x channel - FAQ

Our products are rebranded as part of the Unifiedpost Group family. Our product x channel has been rebranded and given new name - Channel

1. General

• For whom is x channel suitable?
  x channel has been developed for all companies who would like to send digital invoices to own customers, to recipients registered in the crossinx network or to the public administration. With x channel, you have the possibility to control the outgoing invoice process efficiently and cost-effectively.

• Which technical requirements are necessary for x channel usage?
  x channel is a cloud-based application. Therefore, all you need is a working Internet connection and an up-to-date browser. You submit your invoices as PDF or structured data and we convert them into your customer's preferred format.

• Where is my data stored?
  The data is hosted exclusively in Germany and is therefore subject to the data protection law of the Federal Republic of Germany and the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

• What happens to my data after contract termination?
  Access to the portal is guaranteed until the cut-off date of the termination. You are responsible for downloading your invoices before the user account is disabled and for archiving your invoices subject to retention in your own system. crossinx will delete all invoices after the termination date has been reached.

• What are the costs for using x channel?
  The setup costs for the x channel service for outgoing e-invoices consists of a one-time only setup fee of 950 € and a monthly basic fee of 39 €. We are happy to advise you in a personal conversation under 069 4800 6510.

2. Registration

• How does the registration process work?
  After contract signature, we will process your one-time-only activation and invoice sending party setup. As soon as this step has been completed, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from us. You will now be able to log in to x channel as an already registered user.

• I am not the main user. Is it possible to add more users at a later stage?
  After registration, it is possible to add an unlimited number of users under „Settings > Users“.

• How many users can I create?
  x channel is licence free, you may create as many users as you need.

• Is it possible to transfer the admin rights of the main user at a later stage?
  All x channel users have admin rights.

• I cannot read the captcha in the registry, is there an acoustic version available?
  An acoustic version of the captcha is not available. If you have problems with deciphering the code, please generate a new captcha via the „Update“ button.

• Where can I find the Terms of Use?
  The Terms of Use are listed here: General Terms and Conditions of Business

• How can I change my password?
  The password can be changed at any time under „Settings > User“. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it on the login page.

• Why do I need to enter my bank details?
  At least one bank account is required for your setup. This will be used by crossinx in the invoices to your company. It will also be used to enrich your outgoing invoices to your customers, in case your bank data is missing in the input files.

3. My Network

• How do I add new customers?
  The quick links „Create New Customer“ or „Import Customer List“ allow you to create private or corporate customer entries. Via the quick link „Discover Network“ you can search for your customers in the crossinx network by entering their company name. Once identified, you may send them a registration request.

• What information is required when creating new customers?
  Creating new customer entries requires the customer number and the contact details including the address of the company.

• How does the automatic import of customer master data work?
  Under „Network > Import Customer List“ you have the option of importing your customer master data. You may use the sample file available in the interface, containing the required data structure. Additional information can be found in the detailed instruction sheet, available under „Network > Import Customer List > Instructions“.

• Can I set up customized sending options?
  Customer-specific sending options can be set up under the menu „Network > Customers > select customer > Cockpit“. In order to initiate the change, please click on „Change”. You may now update the Communication Channel and Data Conversion type and update your selection by clicking on „Save“.

• How do I find my customers in the network?
  Using the „Discover Network“ quick link, you can search for your customers by entering their company name. Once you have identified your customers, you may send them a registration invitation by using the „Registration“ button. This will open a new window on the right-hand side, where you will need to select „Registration > Send enrolment”.

4. Campaigns

• What are campaigns needed for?
  The goal of a campaign is to inform your paper invoice recipients about the fact that you will be switching to electronic invoicing. Campaign letters can be sent by post or via e-mail. You can compose and personalise the campaign texts.

• How do I create a campaign?
  You will quickly access the campaign settings from „Dashboard“ > quick link „Campaigns“ or the menu „Campaigns“. You can select the campaign type and design a cover letter that will be sent per post via our print service provider or alternatively via e-mail.

• How do I select my customers for the campaigns?
  You can define target groups for campaigns based on particular attributes or number of invoices. „Keywords“ and „Number of Invoices“ are attributes which you can assign to your customers. Selecting the appropriate criteria and clicking on the „Find Organizations“ button will determine the target customers for your campaign.

• Where do I review my campaign results?
  Under „Campaigns > Overview“ you have the possibility to check the current status and the results of your campaigns. (The number of targeted customers who responded to the campaign is also displayed as a percentage.)

• What is the purpose of a Landing Page?
  The Landing Page is a website that contains your company presentation. Customers who have received a notification triggered by a campaign may register for the paperless invoice receipt via your Landing Page. The communication channel for registered customers will be changed automatically to „E-Mail PDF“. The next invoice will no longer be printed out, but delivered directly via e-mail.

5. Documents

• What documents and attachments can I submit?
  x channel allows you to upload invoices and master data files. Over the „Extended upload“ function within the product, you can upload additional attachment files (purchase orders, delivery notes, employment certificates) in JPEG, PNG, TIFF or PDF formats. The maximum file size is 15MB. You may also send your invoices to crossinx by e-mail. When sending by e-mail, attachments must be merged with the PDF invoice. Attachments that are separately submitted via e-mail will not be processed by crossinx. Please note that e-mails containing more than one invoice are going to be rejected.

• What formats are supported?
  PDF documents can be submitted via e-mail. The upload function supports additional formats, such as IDOC, Edifact, XML, CSV, ZUGFeRD (current version) and XRechnung (current version). Further individual formats can be discussed with our project team.

• What information is required in an invoice?
  Invoices must be VAT-compliant and meet legal requirements as well as formal criteria. The mandatory information is defined according to §14 (4) UStG. Please make sure that all invoices sent to crossinx contain a customer number. The customer number is used as routing element and enables us to deliver your invoices to the correct recipient.

• What happens in the event of incorrect issued invoices?
  Our support team monitors constantly the production environment– if an information is missing or if other problems occur, we will contact you right away.

• Is invoice content customizable for customers?
  Some invoice recipients may require additional mandatory information. Please inform yourself about the validation rules imposed by the recipient prior submitting your invoices.

• Where can I find the status of my documents? (Example XRechnung Landesportal)
  The status of your documents can be checked in the x channel portal under the „Documents“ menu. This status refers to the internal crossinx document processing and delivery. In order to check the actual business status of your documents, we recommend you to inquire this information directly from the end-recipients, portals or federal authorities.

• Why can't I see my documents in the portal?
  Invoices which are not listed in the x channel portal under the menu „Documents“ are either still being processed or have failed during the validation process. Our production environment is constantly monitored. We will correct any technical errors shortly or inform you about necessary changes to the content of the invoice.

• What do I do if I have sent an incorrect invoice?
  If an incorrect invoice has been sent, but did not reach the recipient yet, we can help you to submit a corrected invoice, by removing the duplicate invoice Id validation in our system. If the incorrect invoice has already reached the recipient, an invoice correction must be issued together with a new invoice (with new invoice number).

• I have customers who only accept paper invoices – can I reach them via the x channel?
  Your customer invoices can be forwarded via different transmission channels, such as paper print, PDF files via e-mail or in a different structured data format via a desired transfer protocol. The sending option „Print service with cover page“ can be selected under „Network > Customers Cockpit“.

6. Invoice submission to crossinx

• How can I submit documents to crossinx?
  You can either upload your invoices manually via the x channel portal or submit them to crossinx via e-mail, Document Manager or other transmission protocols.

• Which protocols are supported?
  In order to receive the sender invoice data in a secured way, crossinx offers various solutions that ensure integrity and authenticity, such as AS2, e-mail / upload, HTTPS (POST method), OFTP, SFTP, Web Services, Document Manager. For restrictions and details, please refer to the relevant protocol descriptions.

• Who is allowed to send invoices via crossinx?
  Sending and uploading invoices to crossinx is limited to white-listed e-mail addresses and users. If you have created several users for your employees, upload rights will be assigned to them. Additional white-listed e-mail addresses can be added and administrated in the x channel portal under „Settings > E-mail settings > E-mail addresses for sending my invoices to crossinx“.

7. Invoice submission to customers

• Which invoice formats can be sent over?
  crossinx supports the following structured formats for submitting your invoices to your customers:

  • PDF

  • Standard Format Edifact D.01A

  • Standard Format SAP XML IDOC INVOIC02

  • Standard Format CSV

  • Standard Format XML

  • XRechnung (current version)

  • ZUGFeRD (current version)

  In addition, you can use our printing service for paper-based submission to customers.

• Can additional external portals be addressed, e.g. Zentrale Rechnungseingangsportal des Bundes (ZRE)?
  Yes, you can address different public administration portals (such as ZRE or OZG-RE) by e-mail. In addition, x channel offers a PEPPOL-connection to the public portals in Germany. If you are interested in sending invoices internationally, please refer to our individual solution „i channel“. It supports the submission of invoices to:

  • PEPPOL international: Belgium, France, Croatia, Netherlands, Austria

  • European Clearance System: Italy

  • Nordic Reach: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

  • International Clearance System: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Turkey, Uruguay

  • If you require assistance with digitisation, please do not hesitate to contact us. You are welcome to use the contact form from below for your enquiries.

• What is my sending e-mail address?
  You define your sending e-mail addresses under the menu item „Settings > E-mail Settings“. Two types of sending e-mail addresses can be identified: A sending e-mail address for submitting invoices to your end-customers. The domain of the e-mail address will always end with @xmail.crossinx.com. One or more sending e-mail addresses for submitting your invoices to the crossinx system.

• What happens if a customer replies to the sending email?
  If a customer replies to your sending email address, crossinx will forward the customer request to your „Forwarding E-mail Address“. We recommend that you enter a real e-mail address under the menu item „Settings > E-mail addresses > Forwarding E-mail Address“ in the event of receiving possible customer replies.

• Are the texts of the submission e-mails to my customers customisable?
  The submission e-mails to your customers can be designed either by default for all or individually for a specific customer. For the individual customer e-mail settings, you can select the desired customer under the menu „Network > Customers“ and compose a sending e-mail message in the menu „Sending Options“.

• Which submission options and transmission channels are available?
  x channel offers a variety of dispatch and transmission methods:

  • E-mail / Upload

  • Document Manager

  • Local printout + self-dispatch

  • Printout service (additional charges apply)

  • SFTP (additional charges apply)

  • AS2 (additional charges apply)

  • OFTP 2 (additional charges apply)

  • HTTP Post (additional charges apply)

  • Standard or individual web service (additional charges apply)

  • PEPPOL national: federal portal, OZG-RE (additional charges apply)

  • Roaming VeR and EESPA Standard (additional charges apply)

8. Legal Archive

• Who can access the archive?
  All users with access to the x channel can download the documents from the portal and archive them locally. Transferring the archive content to the x channel user is possible via e-mail or another protocol. crossinx would transmit the archived documents via a return transmission protocol selected by you. Please note that the archive data will be made available to all your employees who have access to the archive e-mail address used for the back transfer, or to those who have access to the selected transfer protocol.

• How long will my documents be archived?
  Invoices must be stored in their original form for 10 years (extension to 11 years possible). crossinx offers the following document archiving options:

  • Short-term archiving - 3 months (included)

  • Medium-term archiving - 1 year (additional charges apply)

  • Long-term archiving - 11 years (additional charges apply)

  Medium-term and long-term archiving can be purchased under „Settings > My account > Add archive option“.

• What happens when the archiving period expires?
  At the end of the archiving period agreed with crossinx, you will no longer have access to the files designated for archiving. You are responsible for downloading your invoices before the end of this period and for archiving all documents subject to retention in your own system.