Billing Management: #9 Usage Billing in IoTs
We live in a world where connectivity has become a lifestyle rather than a luxury. From smart thermostats that adjust your home's temperature to GPS trackers monitoring end-to-end fleets and sensors that optimize energy grids, the Internet of Things has woven digital intelligence into everyday life.
Billions of devices are constantly talking to us, to each other and to the cloud, providing an avalanche of data every second. This data fuels smart decisions, greater efficiency and an entirely new business model.
But for IoT providers, it also introduces a complex financial question: "How do you turn constant, variable device activities into clear, fair, and scalable revenue?"
Many providers start with flat-rate or subscription-based billing. It's simple to launch, but it quickly becomes misaligned with reality. A simple example is a household sensor that transmits a few readings per day shouldn't be billed the same as an industrial gateway streaming live data 24/7. Static pricing models cause imbalance and make heavy users overconsume, and light users overpay.
As the IoT ecosystem expands, the real challenge becomes monetizing data usage accurately without manual intervention or considering different data sources.
With Zoho Billing, businesses capture real-time device activity and transform it into transparent automated invoices. Let's explore how it works across three popular IoT services.
Scenario 1:
A utility provider offering smart water and gas meters to homes and offices. Each meter transmits consumption data hourly to the cloud. Residential customers expect fair pricing that reflects their consumption patterns. It's simple, user who uses less pays less and heavy users pay more. Instead of a flat per litre rate, the provider uses volume-based pricing:
Up to 25,00 litres: $0.002 per litre
25,001 to 75,000 litres: $0.0015 per litre
Above 75,000 litres: $0.001 per litre
This model rewards conservation and scales naturally across different customer types.
If a household uses 30,000 litres, it pays: 30,000 x $0.0015= $45
A small business uses 90,000 litres, pays: 90,000 x $0.001= $90
The IoT platform transmits usage data via Zoho Billing API, and Zoho Billing automatically applies the right price to each customer based on total consumption. The combination of automated data capture, volume-based billing, and clear invoices builds trust with consumers while scaling effortlessly for utility.
Scenario 2:
A fleet management company offering GST tracking, route analytics, and driver monitoring for logistics firms. Clients pay a fixed fee per vehicle for access to the tracking system and addon charges if their data usage exceeds the plan limit. The base plan is $20 per vehicle per month, including 1GB of data. For usage over 1 GB, the additional cost per MB is $0.05.
A logistics company with 50 trucks uses 65 GB in total. The average usage is 1.3 GB per truck. So it pays,
Item | Value |
Base Fee for 50 trucks (50x20) | $1000 |
Overage per truck (0.3x 1024 MB x $0.05) | $15.36 |
Total Overage ($15.36x50 trucks) | $768 |
Total Invoice Value ($1000+$768) | $1768 |
The service provider exports usage logs as a monthly CSV file and imports them into Zoho Billing. The billing system applies the base plan inclusions, calculates the overage automatically, and generates a detailed invoice showing per-vehicle consumption.
The model delivers predictable revenue for the business while giving customers full visibility into what they are paying for. This is almost a win-win situation for both clients and the service provider.
Scenario 3:
A small home security provider offering connected cameras, sensors and cloud video storage to a residential complex. House owners are billed based on multiple metrics, namely, the number of active devices, the number of motion events captured, and the minutes of video stored in the cloud.
The base price for a camera is $5 per month and $0.01 per motion event recorded. For video stored in the cloud, the charges are $0.002 per minute.
If a user has four cameras, 800 motion events, and 15,000 minutes of video pay,
Item | Value |
Cameras 4x $5 | $20 |
Motion event 800 x $0.01 | $8 |
Video Storage 15,000 x $0.002 | $30 |
Total Invoice Value | $58 |
The system integrates directly with Zoho Billing's API, transmitting daily usage updates for each customer. Each metric is defined separately, and Zoho Billing aggregates and applies the relevant pricing for each before generating a consolidated invoice.
This ensures billing accuracy and flexibility, even as the business scales to millions of active devices.
Every Connection Counts; Every Count Pays
In the connected economy, devices never sleep and do not produce data. For IoT providers, success is translating the constant data flow into dependable, transparent revenue.
Zoho Billing makes it effortless. It supports different pricing models and usage-based billing, allowing IoT businesses to bill accurately without the burden of complexity. Whether managing smart meters, connected fleets, or home automation systems, Zoho Billing ensures that every byte, event, and interaction is captured, calculated, and billed accurately.
Usage billing is complex, but not when you use Zoho Billing anymore.
The next post will summarise what we have covered so far, as we cover usage billing and other billing that Zoho Billing offers. Most importantly, we will see the common mistakes businesses make while billing. Stay tuned!
Topic Participants
Hari | Zoho Billing
Sticky Posts
Community Learning Series | Digest #5 — September 2020
Dear customers, We're happy to bring you the September edition of our #CommunityDigest! Keep track of your subscription KPIs right from your smartphone: Last month, we enhanced our Android mobile app to help our customers get daily updates on their business health. We got to know from a lot of customers that this has made their job much more easier because they no longer have to keep a reminder to manually check on the previous day's revenue or activations. If you have not downloaded it yet, here'sCommunity Learning Series | Digest #4 - August 2020
Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. I'm happy to bring you the fourth edition of our #CommunityDigest with some brand-new updates from us. 1. Daily Business Updates (for Android users) The Zoho Subscriptions Android app has got a cool new update: You can now get a push notification to your smartphone that lets you know how many activations and cancellations have taken place, and what's the net revenue for the previous day. The best part is, you can tell the app when exactly youCommunity Learning Series | Digest #3 - July 2020
Dear customers, We hope you're staying safe and healthy. We're glad to bring you the July edition of our #CommunityDigest. New community members can view our previous newsletters here. This time, we have two major updates and three interesting topics for you: 1. Zoho Subscriptions Developer Community Since the inception of Zoho Subscriptions, our team believed that the recurring billing platform we provide should be able to offer an extensive API library that empowers businesses to automate mostIntroducing: Community Learning Series | Digest #1 - May 2020
Dear customers, We hope you are staying safe and healthy. Helping businesses manage their customer subscriptions more efficiently has always been, and always will be, our goal at Zoho Subscriptions. We strongly believe this is possible if we grow together as a community and share what we know with each other. To nurture this shared learning experience, here is our brand-new Community Learning Series! Welcome to the first edition of our digest! Each edition of our community digest includes guides
Recent Topics
List of hidden features
Hi Friends, I had another support chat today and low and behold the feature that I wanted just simply needed to be "enabled". I thought I'd share, and maybe see if others had some similar experiences. 1. This one is from 5 ish years ago. I asked if thereHow to change a BAS that has been filed
I have discovered that a group of expense transactions were accidentally placed in a asset account rather than an expense account. As a result I need to adjust the transaction and consequently most of my BAS to correct the error. Because the BAS haveHow to Export PDF with a custom Template
I need to export Sales Order with a Custom Template I have created How can I do it? I see an API to export the PDF but how can I choose which template to choose to generate the PDFAssociate email with a potential or project.
I have a pivotal requirement to associate emails from various suppliers (contacts) with different potentials or projects, on an email by email basis as they come in. This question appears to have been raised before but I cannot find a definitive yes "it can be done". Could anyone please tell me, yes or no. If the later I can stop wasting time and look at alternative crm systems. I would love not to have to do this. Thanks in advance.MTA - BAD IP reputation by outlook/hotmail
Messages to Microsoft email servers are bouncing back due to poor reputation. Message: 4.7.650 The mail server [136.143.188.206] has been temporarily rate limited due to IP reputation. For e-mail delivery information see https://postmaster.live.com (S775)Function with Search Records was working until a few weeks ago, around when "Connected Records" was released
I have a custom function that has been running for nearly a year now, which suddenly stopped working around the time Zoho released the "Connected Records" update. The function is no longer finding the record using the searchRecords function. I've changedIs CRM On Premise available
Hi Zoho team, Can you please let me know that CRM Zoho is available for On Premise as well? Thanks, DevashishHow to sync from Zoho Projects into an existing Sprint in Zoho Sprints?
Hi I have managed to integrate Zoho Projects with Zoho Sprints and I can see that the integration works as a project was created in Zoho Sprints. But, what I would like to do is to sync into an existing Zoho Sprints project. Is there a way to make thatOnline Assessment or any aptitude test
This video is really helpful! I have one question — if I share an assessment form link (through email or with the application form on my career page), how does Zoho Recruit evaluate it? Can a candidate use Google or external help while taking the test,Editing the Ticket Properties column
This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I cannot figure out how to configure/edit the sections (and their fields) in this column: For example, we have a custom "Resolution" field, which parked itself in the "Ticket Information" section of thisIncoming Threads Report
From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports Customers raise questions and issues through multiple channels, such as email, chat, or tickets. To monitor the number of queries received on a specific day from each channel, leads canConditional layouts - support for multi-select picklists
Hi, The documentation for conditional layouts says the following: "Layout Rules cannot be used on the following field types: Auto Number Lookup Multi Select Lookup User Lookup Formula File Upload Multi Line" I have a custom module with a multi-pick listSamsung Keyboard Issues with Notebook
Dear Users, We're sorry to inform you that some of our users are experiencing certain issues like scrolling, delay/lag, cursor placement especially within the text notes. This occurs mainly due to Samsung Keyboard compatibility with Android 13 and someHow to apply customized Zoho Crm Home Page to all users?
I have tried to study manuals and play with Zoho CRM but haven't found a way how to apply customized Zoho CRM Home Page as a (default) home page for other CRM users.. How that can be done, if possible? - kipi Moderation Update: Currently, each user hasCloudflare Turnstile is now available in Zoho Forms!
Hello form builders! We have added a new layer of protection to help you keep your forms free from bots. Instead of forcing users to prove they are human, Cloudflare Turnstile quietly checks browser signals in the background. Your real users glide through,Power of Automation :: Unique Task & Issue Prefix Format and Sequencing Rule
Hello Everyone, A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate【Zoho CRM】キャンバス機能のアップデート
ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、キャンバス機能のアップデートをご紹介します。 目次 グリッドについて フォーム表示のタブについて 1. グリッドについて ビジュアルデザインは細部の調整に手間がかかりますが、キャンバスのグリッドを使えば要素を整理し、バランスよく配置できます。 画像やデータなどの要素をグループ化せずに簡単に配置できます。 余白を調整することで、要素間の視覚的なバランスを保つのに役立ちます。 「表示切り替え基準の幅」を設定すると、デザインをレスポンシブに調整できます。Deleting unwanted ticket replies
Hello, In a Zoho Desk Ticket thread, sometimes one of the recipients has auto-reply activated. This creates a new message in the Ticket thread that not only pollutes the thread, but most importantly cannot be replied properly because usually auto-reply e-mails don't do "reply all", so the other recipients are not included. I want to delete such a message in the Ticket thread. I searched the help of Zoho Desk, but only found a way to mark as Spam (https://help.zoho.com/portal/kb/articles/marking-support-tickets-as-spam)Issue: Ticket Export Does Not Include Ticket Threads
Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to bring to your attention that the current ticket export feature in Zoho Desk does not seem to include the ticket threads or conversation history. When exporting tickets, only the summaryAbility to Set Client Name During Portal Invitation
Hi Zoho Team, We would like to suggest an important enhancement to the Zoho Creator Client Portal functionality. Zoho Creator recently introduced the option to set a client’s display name in the Client Portal settings, which is very helpful for creatingスマホでキャンペンメールを見ると正しく表示されない
キャンペーンのメール（HTML）を作成しましたが、スマホ表示に切り替えると正しく表示されません（添付参照）過去に作成したキャンペーンでは特に意識してませんでしたが、問題なく表示されていたようです。うまく表示される場合とされない場合の違いは何でしょうか？136.143.188.51 blocked by spamcop
Zoho mailserver seems to be blocked by spamcop. Cant send mail to my customer. Not sure what to do.Zoho Calendar Integrated Into CRM?
I've searched around the forums but couldn't find anything addressing this . . . Is there a plan to integrate Zoho's stand alone calendar solution into Zoho CRM? The CRM calendar does an OK job but is very basic and the Zoho calendar is great, but I've only figured out to subscribe to my CRM calendar within ZCalendar - there is no 2-way sync. My preferred solution would be for ZCal to become the default calendar/event solution within Z CRM. Is this on the roadmap? ThanksCan I Create Different Page Layouts Based on a Specified Module Pick List Field
I am trying to work out how to create different page layouts based on a specified module pick list field value, like the Salesforce feature where you can define multiple record types and then create custom page layouts for each record type. This is a super important feature as for almost all the modules we are using (Leads, Potentials, Accounts) we need to be able only show fields relevant to the record type. E.g. We need a very different page layout for a consumer lead Vs a commercial lead, sameScheduling Tasks in Relation to Project End Date
I use Zoho project to help manage tasks that relate to a number of specific business events that take place. I would like to be able to have my project end date be the date of the event and then work "back" from that date to say... Add a task 2 weeks before the project end date to remind me to XYZ. Does anyone know if there is a way to base task timings back from a project due date rather than a project start date?Notes of Tasks in Zoho CRM
Hello, Is there a way to filter the Notes that appear on a Task to only show the notes related to that specific Task and not display all the Notes of the objects related to that Task (Accounts, Contacts, Deal, etc). In essence, our team struggles to understandPassing the CRM
Hi, I am hoping someone can help. I have a zoho form that has a CRM lookup field. I was hoping to send this to my publicly to clients via a text message and the form then attaches the signed form back to the custom module. This work absolutely fine whenHow to next stage blueprint in Zoho Creator
Hello, I have question, its possible to next stage blueprint? in case, Start - (first stage) Leader 1 (with condition 1) - (second stage) Leader 2 (with condition 2) - (third stage) Leader 3 (with condition 3) - (fourth stage) After first stage, i wantFeature Request: Email Follow-Up Sequences Similar to Zoho CRM
I’m wondering if Zoho Recruit is planning to introduce a feature similar to the Email Automation – Follow-Up Sequences that is available in Zoho CRM. In CRM, this allows users to send a series of timed follow-up emails triggered by specific actions (forDuplicated Notebooks
Out of the blue, almost all of my notebooks got duplicated and the different copies contain different information. Some seem like older copies than the others. I use the linux desktop app and sometimes the Android app. I assume that the sync failed at some point and was unable to merge the two versions together. But I'm afraid to add anything else to my notebook because if it can't properly sync 5 notebooks with only a handful of notes each, what will happen when I have hundreds of notes and I loseCurrency limitation when integrating Zoho CRM & Zoho Books
Brief Video of Problem: https://www.loom.com/share/d61d1d07d0904e149d80c1901a22418e. Background · Our business is based in Australia and we have to have Zoho Books in AUD to comply with tax and reporting regulations in Australia. · We sellMulti-select Lookup does not have Advanced filter options in CRM
With much fanfare Zoho announced the advanced filter options for CRM lookup fields which was a nice addition. This feature is not available for Multi-Select lookup fields. Will it be rolled out in the next 3-6 months, considering the standard lookup filterExperience effortless record management in CRM For Everyone with the all-new Grid View!
Hello Everyone, Hope you are well! As part of our ongoing series of feature announcements for Zoho CRM For Everyone, we’re excited to bring you another type of module view : Grid View. In addition to Kanban view, List view, Canvas view, Chart view andUnable to copy into a new document
Whe I create a new Writer doc and attemp to copy and past I get this message. The only way to copy into a document is I duplicate an existing document, erase the text and save it under a different name and then paste the information. Not ideal. Can youKaizen #157: Flyouts in Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting edition of our Kaizen series, where we explore fresh insights and innovative ideas to help you discover more and expand your knowledge!In this post, we'll walk through how to display Flyouts in Client ScriptAdmin Control Over Profile Picture Visibility in Zoho One
Hello Zoho Team, We hope you are doing well. Currently, as per Zoho’s design, each user can manage the visibility of their profile picture from their own Zoho Accounts page: accounts.zoho.com → Personal Information → Profile Picture → Profile PicturePublished Course Not Reflecting In Hub
Hi! I am trying to create micro-learning courses for our team to be available for self-guided learning. I have published the courses with enrollment settings open to all users of the hub, but they don't appear to be available for enrollment. Am I missingUnlock Locked Users via Zoho One Mobile App
Hello Zoho One Team, We have noticed that in the Zoho One web admin panel, we can unlock a locked user when needed. However, when using the Zoho One mobile app, there is no indication that a user is locked, nor is there an unlock button similar to whatTip #47- Stay Ahead with Automated Scheduled Reports in Zoho Assist- 'Insider Insights'
We’ve made it easier for you to stay informed, even when you’re busy managing remote sessions! With Scheduled Reports in Zoho Assist, you can now automatically receive detailed insights about your remote support and unattended access activities directlyColour Coded Flags in Tasks Module List View
I really like the colour coded flags indicating the status of the tasks assigned to a Contact/Deal in the module list view. It would be a great addition to have this feature available in the list view of activities/tasks. I understand you have the DueNext Page