Choosing the Right Billing Provider for Your Mobile Operator Business

Selecting the right billing provider is a critical decision for mobile operator businesses. A reliable and efficient billing provider can streamline operations, enhance revenue management, and improve customer satisfaction. This blog explores the top ten factors to consider when choosing a billing provider for your mobile operator business. From system capabilities and scalability to customer support and data security, we delve into the essential considerations that will help you make an informed decision and find the ideal partner to support your billing needs.

Understanding Your Business Requirements

Before embarking on the search for a billing provider, it is crucial to understand your business requirements. Assess your specific needs, such as the types of services you offer, the scale of your operations, and the anticipated growth. This understanding will serve as a foundation for evaluating billing providers and identifying the one that aligns best with your business goals.

System Capabilities and Flexibility

Evaluate the system capabilities and flexibility offered by potential billing providers. Assess whether their billing platform can handle your current and future service offerings, such as voice, data, messaging, and value-added services. Look for features like real-time rating and charging, convergent billing, and support for dynamic pricing models. Ensure that the system can adapt to your evolving business needs and accommodate future service expansions.

Scalability and Performance

Consider the scalability and performance capabilities of the billing provider's system. As your mobile operator business grows, you need a billing system that can handle increasing data volumes, transaction loads, and customer base without compromising performance. Ensure that the provider's infrastructure can scale seamlessly to meet your needs and deliver optimal performance during peak usage periods.

Integration and Compatibility

Evaluate the integration and compatibility aspects of the billing provider's solution. Determine whether their system can integrate with your existing infrastructure, including CRM systems, provisioning systems, and network elements. A well-integrated billing solution minimizes operational complexities, enables efficient data exchange, and ensures smooth end-to-end processes.

Billing Accuracy and Revenue Assurance

Accurate billing and robust revenue assurance mechanisms are vital for the financial health of your mobile operator business. Assess the billing provider's track record in ensuring billing accuracy and preventing revenue leakage. Inquire about their revenue assurance practices, fraud detection capabilities, and mechanisms for identifying and resolving billing discrepancies promptly.

Data Security and Compliance

Data security is a paramount concern in the mobile operator industry. Evaluate the billing provider's data security measures, including encryption protocols, access controls, and disaster recovery mechanisms. Ensure that the provider complies with industry regulations and standards for data privacy and protection, such as GDPR or CCPA, to safeguard your customers' sensitive information.

Customer Support and Service Level Agreements

Reliable customer support is crucial when selecting a billing provider. Assess the provider's customer support capabilities, including response times, availability of dedicated account managers, and support channels. Inquire about their service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure that they can meet your business's support needs and provide timely assistance when required.

Billing Analytics and Reporting

Effective billing analytics and reporting capabilities play a vital role in decision-making and business optimization. Evaluate the billing provider's analytics tools and reporting features. Consider whether they offer comprehensive insights into revenue trends, customer behavior, and service performance. Robust analytics empower you to identify growth opportunities, optimize service offerings, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Pricing Structure and Cost Considerations

Carefully assess the pricing structure and cost considerations associated with the billing provider's services. Understand their pricing models, such as transaction-based fees or revenue-sharing arrangements. Consider the total cost of ownership, including implementation costs, recurring fees, and any additional charges for system customization or upgrades. Ensure that the pricing structure aligns with your budget and provides value for the services offered.

Reputation and Industry Experience

Finally, consider the reputation and industry experience of the billing provider. Research their track record, client testimonials, and case studies to gauge their expertise and reliability. Engage in discussions with industry peers or attend relevant conferences to gather insights and recommendations. Choosing a billing provider with a proven track record and extensive industry experience can instill confidence and pave the way for a successful partnership.

Conclusion:

Selecting the right billing provider is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success of your mobile operator business. By considering factors such as system capabilities, scalability, integration, data security, customer support, and pricing, you can make an informed choice that aligns with your business requirements and goals. Remember to evaluate the provider's reputation and industry experience to ensure a reliable and trusted partnership. Taking the time to choose the right billing provider will not only streamline your operations but also lay a strong foundation for sustainable growth, enhanced revenue management, and improved customer satisfaction.

5 Essential Features of a Telecom Billing System

The telecom industry has a market size of 1,707.96 billion and is expected to reach 2,467.01 billion by 2028. With the development of 5G technology, the demand for telecom billing software companies only increases. A larger customer base for MNVO providers means that greater resources are needed to track data and send invoices. This means billing for MVNO is more important than ever. By incorporating a reliable telecom billing system, telecom companies will have higher accuracy in their itemized bills. Knowing the available features will allow you to choose the right online charging system for your business.

Customer Relationship Management

Every telecom company needs a customer relationship management functionality because it helps personalize communication with your customers. As a result, it’ll boost engagement and convert more sales. A good billing system will manage the contact life cycle of every customer, handle customer-initiated contact, and oversee outbound contact. The CRM function can also perform many automated tasks, such as sending auto-reminders to subscribers to avoid late payments.

Identical Record Checking

Duplicate invoices can be quite a common occurrence for many telecom companies. A high-quality telecommunications billing software will help spot and prevent duplicates, so the company won’t ruin its reputation or lose customers. Double billing can even lead to eventual fraud investigation, which can hurt your business. The billing system can eradicate duplication by setting distinct identification with customer records such as date of birth, social security numbers, and invoice numbers.

Business Model Support

Not all telecom companies work the same way. Many have different business models such as usage-based, hybrid, pre-paid, and post-paid models. Telecom billing systems must be able to manage different services and different rate plans. In addition, it should offer event-based and session-based charging. Furthermore, the billing system can converge the different services and compile them into one bill for convenience.

Integration with Multiple Payment Gateways

Customers pay through their smartphones and use various online banks to pay for their bills. All of the best telecom billing systems have multiple payment options for subscribers to pay with. This makes cross-border payments easy and allows for greater convenience. Having integration with multiple payment gateways reduces the time and friction for customers to pay their bills, which can, in turn, lead to increased revenue. A billing system should have the most popular gateways integrated, such as Paypal, Western Union, Moneygram, etc.

Automatic Tax Calculations

Depending on the region of the telecom business, the tax structure will be different. This means a telecom billing system software must be able to automate tax calculations for their customers.

E-Bill Generation

Gone are the days of customers waiting for physical mail to check their bills. Paper bills have become instant throw-aways for most people. Billing in telecom should have an e-bill generation where the invoice can be viewed online using their smartphone or computer. This gives subscribers the ability to check their bills anytime.

At Telgoo5, we offer the essential features you need, so you can send out error-free invoices and place your focus on other core areas of your business.

Prepaid and Postpaid billing for ISP's challenges and Telgoo5 Solutions

Most people do not think about their Internet connection until it fails them. Every day, people everywhere access the Internet hundreds if not thousands of times. People check their Twitter feeds, look up directions to a new restaurant, read the news, and even do their jobs online. No thought goes into their connection, how it is supported, or even how it is paid for. The only time most people consider the infrastructure behind their Internet connection is when they are unable to access the Internet.

Fortunately, Telgoo5’s billing services help ensure that interruptions do not happen.

Telgoo5 is a telecom billing provider that supports Internet service providers (ISPs) with both prepaid and postpaid billing. With Telgoo5 services, ISPs can accurately and reliably charge their clients without service interruption. 

Benefits of Telgoo5’s prepaid billing:

When clients pre-pay for Internet data, they expect it to work when they need it to. Think of it this way - if you prepay for a meal and then arrive at an empty restaurant with an absent chef, you are not going to be too happy. Similarly ISPs need a way to track whether or not they have been paid, how much their clients have remaining on their account, and if or when services are paid for again. Consider it this way, if you are a restaurant owner serving customers who pre-paid for their meals, you need a way to reliably track which courses your clients have been served in order to ensure that one person isn’t being served two entrees when he only paid for one.  In order for ISPs to provide reliable prepaid service, they need a billing company that handles the payment to connection relationship seamlessly. 

Telgoo5’s prepaid features include charging, billing, automatic workflows such as degradation or plans, suspension and cutoff of services and restoring of services. Complete financial integration and reporting, Notifications via email, & SMS. With Telgoo5, ISPs will receive payment, and end-users will receive exactly what they paid for, nothing more and nothing less. 

Benefits of Telgoo5’s postpaid billing:

When clients post-pay for Internet services, their monthly bill varies based on services rendered. Let’s revisit the restaurant example. Most dining experiences represent post-paid models. Throughout the meal, customers can order as much or as little as they want. Once the meal is complete, they are billed for what they consumed. Someone who ordered only a few items will be billed less than someone who ordered a full 5 course meal. In order for ISPs to handle postpaid contracts reliably, they need billing partners who can track exactly how much data has been used, and which accounts are using data services when. 

Telgoo5’s postpaid features include complete control over the process of provisioning, activating and deactivating customers, a multitude of billing applications for charging, billing, and discounts, full control over postpaid tariff plan creation, and more.

At Telgoo5, we help ISPs to separate themselves from the competition by supporting whichever billing system they or their clients prefer. We have got your back regardless of how you choose to handle billing.

Maintain Network Operations with Care via Cutting-Edge Operations Support System

An Operations Support System along with business support system constitutes a major share of telecom operations. In the past, both OSS and BSS were considered to be separate paradigms; however, the line between them is collapsing very fast. The modern-day approach is about increasing efficiency, for which, it is necessary to have an overlapping of these two telecom business functions. A rise in the use of IT methodologies and virtual functions has made it possible to have a single interface for managing both business and operational tasks.

Support Better Service Delivery with Innovative Operation Support System

An OSS performs the following tasks:

·       Management of different network functions

·       Delivery of service

·       Fulfillment of service

·       Service assurance

·       Timely support to telecom customers

To perform these tasks, an OSS relies upon:

·       Management of data

·       Arrangement of sequence, in which, the tasks need to be performed

·       Upgrades in technology to meet growing requirements

·       Management of data and processes via relevant applications (APIs)

An Operation Support System performs the extremely important task of identifying errors and making the operation error-proof. Nowadays, telecom operations are carried out in a seamless manner and the OSS functions can be performed by a single intuitive interface.

Combine B/OSS with Quality Billing for Best Service

A single interface that manages all day-to-day telecom operations is nothing less than a godsend. Platforms like Telgoo5 offer both single and unified telecom solutions that work ideally for MNO, MVNO and MVNE.

Complete management via a single platform

When you have a state-of-the-art B/OSS model along with real-time charging, you can serve your customers in the best way possible. It becomes easier to have a single view of customers during monetization, service delivery and billing.

Greater revenue assurance

A real-time Online Charging System (OCS) ensures charging of transactions in a few milliseconds. Hence, there is no revenue leakage, and the billing is completely transparent for the subscribers.

Ability to launch differentiated products

Modern-day telcos need to think on their feet. A versatile telecom support system allows telcos to create attractive plans that combine a wide range of services. For example, you can monetize a video streaming service with a data pack. Also, you can manage the complete partnership with a third-party service provider. There is complete abstraction in the process i.e. the system does everything for you and you do not feel out of your depth even while creating complex service plans for the users.

Improvise with Innovative Monetization by Using Top Billing System Software

Monetization and billing hold special place in the day-to-day operations of telcos. There are many promising technologies in the market that need to be packaged and delivered in an innovative manner. 5G and IoT are two key technologies that need to be delivered in an attractive manner to the customers. These technologies put heavy burden on the shoulders of telcos, especially Data MVNO and other smaller players in the market.  An intuitive billing and provisioning software solution is needed.

Transform Plans into Action Faster

The whole marketing team of a telecom operator tries to exploit market conditions. This is done by analyzing the immediate needs of customers and coming up with plans that fulfill those needs.

Operating a Billing System Software Solution is not the easiest thing to do. To devise a plan, many configurations need to be tweaked. A telecom system should allow for the different tweaks and should be intuitive enough, so that a less technically sound operator can also make the changes.

Real Time Charging For Maximum Impact

A telecom operator needs to get his basic rights if he wants to make the maximum impact with his plans and offers. A real time charging is the minimum requirement in today’s time as it helps in:

Convergent charging for consolidated billing

As both event-based services like SMS and session-based services like voice call are charged at a centralized location i.e., an Online Charging System, it becomes easier for telcos to create consolidated bills. All the charges can be reflected on a single invoice. Consolidated billing provides the necessary incentive for subscribers to stay with a single operator. They can subscribe to voice, SMS, data, broadband and even video streaming services as part of a single vendor partnership. The simplicity and convenience of Convergent Charging is crucial for a modern-day telecom operator.

Accurate implementation of credit limits

If a telecom operator is also performing the role of an IoT billing provider, the implementation of credit limits becomes even more important. Customers of today want complete transparency and do not want to pay a dollar extra. A real time charging platform keeps complete track of every transaction and ensures customers are sent timely reminders about their quota completion. Whether it is prepaid or postpaid services, real time charging is crucial in today’s time.

Revenue assurance

Ensuring proper revenue is the main concern of a telecom operator. Top billing systems like Telgoo5 are unwavering in terms of accuracy of charging. Hence, there is complete accountability for every service and total revenue assurance.

Telgoo5 provides a reliable platform, which is easy to use and completely accurate. It allows telcos to monetize their services in any way, shape or form with minimal efforts.

Telgoo5: The MVNE You Never Knew Your MVNO / MNO Needed

With 15 years in the industry, (v)WeCare is very well aware of the ever-changing landscape the telecommunications industry is facing today. That’s a decade-and-a-half of providing BSS, online charging, MVNE, Diameter and other expert technical and sales support, and as you’ll see, much more.

We’ve partnered with countless telecom organizations to transform their MVNO/MVNE by optimizing operations, expanding their reach, and growing their subscriber base overall. Furthermore, (v)WeCare has empowered companies just like yours to globally launch their MVNO/MVNE in a matter of weeks instead of months, and we even provide dedicated account managers as well as 24/7 NOC Support.

However, these partnerships actually evolved into a bit of symbiotic relationship as well. As our clients learned from us, we learned a lot more about their operation’s deeper needs.

That’s where Telgoo5 comes in. An end-to-end billing support system (BSS) and Online charging system (OCS) that is tailored to fit the specific needs of telecom companies.

The Telgoo5 Difference

There’s no denying that the ever-changing environment of the telecommunications industry can make proper management more than a bit of a challenge. With Telgoo5, that becomes a whole lot easier.

Imagine having the ability to provision and activate features on the fly, monitor service performance, track customer usage, bill for content, ensure revenue capture, and so much more. And we really, really mean so much more.

With Telgoo5’s BSS, you get a subscriber management system that is efficient, quick, responsive, and provides subscribers with excellent customer service. You also gain the ability to setup custom sales chain based on your business needs with sales chain management that supports 3 levels and has the ability to be customized for more.

Furthermore, with Telgoo5 and the BSS features, you have access to the following:

• A config and admin panel that facilitates effective user management and enables you to define permissions, create plans, and gain greater control overall.

• Reporting and analytics that provide in-depth subscriber data, giving you further insight and helping you manage and monitor your sales more easily and efficiently.

• Expanded abilities to manage inventory status, reassignment, and reconciliation, spawning more efficient management and distribution of inventory units.

Even if that was the end of the list of benefits of Telgoo5 it would be rather impressive, but as we said above, there’s much more.

The key features of the BSS side of Telgoo5 are not only impressive, they can actually be critical in helping you meet the demands of today’s industry. Efficient billing is key to the survival of any organization but this can be evermore so true for telecom organizations.

Telgoo5’s Postpaid Billing System has a slew of impressive tools that are destined to transform your operations, including:

• Payment gateway integration.

• Real-time or manual invoice generation.

• Postpaid tariff plans.

• CDR rated bills sent in XML.

• CDR mediation process.

• Call barring services.

• Call exception services.

• And More!

Need a wholesale billing system? Telgoo5’s Online charging system has that covered too with additional key features for MNOs/MVNAs:

• API controls.

• Ability to create ‘n’ number of MVNOs.

• Separate logins for MNOs/MVNAs and MVNOs.

• Built-in online user guides that provide instant assistance whenever needed.

• And once again, much more.

Have a little better understanding for why we said that your MVNO/MNO needs Telgoo5? If you’re ready to move forward with transforming your telecom into an entity ready for both today and tomorrow, give us a call at 206-384-4669.

If you still have questions about Telgoo5, you can visit our website or contact us directly and we’ll reply as quickly as possible.

Put years of experience and expertise to work for you with Telgoo5 augmenting your telecom business.

Billing Support on All Platforms for Customers, Day or Night

In today’s world, everything happens in an instant. You send a message and get a response. You write a tweet and someone likes it immediately. Today’s customers don’t want to wait. When they have a problem, a question, or some issue that needs to be addressed, they’re going to want to deal with in on their terms — and that means they want service when they want it, day or night. That’s why it’s vital to provide customers with 24/7 support that’s efficient, easy, and always available to help with whatever they may need.

Multi-Platform Support

Customers in today’s world are sophisticated, and they love having options. Some customers may want to call and speak to someone over the phone, but others would rather turn to chat support so they can type back and forth. Some customers are more comfortable with email. And still others might want to turn to social media first.

It isn’t practical to hire different companies to provide multi-platform support. And it isn’t good business to provide only one type, or even two types of support to customers. The only logical solution is to use a customer service support company that provides support on all platforms, all the time. This is the only way that all customers can be served and get the level of service they expect, and that’s why (v)WeCare provides complete multi-platform support. The trained support staff is available over the phone, through email, on social media, and in chat in moments, ready to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Speed

When the world moves fast, everyone wants to move fast with it. Emails are sent and replied to in minutes. Social media interactions happen in real-time. Money exchanges hands digitally in mere moments. In a world with that kind of speed, customers expect to get their questions answered and their problems addressed quickly. Efficient, speedy customer service is absolutely essential when you want to keep customers happy, and that’s what (v)WeCare works to provide at all times by hiring and training caring, communicative staff members who are based in the U.S.

U.S.-based customer support representatives can address problems three times more quickly than offshore reps. U.S.-based reps can understand customers more quickly and help them find the solutions they need more easily, with simple back-and-forth communication. Reps who are based in the U.S. understand the slang and the particular terms that U.S.-based customers use, which also cuts back on confusion and saves time. With (v)WeCare, customers will have to explain less, so they can get more of the help they need. Speed and efficiency are always provided and always available to customers, whether they’re calling for support on the phone, using chat, or communicating with a rep through email or social media.

What Customers Want

Customers want to be able to reach out in ways that are the most convenient and easy for them. Whether they’re most comfortable with chatting online, talking over the phone, emailing back and forth or using social media, they want support that’s quick and easy to use. They also want to get that support the way they want it, which is why companies need to provide support on every available platform. This is the only way to satisfy every single customer, and this is why (v)WeCare provides every single one of these services. Customers have needs, and (v)WeCare keeps striving to provide solutions for all customers, all the time.

Customers also want (and deserve) to be connected to support immediately and at any time. By giving them that, companies set themselves apart by proving that they’re providing the services customers want most: speed, accuracy and options. Customers may have questions or problems at any time, and that’s exactly why they need support at any time. When they’re awake at 3 am, when they have an issue on a holiday weekend, when they have a problem, customers want to be addressed immediately no matter what time it is. By giving customers 24/7 reliable service, companies make the customers feel like they truly are coming first and their needs are truly being met. Isn’t that how you want your customers to feel?

5 Key Aspects of a Billing System

While operating a business it is important to have a great billing system. If the bills are paid on time, then it ensures that the business is running smoothly. Lateness when it comes to the release of funds will not help in keeping the business afloat. Depending on the options that you have available, which may include payments via small installments or monthly payments, it is important to keep track of the funds coming in and out of the business. A good billing system needs to have certain key qualities that will help you keep track of payments. Cellular network operators need to consider the kind the elements the billing system that they will decide to implement possesses. A billing system is key to running a good business. Here are some of the important components of a good billing system.

Aspects of a billing system

1. Does your billing system have billing codes?

It is important for cellular networks to have billing codes since they offer an array of services. They include; data, voice calls, and message among others. When you have a code for each of the services that your business provides you can be able to keep track of the payments. Codes will also help you to be able to determine which services clients prefer most since they will purchase them more than the others. You should have billing codes which are in line with your business and which can help your subscribers pick out product and services easily.

2. A billing system should be able to track payments

Tracking the payment of your clients is a very important aspect of a billing system. If the billing system is operated from a computer whereby all the details are available it will be easy to keep track of the payments. The billing system should have an option which will enable you to send reminders to users a few days to the payment so they can remember to make payments on time. Employees will be able to keep track of clients who do not pay on time and send them reminders to make their payments. If the defaulters have gone past an agreed period the employees can be able to keep track of that and they will be able to impose an extra fee. The system should be able to allow the provider to contact the subscribers who have not made their payments and remind them to pay. This can be done by sending a message or via a phone call conversation.

3. It should be able to verify the users’ information and store their data

A network provider should have the data of its providers in their database. That includes their names, their address, their payment terms as well as any other information that is necessary. After collecting the information of their subscribers, they should also collect information that pertains to the product and services that the subscriber is using. Entering this data will help with easy retrieval of information where necessary.

4. It should be secure

Information entered into the database of any network provider about a subscriber is sensitive. The information should not be shared with anyone else and it should not be easily retrieved by any third parties. It is important for a billing system to be regularly updated in order to avoid access by hackers.  The information should only be accessed by users who have permission to access it. What payment methods are you accepting? If you are accepting payment methods such as credit cards you will have to ensure that you adhere to the standards which have been set by the industry.

5. Affordability

When you invest in a billing system that seems to cost less you are likely to incur technical hitches which involve disconnections. However, thinking long term and investing in a solution that is integrated will cost you less in the long run.

A billing system will help you keep your business on track and you will be able to retrieve information easily when you need it. You should list down some of the concerns that you have as a business providing communication services so you can understand what is most important when you are considering a billing system for your business.

Billing for MVNOs and MNOs

Both MVNOs and MNOs offer communication services to their subscribers even though MVNO have to buy bulk minutes and data from MNOs in order to cater to their users. MVNOs and MNOs perform similar functions such that most users do not know that MVNOs need to purchase bulk packages from MNOs in order to cater to them.  They perform functions such as;

• Issuing and activation of Sim cards

• Have branding and marketing

• Billing

• They set their own tariffs

• Offer customer care and support to subscribers

Due to the services offered by the two network providers to their subscribers, it is important for them to have a billing system. MVNOs rely on MNOs interconnect billing services.

Interconnect billing system for MVNOs

A majority of the MVNOs depend on the MNOs Interconnect billing system because they do not have their own. The interconnect billing system keeps track of income and spending as well as the demand in the price for airtime. Since the MNO will have a part in the operations of the MVNO, they can outsource an independent vendor. The vendor who will keep track of how data is being processed will help to ensure that both the MNOs and MVNOs get a fair share of their earnings.

When MVNOs receive incoming calls they charge the MNOs an amount of money that is less compared to the airtime charge. The fee charged can be termed as an interconnect termination fee. The termination fee of both the MNO and the MVNO is similar to the fee which the operator is charged.

In case of an outgoing call, the MNO will receive an imposed payment that is less than the airtime charge by the terminating operator.

MNOs

In the present day for any business to be able to maximize the profits that it is making day in and out, they need to have a billing system that will help in the charging of prepaid services. More and more people are purchasing smartphones and using them for data. Previously, a lot of mobile users would spend a big amount of their funds on voice calls as well as messages; however, there has been a change. In the era whereby everyone is on their laptops, tablets, smartphones as well as other internet devices, data is likely to be what most users are highly spending on.

That is why network operators put up good billing systems that help them in keeping track of their earnings and as well keep a record of their client’s information. Cloud-based systems and the Internet of things help when it comes to billing operations.

MVNOs

MVNOs have been in operation for several decades now and even though there have been speculations that they would be run out of the market they are still growing. In certain countries, MVNOs are dominant. MVNOs still depend on MVNEs to act as intermediaries. Those who can be able to predict the future based on their own careful analysis speculate that MVNOs are moving towards a huge digital transformation whereby they will be able to have control over their own data by owning it and being able to manage their own billing systems.

MVNOs can either choose to;

• Buy bulk services at wholesale prices from MNOs, brand them, and then resell them to their subscribers.

• Brand their services and make them available for users to purchase with MVNEs helping them to provide the services to end-users at a fixed commission.

• Sell their products and services and pay the MVNE based on the profits they get from their end-users.

Regardless of the options that MVNOs choose they will still be expected to pay a deposit to MVNE followed by monthly payments.

Since both of these network operators offer a variety of services, billing is not an option but a requirement. MNOs can be able to carry out their own billing hence they can be able to keep track of the progress that their business makes. MVNOs, on the other hand, will require MVNEs to act as intermediaries between them and the end-users. MVNOs should be able to choose which option will work best for them when it comes to their billing requirements.

Is Your Billing On Point

Billing is one of those things that businesses sometimes don’t give a lot of thought to, but smart companies in the telecom industry know that consistent and accurate customer billing is one of the cornerstones of a successful MVNO.

Some MVNOs handle billing in-house, tasking one or two staff members with what should realistically be the job of an entire department. The truth is, your if your billing is not on-point, your customers will suffer and look for other MVNO’s to get their service from. Since telecom billing is notoriously tricky, smart companies trust their billing to expert MNVEs.

Look For Flexibility

The telecom industry is always shifting and changing, which puts MVNOs in a challenging situation when it comes to billing, especially if they are poised to start scaling. As you get more end customers, your billing needs are going to adapt to different business situations. You need an MVNE that can adapt with you and offer real-time solutions to your customer’s needs. Smaller organizations simply don’t have the bandwidth to be able to support the level of growth that most MVNOs will experience, leading to customer frustration and annoyance on the part of the MNO.

At Telgoo5, we understand the importance of flexibility and ability to scale. Our sophisticated infrastructure was built to withstand shifting company demands and rapid scaling. What’s more, we can offer all of our MVNO partners CRM and BSS as well as a real-time view of business performance and trends!. Many of our long-term MVNO partners are US based companies that love working with us because they know that they will be able to scale with us and, we will be there to support their needs in a prompt and outstanding manner!

Look For Added Value

If you have an in-house billing department, or if you contract out to a smaller or less flexible MVNE, you won’t necessarily get bare-bones service, but you also won’t get all of the perks that come alongside working with a company that can address all of your needs on multiple fronts. Distribution and inventory management goes hand-in-hand with billing, and if your chosen MVNE doesn’t have the capacity to handle all three, you’ll have to find another one to attend to these services. Anyone who runs a business knows that dealing with multiple vendors can be costly and time-consuming.

Telgoo5 offers distribution and inventory as value added services to their billing plan, so you won’t need to be hopscotching between different vendors to get your customers the services that they need. With us, you can rest easy that it will all be handled in one secure, professional place!

Support Is Key

It’s hard to over-emphasize the importance of quality customer and tech support. You and your chosen MVNE are a team, and it should feel like a partnership. This is especially true if you’re scaling, taking on new customers or dealing with additional products. Customers depend on detailed, accurate and itemized bills for their telecom service, so you need to know that your MVNE has your back. That’s why you should be in regular contact with your MVNE about billing and other areas of your business.

At Telgoo5 we pride ourselves on taking our relationship with all of our MVNOs very seriously. You have an account manager who is responsible for handling your needs, and weekly calls to handle any concerns that might crop up. Additionally, we have an escalation procedure that is specifically designed to get to the root of any problem as efficiently and effectively as possible. We prioritize consistency and organization because we know that they are the cornerstones of a successful MVNO/MVNE relationship.

Anyone in the telecom industry knows that billing can be the trickiest part of the business. When you’re dealing with multiple customers and a host of different services, getting billing down perfectly poses something of a challenge. That’s why it is imperative to make sure that your billing is on point. The best way that you can do that is linking up with a smart MVNE that has your best interests at heart. Let an MVNE like Telgoo5 take billing off your plate so that you can focus on growing your business!

Why CDR Meditation Is an Essential Part of Telecom Billing?

Telecom billing is probably the most confusing and scrutinized task in the telecom industry. The scrutiny comes from customers who are more often than not dissatisfied with their bills. This leads to confusion amongst the telecom vendors who start looking everywhere for new telecom billing solutions. Mostly, this problem arises because the telecom billing software used by them are subpar and do not meet the high requirements of modern-day businesses.

Why Telecom Billing Solutions Are Important?

All the efforts made by telecom service providers in setting up a network will amount to nothing if telecom billing is not up to standards. This is why, telecom billing solutions become important as they play a crucial role in accounting for those services. Not only is the revenue generated by a telecom provider dependent on billing, customers’ trust is also directly connected with the quality of the billing services. For instance, if a customer starts receiving wrong bills, his trust in the services nosedives from that moment onwards. On the other hand, if the billing services are sound, the customer stays faithful and brings in new customers.

CDRs: The Fundamental Unit of Telecom Billing Process

CDR (Call Data Record) is the fundamental unit of telecom billing process. All interactions between the user and telecom networking elements are captured by CDRs. A CDR has the following attributes:

1. Date and starting time of the call

2. Duration of the call

3. Calling party

4. Called party

5. Type of call e.g. voice, SMS, data etc.

6. Unique record sequence number that is used for identification

The captured CDRs are vitally important for the proper operation of a billing system. However, these CDRs are raw in nature, which means they cannot be interpreted by a billing system.

CDR Meditation System: The Unsung Hero of Telecom Billing Solutions

To ensure the captured CDRs are converted into a format that is understood by the billing system, a CDR meditation system is employed. The meditation system receives the unformatted CDRs, converts them into the necessary format and sends them to the billing system. Besides conversion, it also performs the operation of filtering out calls that do not meet set criterion by the telecom vendor. For example, if a call with duration less than 10 second needs to be filtered out, it is done by CDR meditation system. Moreover, if some extra information needs to be provided that is crucial for billing procedure, the meditation system gathers that information based on certain attributes and then sends it to the billing system via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). FTP is required for transfer of this information as both billing software and meditation modules are installed on different systems.

After the billing system receives the formatted CDR, it is able to interpret the information and rate the services utilized by customers.

Summary

Billing system in telecom is quite complex and requires processing of data at different levels for accomplishment of billing-related tasks. Although the user is not aware of what goes on behind the scenes, the role of systems like meditation system that converts raw CDRs into formatted CDRs is extremely important. All telecom billing solutions require correct formatting of CDR for reliable and accurate completion of billing tasks.