- What is TORTE?
- When is TORTE available?
- What browser should I use?
- What is the 'Display Explanations' options next to the Change Role button?
- How far back does the data go?
- What is a Billing Number?
- What is a Billing Code?
- On Billing Codes and Billing Numbers, what does 'Active' mean?
- What is a Bill Distribution Group (BD Group)?
- What is a Bill Distribution Owner (BD Owner)?
- What is a Billing Contact?
- What is a Financial Contact?
- What is a Service Contact?
- What is a Client?
- What is 'View Reports'?
- What is 'View Forms'?
- What is 'Assign Clients'?
- How do I assign a client?
- On the View Reports page under Additional Reports, what is Billing Data Download?
- What is Billing Number by Category?
- What is Call Detail?
- What are Cell Charges by Billing Code?
- What is Charges by Billing Code Year-to-Date?
- What is Inventory by Billing Code?
- What are the Single BN and Single BC Reports?
- How do I change or delete a client's assignments?
- How do I see a Billing Statement?
- When do the new Billing Statements become available?
- How do I look at Call Detail?
- What is usage?
- What does 'Unbilled Calls' mean?
- Can I print or download Billing Statements or Call Detail?
- Who is authorized to make Billing Code Changes?
- How do I submit Billing Code Change Requests?
- What is an Individual Billing Code Change?
- What is a Global Bililng Code Change?
- What is a Service Order Request Form (SORF)?
- What is a role?
- How do I change roles?
- What is a profile?
- How do I change my profile?
- How do I change the picture on the Homepage?
- Can a client change the picture on the Homepage, too?
- How do I log in?
- How do I get a PIN?
- What is an XID and do I need one?
- How do I log out?
- What is planned for future phases of TORTE?
- How can I get help?
- TORTE seems to be taking a long time pulling up reports, what's wrong?
- How do I know if my pop-up blocker is on?
- When I click "Pick BC" or "Pick BN", the system acts like I'll get my list, but then no windows appear. What am I doing wrong?
- Why do I see different items on client assignment than in reports?
- Can I email reports to people?
TORTE stands for Telecommunications On-line Reporting/Request Tool for End-Users. It is an application developed by UIS Telecommunications to provide easy, secure access to telecommunications data. It allows Users access to Billing Statements, Call Detail, and other information for the Billing Codes and Billing Numbers that belong to their group. Users can assign access to Billing Numbers and Billing Codes to others in their school or department provided that they have the person's name, HUID, phone, and e-mail address.
For Billing and Financial Contacts, Billing Code Changes should be submitted through TORTE.
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The system will be up and available from 6 A.M. through midnight. From midnight to 6 A.M. each night the system will be down for nightly updates and maintenance.
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We officially support Microsoft Internet Explorer v.6.0 and above, TORTE does not run on I.E. 5. For MacIntosh users although the TORTE developers and the help desk only support I.E.6+, TORTE seems to work with the OSX Safari browser. TORTE is dependent on cookies and JavaScript being turned on and pop-ups being allowed. Users with high levels of security set on their browsers will likely experience difficulty. If you have the Google toolbar, in addition to turning off pop-up blocking you may want to turn off the autofill capability as it interferes with the explanations that appear on the screen when you hover over certain fields.
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In version 4 of TORTE we are beginning to add help text that appears on the screen in a yellow box when you hover over certain fields. This text provides information about fields, options in menus, and buttons to assist users. The explanations will only appear if you hover over a designated field or button for more than two seconds. If you wish to turn off the explanations completely you simply deselect the box next to 'Display Explanations.'
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The billing data available in TORTE includes the current and previous fiscal years. Any requests on data prior to the beginning of the previous fiscal year should be directed to telecom_billing@harvard.edu.
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Billing number is a term that comes from the Billing Statements. It refers to any distinct entity being billed by Telecom. In most cases it is a Centrex telephone number, but can also be a non-Harvard phone number, calling card, wireless phone number, authorization code, jack, MCI Pin access number, or circuit number. In some cases it can refer to a contract number from one of our vendors for special billing. And rarely it can be an adjustment with the Billing Number "Adjustment - Univ" or "Adjustment - LMA." Jacks are not currently listed in the Billing Number lists in TORTE. They can be seen on the summary Billing Statements, however.
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Billing code refers to the code to which financial transactions are charged. In most cases the Billing Code is the 33 digit General Ledger code. For private affiliates whose transactions are processed through Account Receivable the Billing Code refers to the Customer Number/Bill To number and purchase order number assigned to the affiliate through the Accounts Receivable Department.
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Active for Billing Numbers means that the Billing Number has not been deactivated in our telemanagement system, so the Billing Number is still in service. If there is a disconnect order in process for the Billing Number it will still appear as active in TORTE.
For Billing Codes a designation of active means that the G/L is still valid with the Chart of Accounts or the Customer Number/Bill To Number is still valid with Accounts Receivable. It does not refer to whether the Billing Code is still in use, only whether it is still capable of being used for valid billing transactions.
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Bill Distribution Groups are a way of assigning telecom Billing Statements to customers. Every Billing Code is assigned in our telemanagement system to one BD group. Each group has one person's name assigned to it as the person designated to receive Billing Statements for all the G/L or A/R codes in that group. These individuals we call Bill Distribution Owners and they are responsible for receiving Billing Statements and, if necessary, distributing them to others within their own organizations.
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Bill Distribution Owners are individuals assigned by their school or department to receive Billing Statements from Telecom. Each G/L or A/R code used for Telecom billing belongs to a single Bill Distribution group. To provide greater access to TORTE we have, in some cases, added a second individual with 'Co-BD' access giving them the same TORTE privileges as the BD Owner.
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Billing Contacts are defined as those individuals who are authorized within their departments to review and request changes to the telecommunications billing. Many Billing Contacts are also Bill Distribution Owners. Those individuals with overlapping roles will see multiple choices in their Role Select menu. Billing Contacts may submit Billing Code Change Requests, but BD Owners are not authorized to do so. Billing Groups are designated in the Role Menu as 'BLxxxx.'
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Financial Contacts include a variety of people. Some are Financial Deans, some are Financial Officers, some are Authorized Requestors, and some individuals have been requested by other Financial Contacts. Their access allows them all the options available to Billing Contacts. Financial Groups are designated in Role Menu as 'FINxxx.'
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Service Contacts are those individuals authorized by their school or department to submit service order requests to Telecom for moves, add, and changes on telecommunications services. Their access allows them most reports including statistical reports on service order requests submitted through TORTE. The Service Order Request Form is designed for their use. They also have access to the Billing Number Name Change Request Form. They do not have access to Client Assignment or the two Billing Code Change Request Forms. Service Contact roles are designated by group names of 'SCxxxx.' These groups are defined by a combination of Billing Codes and buildings.
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A client is someone defined and added to the security tables by an authorized User. In general these will be people within the User's department or school who the User feels should have access to review billing information for particular Billing Codes and/or Billing Numbers. Depending on the User, access might be defined with each end-user reviewing his/her own Billing Number(s) or a single person might be assigned access to all Billing Numbers in their group. It's a flexible structure to allow the User to decide how and when to grant access. Client assignments are not overseen or reviewed by Telecom, so Users should review their assignments frequently and make any necessary changes.
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The 'View Reports' button gives the User access to various reports available to them as defined by their role.
Available reports include Billing Statements, Billing Data Download, Call Detail, Cell Charges by Billing Code, Charges by Billing Code YTD, and Inventory by Billing Code.
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The 'View Forms' button gives the User access to various forms available to them as defined by their role. BD owners have access to Name Change Requests. Billing and Financial Contacts can submit Name and Billing Code Change Requests. Service Contact can submit Name Change Requests and Service Order Requests.
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The 'Assign Clients' button allows Users to assign access to Billing Codes and Billing Numbers to others within their department or school. Clients are not allowed to assign access, so they will not see this button.
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Only Users can assign clients for the Billing Codes and Billing Numbers they own. This is done by selecting the 'Assign Clients' button on the left-hand side of the screen. On the next screen you can select 'Assign by Billing Code' or 'Assign by Billing Number' then you will see a full list of either Billing Numbers or Billing Codes with checkboxes on the left side of each line item. Select one or more items and select 'Add Client Line Item.' You will then see your list of already defined clients. You may select one of them and click 'Assign Client' or click 'Add a Client.' If you select an existing client you will be prompted to confirm your selection. If you choose to add a new client you will be asked to provide a client profile that includes the name, HUID, phone, and e-mail address of the client. Once the system confirms your selection you will click 'Continue' and be returned to the list of Billing Numbers or Billing Codes. At this point you may assign more clients or return to the main menu.
The first time you assign Billing Codes or Billing Numbers to a particular client the new client will get an e-mail to inform them of their new access to TORTE. If the e-mail address you have provided for the client is incorrect you will receive the e-mail failure and you will need to correct the client's e-mail address by selecting 'Assign Clients' then 'Edit Client Information.'
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It is a download of billing data, by Billing Code, from the telecom billing system into an Excel spreadsheet. It can be run on any month in the current or previous fiscal year. The User must choose the month and Billing Code(s) to view. If no choice of Billing Code is made, the report will run on all the Billing Codes you own. The output from this report is available for download only.
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Billing Number by Category is a new report that can be run by different Billing Number categories such as: Authorization Code, Calling Card, Centrex line/equipment, Circuit, MCI pin #, etc. You can select one or more categories and run active or inactive inventory or both.
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Call Detail is a list of calls by month and Billing Number. It is available for the current month through previous fiscal year. Call detail is also available to print and download.
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The cell phone charges report is available by Billing Code and month. It includes plan charges, usage totals, features, and one time charges.
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Charges by Billing Code Year-to-Date is a new report that shows a summary of charges by the type of charge (wireless, local usage, line and equipment, one time, etc.) by month. There is a grand total per month and YTD total.
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Inventory by Billing Code is a download of all items billed to a Billing Code. It includes category of items, Billing Number, item description, building, floor, room, if the item is rented, purchased or leased, the percent of charge to the Billing Code and the cost.
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These two provide reports provide full information about the single Billing Code or single Billing Number requested. In the case of the Billing Number it gives you full detail on the current billing and location for the Billing Number you selected. It is broken into the default code for the Billing Number (the Billing Code to which any charges without a more specific code will be billed), recurring monthly charge billing (type of line, set, features, etc.), and usage billing.
In the case of Billing Codes you can see an inventory list of all items belonging to the Billing Code in question. For example you will see where it is used for default billing, recurring monthly charges, and usage on all Billing Numbers where the Billing Code is in use.
Both reports provide billing history with links to Billing Statements and, in the case of Billing Numbers to Call Detail to help the user research billing questions.
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Only Users can change or delete client assignments. The User can change an assignment by going to the list of Billing Numbers or Billing Codes, selecting the items they wish to change and choosing the 'Edit Client Line Item'. You will then see your list of already defined clients. You may select one of them and click 'Assign Client' or click 'Add a Client.' If you select an existing client you will be prompted to confirm your selection. If you choose to add a new client you will be asked to provide a client profile that includes the name, HUID, phone, and e-mail address of the client. Once the system confirms your selection you will click 'Continue' and be returned to the list of Billing Numbers or Billing Codes. At this point you may assign more clients or return to the main menu.
The User can delete assignments by going to the list of Billing Codes or Billing Numbers, selecting the appropriate items and selecting the 'Delete Client Line Item' button. The User will be warned of the number of deletions they are about to make and once they confirm the deletions, the action will be completed. Once deletions have been made they cannot be undone. If a mistake is made the client record may need to be rebuilt and the assignments recreated.
The first time you assign Billing Codes or Billing Numbers to a particular client the new client will get an e-mail to inform them of their new access to TORTE. If the e-mail address you have provided for the client is incorrect you will receive the e-mail failure and you will need to correct the client's e-mail address by selecting 'Assign Billing Statements' then 'Edit Current clients.'
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Select the 'View Reports' button on the left-hand side of the screen. The reports page is divided into several sections. The top section is for access to Billing Statements. The first option is to select the date you wish to see in the list on the left and select 'By G/L' or 'By Billing Number.' On the next screen you will see either a list of Billing Codes or of Billing Numbers. Select the listing(s) you want to see and click 'Enter.' If you are accessing records by Billing Code you will see the summary Billing Statement for the Billing Code for the time period you have requested. If you have selected a Billing Number you will see the detail statement for the number and time period you requested.
The other option on the 'View Reports' screen is to select a date and type a Billing Code or Billing Number into the box on the right and click 'Go>>.' This will take you directly to the Billing Code or Billing Number you typed for the date you selected. If you do not have security permission to view the Billing Code or Billing Number you typed you will see a warning message in red informing you that you cannot access that record.
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The billing cycle is run the last business day of the month. A feed is provided to Central Finance on the first business day of the new month. Once that feed has been accepted we know that the cycle has run correctly. New data from the billing cycle will then prpocess into TORTE overnight. So generally Billing Statements in TORTE are available the morning of the second business day of the month. An e-mail is sent to all BDs to let them know when the new statements are ready on-line.
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Select the 'View Reports' on the left-hand side of the screen. The reports page is divided into several sections. The second section from the top allows you to view usage. The first option is to select the date range you wish to see in the list on the left and select 'By Billing Number.' On the next screen you will see either a list of Billing Numbers. Select the listing you want to see and click 'Enter.' You will see the calls for the number and time period you requested.
The other option on the 'Call Detail' screen is to select a date and type a Billing Number into the box on the right and click 'Go>>.' This will take you directly to the Billing Number you typed for the date you selected. If you do not have security permission to view the Billing Number you typed you will see a warning message in red informing you that you cannot access that record.
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Usage refers to call records generated by telephones, calling cards, authorization codes, wireless phones, etc. Every outgoing call generates a call record and all valid call records are charged to the billable number. Because we have a Centrex system all Centrex calls are non-billable, so they are not captured and cannot be seen in our system. Usage includes both calls from Harvard phones that pass through the 5ESS switch and vendor carried calls such as wireless, conference, and calling card calls.
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'Unbilled calls' refers to all call records not yet invoiced to the billable number. For most direct dialed calls from Harvard phones (local, domestic long distance, international, directory assistance, etc.) the invoice month runs from the 16th of the previous month through the 15th of the current month (so for the July invoice the direct dialed calls from June 16 through July 15 will be included). We also pass along charges for a variety of vendor carried calls. These vendor call records are provided to us electronically once a month at the end of the month. We then process them into the system and they generally invoice in the next billing cycle. Vendor calls include video and audio conference, wireless, operator assisted, and calling cards.
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You can print Billing Statements and Call Detail by clicking the 'Print' button on either report. You can download Call Detail by clicking the 'Download' button on the Call Detail screen. Because of the formatting in the Billing Statement it is not available for download. You can, however, download the billing data used to create the statement by selecting 'Billing Data Download' from the list of additional reports on the View Reports screen. These reports can be run and printed on multiple Billing Numbers or Billing Codes by using the checkboxes on either the 'Pick BN' or 'Pick BC' screen.
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The Billing Contacts and Financial Contacts are authorized to make Billing Code Change Requests. All requests are verified by Billing before the change can take place.
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To submit Billing Code Change Requests, the Billing Contacts or Financial Contacts can submit the Global Bill Change form or the Individual Billing Code Change form.
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An Individual Billing Code change is a form that either a Billing Contact or Financial Contact can submit to change a single Billing Code number.
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A Global Billing Code Change is a form that either a Billing Contact or Financial Contact can submit that allows you to make a change to all items within one Billing Code to another Billing Code.
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The Service Order Request Form is a form that allows authorized Service Contacts to create and submit service requests to install, move, change, or deinstall standard Centrex service. The form allows the User to create a request, review the current billing information for the line, add any necessary information for the request, and submit one or more requests to the Customer Service Group in Telecom. An e-mail confirmation is sent to the customer with the details of each request upon submission.
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A role is our way of defining the type of User and the extent of that User's access to the system. Many Users will only have a single role and will not have to worry about changing roles, but other Users will have several roles. An example is those BD owners responsible for more than one BD. Another is that some Users will have a BD and additional financial responsibilities that would permit them to run financial reports on a larger number of Billing Codes than those in their BD proper.
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Not all Users have multiple roles, but if you do you can select the 'Change Role' button at the top of the screen (beside your current role). You will see a list of your roles. Select any of the roles listed and click the 'Enter' button.
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A User profile is simply your name, HUID, and e-mail address. It allows us to verify your identity through PIN authentication. Your profile and your role together tell us that you are who you say you are and defines what records your can see and what reports you can run.
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You may select the 'Edit Profile' button at the top of the screen (beside your name) at any time during your websession to edit your profile information. If you change your e-mail address you will need to re-verify your profile as you login to the system the next time.
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Users can change the icon on the Homepage by going to 'Edit Profile' button, scroll to the bottom of the page and select the radio button for your desired icon and click 'Select.' Scroll to the top of the page and click the 'Go Back' button to bring you to the Homepage.
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A Client can not change the icon on the Homepage, the User responsible for the Client's record can change it. The User can go to 'Assign Clients' and select 'Edit Client Information' to change the icon for the Client.
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Open Internet Explorer browser (IE 6.0 or higher with cookies, javascript and popup windows enabled is required), type in the URL: https://torte.uis.harvard.edu. You will be directed to the TORTE welcome screen, click on the "Login to TORTE" button. You will be directed to the Harvard University PIN server to authenticate. Type in your 8-digit HUID number or XID login and Harvard PIN.
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If you do not have a PIN for logging in, you can request one at https://www.pin.harvard.edu.
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An XID is an authorization number for access into Harvard PIN authenticated systems for those people that do not have an HUID. They are needed for most people with Affiliate Accounts.
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You can simply close the Web browser window. The system also has a time-out that will log you out if your session is no longer active (open, but you aren't doing anything). Finally there is a logout button in the dark blue strip at the top or the screen on the right.
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Now that we have released the standard Service Order Request Form we will be focusing on enhancing that form and adding forms for other Telecom services.
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There are several options for contacting us depending on your question. There are four buttons on the left-hand side of the screen:
The 'Cambridge/Allston billing questions' button gives you a blank e-mail to the UIS Billing Group so that they can research any questions you have about the contents of your Billing Statements. This button can also be used if you would like help understanding the statements.
The ‘Longwood billing questions’ button is for customers from the Medical Area to send questions to Medical Area Telecommunications.
The 'service order questions' button allows Service Contacts to send questions to the Customer Service Group regarding how to process service requests.
The 'technical help & support' button gives you a form to fill out at any point when you are having trouble with the system. Because of some built in system tracking we will be able to know where you were in the system when the trouble occurred. This combined with your description of the problem will help us to define and fix bugs in the system.
The 'comments & suggestions' button provides you with a blank e-mail to the TORTE development group so that you can provide feedback on look and feel, navigation, basically anything you think we should change about TORTE.
On the dark blue strip at the top of the screen is a link to the UIS Website. If you have any questions about policies or rates that is an excellent resource.
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Check to see if you have pop-up blockers on. Much of TORTE's functionality depends on pop-up windows. Many actions cannot be completed with pop-up blocking turned on.
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As a test, if you are unable to run a report in TORTE, try holding down the CTRL key while requesting an action that should bring up data in a pop-up screen. For example, if you select 'Pick BC' or 'Pick BN' and nothing happens try holding down CTRL and picking BN or BC. If the pop-up screen only appears with the CTRL key down, you know pop-ups are blocked in some way. You will have to remove the pop-up blocker before you can proceed. It is sometimes possible to allow pop-ups for particular Websites that you designate as acceptable while leaving the blocker in place for all other Websites. If you have trouble turning off pop-up blockers you should contact your desktop or technical support department.
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Do not type parentheses, dashes, or periods when entering even partial numbers in TORTE.
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Most reports are generated in TORTE by Billing Code or Billing Number and are chosen by a specific month. In client assignments, the information includes both historical and current data.
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No, if you are a User you can create Clients who can view their own reports on line. The Client then can log into TORTE to view their information. This decision was made for security reasons.
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