A billing template is a billable event you set up one time and reuse across clients. Templates do not bill anything on their own. Assigning a template to a client and warehouse creates a rate, and the rate is what bills. Use templates when you charge several clients for the same kind of work and want a consistent starting point.
New to 3PL Billing Alpha? Start with Overview: 3PL Billing Alpha in ShipHero. Every template needs a transaction type and a rate type. To choose them, read Understanding Transaction Types and Rate Types in 3PL Billing Alpha.
Table of Contents
- How to Find and Filter Billing Templates
- How to Create a Billing Template in 3PL Billing Alpha
- How to Assign a Billing Template to a Client
- 3PL Billing Alpha Template and Rate Fields Defined
- How Template and Rate Edits and Deletions Affect Each Other
How to Find and Filter Billing Templates
The Templates page lists every template with its charge label, transaction type, charge category, rate type, and amount. Start here to see what you already have before you create anything new.
- Go to Billing (Alpha) > Templates.
- Enter a name in Search by rate name to find one template.
- Use the Charge category, Transaction type, and Rate type filters to narrow the list.
- Select Columns to show or hide columns.
- Select Export to download the list.
How to Create a Billing Template in 3PL Billing Alpha
- Go to Billing (Alpha) > Templates.
- Select Create Template in the top right.
- Enter the rate name and charge label.
- Select the transaction type, such as Inbound shipments, Recurring, or Wholesale Order.
- Select the charge category and enter a GL code if you use one.
- Select the rate type and select Continue. Choose Transactional or Accessorial for most transaction types. For a recurring template, choose Flat Fee to bill a fixed amount on a schedule, or Storage to bill for inventory held in the warehouse.
- Enter the rate amount.
- Save the template. The template appears in the Templates tab.
Each of these fields is defined below. A Storage template adds a Billing and scheduling step before the pricing step. To set up the billing type, frequency, and pricing for it, follow How to Set Up Recurring Storage Billing in 3PL Billing Alpha.
| Enter template details | Select rate type | Add pricing details |
|---|---|---|
How to Assign a Billing Template to a Client
Assigning a template creates a rate on that client's rates list. You can change the name and the amount during assignment, so one template can bill different clients different amounts. To assign several templates to a client at once, group them in a billing profile.
- Go to Billing (Alpha) > Templates and find the template you want to assign.
- Scroll right on the template row and select the plus icon for Assign to Client.
- Select the client you want to bill.
- Select the warehouse this rate applies to, or select all warehouses.
- Edit the rate name if this client needs a different naming convention.
- Enter the rate amount for this client.
- Select Assign and Create. ShipHero creates a rate for that client, and the rate appears on the client's rates list.
| Select the plus icon to assign to a client | Select the client and edit as needed |
|---|---|
3PL Billing Alpha Template and Rate Fields Defined
These are the fields on the template creation screen. The rate creation screen uses these same fields and adds a warehouse selection and Save as template.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate name | The rate identifier within ShipHero. |
| Charge label | What your client sees on the charge. Charge labels do not have to be unique, so you can reuse the same label across clients. |
| Transaction type | Sets which warehouse event or schedule causes the rate to bill. Transaction type options include Inbound shipments, Recurring, and Wholesale Order. |
| Charge category | Groups charges so you and your client can see how charges are distributed. Choose from Freight Prepaid, Freight Third Party, Handling, Labor, Materials, Miscellaneous, and Storage. |
| GL code | A numeric or alphanumeric code you assign to map the rate to a revenue account in your accounting platform. |
| Rate type |
Determines how ShipHero works out the quantity on the charge. The rate types are: Transactional: ShipHero derives the quantity from the event automatically. Accessorial: A warehouse worker enters the quantity on the desktop or in ShipHero Mobile. Flat Fee: There is no quantity. ShipHero bills the same set amount on the schedule you set. Available only with the recurring transaction type. Storage: ShipHero charges based on the quantity of inventory held in the warehouse, on a schedule you set. Used with the Recurring transaction type, as covered in recurring storage billing. |
| Rate amount | The flat amount ShipHero applies to the quantity when it creates the charge. You can change this amount for each client when you assign the template. |
Transactional rates also ask what ShipHero should count, and accessorial rates offer a setting that requires an entry before an event can close. Flat fee rates skip both of these and instead ask for a billing frequency and charge day, since a flat fee bills on a schedule instead of a quantity. Storage rates add a Billing and scheduling step, where you choose a billing type and a frequency.
Rate names must be unique within a client
One client cannot have two rates with the same rate name. You can reuse the same rate name on a different client, and each one can have its own charge label and amount.
How Template and Rate Edits and Deletions Affect Each Other
A template is a starting point, not a live link. Once you assign a template and create a rate, the two are independent.
| If you | Then |
|---|---|
| Edit a rate on a client | Only that client's rate changes. The base template is not affected. |
| Edit a base template | Rates already created from that template are not affected. |
| Delete a rate | The base template is not affected. Charges the rate already created stay on the Charges screen. |
| Delete a base template | Rates already created from that template are not affected and continue to bill as configured. |
This means you can tailor a rate for one client without worrying about your other clients. It also means fixing a mistake in a template does not fix the rates you already created from it. Update those rates directly. You can edit or delete a client rate from Client Management.