Next-Gen Communications Requires Usage Management, Not Just Call Accounting
April 24, 2007
By Mae Kowalke
TMCnet Contributor
As they consider the vast array of next-generation communications solutions available today, many companies—in addition to examining the benefits of IP communications generally and VoIP
specifically—are asking themselves, “Do I need a call accounting solution?”
The short answer is yes if your company is using the latest communications technologies but is unable to effectively track the usage of those assets.
But, not just any call accounting solution will solve this problem. In fact, what’s really in order is a “usage management” system. Usage management is the twenty-first century version of call accounting because it provides detailed tracking of not just voice, but all communications services and technologies used by your business. That includes information relating to the following:
- Mobile and wireless carriers
- Videoconferencing vendors
- Web-based conferencing services
- IVR systems
- Pager bills
- Calling card vendors
This is in stark contrast to traditional call accounting, which collected
only call detail information from the PBX
. If a call was not handled by the PBX (News - Alert), however, it wasn’t tracked.
Second-generation call accounting systems, like Avotus’ ICM Usage Management™ solution, provide you with detailed information about both traditional and modern communications assets. Such a system is necessary in today’s environment where a transition is going on wherein old and new are becoming converged into a single system.
Usage management, unlike mere call accounting, collects information about all communications calls—regardless of source—and makes that information available to generate useful and meaningful management reports. Usage management lets you:
- Identify system abuse and misuse
- Unearth toll fraud
- Find out who placed 911 calls
- Deliver on industry or corporate compliance mandates
- Efficiently allocate departmental costs
- Trace call costs to specific projects or clients
- Highlight underutilized assets
- Predict bandwidth requirements
- Identifyquality of service (QoS) issues
Another key advantage of a usage management system is that it allows you to improve employee productivity by finding out how much time employees are spending on the phone, and to what end or for what purpose. This includes metrics like number and type of calls, duration, and geographical origin/destination.
Although it’s unpleasant, watching for phone abuse is also a key function of a usage management system. You may need, for example, to identify excessive personal calls or calls to competitors. It may also be necessary to track legally or ethically dubious phone behavior, like reporting false emergencies or performing malicious/threatening calls.
Ultimately, a usage management system is a valuable component of the corporate environment that helps achieve employee productivity and good customer service—both cornerstones of a successful company.
To learn more about usage management, please visit Avotus’ TMCnet.com channel, Call Accounting.
Mae Kowalke previously wrote for Cleveland Magazine in Ohio and The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. To see more of her articles, please visit Mae Kowalke’s columnist page. Also check out her Wireless Mobility blog.
Voice over IP (VoIP) | X |
A real-time communications system that converts voice into digital packets containing media and signaling data that travel over networks using Internet Protocol....more |
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) | X |
Originally, telephone features were provided by telephone central office switching systems, often called CENTREX.�PBX systems emerged as customers wanted to have more calling features and control over...more |
Quality of Service (QoS) | X |
This is an introduction to the planning for QoS and Service Level Agreements. Simply, your performance is QoS and the guarantee is the SLA. That is, if you are not receiving the desired QoS from your ...more |
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) | X |
A hardware- or software-based computer system that enables incoming callers to interact with voice prompts or verbal commands....more |