Skip to main content

Usage Threshold Notifications

Zuora

Usage Threshold Notifications

The Usage Threshold Notifications feature in Limited Availability. If you wish to have access to the feature, submit a request at Zuora Global Support.

The Usage Threshold Notifications feature provides the capability to define notifications on usage consumption events in usage-based services. With this feature, you can use email and callout notifications to automate communications about usage consumption data.

You can create a notification definition to specify a percentage threshold for your customers to receive usage consumption notifications in time. When the percentage of included units exceeds the specified threshold, your customers receive a notification about the usage consumption status.

Currently, this feature is only specific to the Overage and Tiered with Overage charge models.

For example, a telecommunication company wants to send email notifications to its end users when their data traffic that is consumed exceeds 80% of their total data traffic amount. In this context, the company can use the Usage Threshold Notifications feature to create notification definitions with the specified usage threshold event filter rule. 

Prerequisites

If you are interested in using the Usage Threshold Notifications feature, you must ensure that some features are enabled in your tenant.

  • You must have the new Notifications feature enabled in your tenant.
  • You must have the Active Rating feature enabled in your tenant.
  • You must contact Zuora Global Support to obtain registered event types for the Usage Threshold Notifications feature.
    These registered event types are required when you configure the Usage Threshold Notifications feature. See Standard Events for more information.

Configure Usage Threshold Notifications

You can configure the Usage Threshold Notifications feature at the tenant level or at the charge level as needed.

Zuora recommends that you create email templates and notification definitions through the REST API. You can make updates to existing email templates and notification definitions through both the Zuora user interface and the REST API.

For more use cases and code samples, see Use Cases of Usage Threshold Notifications.

Configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the Tenant Level

When you configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the tenant level, notifications will be triggered and sent to all users subscribing to every charge with an eligible charge model in the tenant by default.

To configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the tenant level:

  1. Optional: Create an email template through the Zuora user interface or by calling the "Create an email template" operation, and note down the returned email template ID.
    • If you want to configure email notifications, the email template ID is required for creating the corresponding notification definition.
    • If you want to configure callout notifications, skip this step.
  2. Create a notification definition through the REST API.
    The UsageThresholdEvent event type is used.
  3. If necessary, update the threshold specified in the notification definition through the Zuora user interface or by calling the "Update a notification definition" operation.

Mute Usage Threshold Notifications for Specific Customers

After configuring Usage Threshold Notifications at the tenant level, if you want to not send notifications to a specific customer, you can mute notifications to the customer.

To mute usage threshold notifications for a customer:

  1. Define a communication profile where usage threshold notifications are deactivated.
  2. Associate the communication profile with the specific customer account

Configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the Charge Level

When you configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the charge level, notifications will be triggered and sent to only specific users associated with the corresponding eligible subscription rate plan charge by default.

To configure Usage Threshold Notifications at the charge level:

  1. Create a custom field for the Subscription Rate Plan Charge object.
  2. Optional: Create an email template through the Zuora user interface or by calling the "Create an email template" operation, and note down the returned email template ID.
    • If you want to configure email notifications, the email template ID is required for creating the corresponding notification definition.
    • If you want to configure callout notifications, skip this step.
  3. Create a notification definition through the REST API.
    The UsageThresholdCustomFieldEvent event type and created custom field are used.
  4. If necessary, update the notification definition through the Zuora user interface or by calling the "Update a notification definition" operation.
  5. To update the usage threshold, update the value of the created custom field in the subscription rate plan charge through the Zuora user interface.
    1. On the subscription details page, click the charge name in the Product & Charges area.
    2. On the expanded charge details page, click Edit Custom Fields next to the custom field.
    3. Change the value for the custom field, and click save
    4. Click done to save the subscription rate plan charge.