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Detailed Description

Automated Tasks in CentreBill

As part of managing the system, including disk utilization and log management, the following automatic tasks are provided:

Auto Emails

  • Full configuration management is provided for both the frequency and days that the system processes utilization of services against agreed limits and automatically emails the client pre-drafted reports should the utilization exceed the agreed limits. Copies of the emails are also sent to specified email addresses of the service provider so they may become pro-active in managing their customers expectations thereby avoiding potential confrontation.
     
  • Management reports may also be configured which provide information to predetermined email addresses (typically sales) of customer services and accounts which are due for expiry or which have already expired. This too allows for pro-active management of customer accounts.

Purger

In order to manage the volume of raw data stored on disk, CentreBill offer full configuration of the duration that log records and expired email accounts are to be retained for. It also specifies the frequency and time of day for the purge routines to run thereby avoiding server overload at peak times.

Log Imports

CentreBill includes its own Mediation Engine for most of the common sources of raw data, including RADIUS, Netflow, IP Accounting and some specialty feeds. However, it also includes the ability to simply develop additional import routines for unique providers of raw data logs, including CDR's from voice providers.

As part of the import module development, certain parameters are specified which are then configurable through CentreBill's frontend by the System Administrator. This would constitute customization of the base code.

Invoice Run

The automatic invoice run routine for CentreBill is fully configurable. The following parameters may be configured:

  • Frequency – of the invoice run (daily, weekly, monthly)
     
  • Day of the Week – if weekly
     
  • Run first day of month – this will be in addition to the above parameters
     
  • Run last day of the month – this will be in addition to the above parameters and is specifically included for month end reporting and consolidation (to accounting system) purposes

Furthermore, in addition to simply raising the invoices automatically, this being the process of raising charges for services on a periodical billing cycle and then posting both these automatically raised charges and previously uninvoiced charges to the invoice, CentreBill offers many options for fully automatically processing all invoices raised.

These options include:

  • Process Auto Deduct Payments – assuming the customer has provided authorization to the service provider to charge their credit card for all outstanding charges as they fall due
     
  • Email Invoices – automatically email the invoices to the customers after they are raised showing the balance after any payments have automatically been made. This also includes automatically emailing receipts
     
  • Send Warning Emails – if set, CentreBill will automatically email the customers whose accounts are overdue
     
  • Send Suspend Emails – again if the system has been configured to allow automatic service suspension, then an email will automatically be sent to the customer's accounts email address of notification of suspension, assuming they are still capable of receiving such emails on service suspension

By leaving all parameters blank, CentreBill's invoice run date and time will then be determined by the manual invoice run process as described in the Billing Wizard under the Admin section.