Sub-Operator FAQ

This page answers the most common questions for Sub-Operator (also called Sub-Reseller) users of ISPBills. Sub-Operators work under a parent Operator and have access to day-to-day customer management and billing, but do not control system-level settings, network infrastructure, or package definitions. If you are unsure whether something falls within your scope, check the Limitations & Escalation section below.

Getting Started

What is a Sub-Operator and how does it differ from an Operator?

A Sub-Operator is a reseller account that operates under a parent Operator in the ISPBills hierarchy. You can manage your own customers, collect payments, and handle basic billing tasks. However, unlike a full Operator, you cannot create other operators or sub-operators, manage routers, configure packages, or change system-wide settings. Your packages, pricing, and billing profiles are defined and controlled by your parent Operator.

How do I log in for the first time?

Your parent Operator creates your Sub-Operator account and provides your login credentials. Navigate to the ISPBills login page, enter your username and password, and complete two-factor authentication if it has been enabled for your account. After your first login, it is strongly recommended that you change your password immediately and set up two-factor authentication from your profile settings.

What does my dashboard show?

Your dashboard provides a summary of the customers assigned to you. It displays key widgets such as total active customers, suspended customers, recent payments received, and outstanding bills. You can also see online and offline customer counts. The dashboard is scoped to your own data only — you will not see customers or financial information belonging to other operators or sub-operators.

Customer Management

How do I add a new customer?

Go to Customers in the sidebar and click Add Customer. Fill in the required fields such as name, mobile number, username, password, connection type (PPPoE, Hotspot, Static IP, or Other), and assign a package and billing profile. Once you save, ISPBills creates the necessary RADIUS records and generates the initial bill if the customer's billing type is not set to Free.

What connection types can I assign to customers?

ISPBills supports four connection types: PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet), Hotspot (captive portal authentication), Static IP (fixed IP address assignment), and Other (for non-standard setups). The available connection types depend on the packages and profiles your parent Operator has made available to you.

How do I change a customer's status (activate, suspend, or disable)?

Open the customer's profile and use the status action buttons. You can activate a suspended or disabled customer, suspend a customer to temporarily block their internet access, or disable a customer to fully deactivate their account. When you suspend or disable a customer, their PPP session is disconnected automatically. Note that the system also runs automatic suspension for customers with overdue bills based on the billing profile's grace period.

Can I import customers from a spreadsheet?

Yes. Go to Customers → Import Customers and download the provided CSV or Excel template. Fill in your customer data following the template format, then upload the file and follow the import wizard to map fields, review the data, and complete the import. You can also import PPPoE customers directly from a MikroTik router if your parent Operator has configured router access for your account.

How do I search for a specific customer?

Use the search bar at the top of the Customers list page. You can search by customer name, username, mobile number, or customer ID. You can also use filters to narrow results by status (active, suspended, disabled), connection type, package, billing profile, or customer zone.

Billing & Payments

How does billing work for my customers?

Billing is driven by the billing profile assigned to each customer. When a billing cycle begins, ISPBills automatically generates a bill based on the customer's package price and billing term. If the customer does not pay within the due date plus any configured grace period, the system can automatically suspend their account. You can also generate bills manually from the Customer Bills section.

How do I collect a cash payment from a customer?

Go to Bills & Payments → Customer Bills, find the customer's outstanding bill, and click Cash Payment. Enter the payment amount and confirm. ISPBills records the payment, marks the bill as paid, reactivates the customer if they were suspended, updates their package expiry date, and sends a payment confirmation SMS if event SMS is enabled.

What is an advance payment and how do I add one?

An advance payment is a credit balance stored on a customer's account. When a new bill is generated, the system can automatically deduct from this balance (auto-debit) instead of requiring a separate payment. To add an advance payment, open the customer's profile and use the Advance Payment option to credit the desired amount. This is useful for customers who prefer to pay ahead or maintain a prepaid balance.

Where can I view payment history?

Go to Bills & Payments → Customer Payments to see a complete list of all payments recorded under your account. You can filter by date range, payment type, or customer. You can also download the payment records as a file for your own bookkeeping. To view payments for a specific customer, open their profile and navigate to the Payments tab.

Packages

What packages are available for my customers?

Go to Routers & Packages → Packages to see the list of packages available to you. These packages are defined and managed by your parent Operator — you can view package names, speeds, and pricing but you cannot create, edit, or delete packages yourself. If you need a new package or a price change, contact your parent Operator.

Can I set custom pricing for a specific customer?

Yes. While you cannot change the base package price, ISPBills allows you to set a custom price on an individual customer. Open the customer's profile, edit their details, and enter a custom price. This overrides the default package price for that customer only and is reflected in their next generated bill. This is useful for offering promotional rates or special agreements.

How do I change a customer's package?

Go to the customer's profile and click Change Package. Select the new package from the list of available packages and confirm. ISPBills updates the customer's RADIUS attributes (speed limits and IP allocation) and disconnects their active PPP session so the new settings take effect immediately. Depending on billing configuration, a new bill may be generated for the updated package.

SMS & Notifications

Can I send SMS messages to my customers?

Yes. You have access to SMS Broadcast to send bulk messages to your customers, and Event SMS to configure automatic notifications for billing events such as bill generation, payment confirmation, account suspension, and package expiry. You can also view your full SMS history and check delivery status. Note that SMS costs are billed separately — check your SMS balance under SMS Bills & Payments.

What automated notifications are available?

ISPBills can send automatic SMS notifications for several events including: new bill generated, payment received, account suspended, account activated, package expiry reminder, and due date reminder. You can configure which events trigger an SMS and customise the message templates from the Event SMS section. Due date reminders and expiration notifiers can also be set up to alert customers before their bills become overdue.

Limitations & Escalation

What can I NOT do as a Sub-Operator?

As a Sub-Operator, you cannot perform the following: create or manage other operators, sub-operators, or managers; add, edit, or delete packages or billing profiles; manage routers, PPPoE profiles, or IP pools; configure payment gateways, SMS gateways, or WhatsApp settings; access VPN management; set up fair usage policies; manage VAT profiles; create API clients or webhooks; or access system-level settings and logs such as router logs, OLT configuration, and Zabbix monitoring. These functions are reserved for your parent Operator or the Group Admin.

When should I contact my parent Operator?

Contact your parent Operator when you need a new package created or an existing package price changed, when a billing profile needs to be edited or replaced, when router or network issues arise that are beyond customer-level troubleshooting, when you need your credit limit or account balance adjusted, when you require access to features that are outside your permission scope, or when you encounter a technical issue you cannot resolve from your panel.

How do I update my own profile and ISP information?

Go to your Profile settings from the top-right menu to update your personal details such as name, contact information, and password. You can also manage your ISP Information — a feature unique to the Sub-Operator panel — to set your business name and details that may appear on customer-facing documents. Two-factor authentication can be enabled or disabled from the same profile area.