News in the Channel – February 2023

BILLING SOFTWARE

Stick it on the bill Billing software is becoming increasingly important for businesses that want to differentiate themselves from their competitors or become more efficient.

With so many competitors ready and waiting to poach customers, as well as the constant race to reduce prices to attract more new customers, channel organisations need unique selling points, and a level of customer service that can’t be matched by those same rivals. However, the billing experience is often overlooked when organisations explore ways to set themselves apart from their contenders. But with the right feature-set, billing can be used to a reseller’s advantage, enriching the customer experience and differentiating the reseller. Save time and improve customer service with self-serve functionality The value of self service should be given a lot of emphasis, according to Harry McKeever managing director, Tekton Billing. “Offering customers the self-serve functionality they’ve come to expect on their personal phones not only keeps them happy, but it has multiple internal benefits too. “Primarily, allowing customers to check their own usage reduces the number of support calls taken by a reseller’s support team. All those quick questions can be answered within the platform by the user. “There’s also a positive knock-on effect. As the support team have less calls to answer, they can take their time on more complex issues delivering a better level of service and reducing ‘time to resolution’. That time could also be used for further training or other internal projects.” Boost brand perception with a customer portal Likewise, the right customer portal can greatly affect your customers’ perception of your business as well as provide an avenue for self-service. “Many of our customers find that the slick user experience and white label branding helps attract new customers,” says Harry. “These are impressed by the platform’s end-user functionality and ease of use. So, not only can it boost brand credibility but

Harry McKeever managing director Tekton Biling

help drive sales too! The fact that the user experience is the same for our customers and a reseller’s end-users is another, more nuanced, benefit. “For example, a customer calls to ask a complex question where they need to be talked through the process step-by-step. With most billing systems, the portal that the end- user sees is completely different to what the operator may use, leading to incorrect advice, lengthy conversations muddling through possibilities, or time and resource invested into training advisers on navigating the user- facing system. “With Tekton Billing’s ZOEY, all the user available settings sit within the same UX as the reseller’s ‘back-end’ portal. This means operators can go step-by-step with them no matter what the question is. Plus, ZOEY’s Training Academy ensures that customer advisers (for example new starters) aren’t familiar with a specific function, word or phrase that the end user is asking about, they can simply search for the term. And thanks to linked keywords they can quickly find the resolution that keeps the end user happy.” Maximise revenue with advanced reporting But billing accurately requires vigilance. Previously, this would entail scouring spreadsheets for values that ‘seemed wrong’, putting the responsibility for catching missing charges on the billing team. “An effective and forward-thinking billing

Offering customers the self- serve functionality they’ve come to expect on their personal phones not only keeps them happy, but it has multiple internal benefits too. “ ”

tektonbilling.com

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