If you manage a telecom company, then it is crucial to have an online charging system (OCS) in place.
Having an OCS system does not only automate your billing to a large extent, but it also makes it easier for customers to use your services. It also minimizes common errors that come with everyday billing and charging, which once again leads to better customer experiences.
Because of this, telecom companies of all sizes are actively looking to maintain top-notch OCS platforms. This has also led many OCS providers to come forth and offer their services particularly to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
Unfortunately, many of these OCS providers are all talk and no action. While they charge premium pricing for their services, they fail to deliver on the core aspects of an online charging system. What makes this more worrisome is that identifying a bad OCS isn’t always easy.
Understanding this predicament, we have put together a list of the top 3 signs of a bad OCS. If you are currently looking for an OCS system or want to make sure that your current OCS is up to industry standards, then looking for these signs can help you steer clear of a subpar billing and charging system.
1. Its Real-time Charging Doesn’t Work All the Time
The primary purpose of an OCS is to charge for services in real-time. This key-value minimizes issues in billing and lets you provide your customers with hassle-free services.
A bad OCS doesn’t stay true to this mechanism. It can provide constant downtimes and show a lapse in charging customers on time. As a result, this can lead to mismanagement of credit, inaccuracies in billing, and subsequent complaints from customers.
If your online charging system runs into these issues regularly, it is an indication for you to change it as soon as possible. Similarly, if you are looking for an OCS and find one that does not provide guarantees of its uptime, then it’s a red flag that asks for you to steer clear of said service.
2. It Is High Maintenance
A reliable OCS does not depend on your IT equipment but operates through its own infrastructure, such as the cloud. This characteristic makes sure that the OCS system is always running with optimal capacity even if your internal infrastructure faces any issues.
An OCS that relies upon your infrastructure is often high maintenance. It requires your IT staff to be just as responsible for its operations as the OCS provider itself. This asks for more resources and management costs from your end and leads to higher chances of failure if you are not able to maintain it regularly.
If your current online billing and charging system depends upon your infrastructure and runs into errors as a result, then it is time to look into other options. Similarly, if you have shortlisted a potential OCS that doesn’t run on its platform, then you should keep looking for other providers.
3. It Is Not Configurable
An online charging system that can meet the requirement of modern telecom services comes in the form of configurable services. This rules-based mechanism allows your company to offer stackable plans, multiple subscriptions, and top-ups in a real-time charging environment. This process also lets customers enjoy timely billing on the services they need the most, while also allowing your customer support staff to set subscriptions easily.
A bad OCS system doesn’t follow this mechanism. It can’t offer stackable plans or subscriptions, nor does it allow for error-free top-ups. This factor stops your company from providing services that are now considered an industry standard and pushes it back in terms of competition.
If your online billing and charging system provides limited functions, then it is high time for you to change to one with more functions. On a similar note, if any new OCS comes along without the promise of stackable plans or multiple subscription packages, you should continue looking for other options.
Contact a Reliable OCS Provider Today
With state of the art, cloud-based, and rules-based online charging system, (v)WeCare can help you establish the OCS services which your business needs the most. With over 1,000 plan configurations, an easy to use backend system, and 99.9999% uptime, we can meet all your requirements with ease. If you need further information on how to start using our OCS for your company, please feel free to reach out to us. We will be glad to explain the process to you and help you make use of our modern OCS platform as soon as possible.