Many clients start with consulting the network billing system, asking if they can pay daily and monthly fees, and whether they can limit the number of terminals, or just ask for prices. On the surface, people ask different questions, and actually care about the same thing: whether this network billing system really works, whether it runs smoothly, whether it can run, and whether it can keep charges, manage and maintain later.
Because the network billing system is not like normal software. It's not installed on it, or a demonstration page is complete. Once online, it is faced with actual users, the physical network environment and the actual charges. The rules are not reasonable, and users complain; certification and costing linkages are unstable, leading to peak periods; later operations are incomplete, managers have to deal with extravagant matters every day.“Support monthly billing on time”And it's easy to think about the project.
The three main points of the selection of a network-based billing system that would be sustainable are: is it flexible enough to run smoothly and operate smoothly at a later stage?
The core is, of course, the billing capability. Many clients look at the network billing system and the first response is whether they can charge. That's true, but if it stays here,“Can I charge you?”The choice is too rough. Because of the different scenarios, there are very different requirements for how to charge fees. School dormitories and campus wireless networks, often on a monthly basis, by school term, by time set; hotels, apartments, short rents, temporary premises may be more daily, by way of room cycle; business parks, shared offices, training centres, sometimes with a desire to make a more flexible mix of months, years, by account number, by bandwidth, by terminal. That is, network fee systems cannot just be made.“It's a charge.”But to be able to set the rules according to your business scene.
Some clients only need regular monthly, quarterly, annual, and other fixed rules such as a set-aside, or even temporary, week-along, or even holiday-time, short-term experience. If the system can only pay the most basic monthly fees, it is often more difficult to add to the billing rule. Whether an account allows several devices to be online simultaneously, whether mobile phones and computers are not the same type of terminals, whether the equipment can be automatically untied after it is replaced, if the ceiling is reached and either the old equipment is cut off directly or new equipment is prohibited from being connected is not a small feature that can be used but rather a key part of the network billing system that really affects the use experience.
Many of the projects are most controversial later, often not as a charge or no, but rather as a rule. For example, students buy a set but are repeatedly kicked off because of frequent terminal switching; for example, the user package is expired without warning and leads to sudden disconnections; and for example, clients want different fees for different regions, populations, networks, etc., which result in systems that cannot be used at all.“It's just a matter of time.”And then you see that charging is not a problem, but rules and experiences. So choosing a network billing system depends on whether there's only a costing module, but whether it's fine enough to support real operations.
The second thing that must be highlighted is system stability. When a network billing system is on-line, it is not only functionally low but unstable. Because the bill itself is tied to authentication, release, online status, length of the package and processing of arrears, once a link is unstable, the most immediate problem is that users feel: they cannot get on the net without having reached their maturity, suddenly disconnected without having paid but not updated their backstage status, or when large numbers of users at peaks turn up simultaneously to slow, fail to authenticate, and lose fees.
In a more intensive environment, especially in dormitories, apartments, parks, training institutions, and shared premises, the network billing system is not about dozens of people, but about hundreds of terminals that are continuously online. The peaks in day and night use vary, with peak fees, high rates of renewal, school season, quarter occupancy, and activity periods magnifying the system pressure. The truly nuanced web-based billing system does not look at how beautiful the display pages are, but rather whether authentication and billing are still consistent in a simultaneous fashion, the setup is fast synchronized, the fallback chain logic is not smooth and database records and actual online status often fail to match.
Many clients do not ask for stability because they don't see it on the surface.“Can you do this?”But once the system is online, stability is most affected. Because users don't care about what structure is used in the backstage, and whether it's a billing platform, a authentication server or a gateway, they will only remember one thing: whether you have a secure network with money paid for or not working properly. So real-experienced selections, instead of just functional tables, are seen to be performed in high-speed, long-term operating and unusual conditions.
The third thing you can't ignore is the ability to operate at a later stage. Many people look at network billing systems and they focus on them.“Fee-based rules”It seems that the package is built, priced and paid. It really works for a long time, whether it's running well or not, and it does not affect the billing rules. Because once the system runs, there are many management moves every day: new openings, suite adjustments, renewals, cut-off, temporary openings, online access, processing user complaints, checking contributions, statistics, and reporting.
A functional network billing system, not just to allow users to buy a package, but also to make the manager feel free to manage it. For example, can you automatically warn that the set is closed immediately after the payment has been due, that managers can manually fill in hours, days, days, traffic, and that they can handle the terminal binding of an account alone, and can quickly find out when a user is going to open, when fees are being renewed, when it breaks, and what's last online. None of these functions are amazing, they really fall into operation, and one of them could significantly increase management costs.
And, to put it further, the network billing system in many of the scenes is more than just...“Fees”The system is well chosen, the setup is reasonable, the fee-receiving process is smooth, and the rest of the benefits are stable. Conversely, if the system is not flexible, the cost of renewal is cumbersome, there are often minor problems, users are reluctant to pay, managers deal with complaints daily, and a cheap programme is not always cost-effective.
One thing that is often overlooked is the ability of network billing systems and existing network environments to fit. Many clients only look at billing functions in advance, forgetting that the system will eventually be connected to the site network. What equipment has been used on the ground, whether the old wireless AC supports docking, how the authentication link goes, where export controls are on the other side, and whether or not the current account number system should be maintained, this affects later landings. In particular, some units have a certification system, which they want to add to the billing function, depending on whether there is sufficient compatibility of the network billing system.
For example, campus or dormitory projects are not always as simple as the last single billing platform; they are all on a chain of certifications, billings, terminal controls, operator access, online synchronization. If the links are poorly designed, even if the billing function is itself no problem, users experience may change. And, for example, some multi-school, multi-building, multi-export scenarios, whether the system can be managed uniformly, charged centrally and look at online status, these capabilities will affect subsequent expansion.
Many clients are especially concerned about how to pay and retain the system when they choose a network billing system. It is important that the system support online renewals, allow users to buy their own packages, or make window calls, and remind them that it will have a direct impact on the rate renewal, particularly for people who need to renew their fees repeatedly, such as students, tenants, etc. The payment process is smoother and later operations easier. If the system is too heavy, the cost of each extension has to be handled manually or the page experience is poor, management and users will feel trouble. Where the Internet billing system is really mature, not just in the form of back-office rules, but also in the form of forward payments, reminders, purchase processes.
Many projects start off on a modest scale, feeling that running fees first will be enough, and then with more users, more points, more complex packages, and higher management requirements, the system will become more stressful. If only a light base-based costing tool is selected in the pre-election period, with new packages, new scenarios, new payment methods, and additional regional administration, the cost of retrofitting will grow.
After all, how does the Internet billing system go?“Fee-for-function”The billing rules are inflexible to determine how you do your late-stage suite; the system is unstable to determine user experience and reputations; and the ability to operate is weak to determine costs and long-term benefits. Many projects are not working at a later stage because they have insufficient budgets, but rather start by making things simple.“Charges”Two words, not counting the steady and continuous operation behind.
It is best to choose the right system, not just price-based, but also to listen to demonstrations about what packages are in support. See the rules, which are too fine, stable enough, backstage operations go well, then you can judge with your own scenes and the formula that comes out will be easier to run for longer and actually do the job.