Is Your Telecommunications Billing Software Right for You?

Skype, Netflix and other platforms that piggyback on the services offered by a telecom services provider to deliver pricey telecom offerings (like call, messaging and IPTV) at relatively cheaper prices have become a major headache for businesses. As OTT (Over the top) platforms eat into the revenue generated by telcos, a desire to offset this loss has gripped the entire telecom industry. Most telecom operators are confused and do not know how to make up for the lost ground. Some are resorting to MVNO partnerships; others are looking to improve their network infrastructure and many are associating with OTT services providers to bite into their slice of profit.  But, many services provider are getting into these ventures without employing top telecom billing systems, which is leading them into more trouble than before.

The Problems with an Obsolete Telecom Billing Management System

Telecom companies that are trying to fight their way out of this tough situation by launching innovative and attractive packages but do not have the right telecommunications billing software are committing a big mistake. The traditional IN system or legacy software that were pretty useful in the days of voice calls and SMS, simply do not cut it anymore. While a company can still alter their present (older) telecom billing management system and launch newer services, it requires a lot of effort. And, when it comes to launching new plans on the fly, the task is nearly impossible. A much better option is to employ a modern convergent billing system with OCS (Online Charging System) at its heart.

How to Choose Top Telecom Billing Systems?

A telecom billing management system should be chosen with great care as it is critical for your business prospects. There are certain things that need to be kept in mind as listed below:

1.      Backward compatibility – As it is almost impossible to revamp your complete operation in an instant by introducing a new telecommunications billing software, it is essential that the software you employ is backward compatible with your older system. This allows you to phase out your traditional telecom billing system conveniently and does not interrupt your present billing tasks.

2.      Single view of the customer and a unified bill – As convergent billing places all the information of customers in a common database, it becomes easy for both customers and call center agents to access this information. Moreover, a convergent billing system allows for an itemized invoice that has the details of all customer interactions ranging from voice, data, VAS etc. at a single place. This makes the whole billing process transparent, which fosters customers trust in the services of a telecom operator.

3.      OCS – Although past IN billing systems worked well for prepaid billing, they were found to be unsuitable to meet the additional requirements of modern-day billing. Hence, it is a lot better to employ cutting-edge top telecom billing systems that have an Online Charging System (OCS) at the heart of its operation. OCS provides complete flexibility to a telecom operator and has provisions for both postpaid and prepaid billing.