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.

Why Do Carriers Need Convergent Charging?

Telecom businesses are constantly evolving the way they charge customers. These methods focus on improving customer experience while growing revenue.

Many methods have been developed for charging customers. They include prepaid, postpaid, and most recently, convergent billing.

In this article, we'll discuss what convergent billing means and why every telecommunications carrier out there needs to implement it in their business.

What Is Convergent Charging?

Convergent charging is the act of billing all of a customer's service usage as a single invoice.

Many telecom companies offer a diverse range of services - data, voice, prepaid, and postpaid telecom services. To properly serve the different segments of their customer base, many have developed flexible service bundles that people can use to suit their particular needs.

If a telecom business is not charging their customers with the convergent method, they have to send their users several invoices and so will have trouble keeping up with all the records. 

Customers themselves may not understand how they're being charged. Studying many invoices for many services from the same company is not a pleasant customer experience.

As a result, telecom carriers have moved towards convergent billing, where they can easily charge their customers in real-time for all the services they use. 

Reasons Carriers Should Adopt Convergent Charging

1.   To Improve Customer Experience

Convergent billing improves customer experience exponentially. A customer who is billed with the convergent method can easily see at a glance how many services he has used and how much he has paid or has to pay for them. 

Convergent billing also makes the telecom carrier more transparent and trustworthy.

2.   To Easily Gather Customer Data and Offer More Streamlined Services

By charging customers with the convergent method, telecom companies find it easy to gather data on how customers use their services. They can intuit what the customers need and offer those services before users ask. 

Also, there will be no need to pay for extra hours to compile customer data for analysis. Convergent billing tools gather and store data automatically.

3. To Reduce Wastage and Increase Revenue

Convergent charging helps telecom businesses reduce wastage in managing and billing customers. These revenue wastages are caused by customers not being charged in real-time and the extra time to prepare different invoices. 

Convergent billing helps companies charge users in real-time and update account balance records as required.

4.  To Create a Centralized Database of Customer Records

Businesses have a centralized database of all customers that is updated automatically and in real-time when using a convergent charging system. They quickly pull up vital records. Convergent billing makes data analysis simple for telecom carriers.

5.  To Create a Better Customer Support Experience

Convergent charging helps telecom companies to create a better customer support experience for customers. 

Since convergent charging enables companies to automatically have the complete history of a customer's usage in one place, there is no need to update records manually. AI can be implemented to guide customers through the support experience.

Telgoo5 has many years of experience providing converter billing solutions to telecom carriers. Reach out to Telgoo5 today for a free quote.

Setting Up Convergent Billing? Implement These Best Practices With Telgoo5

When customers are using your services, they want to spend more time on their calls, texts, and data exchange than dealing with billing issues. We at Telgoo5 know that in today’s competitive environment, not getting this convenience can cause them to switch to another provider right away. To make matters worse, this all happens before you even have time to turn things around for the better.

That’s why almost all telecom companies use convergent charging for improved customer experience.

Simply put, convergent billing helps your customers deal with different charges on their accounts in a single invoice. They no longer have to pay individual payments for multiple services or devices. Everything is now present in a single bill. This presentation makes their lives that much easier in a day and age where customization is the most critical factor in utilizing telecom services.

If you are integrating convergent billing through your mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE), it is essential to ensure they are set up the right way. Being mindful of the following best practices can help you determine if you are fulfilling the crucial requirements of this segment.

Best Practices for Convergent Billing

As mentioned above, ease of use should be your guiding force throughout the setup process for convergent billing. Remember to keep this simple rule of thumb in mind. Set up your convergent charging in a way that ensures optimal customer retention.

But apart from ease of use, the following tips by Telgoo5 are also crucial in setting up this billing mechanism. This strategy allows your customers to make the most out of the simplicity you are offering to them.

Make It Simple to Understand

Since you are representing all of your charges in a single invoice, it is paramount for that bill to be as transparent as possible.

Separate and segment your invoice into different sections, such as data and voice charges. If there are any other charges that you think need a separate section, make sure to list them accordingly as well. Setting up your backend convergent billing interface with this goal in mind is the key to achieving more straightforward billing delivery.

This distinction makes the invoice easier to read, and your customers appreciate this transparency as well. This process also reduces your call and inquiry volume that is related to resolving basic billing questions.

Make It Easy to Set Up

Convergent charging should be as easy to set up as it is simpler to understand. Ensure that your customer relationship management (CRM) application makes it easy to assign different charges to your customer profile. This refinement helps your representatives in delivering on-call changes without getting into unnecessary complexities.

This also holds for your customers’ end as well. Don’t use convoluted mechanisms. Don’t go for complex interactive voice recordings (IVRs). Don’t assign complicated service codes to use. Make everything as straightforward as possible.

This process helps your customers change their services promptly. With the assurance of a consolidated bill in mind, this easy setup translates to better customer experience.

Have a Clear Difference in Service Charges

While setting up convergent billing, you must offer a variation in charges through your MVNE.

Make sure to take a look at what your competitors are offering and develop your subscription packages to be better in delivery. With this, also ensure that your packages are different from each other to offer a diverse range of experiences.

Having little to no difference in subscription costs kills the whole concept of convergent charging. If you have a clear difference in subscription packages, it translates to a charging system telecom consumers find much easier to use. This notion also goes a long way in customer retention.

Contact Telgoo5, an Experienced MVNE, Today

To make sure that you are setting up complex convergent billing in an easy to use way, having an experienced MVNE is of paramount importance.

The Telgoo5 team can assist, with extensive experience in setting up convergent charging systems, we can help you achieve your goals with ease. Our targeted setup and delivery mechanisms setup convergent billing in a way that’s easy to use for your customers and even simpler to deploy for your company.

At the same time, we deliver these services at competitive rates, which is due to the modern infrastructure that we have built for our operations.

If you are looking for an MVNE to set up convergent billing or improve your existing online charging systems, don’t hesitate to call Telgoo5 today. The Telgoo5 team will be glad to discuss your needs and help you deploy better services for your customers in no time.

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!