Pricing & Billing

SOP: PRICING & BILLING DASHBOARD

Effective Date: January XX, 2026
Objective: Validate customer pricing, apply approved discounts, and generate API commands for billing.

1. Dashboard Layout (Color Code)

The sheet is divided into 5 functional zones moving from left to right.

Blue Zone (Raw Ingestion): Contains client names, IDs, and contract dates pulled from the database.

  • Rule: Read Only. Do not edit. If data is wrong, update the source system (CRM/Salesforce).

Orange Zone (Logic/Pricing Matrix): Contains the “List Price” calculated automatically based on 2026 Rate Cards and FX adjustments.

  • Rule: Read Only. These formulas are locked to ensure consistency.

Red Zone (Overrides): Manual adjustments for legacy contracts, promos, or service recovery.

  • Rule: Input Required for Changes. Users must select a valid Reason Code (PROMO_FIRST, SERVICE, or DEALER) to validate an override price.

Green Zone (Tax & Audit): Automated tax calculations (based on Region) and final total checks.

  • Rule: Verify. Check that the “Tax Status” is correct (e.g., “Standard” or “Exempt”).

Purple Zone (Stripe Payload & Audit Gate): The final “Go/No-Go” decision and the code sent to the billing provider.

  • Rule: Status Check. This zone confirms if the row is safe to process.

2. Operational Process

Follow these steps for every billing cycle:

1. Check Contract Dates (Blue Zone): Scan the Period End column.

  • If a date is highlighted Red, the contract has expired. The Audit Gate will show FATAL: CONTRACT
    EXPIRED. Do not bill.
  • If a date is Yellow, the contract expires within 30 days. Flag this to the Account Manager.

2. Review Pricing (Red Zone): Enter custom prices only in the Override column (White Cells).

  • Mandatory: You must select a Reason Code from the dropdown.
  • Note: Adding a comment is required for audit trails (e.g., “Approved by VP”).

3. Validate Output (Purple Zone): Review the Approval and Checksum columns.

  • Green (“PASS”): Row is approved. No further action needed.
  • Yellow (“REVIEW”): Triggered by variance. Verify comments and Reason Code before proceeding.
  • Red (“FATAL”): Transaction is blocked. Correct the issue in the Red Zone (e.g., fix a $0.00 charge or a Governance Lock for excessive variance).

3. Troubleshooting Visual Alerts

Red Background (Hard Stop): Critical error (e.g., FATAL: VOIDING REVENUE).

  • Action: You cannot proceed. Fix the input or remove the row from the batch.

Yellow Background (Warning): Price varies from standard list.

  • Action: Ensure a valid Reason Code is listed. If variance is too high, system may trigger a GOVERNANCE LOCK.

4. General Rules

  • No Forced Billing: Never manually override a “FATAL” error. Always fix the upstream data (Price, Date, or Reason Code) to resolve the error.
  • Checksum Integrity: The Checksum must reflect “PASS”.