TMCnet Feature Free eNews Subscription
March 11, 2020

Benefits of BSS Billing System on Your Business



The IoT and 5G have made telecommunications networks and services more complex, significantly raising the bar in terms of efficient telecom billing systems. To meet the demands of the digital era, CSPs are turning to more advanced and sophisticated business support systems (BSS) to optimize billing and more.



The main role of BSS in billing for telecommunications is to manage payments and invoices between telcos and their clients. With different business models and billing processes in place, its vital that the selected BSS is robust, reliable, and able to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

At the forefront of this is e-billing. This should not be confused with simple forms of digital billing, which can be nothing more than a paper invoice delivered in PDF format or similar. Rather, true e-billing is interactive. It can be applied to B2B and B2C customers, who can interrogate their invoices, payments and billing histories, and manage settlements online, via the device of their choice.

Going deeper, the most advanced BSS billing systems today can identify and eliminate duplicate records, reducing the risk of errors for any kind of account or revenue model. This is important from the customer perspective, because incorrect bills have a significant impact on the way a telecommunications company is perceived; it doesn’t take many such mistakes for customers to begin looking elsewhere for a communications service provider they believe to be more reliable.

BSS billing systems for telecommunications

BSS billing systems for telecommunications should additionally let customers drill down into their personal accounts and history. It should be remembered that the data connected with service use will also be stored in the BSS billing system, which can prove invaluable for telcos when properly managed and analyzed. After all, knowing more about specific customers (and customer segments) lets operators tailor offers precisely to the right customer at the right time.

Furthermore, data can be extracted from an advanced BSS billing system to shed light on the internal operations at a communications service provider. Again, appropriate data management and analysis are an absolute must, but once these processes are in place the operator has detailed and valuable insight into business operations – which may include the relationship between subscriptions, usage, return on investment, future planning, and more.

Telcos see a similar advantage from BSS billing systems when it comes to managing billing and charging alterations. Most commonly, this might relate to changes in tariffs for various services. While these changes might not come into effect at clearly defined point in an individual customer’s billing cycle, it is still important that the system can recognize and implement the appropriate rate for services used before and after the change.

In conclusion, telcos can benefit from implementing an advanced BSS billing system because it will allow them to gather and utilize data for improved efficiency, internally and in their interactions with customers – all of which can lead to cost savings and improved business performance.

More about telecom billing: https://www.comarch.com/telecommunications/bss-solutions/digital-billing-and-revenue-management/



» More TMCnet Feature Articles
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE

LATEST TMCNET ARTICLES

» More TMCnet Feature Articles