node. On the ‘Manage Statements’ screen there are many accounts with a zero balance. How can I remove or hide them?Cost Manager enables your business’s administrator to see all your Telecom accounts. If there are account numbers that you no longer need, sort them by clicking on ‘Amount Due’, ‘Export’ on the ‘Manage Statements’ page (without selecting any account rows), identify the account numbers you don’t need and email them to costmanager@telecom.co.nz. Please enter ‘Expire Accounts’ in the subject field. Which accounts will feature in Cost Manager?Your business’s Cost Manager administrator will be able to see all your Telecom accounts. Where can I see the period for which a rental has been charged?Go to ‘Detail’ reports and view or edit a ‘Service Charges’ report (this should appear in the column beside the report name). Why can’t I see all nodes to which I have access when I click on the ‘Level’ dropdown menu?The dropdown list displays up to 100 nodes. If you’d like to view more, add the extra nodes to your ‘Favourites’ in ‘Edit Levels’. What account information can I see using Cost Manager?Cost Manager shows all charges billed to your Telecom account, including landline, mobile (including international roaming), 0800, internet, data, Yellow™, paging and SKY television. Are local calls itemised?No. Local calling is summarised as it appears on your paper bill. Does Cost Manager itemise text messages?Yes. If I have a threshold set up on my account, can I still view the detail online?Yes. Cost Manager users can analyse call details even if they have a toll threshold on their paper bills to limit how many pages are printed. Some calls won’t be detailed owing to system thresholds set by Telecom (eg. local calls).
Please contact Telecom if you’d like a threshold set up on your paper bill. Why doesn’t Cost Manager show an ‘invoice number’?The invoice number in Cost Manager has been intentionally left blank or appears as N/A. Can I retrieve a report after I’ve deleted it?No. You’ll need to set up the report again by clicking ‘Add Report’. How do GST and other charges and credits at an account level appear on the ‘Cost Allocation’ page?They appear in Cost Manager in a similar way to how line-level charges (eg, rentals and calls) show against service numbers. The account number will show on the ‘Edit Levels’ page only when ‘Services’ is selected as a service number; this can be allocated to the level of the hierarchy at which you want these charges to appear. This gives you flexibility in how you allocate your costs. Can I use Cost Manager to view my AAPT account information?No. If you’re an AAPT client and would like more information on the Trans-Tasman Online Bill Analyser, please contact your AAPT account manager. I’ve updated the package to which my business subscribes, but it doesn’t appear to have worked. Why?Package updates occur overnight, so the change you’ve requested won’t happen until the next day. Are there any restrictions on where a service number can be placed in a hierarchy?Yes. A service number must appear at a hierarchy level that’s the same as, or lower than, the Telecom account to which it bills.
If you stick to this rule, an account number can be moved anywhere in the same node without affecting where the service number sits. If a user tries to allocate an account to a lower level in a hierarchy than a service number, the rule still applies and the line number will be automatically moved. The rule also applies for ‘split’ service numbers, ie, a service number can’t be split between two accounts at different levels of a hierarchy. Using Cost Manager with other applications
Which web browsers are compatible with Cost Manager?Cost Manager is officially supported by:
How can I view exported information in Microsoft Excel?Export your data to CSV format and open this file using Microsoft Excel. How can I export associated detail from a summary report?To see the associated detail, double-click on a summary graph or a hyperlink in a summary report. If you want the detailed data in a format for exporting, you need to rerun your report using the ‘Detail’ page. Why am I having trouble exporting to PDF?After you’ve selected the PDF report to be exported to landscape or portrait and clicked ‘OK’, a screen will appear saying ‘Processing Data Report...’. Clicking ‘Close’ will cancel the report.
If you’re still having problems exporting to PDF, check that your browser isn’t blocking pop-ups. If pop-ups are allowed but you get an ‘Error on Page’ message, contact your system administrator. Do I need to download any software to use Cost Manager?No. All you need is a computer with internet access and a compatible web browser. Working with my paper bill
Will changes that I make online be reflected in my paper bill?No. Please contact Telecom if you’d like to make a change to your paper bill. Do the line descriptions on my paper bills show in Cost Manager?No. Account descriptions will show when you first register an account for Cost Manager, but users can change these without the changes showing in your paper bills. Will the line and account descriptions I add to Cost Manager appear on my paper bills?No. Please contact Telecom to add user and account descriptions to your paper bills. Does it matter what ‘bill cycle’ or day of the month my account bills on?No. There is no restriction on bill cycles for Cost Manager clients. You can have accounts with different bill cycles. Working with my paper bill
How do I cancel my Cost Manager subscription?If you’re the Cost Manager administrator for your business, please let us know by emailing costmanager@telecom.co.nz. All hierarchies and customised reports that you have set up will be deleted. Note an early disconnection fee may apply (see the Cost Manager terms of use). What will happen to my hierarchies and customised reports if I downgrade from Cost Manager Monthly to Cost Manager Summary?All hierarchies and customised reports that you and others in your business have set up will be deleted and can’t be recovered.