| What is Prepaid
Billing?
Prepaid billing is the ability
to validate a calling number, calculate the maximum call
time based on destination number + account balance, adjust
the account balance upon call completion, and create a call
detail record. Everything else - IVP, Voicemail - should
already exist in your VoIP Platform.
Prepaid Calling Card Models
Calling cards generally are
individual account numbers with prepaid balances. When the
card is used, each call is pre-rated for call duration,
based on the destination number. If the maximum allowed
call duration is reached during the call, the call is terminated.
Otherwise, when the call ends, the actual call duration
is used to rate the call, and adjust the remaining balance.
Properly designed calling card systems
should not allow more than one call at a time on the same
card number.
Prepaid Extension Models
May businesses today want
prepaid account management, and still have unlimited extensions.
In this model, all calls are rated against a single customer
balance.
There are, of course, some
risks or limitations, that should be considered, when designing
and setting up this type of account. You either have to
restrict the number of concurrent calls, when a low balance
threshold is reached, or set some maximum limit per call,
to avoid overdrawing the account balance.
ReSeller - Customer - User
Web Interface Model
Does your business have ReSellers
or Agents? if the answer is yes, you need a prepaid billing
solution which offers a ReSeller - Customer - User Model.
In simple terms, this model
allows you (The Vendor) to setup ReSellers, who can manage
their own accounts. Under this model, you (The Vendor) do
not have any business relationship with customers.
Customer - User Web Interface
Model
This is the simplest model
for Vendors. If you (The Vendor) only have direct customers,
you only need this type of model.
Learn More ...
Check out the other links on
our site, to learm more about billing systems. Like cars
and computers, billing systems also vary greatly. |
