Configuring SAP Collections Management
As stated in a previous lesson, there are several configuration settings that need to be added to the SAP S/4HANA environment when implementing SAP Collections Management.
As part of the configuration, Collection Profiles and Collections segments need to be configured in Central Business Configuration (CBC). Collection Profiles will be assigned to a business partner in their collections segment. Collection Segments is group company codes. This should be completed as part of the initial system setup.
To start the settings configuration, the collection manager or accounts receivable manager needs to use the application Define Accounting Clerks to define an identification code and the user ID for the accounting clerks. This identification code needs to be maintained in the company code segment of the customer master. The user assigned to this identification code is used as the collection specialist within SAP Collections Management.
Collection strategies are used to prioritize items in a collection worklist, specify the currency in which items in the worklist are displayed, and to determine the aging intervals into which open receivables should be sorted. Use the Manage Collection Strategies application to create a new strategy or to copy the SAP delivered one and make adjustments as needed.
Collection strategies contain collection rules that determine the selection and prioritization of the items in the collections worklist. They also determine the aging periods that are used.
Collection groups are defined and assigned to a collection strategy. This is also where the collection specialist and the substitute will be assigned.
Once the collection groups are created, they need to be assigned to the collection segments.
Using the Manage Business Partners – Collections Profile application you can assign the necessary collections profile to the business partner. This will determine the collection segments that are available to be used. For each collection segment you assign a collection group and optionally a collection specialist.
You can use the Manage Collections Master Data application to display the collection master data of business partners, change the collection profile, maintain the collection group or a dedicated collection specialist, navigate into the collection segment, and maintain temporary assignments of collection groups or substitutes for collection specialists.
In order to effectively process invoices, invoice prioritization needs to be calculated. You can use the Manage Invoice Prioritization Rules to maintain an invoice prioritization for each collection strategy, define the valuation of the prioritization, set priority definition and define rules for invoice priority.
In the Maintain Alternative Sender for Collections Email application, you can maintain an alternative sender address for each collection specialist. You can maintain the same email address for several collection specialists. By doing this, you can avoid that email replies are being sent to the personal email inbox of a collection specialist, which could slow down communication due to an absence of the specialist. As a result in the Manage Collections Emails app, the Sender field is filled with the alternative email address. The Sent By field shows the name of the collection specialist.
There are also master data job templates that can be used to make mass changes. You use the Schedule Collections Management Jobs application to execute these programs. The four types of changes that can be executed for mass changes are
- Assign Collection Profile to Business Partners
- You can use this function to assign a collection profile to business partners. You can start this job with the following modes:
- Create Collections Management Role
- If you start the program in this mode, the business partners selected - provided they do not exist already - are created in the Collections Management role and a collection profile is assigned. You use this mode to prepare for Collections Management the business partners that have been replicated from the customers of your Financial Accounting.
- Enter Collection Profile
- In this mode, the collection profile is entered in the business partners selected. You use this mode for business partners for whom the role Collections Management has already been created.
- Change Collection Segment Data for Business Partners
- You can use this function to change the collection segment data in the business partner master data. You can change collection groups for each segment and control whether a collection specialist is replaced, where possible retained, or indeed deleted in this segment.
- Replace Collection Specialist
- You can use this function in the business partner master data to replace or delete a specific collection specialist. You can start this program in test mode and verify changes before executing.
- Delete Transaction Data in Collections Management
- Use this job template to delete transactional data in SAP Collections Management that were replicated from FI. This job template deletes the transactional data that were replicated from FI to SAP Collections Management, such as replicated invoices, KPIs for the last payment, and payment date, amount, and document number. You can restrict your selection by company code or business partner.