We are always looking at ways to improve our services, the delivery of them and how users can interact and manage them.
The current situation
We are aware customers currently have an ad-hock access to a portal on our website to see CDRs (Caller Display Records), IT Documentation, Agreements and more. But we feel this access is not good enough and does not give the best information.
So what have we done and why?
Due to this we decided over the Christmas period to correct this throughout the year, and we are starting with telephone services and internet connections.
We have invested in a new telecommunications billing and reporting platform. We have done this as we have the goals of: –
- Providing a dynamic reporting platform for clients
- Standardised billing date for communication products
- Enable single invoice per month for all communication products and call charges
- Reduction in manual tasks making things quicker and more accurate
When will this be operational?
The new billing and reporting platform for communication products is live now! But this is not released to our clients yet.
We are currently running the system in parallel with the existing system to make sure all dates, periods and payments match up. We have imported all Decembers information and have the system running side by side with the existing system until March.
The aim is that starting in March we will swap completely over to the new system. So in March you will find that no matter what date your current service is, this will not change; but the invoice date might.
For example, lets say you have a PSTN line, FTTC connection and SIP trunk with the following dates: –
PSTN Rental 08/03/2019 – 07/04/2019 — Included in March Invoice
PSTN Calls 08/02/2019 – 07/03/2019 — Period will change to 10/02/2019 – 09/03/2019
FTTC Connection 25/02/2019 – 24/03/2019 — Will be invoiced in March instead of February
SIP Trunk 07/03/2019 – 06/04/2019 — Included in March Invoice
SIP Calls 07/02/2019 – 06/03/2019 — Included in March Invoice
The reason with the above examples there have some changes is due to the dates we will be running the bill cycles on. From March we will be making sure all external service reports are imported into the new system on the 10th of every month with invoices being raised on the 15th.
So any service that starts before the 16th and PSTN calls up until the 10th will be listed in that months invoice. As you are only getting one invoice for communication services you will now only get two emails; one for the invoice and one about the direct debit payment.