The nature of the ISP industry demands that those who operate in this playing field constantly improve their internal processes as a means of retaining and growing their customer base. An Internet minute passes much faster than the traditional 60 seconds it takes a clock to go full circle. This means that repetition within business processes must be automated at every opportunity to remain competitive.

This blog looks at how using ISP billing software to automate traditionally repetitive tasks helps to minimise complexity, improve efficiency, reduce inaccuracies and ultimately save your business time and money.

Minimised Operational Complexity

With convergent ISP billing software solutions, much of the operational inefficiencies associated with the traditional inner workings of an ISP are reduced. Integration that occurs at the lead generation stage, and reaches all the way through to provisioning and subsequent billing, means that ISPs are now able to report consistently  across disparate systems and achieve much faster turnaround times.

When billing, activation and provisioning operate within their respective silos, constant checking on the progress of customer requests kills efficiency as users are required to interrogate multiple systems in order to get answers.

With ISP billing software, Finance no longer needs to check with Operations if provisioning has occurred in order to bill the customer. Billing now happens automatically as soon as provisioning is completed.

The centralised nature of ISP billing software provides end-to-end views of the system, removing ambiguities that lead to potential revenue loss. This means no more dreaded “please hold the line while I check the system” requests from call centre agents as they navigate between systems to check on customer orders or queries.

Accurate Information means Improved Efficiency

Automation in the ISP billing software realm means that systems are able to provision new services with improved efficiency.  By validating user input, modern ISP billing solutions are capable of enabling or rejecting applications for additional services almost instantly.

The same applies to the suspension of services which can be triggered automatically when overdue payments breach configurable thresholds. In this case, it’s not just improved efficiency that you achieve but also a reduction in revenue leakage.

Automated Billing and Collections

Billing inaccuracies can be a major source of revenue loss for ISPs and also affect customer relations rather negatively.

Automated billing and collection mechanisms triggered within the system means bills are received timeously and predictably by customers, preventing disputes that may lead to further deterioration of the customer/supplier relationship. In an age where the consumer is able to discontinue a service at short notice, ISPs can ill afford to appear incompetent.

Automation Eliminates Errors in the System

Tasks of a repetitive nature are notorious for being error-prone. The smallest error captured in a billing system can kick off a series of larger anomalies that may only be discovered further down the road. It then becomes necessary to  backtrack to find the root cause of the problem which usually requires the allocation of precious resources.

With automation of repetitive tasks within a convergent billing system, errors that creep in from any domain of the business are immediately picked up and escalated, allowing for quick resolution or preventative action.

There’s No Time like Real-time

Real-time information gives real-time insights. The reduction of data latency, thanks to the speed at which technology has evolved, means that businesses have access to up-to-date information as and when required.

The demand for higher efficiency is more apparent as customers have become more fickle and demand value for every cent they spend. ISP billing software that replaces repetition with efficiency places service providers in a favourable position in a very competitive playing field.