Wednesday, December 26, 2018

All You Need to Know about the Operations of Telecom Postpaid Billing System

Evolution of technology has touched each and every aspect of our lives. There are some changes we experience, like evolution of social platforms such as Facebook and there are some changes that we don’t, like evolution of telecom postpaid billing system.
After passing through many levels of abstraction, the telecom services are delivered to our doorsteps and we simply don’t bother about their complexity. Worried, that something could go wrong! Don’t be, the telecom billing systems of today are innovative, robust and most important of all, they are reliable. Want to know what makes them work so well, read on.

Telecom Billing System
The top telecom billing system is so vast that this article may not have enough space to cover all its features. But, we can discuss a few key features and enlighten ourselves on its various key facets. Let’s start with a comparison:

Telecom Postpaid Billing System vs. Telecom Prepaid Billing System

When a customer decides to subscribe to a telecom service provider, he has two options: Prepaid or Postpaid. Prepaid users are generally higher with almost 70% users preferring it over postpaid. However, postpaid plan has its own advantages – both for customers and providers – that will become clearer from the comparison below:
Billing – Prepaid billing procedure is much more rigorous than postpaid billing. As a customer pays before using the services, his account needs to be updated in real-time. On the other hand, postpaid billing is a lot easier to handle for service providers as they can charge customer at the end of the month.
Prepaid plan eliminates the chance of overusing the data and postpaid plan ensures convenience in bill payments.
Services – Real-time charging (in prepaid billing) is not suitable for handling the requirements of business customers. As the charges need to be analyzed, bifurcated and altered depending on the business plan, it becomes harder to do so much in real time.
For business customers, postpaid billing is an ideal solution as it allows for better maintenance of customers’ records according to their hierarchy.

How Telecom Postpaid Billing System Works?

To understand the operations of postpaid system, we should know the information required by the billing system.
  1. The number from which the call is made
  2. The number to which the call is made
  3. Starting time of the call
  4. Duration of the call
  5. Type of call
When a call is made, the above mentioned pieces of information, which are also known as CDR attributes are received by a billing system. The system converts this information into a format, which could be understood. The converted information is guided to the customer’s account and CDRs are charged and rated according to the customer’s plan.
After rating is done, the information is stored in the billing system. Later, on the billing cycle date (the date of bill generation), the information is processed and converted into bill/invoice. During the invoicing process, relevant taxes and discounts are also applied. The bill is sent to the customer. The bill has a due date before which the customer should make the payment. If the customer fails to make the payment in specified time, then he incurs a late payment fees. The fee is added to the billed amount. After the reception of payment, the customer’s account is updated.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Best Practices for Retaining Customers in Telecom Industry

Growth in the telecom industry has simply sky-rocketed in the recent past. One can’t be sure if it is the rapid rise in the technology or the increased revenues for the service providers, which has brought about this change. Either way, the increase in competition has made it harder for telecom companies to retain their customers. The moment parity is reached in terms of price point for the services; a new entrant comes in and disrupts the whole market with his new and improved offerings.
If a telecom entrepreneur is able to sway your customers away by offering services at a reduced price, it is important for you to keep up the good work and win your customers back. This can be done by improving the quality of your service and employing the latest billing & OSS solutions for maximizing your potential as a telecom company.


Importance of Telecommunications Billing Software

As it is, telecommunication is a complex field that requires considerable effort and technical know-how. Add to that, an ever-increasing user base and incorporation of newer technologies, the task of handling a telecom business becomes difficult. Moreover, companies are always on the lookout to provide newer features and services to its customers, which demands greater governance in dissemination and management of processes. To streamline the operations and account for every exchange of information between customers and companies, telecommunications billing software solutions serve as a great tool. Below is a list of benefits, which make these solutions indispensable in today’s telecom operations:

Reduction of Errors

One of the greatest advantages of telecom billing software solutions is that they nearly eliminate the possibility of errors. These software solutions are designed to track every single transaction between the user and the telecom system. Ever transaction is saved in the server and the calculations are done by the system, which gives foolproof results.
As any sort of incorrect error in calculation can lose you the trust of customers, it is vital that you employ a quality billing and OSS solutions. In the long-term, this approach lets you win the confidence of the customers and allows you to retain them for a longer duration.

Screening of Records

Creation of multiple records for the same customer can hinder the business operations of a telecom company. By screening the customers with the use of unique identifiers like social security number or date of birth, it is possible to eliminate matching records. Screening can also be done for identifying non-worthy customers based on their social security numbers. Once identified, a company can decide to provide or not provide their services to such customers.
With billing & OSS solutions, you always have a listing of credible customers who are actually valuable to your company. This lets you earn more revenue, increase your profits and in turn reward customer loyalty by providing better services and offers.


Detailed Bills for Transparency

One of the greatest advantages of telecommunications billing software solutions is that they let you create detailed bills without much effort. In this age of information, customers demand complete transparency with regards to every penny they pay for their services. BSS solutions capture every detail and offer a comprehensively bifurcated bill with records for almost every transaction.
As the customers always know their data usage and call usage, they find your services reliable and are willing to use for a longer time.
Summary
Customer happiness is directly related to customer retention. The happier a customer is, the less likely it is that he will switch his services to another service provider. With its long list of advantages and value in customer retention, telecommunications billing software solutions have become almost a necessity for every modern-day telecom business operation.

AlSo Read:https://callcenteroutsourcingservices204290808.wordpress.com/2018/11/23/mobile-applications-for-outsourced-call-centers/