Steps for billing run preview
- 01
Open Preview charges under Run billing and choose the franchises and period.
- 02
Start the preview; no invoices are created and no emails are sent.
- 03
Review what is ready, what is waiting or blocked, and the expected totals.
- 04
Fix any setup or report problems and preview again.
What the finished work leaves you with
A signed-off preview that records the franchises, period, ready and deferred work, blocked items, projected totals, and any reruns.
What to do when the review finds a problem
The preview covers the wrong organization, franchises, or period
Correct the selection and preview again.
The preview has ready, deferred, and blocked items
Review each group separately so unresolved work is not hidden in the total.
The preview shows a blocker or a total you cannot explain
Fix the setup or data and run the preview again.
You understand the ready items and remaining deferrals
Sign off on this exact preview before the run is processed.
A common mistake to avoid
Assuming a preview created invoices or charges. It only shows what a run would do.
Franchise billing preview checklist
Use this checklist to preview an invoice run before it creates any invoices. It sets which franchises and period are included, reviews ready, held, and blocked results, records what the run would produce, and reruns the preview after fixes until the decision is clear.
Before you start
- Confirm the organization or franchises and the reporting period for the preview.
- Check that the sales reports, billing rules, assignments, and payment destinations are up to date.
- Choose the reviewer who decides whether the preview can go ahead to billing.
When a billing preview has no or unexpected results
A billing preview shows what a run would produce without sending anything. Empty or unexpected results usually point to the selected franchises, dates, assignments, sales figures, or setup, so note exactly what you tested.
The preview shows nothing to bill.
Check first
- Confirm the selected franchises, billing rule, and reporting period.
- Check whether the sales reports are complete, in range, and assigned to the rule.
- Look for deferred, blocked, inactive, or already billed records that explain the empty result.
Next action
Fix the selection or missing report behind the empty result, then rerun the same preview. If nothing should be billed, note why rather than treating the empty result as a success.
Confirm the result
The preview shows what was selected and either lists what would be billed or explains why nothing would be, with the rerun time.
The projected total differs from what the team expected.
Check first
- Compare the projected rows with the billing rule, quantities, sales figures, and dates.
- Check whether deferred or blocked records were left out.
- Confirm the rounding, franchises, and periods the expected total was based on.
Next action
Work one sample row from sales report to amount, then fix the rule or report that explains the difference. Do not approve from the total alone when it is unclear which rows are included.
Confirm the result
The new preview shows included, deferred, and blocked rows separately, and the total can be rebuilt from its inputs.
The preview has blocked or deferred rows with no obvious cause.
Check first
- Open the reason on the row and find the missing assignment, sales figure, date, or destination.
- Compare it with a row that is included.
- Check whether the cause is setup, report review, or an earlier billing run.
Next action
Send each row to whoever owns the missing piece, and keep deferred and blocked rows out of what you approve. Rerun only after the report or setup changes.
Confirm the result
The new preview names the reason and owner for each remaining deferred or blocked row and shows how it affects the total.
A rerun still shows the old preview after a fix.
Check first
- Compare the time of the fix with the time of the preview.
- Confirm the rerun used the same selections and is a new preview.
- Check whether another report or assignment still applies to the row.
Next action
Start a fresh preview after the fix and keep the old one for reference. If nothing changes, send both previews and the details of the fix to the billing owner.
Confirm the result
The latest preview has a new time, reflects the fix, and explains any result that did not change.
When you need to hand it on
- Include the franchises, period, billing rule, projected total, and the outcome for each row.
- Separate a setup blocker from a problem in a sales report before asking for a rerun.
- Ask the approver to sign off on the exact preview that will be billed.
Link to the record instead of copying passwords or unrelated personal details into your note.
A situation to work through
A reviewer previews the period after a draft billing rule changes. One invoice differs from the last preview, so the reviewer opens its lines and checks the draft rule, source report, payment destination, and blockers behind it.
Check the period, source reports, draft rules, invoice lines, payment destinations, and blockers. A preview does not create or change invoices.
This is a planning example, not a customer result.
What is a billing preview used for?
A preview shows which franchises would be invoiced, what is waiting or blocked, and the expected totals, without creating anything. Fix any setup or report problems it shows and preview again before you run billing.
Put the workflow into practice
In Granite, a billing preview shows each franchise’s invoice lines and anything blocking them, and changes nothing.
Set it up in Granite with your own franchises, reporting periods and billing rules.