Flexible Billing Options
MassLocal has incorporated a unique tiered reporting structure that adds flexibility in organizing and presenting invoices based on individual customer needs. The billing hierarchy contains the following levels:
Corporate level
Individual location levels
Call detail and usage charge itemization by location are available under either option. The bill is available in detail or summary format depending on whether the Parent or Child locations are responsible for the payment. All billing is performed in-house, enabling you to increase productivity and focus on other business matters.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Customers with EDI software can take advantage of the 811 Consolidated Service Invoice Statement transaction set. MassLocal offers the 811 Consolidated Summary Transaction Set and Extended 811 Transaction set Guidelines.
Our current methods of transport are email and file transfer protocol (FTP). If a customer wishes to use a Value Added Network (VAN) for file transfer, they must incur the VAN transport costs.
Prepaid Billing Option
Many customers now prefer prepaid services. The accumulation of new technologies in the market has made telecom companies aware of the cost-conscious customer. Since the prepaid service option allows a customer to make use of the best offers that are available in the market, the demand for this service continues to increase. This is the reason telecom companies now give priority to prepaid billing services.
Prepaid services allow the provider to obtain revenue for services without the risk of bad debt, and it eliminates the need and cost for post-billing operations. Prepaid service is often associated with customers who want more control over bills. In the prepaid process, there is no Dun & Bradstreet risk review or credit reporting agency review.
Most of the operators provide two options to their customers, to go for a postpaid or a prepaid connection. A Postpaid as well as prepaid connections have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Prepaid vs Postpaid
Service Payments − This is the most important difference. Prepaid customers make payment in advance and before using the service, whereas postpaid customers use offered services throughout of the month, and at the end of the month, they receive the bill to pay within the given time frame.
Charging & Billing − For pre-paid customer, it is required to charge the customer in real time and on a flat-rate basis. No usage-based plans are allowed. Post-paid customers plans can include usage-based services.
Service Offerings − Post-paid billing provides more flexibility when compared to a real time, flat rate system. For example, the flat rate system cannot provide detail for maintain for a complex business hierarchy, where as a post-paid billing system can provide such detail.
Support & Maintenance − Both prepaid and postpaid receive the same level of skill and attention with regard operational.
Supported Network − MassLocal uses a converged billing and operations system, and conduct both prepaid and postpaid business over the same network infrastructure.
Prepaid Scenario
Steps involved in prepaid billing in brief are as follows −
When customer makes a call, prepaid switching gateway captures the calling number and sends the account information to the real time billing system.
The real time billing system, using the above information, authenticates the identity of the user, calculates the customer account's remaining balance using the rating tariff table and maximum allowable duration of the call, and sends this information to the prepaid gateway.
The gateway establishes the call.
During the call, gateway monitors the call so that the user do not exceed the maximum allowable call duration.
When the call is over, the gateway sends the actual call duration to the prepaid billing system, which then calculates the actual call cost and updates the account balance, decreasing the remaining balance.
The prepaid process involves the following important steps along with account information gathering and updating the account after the call is completed:
Authenticating − Authentication is the process of verifying that a user is who he or she claims to be. The user supplies a user ID and an authentication credential, such as a password. The system accepts these as inputs and verifies that the user is valid and has access to the system.
Authorizing − Authorization is the process of verifying what an authenticated user is allowed to do. Generally, Remote Access Dial In User Server (RADIUS) protocol is used to limit access to the system to registered and authorized customers.
Providing advice of charge (AOC) − This gives information about the actual cost of the call either prior to or after the event. AOC provides the ability of a telecommunications system to advice of the actual costs of the event either prior to or after the occurrence of the event.
Postpaid Scenario
Network elements (like switches, SMSC) produce raw usage called Usage Detail Records (UDRs) or Call Detail Records (CDRs), which contain information required by the billing system. This data is available to postpaid customers, and includes:
Calling number (A number)
Called number (the number receiving the call) (B number)
when the call started (date and time)
Call duration
Call Type (MOC, MTC, etc., MOC stands for Mobile Originated Call and MTC stands for Mobile Terminated Call)
The above raw UDRs from network elements [and also from other service providers] are received by the MassLocal billing system and then converted into a format understandable by the system. The converted UDRs are then used to determine the account to which the service should be charged, and then rate.
The converted and rated UDRs are then stored as billing data, and on the billing cycle date, the billing process picks up these rated UDRs and renders a bill/invoice, taking into account, the payments, taxes, discounts, etc. The customer then pays the bill and the billing system is updated with the payment details.
Please contact us for additional billing information.