Biller Direct
Streamline Cash Processing and
Enhance the Customer Experience
Mike Martin
Monsanto
1
What Well Cover
Business drivers behind Monsantos implementation
Our implementation timeline
Review standard and customization options available through
Biller Direct
Identifying business requirements
Understanding application challenges
Key learnings
Demo
Business Drivers
Increase customer satisfaction
Access to financial status
Online delivery of Invoices, Reports and Statements
Customer expectations
Inefficient order-to-cash process
Payment processing efficiencies
Large volume of paper invoices and statements
Cost of invoicing and reconciliation
Significant online application use by our customers
Customers expect online payment capability
Global solution
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Return on Investment
Reduce order-to-cash cycle time
Access to invoices
Next day access following order fulfillment
Increase working capital
Opportunity to reduce delay in cash receipts up to five days
Cost savings
Lockbox cost reductions
Limits staff requirements
Online payments significantly limit exception processing
Print and mailing opportunities
Enables online-only receipt of documents and reports
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Timeline Biller Direct
2012 rollout to 12 businesses integrated to SAP ERP Central
Component
4
2007 2008 2009
MAR OCT MAY OCT JAN MAR
Development to
Pilot Launch
Phase 2 to
Company-wide
launch
French language for
Canada
SAP ECC 6.0
Upgrade
Canada
launch
Standard Biller Direct Functionality
Open bills
Display/download
Pay (partial or full)
Clear credits/debits
Paid bills
Display/download
In process
Processed
30 days/12 months/5 years/ Unlimited (Response time impact)
Cancel Payment
View bills associated with payment
Create Payment Advice/Display Payment Advice
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Standard Biller Direct Functionality (cont.)
Balances and line items
Download
Monthly balances (Debit/Credit/Balance/Sales)
Administrative data
Update address
Create/Change/Delete Bank Details
Change/Withdraw direct debit authorization
Notification preferences (Email/SMS)
Switch account
Multiple SAP payer accounts can be assigned to single user id
FAQ
Logoff
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Our Must-Haves for the Design
Open Items-Payment (standard Biller Direct-Open Bills)
Filter document types
Flag future due credits as Non-Payable
Add line item data
Delivery Number/Purchase Order Number/Child customer
name/Line item description (reason code)
Prepayment-On Account Payment (custom screen)
Allows payments in excess of account balance
Payments not specific to an invoice
Payment History (standard Biller Direct-Payment)
Limit increment of time available for visibility
30 Days/90 Days/1 Year/2 Years
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Our Must-Haves for the Design (cont.)
Statements (custom screen)
Provide ability to receive electronic-only statements
Statements archived and accessible for 12 months
Custom reports available through archive
Bank Accounts (custom screen based on administrative data)
Limits ability to Add and Edit bank information only
Switch Account (standard Biller Direct)
Contact Us (custom screen)
FAQ (standard Biller Direct)
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Application Challenges Data Fields and Filters
Functionality available to Add and Filter data
Addition of Delivery Number, Purchase & Order Number
Filter Document type, Reason code, Down Payment requests
SubObjects selection flexibility
assignment field values or partner type
Delete cancelled prepayments from appearing on the open items
screen
Prevent selection of future dated credits
Display PDF icon for invoices ONLY if document exists in the
archiving system
Add additional fields to the open items and CSV
download file
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Open Items-Payment View
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Open Items-Payment View (cont.)
Challenges Prepayment-On Account
Custom screen development using Web Dynpro
Generate customer down payment request
Update Event log
Modification to include down payment requests in payment
history and exclude from open bills
Updates to payment proposal
Parameter ID modification required for visibility on FBL5N
Prepayment utilizes Special GL
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Prepayment-On Account View
Statements
Implemented custom design using object type DRAWSAP
Document is not linked and requires further development
Define the object_id on the linkage table and require a means to
extract the list of statements through the Web site
Design can be utilized to store any ABAP, Smartform, or
SAPScript generated report in the archive
Provides customer the ability to elect Online only
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Statement Archive Design
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Customer Statement
is generated and
indicator set to
Send to Documentum
Document Received
by Documentum
using HTTP
Security Certificate
Processing
Statement
Converted to
OTF format sent
to archive by
FMs in
program
Documentum
Content
Repository
Security Certificate
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Statement View
Bank Accounts
Modification of screen utilizing standard RFC to update
Customer Master to eliminate the Delete function
Function allows for edits but NOT deletions
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Switch Accounts
Provides ability to have multiple accounts per User ID
Modified to to arrange the object hierarchy
Implemented functionality to assign text/label to a SubObject
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Other Challenges
Creating custom screens Web Dynpro Java development (SAP
NetWeaver
Development Infrastructure)
Implementing a foreign language
Supporting SAP ERP Central Component 6.0 Upgrade
No user exits to enhance Biller Direct Java Web application
Modification is the only option
Implementation of SAP Enterprise Portal
Single Sign-On (Portal to Biller Direct)
Integration of custom functionality Prepayment-On Account
with standard Biller Direct
Example: Payment history, cancellation, payment proposal,
payment run, audit log, etc.
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User Management Engine configuration limits and flexibility
Multiple accounts accessible through single User ID
Establishing User Access utilizing Pooled reference user
fscm_refuser authorization profiles for ECC access
objtype_0 BUS3007 customer identifier
objkey_0 company code + customer number
Standard row limitation of ten (four accounts)
Enhanced to 30 lines, see SAP Note 869852
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User Management Engine (cont.)
Utilizing SubObjects enables filtering capability
SubObjects available for Branch accounts filtering
Display Only due to conflict with Head Office
bank accounts
Pooled reference user setup
objtype ebpp_spart
objkey Company code + customer number +
unique qualifier
Key Learnings
Performance issues
Large volume of Open Items
SAP claims resolution version 6.02 (Pagination)
Custom approach through use of Summary and Invoice
Query
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Key Learnings (cont.)
Performance Issues (cont.)
Payment history screen for five years and unlimited selection
Addressed through two-year limit
Reversal issue
FBRA does not remove Payment Method at time of
reversal
Capture by subsequent proposal will result in a double debit of
customer bank account
Created new transaction code for reversals that removes
payment method
Select all/deselect all
Not available through standard Open Bills (display view)
SAP modified standard Biller Direct screen
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Key Learnings (cont.)
Payment Proposal Limitations
No error messages or flag
Lock/posting failure
SAP Notes
Correction for SubObject processing in R/3 4.6c
Apply SAP Note 1152361
User Management Engine limitation of 10 lines
Apply SAP Note 869852 to increase from 10 to 30 lines
SAP R/3 EBPP Log truncates the Portal User ID to 12 characters
SAP recognizes this issue but there are no plans yet for an
upcoming release
JSP modification to handle CSV download delimiters (,
instead of ;) so properly formatted by Excel
Apply SAP Note 1086466
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Key Learnings (cont.)
Involve SAP before making changes
Use SAP NetWeaver Development Infrastructure to deploy Biller
Direct Web application modifications
Roll out application in a pilot program to limited customers
Perform thorough testing
Reconciliation report
Payment proposal, payment run, and 820 confirmation
Call center
SubObjects are not supported
Knowledge Management (Portal)
On-the-fly updates for Pure HTML pages
Home, FAQ, and Outages
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Resources
SAP Guides
Configuration Guide
Modification Guide
Security Guide
Installation Guide
http://help.sap.com/erp2005_ehp_04/helpdata/en/43/72fc28e1
356fcae10000000a1553f6/frameset.htm
SAP Financials Expert April 2007, Volume 6/Number 4
SAP Building Blocks (W22: FSCM Biller Direct)
http://help.sap.com/bp_bblibrary/600/BBlibrary_start.htm
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Key Points
Understand the full extent of your business user requirements
Engage companies that have implemented Biller Direct
SAP User Groups/SAP Financial Customer Value Network
Identify pilot group of customers to test and for initial launch
Develop with business growth in mind and utilize tables and avoid
hard coding
Prototype out-of-the-box solution and compare with requirements
Build appropriate back-end monitoring
Establish clear expectations with your financial institution for
ACH debit requests and confirmations
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Your Turn!
How to contact me:
MikeGMartin@gmail.com
