Vodafone Corporate Online User Guide - King's College · PDF file2.7 SIM management ... Vodafone Corporate Online User Guide 11 ... principles apply when moving between ID’s,

Vodafone Corporate Online

User Guide

Vodafone Corporate Online User Guide 2

Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................3

1.1 Your VCO account .................................................................................................................... 3

1.2 Log in and launch ..................................................................................................................... 3

2 ORDERS & TRACKING ..................................................................................................4

2.1 New connections ...................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Upgrades and accessories ........................................................................................................ 6

2.3 Saved order templates ............................................................................................................. 7

2.4 Order approvals ....................................................................................................................... 7

2.5 Track an order .......................................................................................................................... 8

2.6 Check your order history .......................................................................................................... 8

2.7 SIM management ..................................................................................................................... 9

SIM ordering ........................................................................................................................................... 9 Connect, swap & disconnect SIMs ......................................................................................................... 9

2.8 Car kit installations .................................................................................................................10

2.9 Choose a subsidiary................................................................................................................10

2.10 Return a faulty device ............................................................................................................11

2.11 Bulk requests ..........................................................................................................................11

3 VCO & CONNECTION ADMIN ...................................................................................... 13

3.1 Set up a new VCO user ...........................................................................................................13

3.2 Manage VCO users .................................................................................................................15

3.3 Check a user’s login activity ...................................................................................................16

3.4 Delete a user ..........................................................................................................................16

3.5 Edit connection details ...........................................................................................................16

3.6 Suspending and restoring a connection.................................................................................17

3.7 Order approval settings .........................................................................................................17

3.8 VCO preferences ....................................................................................................................18

3.9 Address book..........................................................................................................................20

4 TECH FUNDS ............................................................................................................. 21

4.1 Managing Tech Funds ............................................................................................................21

4.2 Ordering with Tech Funds ......................................................................................................23

5 ONLINE BILLING ........................................................................................................ 25

5.1 Unbilled usage ........................................................................................................................25

5.2 Vodafone Bill Manager ..........................................................................................................25


1 Introduction This guide will help you get started with VCO. It covers the main areas of the site – although you’ll also

find supporting information on each hub page and in our online FAQs.

Head to: VCO > Help & support

It’s worth noting that not everything in this guide is relevant to all types of user. If there’s something

here you think you need to use but you don’t have the right user access, talk to your company’s VCO

administrator.

1.1 Your VCO account

Once your account has been created either by Vodafone or an administrator in your company (see VCO

>VCO & Connection Admin>Manage VCO Users>Set up a new VCO user), you‘ll get your VCO username

and password by email. Depending on your access level, you may also receive a four-digit security

code.

Need to limit what a user can do on VCO?

Administrators might want a user to only access certain VCO features rather than all of them. (For

details, see 3.1 in this guide).

1.2 Log in and launch

Go to the VCO login page and choose Log in to your account. The first time you log in, you’ll be

asked for the temporary password we emailed you. Then you’ll need to create a password unique to

you.

Depending on your level of access, you may be asked to set some security questions – such as your

first school, where you were born and your mother’s maiden name.

You’ll then need to enter your security code. We’ll send you this four-digit security number in a

separate email. Each time you log in after that, you’ll just need to answer one security question and

enter your password and security code.

http://www.vcol.co.uk/


2 Orders & tracking To order new connections, upgrades, SIMs or accessories, go to Orders & tracking and follow the on-

screen instructions. Once your order’s placed, you can track its status in the Order tracking section.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Order tracking

2.1 New connections

Start by going to New connections and choosing a device. Don’t worry if an item is out of stock – you

can still order it. You’ll just have to wait a little longer for it to be delivered.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > New connections

Next, choose a SIM card, price plan plus any connection options you want a connection to have by

ticking the boxes. You may also be asked to choose the account number to which you want to bill the

airtime charges. To help you buy accessories, we automatically show you all those that work with the

device you’re ordering.

You’ll then see a summary of your shopping basket. Here, you can change quantities, remove items

and add more. If you order items regularly, you can make this process quicker and easier by setting up

Saved Order templates (see the section later in this guide for details).

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Saved order templates

We’ll need details of the person who’ll be using the connection – including how they’ll pay their bills (if

applicable). If you don’t yet know these details, simply tick the Anonymous box. You can edit the

details later within Edit Connection details.

Head to: VCO & Connection Admin > Edit connection details > Edit connection


In the next step, you can add a purchase order number. This is optional, although you can make it

mandatory by contacting Customer Services. The delivery address and method are next, followed by

any special delivery instructions – for example, ‘Leave package with next door neighbour’. We’d

recommend leaving this space blank unless absolutely necessary, as it could delay the order.

Lastly, you’ll get an order confirmation and reference number that can be used to track order progress

in Order tracking.


2.2 Upgrades and accessories

You order upgrades and accessories in much the same way as you would a new connection. The only

difference is the first step.

If you’re upgrading, start by entering the mobile number of the device you want to upgrade. If the

connection is eligible to upgrade, simply follow the same process outlined in 2.1 above.

For an accessory order you can chose the device manufacturer from the drop-down list and then

choose a device. You’ll then see all the accessories available for that device.

Please note: If you know the specific part number of the accessory you want, you can enter this

instead by clicking Find accessories by part number under Shortcuts on the Orders & tracking hub

page.


2.3 Saved order templates

If you need to repeatedly order a specific combination of devices and services, you can do so more

quickly and easily by creating Saved order templates.

Start by setting up your templates – on the basket page of an order you can save it as a template by

clicking on Save as template.

You can save a template either as a private template (that only you can see), or as a public template

(that everyone in your organisation can see). You can then save time when you order the same items

for your business by choosing the appropriate template.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking> Saved order templates

You can make sure that users can only order using Saved order templates. You can do this by going to

VCO preferences.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Customise VCO preferences > General preferences

2.4 Order approvals

You may also want to set approvers for orders generated by others in your business. You can do this

using Order approval settings. VCO users who have the access level ‘Order requester final approver’

would then go to Unapproved orders to accept or reject order requests. Please see section 3.8 for

more details.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Order approval settings or Unapproved orders


2.5 Track an order

You can search for and track orders using Order tracking. There’s a variety of ways to track an order –

by user, type (equipment, recovery, car kit installation), device number, billing account number and

more.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Order tracking

Once you’ve chosen your search method, you’ll see a list showing an order’s type, Vodafone order

number, date raised and status. Click on the order number to see its full details.

2.6 Check your order history

Want to download a CSV file of your orders? Go to Download order history and follow the on-screen

instructions.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Download order history

You can request your order history in three different ways:

Summary – high-level information only

Order level – summary details, plus what’s in each order

Despatch status – summary and order level, plus when items were sent

You choose a start date and length of your order history, and then VCO prepares a downloadable file for

you.


2.7 SIM management

SIM ordering

You may want to order a new connection with a SIM card without ordering a device. You can do this in

Order SIM cards if you have the ‘SIM only’ option enabled in your VCO preferences. You can also

order replacement SIM cards in this section.

Head to: VCO > Orders and tracking > Order SIM cards > Connected SIM cards or Order a

replacement SIM

Connect, swap & disconnect SIMs

Connect a SIM

Want to connect a blank SIM with a new mobile number? Go to Connect, swap & disconnect SIMs,

then Connect a SIM, enter the SIM number and follow the on-screen instructions.

Swap a SIM

Want to change a SIM linked with an active connection? Go to Connect, swap & disconnect SIMs,

then Swap a SIM, enter the SIM number and follow the on-screen instructions.

Disconnect a SIM

Want to disconnect a SIM and the connection associated with it? Go to Connect, swap & disconnect

SIMs, then Disconnect a SIM, enter the mobile number and follow the on-screen instructions.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Connect, swap & disconnect SIMs


You can also swap and disconnect a SIM for an individual mobile number by going to Edit connection

details.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Edit connection details

2.8 Car kit installations

To have a car kit installed, simply follow the process in Book a fixed car kit installation. Once your

request is accepted, a member of our team will be in touch to arrange the installation.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Book a fixed car kit installation

2.9 Choose a subsidiary

You may have subsidiaries set up within VCO, allowing you to manage various business entities under a

single corporate account.

Each subsidiary can have different settings for ordering and administration, which you can set up and

manage in VCO preferences.


The subsidiary you’re logged in as will be displayed at the top of the screen, next to your user name. To

change subsidiary, just hover over the name and choose from the drop-down list.

If required, this feature can also map multiple corporate ID’s against a single VCO login. The same

principles apply when moving between ID’s, and you can ask for this through your service or account

manager.

Please note: Your basket is unique to each subsidiary, and if you move between them the basket will

change as well.

2.10 Return a faulty device

Need to send back faulty devices for exchange or repair? Start by going to Return a faulty device, and

then simply follow the instructions on screen.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Return a faulty device

Please note that you won’t need to use this process in any of the following situations :For insurance

claims, batteries and faulty devices less than 14 days old

In each of these cases, please contact your customer services team.

2.11 Bulk requests

Bulk templates are used for large requests which involve 26 or more actions – such as the bulk

ordering of phones or making changes to price plans.

Submitting bulk requests

Go to Browse bulk templates and choose one of the categories. Under each category group, you’ll

then need to select one of the templates available, download it and save it on your desktop PC or

laptop.

Next, complete the required fields in the template – there’s a glossary on the instructions tab for

guidance.

Please check that the second tab on the spreadsheet (not the ‘instruction’ tab) is showing before

saving your CSV file for upload. To do this, click Save As and choose the file type as (MS- DOS) (*.csv)


without changing the name of the file. The file must be in CSV format when uploaded to comply with

security standards.

When the template is ready, choose Upload completed CSV and select the saved file. VCO will then

carry out some validation checks, after which you’ll receive a confirmation message. Then just click

Confirm this request to continue.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Browse bulk templates

Tracking your bulk requests

After submitting bulk requests, you can track their progress online by choosing Track bulk requests.

Head to: VCO > Orders & tracking > Bulk request templates>Track bulk requests


3 VCO & Connection admin

3.1 Set up a new VCO user

Go to Set up a new VCO user and enter their details and email address, then click Set access level.

Once complete, click Create user. The user may then get upto three emails:

1. Containing their user account information

2. Containing a randomly-generated password, which they’ll have to change when they first log in.

They might also need to set their own memorable facts (birthplace, maiden name, first school).

3. Containing a security code (depending on the access levels they have).

Please note: to create a new user with access to their own bills, you’ll need to set this up within

Vodafone Bill Manager (VBM). For more information, please see the VBM user guide.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin> Set up a new VCO user

You’ll now need to set access levels for your users. These either give access to a range of access

privileges (a user type) or particular VCO access levels can be selected individually.

User Type’s

VCO superuser

Allows the user access to the following VCO access privileges:

Ordering and SIM management

Manage VCO Users

Connection Admin


Choose an ordering role

Here, you’ll need to choose the particular access level for each user:

Ordering & SIM management - gives full ordering access as well as the ability to connect,

swap and disconnect SIMs

Return, install & track items - gives access only to Return a faulty device, Car kit

installations and Order tracking options

Order tracking only - limits a user to Order tracking options only

Order requester- allows a user to create an order request that will need to be approved

Help & support - gives access to Help and support sections only

Access to specific privileges

Manage VCO Users

Allows the user to create, amend and delete VCO logins.

Order request final approver

Allows the user to approve order requests.

Choose subsidiary

Allows the user to move to different subsidiaries within their organisation.

Unbilled usage

Allows the user to see information about unbilled usage for the entire corporate account. They’ll only

be able to see details about one connection at a time.

Tech Fund access

There are three access levels:

Spend Tech Fund - allows the user to pay for items using their Tech Fund, as well as to see their

current balance while they’re ordering.

View Tech Fund - allows the user to see the transaction history for the Tech Fund.

Manage Tech Fund - allows the user to move funds between subsidiaries.

Please note: The View Tech Fund and Manage Tech Fund access levels have to be added by your

customer service team.

Connection Admin

Allows users to edit connections held at thei current organisational level.


Corporate level connection admin

Use this access level in conjunction with Connection admin to edit connections held at any level

(corporate or subsidiary) within an organisation.

Vision Online

Allows the user to access the report inbox in Online billing. Please note: new users will use VBM

instead.

Vodafone Bill Manager Administrator

Allows the user access to online billing and analytics, as well as electronic invoices and usage tagging

for the entire organisation.

Please note: If you need to set up someone with specific billing access e.g. against a single mobile

number for instance, you will need to do this in VBM. Please see the VBM user guide for details

regarding this.

3.2 Manage VCO users

This lets you see and amend a list of users that have access to VCO. If you’re currently assigned to a

subsidiary, you’ll only see users within the same subsidiary.

You can activate a login if this has become locked through inactivity or failed login attempts, as well as

reset and lock a user’s login details. To unlock the login, tick the box next to the user’s name and click

Activate users.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > VCO user accounts


3.3 Check a user’s login activity

This lets you see a login history for the current day, previous day, previous week or previous year. You

can filter to see how many login attempts were successful or failed.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection Admin > Login activity report

3.4 Delete a user

Go to VCO user accounts, where you’ll see a list of users that have access to VCO. If you’re currently

assigned to a subsidiary, you’ll only see users on the same subsidiary. You can delete a user’s login

simply by ticking the box next to their name and clicking Delete users.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > VCO user accounts

3.5 Edit connection details

This feature allows you to view and manage your connections in detail as follows;

Edit user

You are able to edit the username, cost centre, email address and user address for your connections

here.

Edit connection

This is where you can manage a range of connection options - such as price plan changes, PAC

requests and suspension or restoration of service.

Airtime billing

Here’s where you’ll find the user’s Billing Account Number (BAN), plus the Billing Entity Number (BEN)

that the mobile number is attached to, along with its billing address. You may be able to change the

details here, depending on the type of billing account it is.


Equipment details

This will show you the last devices bought and used for the connection.

3.6 Suspending and restoring a connection

Go to Edit connection, then enter the mobile number of the user you want to suspend or restore, and

choose the relevant option.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Edit connection details

3.7 Order approval settings

If you enable Order approval settings, all order requests generated by users with the Order requester

access level will need final approval from someone in your business before an order is despatched. You

can set up the type of order approval required, as well as additional restrictions like a maximum order

value, or limits on how many devices can be ordered at once.

Please note: A login with Order requester level is needed to create the order requests, and a login with

Order request final approver level is required to reject or accept the requests once they’ve been

created.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Order approval settings or Unapproved orders


3.8 VCO preferences

VCO preferences allow you to set what devices, price plans and services can be ordered or managed

within VCO, as well as several other general preference options.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > VCO preferences


You can set up preferences for your whole organisation, as well as separate preferences for each

subsidiary if necessary.

General preferences

Modify a range of options on your account (for example, you can make the use of Saved order

templates mandatory or set up a preference for your Tech Fund).

Devices

For new connections and upgraded orders - choose the devices available for new connetion and

upgrade orders.

Available accessories by device - choose the devices you’re able to order accessories for.

Accessories

For new connections and upgraded devices - choose the accessories you can order during a

new connection or upgrade order.

For accessory orders - choose the accessories you can order in an accessory order.

Services

Choose the range of services available on VCO (for example, the type of car installation).

Price plans

Available price plans - choose the price plans available on VCO.

Price plan options - choose a range of general services available on VCO.

Available options for your price plan - choose a range of specific services for your price plans.


3.9 Address book

You may use addresses multiple times throughout the site whilst ordering and editing connections,

and you can use the Address book to make managing these as simple and easy as possible.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection admin > Address book

When adding a new address, you can opt to make it private (indicated by the padlock icon above -

which means only you can use this address); or public, so all users in your organisation can use it.


4 Tech Funds If your organisation has a Tech Fund set up on VCO, you can choose to pay with, view or manage your

fund when you order. VCO also allows you to check the balance, statement and transaction details of

your Tech Fund.

4.1 Managing Tech Funds

Viewing Tech Funds

Users with the View Tech Fund role can see a summary of their Tech Fund, check monthly statements

and get details of transactions.

Head to: VCO > Online billing > View Tech Fund

To view a monthly statement, click the Details button in the row of any month.

For some transaction types, you can display more information by clicking the arrow in the Transaction

type column.


Low threshold warning

Users with the View Tech Fund role will see a warning when they log in to VCO if their Tech Fund

balance is below a threshold set for your organisation.

Downloading statements

Users with the View Tech Fund role can easily download a monthly statement by clicking the

Download CSV button at the bottom of any monthly statement page.

Setting a default spend

Users with access to VCO preferences can set a default percentage that indicates how much of an

order’s value should be paid for with a Tech Fund.

The default is simply a preference and can be manually overridden by users at the point of ordering.

Head to: VCO > VCO & Connection Admin > VCO preferences


4.2 Ordering with Tech Funds

For users with the Spend Tech Fund user role, VCO clearly indicates which devices and price plans are

eligible to use with your Tech Fund. To be able to spend or earn a Tech Fund while ordering, the type of

order, device and price plan must all meet the terms of your contract.

Choosing eligible devices and price plans

The red, circular Tech Fund label tells you that a device or price plan is compatible with Tech Funds,

and the green messaging explains the type of eligibility.


Basket review

When you review the basket, VCO will display the items you’ve chosen, including those that are

compatible with Tech Funds.

VCO also clearly displays information that helps you decide how to pay with a Tech Fund. You have the

option to enter the percentage of the order value that you want to be paid for with the Fund, or to type

an exact amount.

Please note, if you clear the value of the order using tech fund and make the invoice total zero, no

equipment invoice will be produced, although the order and tech fund use can be tracked using View

Tech Fund.


5 Online billing In the Online billing section of VCO, you can manage everything to do with billing, including:

Unbilled usage – provides a report on usage for a specific connection before it’s billed

Vodafone Bill Manager – provides a range of pre-defined reports and monthly trend analysis

Vision Online *– billed usage reporting tool for Vision Online

Split Bill*– personal and business call tagging service

*Please note: Vision Online and Split Bill are older products – new customers may be using Vodafone

Bill Manager instead.

Head to: VCO > Online billing

5.1 Unbilled usage

Unbilled usage gives you information about usage yet to be billed against a specific connection.

Please note: The usage shown may be up to 72 hours behind, depending on how quickly this

information is transferred from our network operations.

Head to: VCO > Online billing > Unbilled usage

5.2 Vodafone Bill Manager

Vodafone Bill Manager (VBM) is a powerful tool giving you instant access to your airtime billing

information and online invoices. It provides a range of pre-defined reports and monthly trend analysis.

Head to: VCO > Online billing > Vodafone Bill Manager

For more information, please see the VBM user guide.

Documents

Vodafone Corporate Online User Guide - King's College · PDF file2.7 SIM management ... Vodafone Corporate Online User Guide 11 ... principles apply when moving between ID’s,