Customers

Customers are the backbone of any company and their management is crucial for smooth billing operations. The telecom billing software has been designed so that millions of customer accounts can be maintained for issuing accurate bills, tracking timely payments, and ensuring impeccable delivery of services. Understanding different types of customers and their respective billing requirements is vital for a telecom service provider to continue customer satisfaction and reduce disputes.

Every customer in the telecom billing system is classified according to their usage needs, billing requirements, and agreed contractual terms. The major classifications of these customers are:

• Prepaid Customers: Advance payment for services and real-time balance management are required.
• Postpaid Customers: Their value of service consumed is billed to them at the end of the billing cycle.
• Hybrid Customers: Using a combination of prepaid and postpaid services.
• Enterprise Customers: Business customers have subscribed to bulk telecom services for their employees.
• Government & Institutional Customers: Public sector entities requiring specialized telecom services.

• • Accurate Billing: It helps to charge customers exactly according to their usage, plan, and services subscribed.
  • Fraud Prevention: This includes identifying suspected activities and stopping revenue leakage.
  • Customer Satisfaction: It will reduce billing errors and associated disputes and will improve service quality.
  • Regulatory Compliance:  More compliant with applicable telecom regulations with respect to customer data and reconciliation of bills.
  • Revenue Optimization: In addition, it enables service providers to have effective management of customer accounts and thus earn maximum revenue.

• • Customers: Referring to the entity responsible or paying the bill, a customer may have multiple subscribers under a single account.
  • Subscribers: The individual users who would use those telecom services. They withhold customer accounts (like family plans or corporate accounts with a number of employees).

For example, a company is the customer paying for mobile plans, while its employees are the subscribers.

• • Such users are individuals who subscribe to telecom services for their use.
  • Their billing structures are simplified to primarily cater for prepaid or postpaid plans.
  • Customer service is entirely customer-focused, relative to individual concerns such as data plans, roaming, and service activation.

• • Organizations that buy telecommunication services for their employees or operations.
  • Complex billing solutions are needed including bulk plans, multiple subscribers, and customized invoicing.
  • Usually also have dedicated account managers and service level agreements (SLAs).
  • Considerations for a Corporate Account in Telecom (Enterprise Customers in Telecom – B2B).

Billing user requirements are unique, requiring specialized handling for enterprise customers including:

• Hierarchical Billing: Parent-child account relationships (for example: a head office and several branches).
• Customized Pricing & Discounts: Bulk discount rates, custom jobs, and payment terms are flexible.
• MultiUser Management: Multiple authorized users management for accounts and services.
• Usage Reports & Analytics: Reports on telecom usage for cost management.
• Contract Management: Long-term contracts containing negotiated terms.

• • • Issue Reporting: Customers would complain about billing dissimilarity through a call centre, online portal, or physical store visit.
    • Verification & Investigation: The telecom provider will look into the call logs, usage data, and invoices.
    • Resolved & Adjustment: If a billing error has been established, proper amendments or refunds will be made.
    • Customer communication: Customers will be notified of the resolution status via emails, SMS, or phone calls.