What are the common causes and impacts of telecom billing errors?

Having a billing system with a well structured product catalogue which templates the various pricing elements (fixed charges, rate cards, bundles, etc) means data entry is not only faster but accurate too. As rightly commented by William F Devault here above, automation can indeed lead to widespread human error. The way to remedy this is with subsequent checks and balances. Tekton's ZOEY solution will highlight loss making elements, monthly variance, and reconciliations against supplier charges to highlight any potential errors before bill generation.

it's evident that such errors not only compromise the accuracy of billing but can also have profound financial implications, affecting both telecom providers and customers. The call for a holistic strategy, including enhanced training protocols and process optimization, is imperative. In my opinion, integrating advanced technologies like automation and AI into billing processes could potentially mitigate the impact of human errors. As we advance, it's crucial to view these challenges not just as problems but as opportunities to fortify the robustness and reliability of telecom billing systems

And when you add automation, the ability for a simple human error to becoming a recurring or widespread issue can be very present. During a code audit we found code used the wrong verb for duration in transfer calls. No one at our end had noticed it...two clients, both law firms in Chicago, had. They were making overseas calls then transferring to another number. We ran the previous month's calls through the fixed code we found $80k in lost charges. This had been going on for 2 years, meaning we could assume that a) they noticed the glitch and exploited it and b) this had cost our company as much as $2 million dollars. We fixed it. Within a week of their next monthly bill, the transferring of overseas long distance calls stopped.

Human error is the silent saboteur of telecom billing. From data entry to payment processing, mistakes happen. Overcharges, undercharges, and incorrect customer details are common results. Telecom companies must invest in training, quality control, and automation to combat this issue.

At Tekton Billing we see this most often when migrating communication providers billing from their own in-house developed systems to our ZOEY platform. Bespoke in-house systems have the allure of being tailor made, however lack the code maturity of a commercial billing solution. Working with an independent billing system vendor who supplies a mature system to multiple CPs means stability is much more certain. And should any bugs surface, fixes are rolled out rapidly.

Billing system vendors often offer an optional bureau service alongside billing software subscriptions. With a bureau service, the billing system vendor can manage data entry and administration on behalf of the Comms Provider, using their industry and system experience to ensure accurate order processing without the need for the Comms Provider to worry about the nuisances of the billing system itself. A bureau service is a great way for a Communication Provider to extend their own administration team without the cost of internal recruitment.

Customers can often contribute to billing headaches. Outdated info, misunderstood plans, and payment issues cause billing chaos. Telecoms must improve communication and dispute resolution to fix this.

Es fundamental el trabajo conjunto y colaborativo para establecer los criterios e hitos de facturación. A partir de allí contar con la posibilidad hacer toda la gestión en las plataformas del proveedor y cliente. Hay que evitar trabajar con planillas informales y potenciar los sistemas. En nuestro caso trabajamos con nuestro principal cliente en la plataforma de ISDP y nuestro ERP Odoo con excelentes resultados.

One more thing to consider is just plain attempted deception. I worked with a company a few years back that was informed a fee they were applying to all their bills in Washington DC was not permitted under DC laws. Their solution? Change the name of the charge on the bills. Needless to say, I left there at first opportunity.