VoIP service providers may grow their business with softswitches and session border controllers and then look at various vendors for VoIP billing solution. Then there are entrants to the VoIP service business. It would be better for them to consider VoIP billing software integrated softswitch or session border controller. Which one is better? Is it better for service providers to discard a softswitch or SBC and get another one with integrated billing? That would be an expensive exercise. You may find it a better solution to find vendors who will integrate billing with softswitch.

VoIP Billing features

Billing needs to be comprehensive as a look at various VoIP billing software solutions shows. Desirable features:

  • CDR integration
  • Support for multiple telecom providers
  • Minute bundles and recurring line charges
  • Direct debits, payment gateway integration
  • Rating and charging engine, automatic invoice generators
  • Prepaid tracking and debits, postpaid billing
  • Multi-currency and multilingual support, taxes provisioning
  • Multi-tenant billing if VoIP provider engages resellers and retailers

The integrated platform advantage

Billing links with traffic and usage, primarily handled by the class 5 softswitch (or SBC) at the retail end. It makes sense if the VoIP billing solution is integrated into the softswitch since you have single point control of traffic and billing and traffic automatically is accounted for by the billing section. It saves time and money since you do not have to access separate call or traffic lists and then put together bills. The entire system of billing, emailing invoices and receiving payments can be automated with fewer chances of errors. You have real time transaction history and data at your fingertips.

The downside is that softswitch developers may include billing as add on and there may be absence of certain required features.

Standalone billing

If you do not find integrated solutions suited to your operations due to absence of certain features then you have the option of stand alone VoIP billing software. Some even choose VoIP billing server system that gives more flexibility and freedom to choose termination and feature sets. Such VoIP billing solution could give you more features such as prepaid and postpaid, calling cards and retail/reseller management. However, it does entail more work to coordinate CDRs and there may be compatibility issues or issues of scaling. Ideally, you will need billing that links with softswitches as well as CRM and offers solutions through IVR for self service or complaint resolution.

The median: Get VoIP billing solution customized and integrate it

This solution may prove to be better. You can pick softswitch and SBC of your choice. Then pick developer of VoIP billing solutions to customize billing software to suit your business operations and get them to integrate the billing unit with SBC/softswitch as well as CRM plus plug into backend financial system if so required. This will give you a smooth, automatic set up that works the way you want.

You can set up billing to be pulse-based, SIP to SIP billing, retail billing, wholesale billing and prepaid and postpaid billing with flexibility to set rates, choose operators and keep watch over usage patterns to identify any malicious activity. This is necessary considering that 46% of illegal calls use VoIP technology. You have limitless options. If you have resellers down the chain it can be a white label solution that they can use for their reseller operations and yet stay connected with your accounting.

You may consider introducing various services such as mobile VoIP, SMS/Voice broadcast or hosted IP PBX, in which case you will need billing to be modular. Plan today for the future. Should you start any of these services you are not stuck. You simply activate the appropriate module.

Deriving statistics

Billing and payment become routine. However, they can also be a rich source of information to know just well your VoIP service business is doing. Get your custom VoIP billing software and insist on analytics module. It will help you gain insights into day to day operations, monthly turnover, customer behaviors and sections that generate revenues or cause losses in order to help you take timely decisions.

When you start operations you will be satisfied with a normal VoIP billing solution but, as your business grows, you will find it tough to manage standalone solutions with limited features. The same applies to softswitch integrated billing solutions.

The solution that will suit is a plug and play VoIP billing software that plugs into any kind and brand of softswitch or SBC and has modules for virtually all types of retail operations plus flexibility of customization to suit business VoIP, IP PBX, retail and residential too. If the VoIP billing software provider also happens to develop softswitches and SBCs then it is far better since they understand operations in-depth and can give you a tool that helps you to grow.