FAQ’s
Get the answers to all your commission automation questions.
Why Core Commissions?
What does Core Commissions do?
Core Commissions provides an affordable sales commission software that handles even the most complex commission structures and rules. Core’s comprehensive incentives management solution can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, fully automate your sales commission process, generate reports and analytics with the click of a button, reduce the commission administrator’s workload by up to 85%, and eliminate errors. Our team of experienced and supportive implementers works directly with companies to give them the foundation they need to run the Core system. With a variety of solutions to choose from, sales organizations of all sizes can select the right fit for their needs with Core. Our website is mobile optimized so no mobile app needed.
My company’s commission, bonus, and incentive compensation plans are complex. Can Core Commissions handle that?
Our proprietary RuleBots method breaks down even the most complex sales commission rules into individual, manageable steps that are then integrated into a single process. This approach, unique to Core, gives anyone, including administrators without a lot of technical experience, the power to build and manage complex rules without the need for custom programming.
Can Core track overrides, tiered rates, graduated commissions, and other commission variables?
Yes. All aspects of incentive management are supported in the Core application, including:
- Hierarchy overrides
- Splits
- Team pools
- Accelerators
- Bonuses
- Chargebacks
- Floors and ceilings
- Ramped targets
- Tiered rates
Core tracks and stores data associating people, organizations, and activity according to any number of fields and configurations, customized for the unique business.
How often can Core run commission cycles?
As often as your business needs! Whether it’s monthly, quarterly, annually, or another timeframe, Core can make it happen. The application accommodates an unlimited number of commission cycles and payment schedules. Any cycle period can be defined and tracked easily, and multiple cycles can be run concurrently.
Can I import my data directly from an Excel or CSV file?
Yes. Core comes standard with import and export capabilities in Excel or CSV file formats. The application also integrates with almost any upstream or downstream data source. Users have the ability to perform real-time record audits, allowing them to catch any errors during the import process so you never have to worry about bad data in the system.
What type of reporting capability does Core offer?
Our flexible web-based reporting module, custom report designer, interactive “drag & drop” analytics, and dashboard module offer easy options for building both individualized and executive commission reports that can be accessed by individual reps or executives as needed. A bulk email distribution engine allows you to send out multiple reports featuring individualized information with a single button click.
Can Core track commissions based on revenue or profit?
Our application has the ability to calculate commissions based on whatever factors you stipulate. Tell us what you need the application to do and we’ll set it up with you.
Can Core help us with ASC 606 or any other type of compliance or reconciliation process?
Yes. The technology we offer through the Core application has the power to calculate and audit whatever data you need it to.
Does Core Commissions offer a mobile application?
Our website is mobile optimized so no mobile app needed.
Tell Us About Core’s Subscriptions and Pricing.
What kind of training is provided if I subscribe to a Core solution?
Up to 10 hours of training and implementation come with our Quick Start program.
Training and full documentation is provided along with various levels of support to get you up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible. The support packages available to you are dependent on your subscription level.
A trouble ticket system and knowledge base are available within the application itself, as well as additional support to assist Enterprise and Managed Services clients.
How quickly can I be up and running with Core Commissions?
Our team works hard to get you up and running as quickly as possible. However, client deployment time can vary from a few weeks to a few months depending on the complexity of your plan requirements.
For a moderately sized plan of 2 to 3 data sources and 10 to 12 unique payment components, implementation usually takes about two weeks factoring in time for auditing results and making any necessary corrections.
What is a payee?
Payees are any employees, third-party individuals, or companies managed in Core for incentive payments along with users with login access to the system. Customers get one administration account at no cost with their subscription. Additional admins or users with login access to Core for viewing output or entering information are also considered payees.
Each of our solutions has a minimum payee requirement.
Do you offer volume discounts?
Yes. We can evaluate your individual requirements and provide you pricing options, including volume discounts.
Do you work with companies outside of North America?
We primarily work with businesses based in the US and Canada, but do work with international companies as long as they meet our 50-payee minimum and other factors.
How Does Quick Start work?
Do you offer a free trial?
No. We want our customers to experience Core the way it would work for them and that requires a level of set up and implementation that cannot be done for free. However, we do offer Quick Start, our discounted proof-of-concept program which gives customers access to the full application to test it out before committing to a subscription.
What is Quick Start?
Our Quick Start program is a great way to do a ‘proof-of-concept’ effort with Core to demonstrate our capabilities.
What’s included with Quick Start?
The program includes 10 hours of setup, report and analytics building, online training sessions on using Core, as well as 30 days of system use. There is no further obligation if you decide not to go forward.
Do I have to purchase Quick Start before I subscribe?
We require all of our new subscribers to purchase Quick Start and work with our implementers before subscribing to our product.
How Does Core Commissions Integrate with Business Systems?
Can Core integrate with QuickBooks, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, or other business applications?
Yes. Thanks to our in-house ETL modules, Core can integrate with any upstream or downstream data source. That includes most CRMs, ERPs, financial, and business management applications. In fact, as a development partner of the force.com platform, we can offer full integration into the Salesforce.com platform.
Integration into popular financial management and CRM applications is a common request. However, because each client has different requirements (security, timing, individual fields, etc..), we typically quote this integration separately.
Click here for more information on Core integrations.
What does ETL mean?
It tells you exactly what the module does: extract, transform, and load. We’ve developed this tool in-house so that we have the flexibility to fashion it in whatever way it’s needed. Our implementers set up ETL modules with customized settings specifically for the integrations you need.
How long will it take to integrate Core with our business application?
To integrate Core with other business applications, you’ll need to work with our team. We estimate that it will take 15 hours to develop the integration.
How much does it cost to integrate our business applications with Core?
For integration, we charge a standard rate by the hour.
What Are Rules and RuleBots?
What is a Rule?
In general terms, a rule is a set of calculation steps applied to data from specified activity in order to determine certain results from it. Since Core is a solution for calculating incentive payments, the most common example of a rule is a set of calculations and data actions joined together to automatically calculate the results of specific incentive payments for a group of people. A different incentive rewarding other types of activity would have different calculation conditions that would usually require a rule specific to that incentive.
Core supports 3 different types of rules for producing results:
- Payment rules calculate commissions, bonuses, and other incentive amounts earned from various sales activities.
- Info rules produce non-payment performance measure results like quota attainment, sales contest rankings, product margins, revenue schedules, etc.
- Data management rules transform data to support rules building and reporting requirements.
In Core, collections of these rules, grouped into plans, are used to automate the commission process.
Does a single rule calculate the payment for just an individual or can it apply to a group?
With RuleBots, Core has the power to generate payment output for both select individuals or entire divisions. From group payments to team attainment, Core can handle all types of group calculations. Just let us know how your plan works and let Core do the rest!
Can a rule reference independent rate tables in addition to performing the necessary calculations?
Individual rules allow for multiple calculation steps and references to multiple tables for different rates or other factors needed in the calculations.
Can a single rule pay splits at different rates to different people?
One rule can pay multiple splits from a transaction even if different roles are paid at different rates. However, if the calculations for paying splits for other roles are very different, then more than one rule might be necessary.
If a single rule has multiple calculation steps, how many of the calculation/output results from that rule can be put on a report or dashboard?
While rules can have numerous data references and calculation steps, best practices recommend no more than three types of reportable output per rule to minimize complexity.
Can I include all my incentive types in a single rule?
While it is possible to do this, overly complex rules across a number of incentive types make auditing and reporting more difficult. Best practices recommend building rules in a way that makes them easy to audit and report on.
Are chargeback events built into the same rule that calculated the payment that later needs to be recovered?
Chargebacks usually have very different criteria for recovery than the rule required for the initial payment. In most cases they are handled in a separate rule.
What factors determine if a single rule can be used or if multiple rules are needed?
In general, if desired outputs differ significantly in the steps needed to produce results, the fields and data used in the calculations, or the activity they are targeting, then separate rules are best. Other factors include the number of exceptions or use cases in a rule, reporting requirements, and ease of auditing.