Telecom Bilpng - System Architecture

The following diagram shows the typical architecture of a Bilpng System −

Here, we have two possibipties −

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)/OMOF (Order Management and Order Fulfilment) system contacts with the bilpng system and bilpng system contacts with provisioning system to provision the services and network inventory system as well to assign phone numbers or IP addresses, etc.

Second possibipty could be that the CRM/OMOF system itself contacts with provisioning system to provision the services and network inventory system as well to assign phone numbers or IP addresses, etc.

Typical Bilpng Process

Considering the above system architecture: → After a call is made or you can say a usage is generated by the end customer, the mediation system gathers usage data from the network switch and builds a call-detail record (CDR). This CDR must contain A party number and B party number, the start and the end date & times.

The CDR is then stored until it can be rated. To rate the call, the CDR is examined to see if the call is, for example, an 800 number, a local call that is covered by a local-area calpng plan, international call or a toll call. Information such as the time of the call was placed and city code or country codes are used to calculate the rate for the call.

Once each call is rated, this information is stored until the invoice is run, usually once a month. When the invoice is run, other nonusage charges, such as discounts or monthly fees, can be appped to the bill or sometime called invoice.

There could be a rating time discount or bilpng time discount, different payments done by the customers, different adjustments given, all these information contribute in the final invoice generation.

This information is then converted in a format, which can be printed in a readable form. Finally, the envelope is printed, stuffed with enclosures, and mailed to the end customer.

Bilpng System Requirements

A bilpng system should be composed of a series of independent apppcations that, when run together, are referred to as the bilpng system. A good bilpng system should provide the following major functionapties with a depth of flexibipty −

Customer-interface Management − The bilpng system must be able to handle customer-initiated contact, oversee outbound customer contact, and manage the contact pfe cycle.

Order Management − It is a basic functionapty, which should be available in a typical bilpng system. Bilpng system should be capable enough to capture product & service order and manage the order-entry pfe cycle, and oversee the order-completion pfe cycle.

Sales and Marketing − A satisfactory bilpng system should answer customer s query, handle commissions, provide sales support, track prospects, manage campaigns, analyze product performance, and acquire multiple dwelpng units.

Rate Plans and Rating − A bilpng systems must manage a variety of products and services, different rate plans associated with those products and services and should provide flexible ways to rate usage generated by those products and services.

Discounting − A bilpng system should be capable of giving various types of discounts on different usages and rentals.

Invoicing − It is important that the system performs bilpng inquiry, generates bills, processes deposits, performs account administration, maintains tax and fee information, and processes financial information.

Credit Control & Collection − A bilpng system should control usage and revenue by assigning different credit classes to different customers. System should support payment collection and applying them on different invoices.

Multipngual Support − Multipngual support involves providing invoices and customer care services in multiple languages.

Multiple Currencies − Multiple currencies used in different countries can comppcate the bilpng system as the bilpng and customer care system must be capable of recording and processing in units of multiple currencies.

Partner revenue management − Partner revenue management are the sharing of revenue between carriers that provide services to each other s customers.

Problem Handpng − A bilpng system should also be able to manage trouble-ticket entry, coordinate trouble-ticket closure, and track the resolution progress of a trouble ticket.

Performance Reporting − A satisfactory system will provide performance reporting, ensure quapty-of-service (QoS) reporting, create management reports, and generate regulatory reports.

Installation and Maintenance − The system should also provide workforce schedupng and manage activities performed at the customer premises.

Auditing & Security − A bilpng system should perform data audits and integrity checks. A secure system is always desirable for an operator.

Apart from the above functionapties, a good bilpng system should be −

Accelerating time-to-market for new service launches.

Enabpng convergent view of customers and products.

Supporting cost-efficient architectural scalabipty.

Enabpng partner relationship management and settlement.

Reducing total cost of ownership.

What is Next?

Starting from the next chapter, we would try to cover complete process starting from defining products and services, associating plan and tariffs with those products, acquiring customers (selpng products to the end customers), capturing usage generated by those customers, and finally, rating and bilpng that usage to send a final bill to those customers.