Frequently asked questions

What is a 'Service Number'?

A 'Service Number' is usually a telephone number and is the level that charges appear. This is the same as a 'Service ID' for Custombill customers.

What is a 'Node'?

A 'Node' (or a 'Branch') 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). This is the same as a 'Branch' for Custombill customers except that they cannot be made into an 'invoice'.

What is the difference between a public and private hierarchy?

All users in your company with access to the root node of the master hierarchy can access public hierarchies. Private hierarchies can be viewed and updated only by the user that set them up.

What is the difference between an 'Active' and a 'Master' hierarchy?

An 'Active' hierarchy will be 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?

Cost Management enables you to run reports using data selection from statement periods and calendar months. If you select a calendar month, you can see all calls that were made in that month, regardless of the date of the statement that they were billed on.

What do I do if I have forgotten my user name or password?

Go to the Cost Management registration page and click on the 'Forgot Your Login or Password' link. Enter your name, email address and answer the security question you gave during registration or you have since changed on the 'Setup' page. You will be emailed your user name and password immediately.

What do I do if I have been locked out of my account?

Please email costmanager@telecom.co.nz or call 0800 500 999 during normal business hours (Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5pm).

How many attempts can I have at entering my password before I am locked out of my account?

You can have 5 attempts. To protect the security of your data you will be locked out on your 6th unsuccessful attempt.

Who can subscribe to Cost Management?

Cost Management is available to medium and large sized Telecom customers.

When I register for Cost Management, who in my organisation will be contacted?

To ensure the person registering to Cost Management has the authority to access the data, this tool provides an approval process. This simply involves requesting approval from a senior member in the organisation as determined by Telecoms records, if the subscriber themselves is not recorded as such.

The person who first signs an organisation on to Cost Management will become the administrator for that organisation, and have full access to view all its Telecom billed data. In the case of Cost Manager Monthly, they will also have the ability to set up and control the access of additional users. Because of this ability to view and control confidential information, we need to ensure access is only given to people who are internally authorised to have it.

For most business customers we will seek this authorisation from one the following, according to the information in our records:

Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
General Manager
Managing Director
Director

The authorisation contact will be taken from the information held in Telecom's records.

Can more than one person in my company use Cost Management?

Only one user can be set up to use Cost Manager Summary. If you want to give access to more users, please upgrade to Cost Manager Monthly in the setup screen. Please refer to www.telecom.co.nz/costmanager for pricing information.

How many users can I set up using Cost Management - Cost Manager Monthly?

When you subscribe to Cost Manager Summary you get 1 user login. With Cost Manager Monthly you can have up to 10 Cost Manager user logins (including the administrator), with additional user bundles available only in groups of 15. These user bundles can be ordered by the administrator by going to the 'Setup' page. Please refer to www.telecom.co.nz/costmanager for pricing information.

What happens when a Cost Management administrator leaves the company?

The cost management administrator should change the personal details to another user before he or she leaves. If not, please email costmanager@telecom.co.nz to get the user name and password of the administrator user changed.

How can I find out who the Cost Management account administrator is in my company?

The administrator will probably be the person who originally gave you a user name and password. If you do not remember who this was or if this person has since left your company and you are unable to find out who your Cost Management administrator is, please email costmanager@telecom.co.nz.

Does Cost Management replace my paper invoice?

Cost Management Product Suite now provides you the option to receive an online PDF invoice. You will need to change your set up to reflect the change under the set-up page.

Why did I receive a paper invoice although I changed my billing option to start receiving an online invoice?

Billing mode changes need to be done 48 hours before you invoice run starts 72 hours before statement date. If your request was within that time frame, and then you will start receiving an online invoice from the next bill run.

I am a Custombill customer. Can I receive an online invoice?

Custom bill customers are not eligible to receive an Online invoice. If a customer has mix of both ICMS & Custom Bill accounts then the ICMS accounts are eligible.

I am a Custombill customer. Can I use the remittance advice option in Cost manager?

No. CustomBill customers should use the existing processes to make payments.

Why am I receiving an online invoice even though I have not opted for it?

You may have newly registered for cost manager or you may have had some accounts reactivated or added. You can change your setting to receive a paper bill if you prefer.

Can I see unbilled information?

No. Cost Management currently only shows billed information.

Can I use Cost Management to see unsuccessful vs. successful calls to my Toll Free number?

No. Please speak to your Telecom Account Manager about what Toll Free reporting options are available.

How many months' data will I be able to see online?

When you first subscribe you can see your latest month's account information. This will accumulate until you can see a maximum of the last three months 'Summary' and 'Detail' data and up to thirteen months '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 will usually be available online within 72 hours. If you are 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's' page?

Service numbers follow an account number unless they have been assigned to a lower node in a hierarchy. Before you can allocate a service number, the account that they are billing to needs to be moved from the Corporate/Unallocated node.

Which accounts will be subscribed to Cost Management?

The Cost Manager administrator in your company will be able to view all your Telecom accounts.

Where can I see the period a rental has been charged for?

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 or branches that I have access to when I click on the 'Level' dropdown menu?

The dropdown list displays up to only 100 nodes or branches. If you want to be able to view more, please add the extra nodes to your 'Favourites' in 'Edit Levels'.

What account information can I see using Cost Management?

Cost Management 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 Management itemise text messages?

Yes.

If I have a threshold set up on my account can I still view the detail online?

Yes. Cost Management users will be able to analyse call details even if they have a toll threshold on their paper bill to limit how many pages are printed. Some calls will not be detailed due to system thresholds set by Telecom e.g. local calls.

Please contact Telecom if you'd like a Threshold set up on your paper bill.

Why doesn't Cost Management show an 'invoice number'?

The invoice number in Cost Management has been intentionally left blank or appears as N/A.

Can I get a report back after I have deleted it?

No. The report will need to be setup again by clicking 'Add Report'.

How do GST and other charges and credits at an account level appear on the 'Cost Allocation' page?

GST and other charges and credits at an account level appear in Cost Management similar to how line level charges (e.g. rentals and calls) show against a service number. The account number will show on the 'Edit Levels' page when only 'Services' are selected as a service number and this can be allocated to the level of the hierarchy that you want these charges to appear. This gives you flexibility in how you allocate your costs.

Can I use Cost Management to view my AAPT account information?

No. If you are an AAPT customer and want more information on the Trans-Tasman Online Bill Analyser, please contact your AAPT Account Manager.

I have updated the package to which my organisation is subscribed to but it doesn't appear to have worked. Why?

Package updates occur overnight. Please wait until the following day to see the change requested.

Are there any restrictions on where a service number can be placed in a hierarchy?

Yes. A service number must appear at the same or lower level of a hierarchy than the Telecom account it bills to. An account number can be moved anywhere in the same branch without affecting where the service number sits if this rule is maintained. If a user tries to allocate an account to a lower level in a hierarchy than a service number then the rule must still apply and the line number will be automatically moved to satisfy this rule. This rule also applies for 'Split' service numbers i.e. a service number cannot be split between two accounts at different levels of a hierarchy.

Which web browsers are compatible with Cost Management?

The following browsers are officially supported:

Internet Explorer 6.0 and greater
FireFox 1.0 and greater

How can I view exported information in Microsoft Excel?

Export your data to .CSV and open this file using Microsoft Excel.

How can I export associated detail from a summary report?

Double-clicking on a summary graph or clicking on a hyperlink in a summary report is an easy way to see additional detail but if you want the detailed data in a format to export, please rerun your report using the 'Detail' page.

Why am I having trouble exporting to PDF?

After you have selected your PDF report to be exported to landscape or portrait and clicked on 'OK', a screen will appear saying 'Processing Data Report...' Clicking on 'Close' will cancel the report. If you have still having problems exporting to PDF, check that pop-ups aren't being blocked by your browser. If pop-ups are allowed but you get an 'Error on Page' message, please contact your system administrator.

Do I need to download any software to use Cost Management?

No. All you need is a computer with internet access and a compatible web browser.

Will changes that I make online be reflected on my paper bill?

No. Please contact Telecom if you want to make a change to your paper bill.

Do the line descriptions on my paper bill show in Cost Management?

No, the line descriptions on your paper bill will not show in Cost Management. Account descriptions will show when you first register an account for Cost Management but these can be changed by the user without the changes being reflected on the paper bill.

Will the line and account descriptions I add in Cost Management appear on my paper bill?

No. Please contact Telecom to add user and account descriptions to your paper bill.

Does it matter what 'bill cycle' or day of the month my account bills on?

No. There is no restriction on what bill cycle Cost Management customers can be on. Cost Management customers can have accounts with different bill cycles.

How do I cancel my Cost Management Subscription?

If you are the Cost Management administrator for your organisation and want to cancel your Cost Management subscription, please email costmanager@telecom.co.nz. All hierarchies and customised reports that you set up will be deleted. An early disconnection penalty may apply as per the terms of use agreed to at time of subscription.

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 organisation set up will be deleted. These cannot be recovered.