Most CU*Answers Network Services (CNS) monthly recurring charges are usage-based.
What is usage-based billing?
Billing changes made according to when usage was measured for that period are considered usage-based. Other names for this billing approach would be “metered billing” or “consumption billing”.
How does this impact my monthly charges from Network Services?
When CNS monthly recurring charges are based on usage, both the quantities and rates can change according to the last true-up done.
Who initiates usage true-ups?
Usage true-ups can be initiated by three different parties: CNS, vendors, or consumers.
CNS
CNS reconciles usage-based products on either a monthly or quarterly cadence, depending on the product. Project work performed by CNS, such as setting up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or opening a new branch, can also initiate usage-based reconciliation.
Vendor
Licensing pass-through usage reconciliation can be initiated by the original vendor to ensure CNS remains agreement-compliant.
Consumer
The consumer can initiate a product true-up by calling the CU*Answers Help Desk at extension 266, and any usage changes should be reflected in subsequent invoices (see previous Knowledge Base article on Arrears billing: https://kb.cuanswers.com/cuanswers/ext/kbdetail.aspx?kbid=5465 ).
How is usage calculated?
The product type and consumer-approved documents determine how usage is calculated for invoicing.
Type: Users/Licenses
Billing for products that are licensing pass-throughs is calculated based on the number of users or licenses active during the usage month. This number is often reported by a vendor’s system, although some are based on employee headcount.
Type: Devices
The number of devices managed during a given service month is another way billing is calculated by usage. An example of this would be the number of workstations the CNS remote monitoring & management (RMM) system reports.
Type: Resources
An example of resource-based usage calculation is 321500 Managed Hosting. Each resource type within Managed Hosting has its own rate, and the grand total of all the usage totals becomes the final rate on the monthly invoice (see sample calculation below).
While billing by users, licenses, or devices is often straightforward, billing by resource usage can be more complex. A product represented as a single service on the invoice can have multiple data sources reporting usage, requiring all the data to be compiled for the final billing total.
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Paperwork
CNS strives for accuracy & transparency in billing, especially with usage-based billing. Maintaining consumer-approved documents that support how CNS executes billing audits & updates has become paramount to that effort, with CNS working hand-in-glove with the Sales team to achieve continuity between documents & invoicing practices.
Can I request a usage true-up?
Yes! As mentioned above, the consumer can initiate a product true-up by calling the CU*Answers Help Desk at extension 266, and any usage changes should be reflected in subsequent invoices (see previous Knowledge Base article on Arrears billing: https://kb.cuanswers.com/cuanswers/ext/kbdetail.aspx?kbid=5465 ).
What if I still need help understanding my monthly charges from Network Services?
Contact the CNS Procurement & Fulfillment (P&F) billing team by emailing orders@cuanswers.com, including invoice number(s) where possible.