Filters

uCollect is designed to automatically collect every invoice for your designated contacts,  But sometimes one size just doesn't fit all!  Sometimes your client's have approved automatic collection of one type of invoice, but not others.  You can only suspend invoices for so long before you forget and one slips through and angers your client.  Our Filters feature is here to help.

With Filters, you can set up a collection profile that will restrict what our automatic collection process will try to collect.  It's completely optional and can be applied on one customer at a time if necessary.

Here are the steps:

1. Create a filter profile (a library of filters)
2. Assign it as a default to gateways (if you want to )
3. Apply it to the contact(s) in question.

Please remember that by default we collect ALL INVOICES.  Filters are only applied at your request!

Create a Filter Profile

From the Edit menu choose Organisation Settings (only admin users can do this).  Scroll down to near the bottom and find the "Filters" section.

Click "+ Add Filter" to create your first filter.  Set your filter parameters.  

Here are the options:

• Direction: the default selection is to "Collect an invoice only if all the following are true" which means that if you include an option then the invoice must match that option to be eligible for collection.  The more criteria you choose the less invoices will be eligible.  The other option is to "collect all invoices unless all the following are true."  This direction determines what NOT to collect.
• Coding Accounts: list the account numbers of the posting lines that you want to include in the filter - separate multiple accounts by a comma.  If you list more than one account then any of these accounts will trigger the filter in either direction.  If there are more than one posting line in the invoice then any line will trigger it.  For example, if we are in the ONLY direction, and specify Accounts "123,456", and the 3 invoice lines post to 122, 190 and 187, then the invoice will not be triggered by the filter.
• Invoice number: looks at the prefix of the invoice number.  It if matches what you put here it will trigger the filter.
• Amount: this is an exact amount that for the invoice total
• Invoice Reference (Xero only): looks at the prefix of the invoice reference field.  If it matches what you put in here it will trigger the filter.
• Branding Theme (Xero only): if the invoice branding theme matches this option it will trigger the filter
• Custom Field (QBO only): If the selected custom field matches the EXACT value entered here it will trigger the filter 

Assign as a Default to a Gateway

Each Gateway has a default filter.  The initial default is always "Collect all invoices" but you can change that once you have added a filter to the library.

Once set, any new contact assigned to this gateway will automatically inherit the filter.  It can be overridden on the contact screen.

If this gateway is eligible for Pay Now you will be prompted to set a Pay Now default as well.  If you choose to apply the filter to all customers assigned through the Pay Now or Invitation process then this filter will automatically be assigned this filter as well.

Apply to a Contact

You can choose which contacts to apply filters to.  By default new contacts will inherit the default filter for that gateway, but you can override this at any time.

Previewing your filter

Once you have assigned a filter to a contact you can preview how the filter will be applied to any existing invoices by clicking on the invoice total to see the invoice list.  A new column for "Eligible" will be displayed and will forecast the filter status.

If an invoice passes the filter it will display a green checkmark.  If it fails the test it will have a red x mark.

Checking some of the filter criteria is very intensive on the accounting system APIs and can lead to exceeding API limits, especially for Xero.  To minimize the load on the API we do not refresh this status once it has been initially displayed.  This may lead to the status being out of sync with Xero. We do a full refresh of all filter status indicator about an hour before your scheduled automatic routine, or when Process Now is manually triggered.

How Filters Effect the Collection Routine

For API gateways we refresh the filter with Xero data about an hour before your scheduled time.  When your automatic routine is run only invoices that meet the filter will be considered available and processed.  Invoices that fail the filter will simply be ignored.  No warning or error is generated.

For upload batches or manual Process Now batches we refresh the invoice data before running the batch.  You may experience a delay while the batch lists are displayed.  You may still suspend invoices with eligible filters.  

For certain filter criteria (account code and branding theme) batch preparation or creation will slow down while we poll the accounting system invoice-by-invoice to verify the data.  Please be patient.  If your batch times out please contact uCollect Support.  Only invoices that meet the filter will be considered available and processed.  Invoices that fail the filter will simply be ignored.  No warning or error is generated.

Filters have no impact on Pay Now.  Customers are free to pay any and all invoices using Pay Now.

Here is our processing sequence to decide if an invoice should be included in an automatic or process now batch:

• Contact is not suspended
• Invoice is not suspended
• Invoice does not have installments (installments are always processed as separate part of the process - we're looking at invoices here)
• Due date (less number of days in advance, if set) <= today
• Filter (if set) is eligible
• invoice date is not more than 6 months ago (unless "Include 6 months old invoice: gas been selected for the batch)
• Invoice has not been collected previously (unless "allow reprocessing" has been selected for the batch)

Collecting an Invoice with an Ineligible Filter

If you have an invoice that fails the filter test and you still want to include it you can override the filter by setting an installment plan for that invoice.  Also, in the Actions, Process Now screen you can choose the "Selected Invoices" option and select an ineligible invoice and it will be included in the batch.  But apart from these two exceptions, invoices that fail a filter test (shown as ineligible) will not be included in a normal automatic or Process Now batch.