Telecom billing software is essential to the success of your telecommunication business. In the 21st century, without the right app to back your billing processes with, it’s easy to fall behind the competition and encounter problems with compliance.
Choosing a telecom billing provider can take a while. Due to the high demand for such programs on the market, the number of providers is growing rapidly. Hardly all of them are created equal. Some may be suitable for larger telecom companies while others have a selection of features that smaller companies can benefit from.
Let’s take a closer look at the 5 things to consider when choosing a telecom billing provider.
1. Reputation
Many startup development companies try to focus on telecom software design. However, without specific experience in the niche, the product may not always have the desired integrity. To check the company’s experience and reputation, you can do the following:
- Check out reviews online
- Ask for referrals from the company’s representative
- Speak with existing and past clients
The telecom billing provider should have case studies and testimonials to back their claims about the quality of the program. According to the developers of telecom billing software, Kansys, a respectable provider is always happy to show how their product helps clients achieve success.
In case you can’t find sufficient information about the provider or the program online, you may want to consider choosing another option. The lack of reviews could mean a lack of experience and support.
2. Cloud-Based Services
Depending on the services your company offers as well as the audience it targets, you need to choose a provider that offers either on-premise or cloud-based services. While today, cloud-based services are in high demand, many telecom companies are still taking advantage of on-premise solutions.
A provider that offers cloud-based services should be able to provide high-quality support for the app. With access to the software being available at any time and anywhere, it comes with specific security issues. Speak to the provider to make sure that these security issues are properly addressed.
3. Support
Even the best telecom billing software requires regular support. No matter how well the program integrates with the rest of your systems, or how seamless the user experience may be, you need to request support from the provider. Support can be:
- 24/7 or during office hours
- Phone or email support
- A support manager who works solely with your company
Not all providers have the same support plans. Some of them offer lifetime support as part of the development package while others charge monthly or annual fees. Before choosing the provider, find out which support scheme they follow. In some cases, regular support may be extremely costly, increasing the total price of the program significantly.
Additionally, ask if the company offers training for your employees. It can be in the form of webinars, in-person consultations, tutorials, etc.
4. Features
Before choosing a provider, you need to figure out what type of features you need in your billing software. Some companies can settle for billing and invoicing elements while others need self-service portals for clients, post-paid and pre-paid systems, order management, provisioning, and the like.
Does the software offered by the provider you choose include the features you need? If not, are their add-ons or upgrades available?
5. Pricing
The pricing options offered by the telecom billing provider can tell you a lot about the company. Besides being reasonable and suitable for your company, is the pricing plan flexible? Respectable software providers often create a variety of plans to suit the needs of different clients.
The options may include monthly or annual payments, extra support, additional features, and the like. The more options the pricing plan has, the easier it will be to customize the contract for your needs.
The Takeaway
While you need to consider many different factors when choosing a telecom billing provider, the top things to keep in mind are reputation, format (cloud-based vs. on-premise), support, features, and pricing.
If one of the elements doesn’t suit your needs, negotiations are always an option. However, since the choice is rather big, it’s usually much easier to find a more suitable provider, especially in the era of remote development.
