Services
Package: BASIC
1. General
In the Services module, all services with fixed pricing offered by the company are recorded, categorised and priced – similar to a catalogue. These are then available for selection in the Billing modules (e.g. [Sales Orders](), [Deals](), [Invoices]()).
Records from the Services module can be selected in the so-called "product block". For detailed information, see the section [Product block in Billing modules]() in the handbook.
A company offers consulting hours. The service is created with the category Consulting and the unit Hours. For the first 5 hours a price of EUR 85.00 is set; from the 6th hour onwards a price tier of EUR 75.00 per hour applies. The service is available in several currencies – the prices are calculated via the additional currencies popup based on the stored exchange rates.
A monthly maintenance service is created as a service with the price type Monthly price and the unit Flat rate. Via the monthly surcharge, a percentage surcharge for monthly billing is defined. The service is assigned to a DATEV ledger account and is available in the product block for invoice creation.
This section describes only special fields or functionalities of the module, as all general brainX functionalities are described elsewhere in the handbook.
2. List view
The list view in the Services module offers the usual functionalities of a list view. For more detailed information, see the section Layout/Structure - List view.
2.1. Actions
In the list view, general actions are available – depending on the module. An overview and description of all general actions can be found in the section Actions (List view).
Module-specific actions are not available in this module.
3. Detail view
3.1. Fields
The following table describes mandatory fields as well as fields whose function is not self-explanatory. All other fields are self-explanatory.
Basic data block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title * | Name of the service |
| active | When deactivated, the service is no longer available for selection in the product block |
| Category |
|
| Unit |
|
| Surcharge monthly / quarterly / half-yearly / yearly | Optional percentage surcharge per billing interval; applied to the base price in the product block when the corresponding interval is selected |
| Mandatory item | If the checkbox is enabled, this item must be confirmed by the recipient upon signing via Digital Signature (DocuSign/DocuSeal). Mandatory items are marked accordingly in the document. |
*Mandatory field
Price information block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Price | Sales price of the service in the base currency.
Via the actions icon additional currencies, additional currency prices can be stored – see Section 3.1.1 |
| Gross price | When enabled, the entered price is treated as a gross price
Warning If the gross price was enabled when creating a service, this cannot be changed after the first save. |
| Tax class | Assigned VAT rate – see Global Settings – Currencies & Taxes |
| Price type * |
|
*Mandatory field
Quantity, list price and sales prices of items in the product block can be entered with up to 6 decimal places. Trailing zeros are truncated in the display. This is particularly helpful when billing small units (e.g. API tokens).
3.1.1. Additional currencies
The actions icon "additional currencies" is only available in the create and edit view.
After clicking the actions icon "additional currencies", a popup window of the same name opens:
Additional currencies popup
In the "additional currencies" popup, all currencies that have the status "active" in Global Settings - Currencies & Taxes are listed.
A checkbox determines which currencies are available for the service. The base currency is defined via a radio button. For all enabled non-base currencies, the respective price can be calculated automatically via the recalculate button based on the stored exchange rate.
After saving, the price is displayed in the currency stored in My Settings – Basic settings.
When a currency is deactivated, the service is removed from all affected [Price Lists]().
DATEV ledger accounts block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| DATEV ledger account domestic | Ledger account for domestic sales – for configuration, see Billing Settings – Ledger accounts |
| DATEV ledger account EU | Ledger account for EU sales – for configuration, see Billing Settings – Ledger accounts |
| DATEV ledger account third countries | Ledger account for sales in third countries – for configuration, see Billing Settings – Ledger accounts |
Price tiers block
A price tier can be defined for a defined unit of a service. Any number of tiered prices can be created. A new tiered price is defined in edit mode using the "Add tier" button.
For the first 5 hours of a service, EUR 85.00 is charged. From the 6th hour onwards, the hourly price is reduced to EUR 75.00.
3.2. Actions
The following actions are available in the detail view:
3.2.1. General actions
- PDF Export
- Recommend
- Copy
- Delete
- Change tracking
For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (Detail view).
3.2.2. Module-specific actions
| Action | Requirement | Functionality |
|---|---|---|
| New invoice | – | Creates a new invoice and links it to the service |
| New sales order | – | Creates a new sales order and links it to the service |
| Bill timesheets | – | Opens the billing view for linked timesheets |
4. Practical examples
1 – Consulting service with price tier and multiple currencies
A company offers consulting hours that are to be priced differently depending on the volume. The service is created in the Services module with the category Consulting, the unit Hours and the price type One-off.
In the Price tiers block, it is defined that the first 5 hours are billed at EUR 85.00, and from the 6th hour onwards a reduced hourly price of EUR 75.00 applies. Since the company also serves international clients, additional currency prices are stored via the actions icon additional currencies. The prices in the non-base currencies are determined automatically via the recalculate button based on the stored exchange rates.
The service is then available for selection in the product block in all Billing modules and is automatically displayed at the correct price depending on the currency of the sales order or invoice.
2 – Recurring service flat rate with monthly surcharge
A company offers a monthly maintenance service as a flat rate. The service is created with the unit Flat rate and the price type Monthly price. The base price is entered as a net price; the Gross price switch remains deactivated.
Since a minor administrative surcharge is incurred for monthly billing, a percentage value is stored in the monthly surcharge field. This surcharge is automatically applied to the base price in the product block as soon as the monthly billing interval is selected. The correct tax class and the corresponding DATEV domestic ledger account are added, so that the service is directly prepared for the DATEV export.
3 – Billing timesheets for a service
A service provider records hours worked for a client via timesheets in brainX. At the end of the month, the accrued hours are to be billed directly based on the stored service.
In the detail view of the corresponding service, the billing view is opened via the module-specific action Bill timesheets. There, all timesheets that are linked to the service and have not yet been billed are displayed. After selecting the entries to be billed, an invoice or sales order is generated directly, in which the hours are transferred as items. This eliminates the manual transfer of the time recording into the billing.
5. Frequently asked questions
Can I deactivate a service afterwards without deleting it?
Yes. Using the active switch in the basic data, a service can be deactivated. It is then no longer available for selection in the product block of the Billing modules, but remains in the system and can be reactivated at any time.
What happens if I want to change the "Gross price" switch after saving?
This is not possible. If the Gross price switch was enabled when creating a service and the record was saved, this setting can no longer be changed. It is therefore advisable to check the price type carefully before saving for the first time.
How do the surcharge fields for different billing intervals work?
For the billing intervals monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and yearly, separate percentage surcharges can be stored in each case. If the corresponding interval is selected in the product block of a Billing module, the stored surcharge is automatically applied to the base price of the service.
Can I offer a service in multiple currencies?
Yes. Via the actions icon additional currencies in the create or edit view, additional currency prices can be stored. The prices can be entered manually or calculated automatically via the recalculate button based on the exchange rates stored in the Global Settings. In the detail view, the price is displayed in the currency stored in your own settings.
What should be considered when a currency is deactivated afterwards?
When a currency is deactivated, the service is automatically removed from all price lists that use this currency. It is therefore advisable to check which services and price lists are affected before deactivating a currency.
What are the DATEV ledger accounts in a service used for?
The DATEV ledger accounts (domestic, EU, third countries) control which posting account is used in the DATEV export of invoices that contain this service as an item. The available ledger accounts are configured in the Billing Settings – Ledger accounts.