BĨĹĹĨŃĢ ĀŃĎ ĆŨŚŢŌmĚŔ ĆĀŔĚ

Billing and Customer Care - BCC
Billing and customer care is a set of functions and processes related to generating customer invoices. These generally include Event (network usage) Rating, Invoicing, and tools to establish and maintain the customer profile. Billing and customer care systems convert the transfer of bits and bytes of digital information within the network into the money that will be received by the service provider. To accomplish this, billing and customer care systems provide account activation and tracking, service feature selection, selection of billing rates for specific calls, invoice creation, payment entry and management of communication with the customer. Billing and customer care systems are the link between end users and the telecommunications network equipment. Telecommunications service providers manage networks, setup the networks to allow customers to transfer information (provisioning), and bill end users for their use of the system. Customers who need telecommunications services select carriers by evaluating service and equipment costs, reviewing the reliability of the network, and comparing how specific services (features) match their communication needs. Because most network operations have access to systems with the same technology, the billing and customer care system is one of the key methods used to differentiate one service provider from another.

Billing and Customer Care (BCC) System
Billing and Customer Care - BCC System Diagram

This figure shows an overview of a billing and customer care system that is used for communication services. This diagram shows the key steps for billing systems. First, the network records events that contain usage information (for example, connection time) that is related to a specific call. Next, these events are combined and reformatted into a single call detail record (CDR). Because these events only contain network usage information, the identity of the user must be matched (guided) to the call detail record and the charging rate for the call must be determined. After the total charge for the call is calculated using the charging rate, the billing record is updated and is sent to a bill pool (list of ready-to-bill call records). Periodically, a bill is produced for the customer and as payments are received, they are recorded (posted) to the customer's account.

Telecom Billing Books

more details

Introduction to Telecom Billing Book
This book explains how companies bill for telephone and data services, information services, and non-communication products and services. Billing and customer care systems convert the bits and bytes of digital information within a network into the money that will be received by the service provide.

$11.99 Printed, $9.99 eBook